New iPad mini: 60Hz, a Cut-Down Chip and $699. Shame on You, Apple

Apple announced the new iPad mini today and calls it the “biggest update ever” for the small tablet. It gets an 8.5-inch OLED display with more than twice the peak brightness of the previous model, up to 1,200 nits for HDR, and an optional nano-texture finish for $100 on the 256GB and 512GB models. Inside is the A20 Pro chip, which Apple says is up to 60% faster in CPU, 2.7 times faster in graphics and 4.5 times faster in AI than the A17 Pro.

It is the first iPad with IP67 water and dust resistance, helped by a new “Acoustic Display” that plays sound through the screen, with no speaker holes. It is 5.4 mm thin, about 15% thinner and lighter, with a 12MP camera on each side, Touch ID, Wi-Fi 7, Apple Pencil Pro support and two colors, midnight and starlight. Battery life is the same as before.

The price starts at $699, up from $599 in June and $499 in 2024. The display stays at 60Hz, with no ProMotion. The 128GB and 256GB models get a cut-down A20 Pro with a 5-core CPU and one Neural Engine, while the full 6-core chip with a dual Neural Engine is only in the 512GB model, at $999. Apple does not list the memory, and its warranty does not cover liquid damage. Pre-orders open Wednesday, October 28, and the iPad mini arrives Friday, November 6.

	Previous iPad mini	New iPad mini
Display	8.3-inch LCD, 60Hz	8.5-inch OLED, 60Hz, no ProMotion
Chip	A17 Pro	A20 Pro (cut-down on 128GB and 256GB)
Water resistance	None	IP67, liquid damage not covered by warranty
Thickness	6.3 mm	5.4 mm
Cameras	12MP	12MP
Battery life	Same	Same
Starting price	$499 (2024), $599 (June 2026)	$699, full chip from $999

In this article: I said 60Hz. Apple gave us 60Hz · $699 for a small iPad. Have you gone crazy? · Water resistance the warranty does not cover · Where is the “wow”? In the price? · I hope people don’t buy it · This is not the Apple I knew · My advice · FAQ

I said 60Hz. Apple gave us 60Hz

This morning I wrote that we would get only 60Hz. We got 60Hz. It was what you could expect. Apple treats us, excuse the expression, like idiots who buy anything they push at us. For years it has given us only 60Hz, and now it says this is a completely different iPad. My God, I cannot stand the people at Apple who think 120Hz is a thing only for expensive gadgets. How long will it take you? In a year or two you will come out and say it is a completely new iPad, only because you added 120Hz. You can say anything.

We don’t buy an iPad the way we buy a Duo. We buy it to look at the display, not because it has speakers under the display. The readers in the comments said it right, and maybe for the first time I agree with them so much. One of them says that a $150 Android tablet from Walmart has 90Hz. And people use it almost the same way: to watch movies and some videos on YouTube.

$699 for a small iPad. Have you gone crazy?

Apple makes a show out of everything. But enough, please, of pulling money out of us like this. An iPad for $700? What the hell is this? Have you gone crazy over there? An iPad mini for movies, excuse me, for that price? I will definitely go to the competition.

You raise prices the most on the market, and at the same time you give us only a minor upgrade, and even that for $700. You give us an A20 Pro and at the same time you say it is cut down. Give us more money if you want something faster. Yuck. If you want the fastest iPad mini, you have to pay $1,000. Do you hear yourselves? Prices grow like mushrooms after the rain. What is this supposed to mean?

Water resistance the warranty does not cover

You added water resistance because of the EU rules, I think. But the warranty does not cover it. Do you know what? I am really disappointed. How is it even legal? Apple says it is the first water-resistant iPad and suggests reading by the pool, but if water gets in, it is not covered.

And when I read the comments, my stomach turns. Fans can defend everything, and how happy they are about the water resistance. For God’s sake, can you read? That water resistance is just for show, because if something happens, the warranty does not cover it. Or do you just make a “wow” effect out of everything? I really can’t believe people have completely lost their minds. Maybe it is because of people like this that Apple releases things like this and says it is the biggest upgrade.

Where is the “wow”? In the price?

And then some websites, I am talking about other sites, support it. Where do you see the “wow”? In the price? 12MP cameras and the same battery for at least $700. I don’t believe sites say it is the biggest update. But they said the same about the Duo, that it was the discovery of the year. For God’s sake, really. The same battery and 12MP pixelation in 2026.

And on top of that, Apple does not list the RAM at all. Maybe because we will find out it is the same as last year, and they just raised the price. Or do they have some secret? That makes no sense to me.

I hope people don’t buy it

Now maybe I will say something, but I wish people would not buy so much Apple technology, only so that Apple starts to be fair to us. And I don’t care if you say I can’t afford it. I can. But I will certainly not tolerate and support it anymore, only because they give it to us however they want. It is as if Apple says: you are poor, so here is a cut-down version and a 60Hz display. Oh my God, Apple, outside it is 2026, and putting 60Hz into a new gadget is really a shame. I hope nobody buys it this time, so they see that they are going the wrong way. People can live without an iPad mini too.

This is not the Apple I knew

I am so furious that I think a blood vessel will burst. It is probably some new policy: pull as much money out of people as possible. In my opinion, Ternus acts like an egoist, and I would only be glad if he left. Please, Tim Cook, come back. Things are going too far.

And please, Jony Ive and OpenAI, who are working on their own devices together, finally start being competition to Apple, and don’t wait so long. I am sure they will be the first who put Apple in its place. People will now have to work a month, in some countries maybe two or three, to buy Apple technology. I am already afraid of what the next iPad Air will cost.

My advice

If you have the chance and want an upgrade, I think you can get an older iPad Air, or a model lower, for the same money, and you will have a really powerful iPad. Today the 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, with a bigger display and an M-series chip. I will not go for some mini tablet for this money. And when I see reviews praising how new this iPad is because of the speakers under the display and because it is lighter, I will know it is just PR.

Also on Evolt News: iPad mini with OLED for $799? · Apple’s display veterans step aside

Photo: Apple.

This article is opinion.

New iPad mini: FAQ

How much does the new iPad mini cost?

The new iPad mini starts at $699 in the US. The 512GB model with the full A20 Pro chip costs $999. Nano-texture glass adds $100 on the 256GB and 512GB models.

Does the new iPad mini have a 120Hz display?

No. The 8.5-inch OLED display runs at 60Hz. Apple does not list ProMotion for the iPad mini.

Is the new iPad mini waterproof?

It is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance, tested at up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Apple says liquid damage is not covered under warranty.

What is the difference between the iPad mini models?

The 128GB and 256GB models have a 5-core CPU and one 16-core Neural Engine. The 512GB model has a 6-core CPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine.

When can I buy the new iPad mini?

Pre-orders start Wednesday, October 28, and the iPad mini is available from Friday, November 6.

Sources: Apple, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, MacRumors Forums.

Our Take

Apple calls the new iPad mini its biggest update ever. For me, it is 60Hz in 2026, a cut-down chip unless you pay $999, the second price increase this year, and water resistance the warranty does not cover.

I hope people don’t buy it, so Apple learns to be fair again. If you need an iPad, the iPad Air is still the better buy.