Apple has revealed the all-new iPad Mini, and this one is the biggest upgrade for the tiny Apple tablet in years. Apple has stuck with a familiar design characterized by thick bezels and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor at the bottom for way too many years. The Lightning port has endured as well, and the same camera sensor remained for generations. Apple has used the design for years on the vanilla iPad, the Pro and Air models, and of course, the Mini version too.
The company gradually started a design refresh with the iPad Pro, eschewing the thick bezels to achieve a uniformly thin bezel profile that looks extremely clean. The round Touch ID button was substituted with the Face ID hardware. Next in line was the iPad Air, which got a similar facelift, but the Touch ID button was relocated to the top edge and fitted inside the power button.
Now, Apple is giving the same aesthetic update to its latest generation iPad Mini, and it looks extremely clean. The sides are flat akin to the iPhone 12 series, the power button now sits at the top edge, and there are new color options to choose from, including pink, starlight, purple, and space grey. But it’s not just the looks that Apple has paid attention to, because the internals have received a massive upgrade too. Starting with the display, users now get an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina panel with True Tone tech, 500 nits of peak brightness, P3 wide color gamut support, and an anti-reflective coating on top. And to complement the multimedia experience, the iPad Mini comes equipped with what Apple calls landscape stereo speakers for more immersive listening output. Plus, the panel supports the second-generation Apple Pencil that attaches magnetically to the side for charging and pairing. iPadOS 15 handles things on the software side, bringing a ton of new features such as Live Text for recognizing text in images and letting users copy them in a jiffy.
The build employs 100 percent recycled Aluminum enclosures, just like the iPad Pro and Air models. Inside the new iPad Mini is the Hexa-core A15 Bionic chip which is said to offer a 40 percent jump in CPU performance. The new 5-core GPU is said to provide an 80 percent leap in GPU output for gaming or using other demanding apps such as photo editing. The Neural Engine sees its performance go up by double, allowing apps to work a lot faster for scenarios such as real-time translation.
Apple has also now equipped the device with a USB-C port, which the company says brings a speed boost of 10X when it comes to data transfer and connecting with accessories. Speaking of accessories, Apple has also launched slim folio cases in multiple color options. Another huge connectivity upgrade is the support for 5G, with Apple promising a peak download speed of up to 3.5Gbps. The other half of wireless connectivity is handled by Wi-Fi 6.
The camera hardware has been upgraded as well. There is now a 12MP camera with an f/1.8 lens at the back, and support for features such as Focus Pixels and the ability to record 4K videos. On the front is an upgraded 12MP ultra-wide camera that supports the new Center Stage technology for automatically adjusting the frame to keep users in focus during video calls. As for the pricing, the Wi-Fi model of iPad Mini will set users back by at least $499, while the LTE model starts at $649. Apple will start taking orders from its official store starting today, while general availability will kick off on September 24.
Source: Apple
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