Apple announced a new iPad mini on Monday with a redesigned body and an OLED screen. IOL reported that it is the lightest and thinnest iPad Apple has made.
The tablet sells for $699 in the US, which converts to about R11,619. IOL said the local price could start at around R13,000.
That estimate is based on the current iPad mini A17, which starts at R12,299 in South Africa, according to IOL.
The main change is the screen. The new model has an 8.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2316 by 1512.
The display supports P3 wide colour and True Tone. It also has a fingerprint-resistant coating, full lamination and an anti-reflective finish to help when working outdoors or under bright lights.
The borders around the screen are thinner than before. This gives more space for the active display area.
Apple also changed the speakers. The side speakers were replaced by a speaker system that sits under the display.
This change allowed the tablet to get an IP67 water-resistance rating. According to IOL, it can survive being under water up to 1 metre deep for up to 30 minutes.
The iPad mini runs on Apple’s new A20 Pro chip. The chip is set up differently depending on how much storage the buyer chooses.
IOL reported that the processor is up to 60% faster than the previous model. The graphics chip is about 2.7 times faster.
The graphics chip supports hardware ray tracing, mesh shading and dynamic caching. These features help games and other apps show more detailed images.
Memory bandwidth has doubled, which makes the whole device respond faster. Special parts inside the graphics chip also speed up artificial intelligence tasks that run on the device.
The 512GB model has a 16-core Neural Engine. Apple designed it to double the peak computing power for AI tasks on the device, IOL said.
Buyers can choose from three storage sizes. These are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
IOL said some heavy users might have wanted the smallest option to start at 256GB, with a 1TB model at the top. Apple did not offer either.
The tablet can connect to one external monitor at up to 4K resolution at 60Hz. Its own screen supports millions of colours.
Battery life stays at up to 10 hours of web browsing or video playback, according to IOL.
The iPad mini supports fast charging. With a power adapter rated at 35W or higher, it can reach 50% charge in about 30 minutes.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Technology. Image: IOL Technology. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.