Apple iPad mini launched in India at Rs 82,900; check features, price and availability

Apple has unveiled a redesigned iPad mini with an 85inch OLED display its new A20 Pro chip water and dust resistance and upgraded cameras and audio Starting at Rs 82900 in India the tablet also brings faster wireless connectivity fast charging and new artificial intelligence AI features through iPadOS 27The new iPad mini will be available in WiFi and WiFi Cellular variants priced at Rs 82900 and Rs 100900 respectively Preorders open on October 28 through Apples India website and the Apple Store app with deliveries and instore availability beginning November 6What is new in the Apple iPad miniThe redesigned iPad mini features a larger 85inch OLED display while retaining the previous generations overall footprint Apple has reduced the bezels by 24 per cent to accommodate the bigger screen making more room for content without increasing the tablets overall sizeThe Super Retina XDR display uses OLED technology for deeper blacks improved contrast and more vivid colours It offers a contrast ratio of 20000001 and peak brightness of up to 1200 nits more than twice that of the previous generation Fullscreen brightness reaches up to 600 nits for SDR and HDR content while the display can dim to as low as 1 nit for comfortable viewing in dark environmentsA nanotexture display option is also available to reduce glare in bright settings making the tablet suitable for creative work outdoors and use in the fieldMeasuring 54 mm in thickness the new iPad mini comes in midnight and starlight finishes It also carries an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance According to Apple the device was tested under controlled laboratory conditions to withstand immersion in up to one metre of water for up to 30 minutes The company cautions that resistance may diminish with normal wear and tearA20 Pro chip brings major performance and AI upgradesThe new iPad mini is powered by Apples A20 Pro chip built using a 2nanometre manufacturing process The processor features a CPU with up to six cores and a sevencore GPU equipped with Neural Accelerators in each GPU coreApple claims the chip delivers up to 60 per cent faster multithreaded CPU performance than the previous generation Graphics performance can be up to 27 times faster while AI performance is claimed to be up to 45 times faster These improvements are aimed at demanding tasks such as gaming 3D rendering creative applications and running AI models directly on the deviceThe chip also features hardwareaccelerated mesh shading and ray tracing along with dynamic caching to improve graphics performanceThe 512GB configuration comes with a Dual 16core Neural Engine which Apple says doubles the processing power of the previous generation for certain AI workloads By engaging all 32 cores the system is designed to accelerate demanding ondevice AI tasks The chip also offers more than twice the unified memory bandwidth supporting greater responsiveness across graphicsintensive and AIpowered applicationsCameras audio and connectivity get upgradesThe new iPad mini features a 12megapixel front camera with Center Stage positioned along the landscape edge The setup is designed to keep users in the frame during video calls online meetings and collaborative sessionsAt the back a 12megapixel wide camera supports Smart HDR 4 photography and 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second An Adaptive True Tone flash has also been added to improve photographs and document scanningApple has introduced an Acoustic Display system that integrates specially designed speakers into the tablets display assembly Dedicated woofers are designed to deliver deeper bass and greater volume while custom tweeters positioned between the glass and aluminium enclosure aim to improve highfrequency clarity The sealed enclosure also helps the device achieve its IP67 ratingFor wireless connectivity the iPad mini features Apples N1 networking chip which enables WiFi 7 Bluetooth 6 and Thread Apple says the chip improves performance on 5GHz WiFi networks and enhances the reliability of features such as AirDrop and AirPlayCellular models use Apples C2 modem system which the company claims can deliver up to 50 per cent faster cellular data speeds than the previous generation subject to network and carrier conditions The tablet also supports eSIM allowing users to activate compatible mobile plans digitally without a physical SIM cardFast charging is another addition to the redesigned tabletiPadOS 27 brings new Apple Intelligence featuresThe new iPad mini runs iPadOS 27 and supports the next generation of Apple Intelligence features including Siri AI which is rolling out in betaAccording to Apple Siri AI can use personal context from information such as messages emails and photos to help users find relevant details It can also understand what is displayed on the screen take actions related to onscreen content and answer questions across a broad range of subjectsApple Intelligence also brings upgraded photoediting tools including Clean Up Spatial Reframing and Extend allowing users to refine images after they have been captured The new Image Playground app offers photorealistic imagery while the Notify Me feature in Safari can alert users to changes on web pages including product restocks and price dropsApple says Apple Intelligence relies on ondevice processing and Private Cloud Compute to help protect user privacyWhen Private Cloud Compute handles requests the company says personal data is not stored or made accessible to Apple or other partiesAvailability varies by language and region and some features require compatible devices supported languages and specific software versions Siri AI is available in beta with iPadOS 272 in supported languages and is subject to regional restrictionsWith iPadOS 272 the iPad mini also supports extended display mode when connected to an external monitor allowing users to work across windowed applicationsApple iPad mini price in India and availabilityThe new iPad mini will be available in midnight and starlight finishes with storage options of 128GB 256GB and 512GBPrices in India are as followsiPad mini WiFi Rs 82900iPad mini WiFi Cellular Rs 100900Education pricing Starting at Rs 76900Smart Folio Rs 8500Apple Pencil Pro Rs 11900Apple Pencil USBC Rs 7900Eligible education customers can purchase the Apple Pencil Pro for Rs 10900 and the Apple Pencil USBC for Rs 6900Preorders for the new iPad mini open on October 28 through Apples India website and the Apple Store app The tablet will begin arriving at customers homes and become available at Apple Store locations and authorised resellers from November 6The iPad mini supports both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USBC which are sold separately The Apple Pencil Pro offers features such as squeeze and barrel roll gestures along with Find My support to help users locate a misplaced stylusApple is also launching a redesigned Smart Folio featuring a twopanel construction made with TechWoven fabric The lightweight cover attaches magnetically to the tablet and offers adjustable viewing angles It will be available in navy blue and taupeRecycled materials and manufacturingApple says the new iPad mini contains 35 per cent recycled material overall including 100 per cent recycled aluminium in its enclosure and 100 per cent recycled cobalt in its batteryThe company also said 40 per cent renewable energy including wind and solar power was used in manufacturing across its supply chain The tablet is designed to be durable and repairable with packaging made entirely from fibrebased materials according to AppleThe new iPad mini is part of Apples broader plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire footprint by 2030