The new iPad mini adds an Adaptive True Tone flash to its 12MP Wide rear camera, which Apple says improves low-light photos and makes document scanning better than ever. The tablet also gets a landscape 12MP Center Stage front camera.
Apple announced the iPad mini today, with pre-orders opening on Wednesday, October 28, and shipping on Friday, November 6. The camera changes match part of what leaked in September, including the landscape front camera.
The Adaptive True Tone Flash Targets Low-Light Photos and Document Scans
Apple’s product page says the flash helps capture shadow-free document scans, which is a common job for a small tablet. The flash also works during video recording.
The rear camera has an ƒ/1.8 aperture, a five-element lens and autofocus with Focus Pixels, plus digital zoom up to 5x. Smart HDR 4 handles photos, and the camera captures wide color for photos and Live Photos.
The 12MP Wide Camera Shoots 4K Video at Up to 60 fps
Video recording goes up to 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps, with 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps and 720p at 30 fps. Slo-mo video works at 1080p and at 120 or 240 fps.
Time-lapse video comes with stabilization, extended dynamic range works up to 30 fps and cinematic video stabilization covers 4K, 1080p and 720p. Photos are captured in HEIF and JPEG, and videos are recorded in HEVC and H.264.
Panoramas go up to 63MP, and the camera also offers burst mode, auto image stabilization and photo geotagging. Dual microphones handle calls, video recording and audio recording.
The iPad Air with M4 has a rear camera with the same 12MP ƒ/1.8 Wide sensor and Smart HDR 4, and it also records 4K video at up to 60 fps. Its front camera is also a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, so the landscape placement is shared across both tablets.
The Landscape Front Camera Supports Center Stage and Retina Flash
The front camera is a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera with an ƒ/2.0 aperture, Smart HDR 4 and 1080p video at 25, 30 or 60 fps. It sits on the long edge of the tablet, so it faces you when the iPad mini is in landscape orientation during FaceTime calls.
Retina Flash with True Tone lights the screen for front-camera photos, and the front camera supports extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps. Center Stage keeps you in frame on FaceTime calls and in video conferencing. FaceTime video reaches any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi or cellular, and cellular calls from a nearby iPhone can be relayed through the Phone app.
The OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular in the US.
