Apple is offering optional nano-texture glass on the new iPad mini, the same anti-glare finish it already sells on the iPad Pro. The option is limited to the 256GB and 512GB models, so the 128GB iPad mini gets the standard glass only.
Apple announced the iPad mini on Monday with an 8.5-inch OLED display and the A20 Pro chip. Pre-orders open on Wednesday, October 28, and it ships on Friday, November 6.
Nano-Texture Glass Is Limited to the 256GB and 512GB iPad Mini Models
Anyone who wants the finish has to skip the 128GB model, so the price of the two higher tiers is the number to check when pre-orders open. The 256GB and 512GB configurations are the only ones that offer it.
US starting prices are $699 for the Wi-Fi model and $849 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The nano-texture version also ships with a polishing cloth in the box.
Storage size also changes the A20 Pro inside the tablet, and the 512GB model is the only one with the 6-core CPU and the Dual 16-core Neural Engine. That makes the largest tier the one that pairs nano-texture with the fastest chip.
Apple says the glass scatters ambient light instead of bouncing it back, so glare drops without a loss in contrast or color accuracy. It is aimed at creatives editing outdoors and technicians working in the field.
The finish is a physical treatment of the glass, separate from the antireflective coating on every iPad mini display. Apple has offered nano-texture on displays before, including on the Apple Studio Display.
The Standard OLED Panel Is Already a Big Step Up
Both glass options sit on the same 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with P3 wide color, True Tone, a fully laminated build and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. Bezels are 24 percent thinner than on the previous iPad mini, which is how the screen grows to 8.5 inches without changing the footprint.
Brightness reaches 600 nits across the full screen for SDR and XDR content, with a 1200-nit peak on HDR content only. That peak is more than 2x the previous iPad mini.
Minimum brightness drops to 1 nit, which Apple pitches for uses that range from reading in bed at night to pilots checking an electronic flight bag in the cockpit. The contrast ratio is 2,000,000:1, and the screen measures 2316 by 1512 pixels at 326 ppi. Apple Pencil hover works with both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).
