iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features

Last week, our exclusive leak revealed that the next-generation iPad mini will feature Apple's latest A20 Pro chip, a landscape front camera, and a redesigned speaker system, but that is not all, as plenty of other upgrades have been rumored.

Here are 10 new features and changes expected for the iPad mini 8:

• Apple's latest A20 Pro chip, manufactured with TSMC's advanced 2nm process. Expect up to around 1.5× faster CPU performance and up to around 2.5× faster GPU performance compared to the A17 Pro chip in the current iPad mini. A20 Pro also introduces a "dual 16-core Neural Engine" for a total of 32 cores.
• With the A20 Pro chip, the next iPad mini will have 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB of RAM in the current model. This means the device will support the ability to customize the pace and expressiveness of Siri AI's voice.
• OLED display with better overall image quality compared to the current LCD model, thanks to richer colors and higher contrast ratio with true blacks.
• Slimmer bezels around the display compared to the current model.
• Landscape front camera, meaning the camera will be in the right bezel instead of the top bezel when holding the device in an upright position.
• Apple's custom-designed N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support.
• Apple's custom-designed C1X or C2 modem for cellular configurations.
• A redesigned speaker system with no speaker holes and potentially an iPhone earpiece-like speaker in the top bezel.
• IP-rated water resistance for the first time.

Apple is expected to announce the iPad mini 8 this year, with an October launch most likely. In the U.S., the current iPad mini starts at $599 after receiving a $100 price increase in June, which Apple attributed to skyrocketing RAM and storage chip prices. With a costlier OLED display, the next model might be even more expensive.