Apple announces OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro chip

Apple has announced a redesigned iPad mini with an 8.5-inch OLED display, an A20 Pro processor and IP67-rated water and dust resistance. The new model starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for Wi-Fi plus cellular in the United States, with preorders scheduled to begin October 28 and availability starting November 6. The display replaces the previous generation’s 8.3-inch LCD screen. Apple says the OLED panel reaches peak brightness of 1,200 nits and has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. A nanotexture glass option, intended to reduce glare, is available on selected storage configurations. The screen also supports 600 nits of full-screen brightness, according to the company. Apple says the A20 Pro delivers up to 60 percent faster multithreaded CPU performance and up to 4.5 times faster artificial-intelligence performance than the previous iPad mini. The company also claims graphics performance is up to 2.7 times faster. Those comparisons are manufacturer specifications; independent testing is not established in the product announcement coverage. The tablet is 5.4 millimeters thick, and Apple says it is thinner and lighter than its predecessor while keeping a similar overall footprint....