After almost three long years of radio silence on the iPad Mini front, Apple finally decided that yesterday was the day to announce that a new model will be arriving soon. We often consider the Mini to be Apple's most underrated tablet thanks to its compact chassis, smooth everyday performance and impressive list of AV features (Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio). I even bought one with my own hard-earned cash before joining the What Hi-Fi? team – so that should grant me the status of a true iPad Mini fan.
When I saw the announcement of a new model drop unexpectedly into my inbox on a random Tuesday afternoon, I dived straight in with fairly high expectations. The more I read, however, the less enthusiastic I became. The new iPad Mini features a newer processor (from last year's iPhone 15 Pro Max), Apple Intelligence support (which isn't even available yet), and it now works with the Apple Pencil Pro… and that's it.
Now I don't want to sound entitled or ungrateful, but three years for that? We have seen such huge strides across the iPad lineup in recent years, and this is how the Mini is treated. If Apple truly wants to level up the Mini and make it the ultimate portable AV powerhouse, here are a few suggestions for the next iteration:
A Tandem OLED display
Getting straight into the most requested feature, Apple launched its first OLED iPad earlier this year to great acclaim. We awarded the 13-inch model five stars, and that is mostly due to its stunning picture performance. The inky blacks, unrivalled contrast, and rich colours are truly what makes this tablet so likeable; the detailed and expressive sound and lightning-fast M4 processor help, too – but screen specification is stellar.
Now, the current iPad Mini is a top-notch performer – it too earned itself five stars in 2021 – but after such a long wait I was hoping to see an improvement in the screen. An OLED iPad Mini sounds like a dream come true, and while that may be wishful thinking as not even the more expensive iPad Air was lucky enough to get the screen technology, it would have been a great opportunity to introduce an OLED iPad at a screen size smaller than 11-inches.
If not Tandem OLED, then perhaps Mini LED? Apple dropped the screen technology from the iPad Pro after the OLED upgrade this year and has proceeded not to use it in any of its other products. A pixel-dense Mini LED display with tightly packed dimming zones would have surely been a win in the brightness department at the very least; alas the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display returns for another generation (and likely another three years).
An updated design
When the design highlights for the new iPad Mini include "two new finishes" – one of which is an almost indistinguishable shade of purple than what we saw on the 2021 model – you know that there really isn't much to be said for the build of the new iPad Mini.
I'm a fan of the form factor of the current model. – it is compact and cute – and the move to the home button-less style really gave the Mini a new lease on life back in 2021. However, it feels as though more could have been done to distinguish this iPad from its predecessor. To start, the bezels on the iPad Mini are fairly chunky when compared with the rest of the lineup; Apple is in its "thinnest ever" era at the moment, so seeing it take some inspiration from the iPhone 16 Pro would have been appreciated.
Likewise, the camera placement is, it is pretty much universally considered to be, in the wrong place. Apple cemented this sentiment with the iPad (2022), iPad Air (2024) and iPad Pro (2024) by moving the camera across to the right-hand edge of the device, making it much better for video calls. Admittedly, the Mini is a small device, and cramming all of the components into the build is surely no easy feat; just take the volume controls which are oddly placed on the top edge for example. However, Apple's research and development team are clearly talented (and very well funded) so I'm sure a solution could be found.
Front facing stereo speakers
If Apple truly cannot shrink the bezels of the iPad Mini down any more, then maybe it could put them to good use. Embedding the stereo speaker system into the bezels would allow for front firing sound rather than side-firing, which should be an obvious improvement for watching content without headphones.
We praised the speaker system from the previous iPad Mini, but that doesn't mean Apple couldn't improve it yet again. I won't even mention the headphone jack by the by, as I have grudgingly accepted that it will never come back.
MORE:
Check out our list of the best iPads
And our wider list of the best tablets
As well as our iPad Mini 6 (2021) review