The new iPad mini gets nearly everything right on paper, and Marques Brownlee still won't buy one. In his review on the MKBHD channel, the reason comes down to one number: 60Hz. If you're weighing up Apple's smallest tablet, that's the trade-off worth understanding before you spend $699 or more.
What Apple changed
The upgrade list is real. Apple's announcement gives the iPad mini a larger 8.5-inch OLED display in the same footprint, thanks to thinner bezels, with an optional nano-texture finish. It's 5.4mm thin, runs Apple's A20 Pro chip, has an IP67 rating for water and dust, and moves the 12MP front camera to the landscape edge, where it's actually useful for video calls. Speakers now play through what Apple calls an Acoustic Display. It comes in midnight or starlight, and the Wi-Fi model starts at $699 in the US.
Brownlee likes most of it. He praises the OLED screen and the light, thin body as ideal for carrying around and reading, and calls the redesign a solid update.
Where the ladder starts
The trouble is how Apple has stacked the options. Brownlee walks through the pricing: the base model has 128GB, and he says the 128GB and 256GB versions get a cut-down A20 Pro, with the full chip reserved for 512GB. Apple's own release mentions that the 512GB model gets a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which lines up with his point that the top tier gets more silicon.
He also points out that the nano-texture glass isn't offered on the base model, so getting the anti-glare screen means stepping up in storage and paying extra on top. That's classic Apple, and it matters: the iPad mini you see in the ads isn't the $699 one.
The 60Hz problem
Here's the part Apple's announcement doesn't mention. According to Brownlee, the display still runs at 60Hz, with no 120Hz ProMotion. His argument is simple: on a tablet costing $700 to $900, smooth scrolling isn't a pro feature any more, it's something buyers deserve. He suggests Apple is holding it back to protect the more expensive iPad Air and iPad Pro, which is his reading of Apple's motives rather than anything Apple has said.
For him, it's a dealbreaker, despite loving the size, and he floats the idea of an iPad mini Pro with ProMotion and Face ID.
Smaller notes
There are a few other details in the review. The IP67 rating and Acoustic Display work, Brownlee says, but at high volume he could feel the speakers vibrating through the body. He's also positive about the landscape front camera and the new colours.
So is it worth it?
My view: it depends on what you'd use it for, and on how much 60Hz bothers you.
If you want the smallest, lightest iPad for reading, notes, maps or a bit of gaming on the couch, the new mini is a big step up on paper, and the base model at $699 covers that well. Don't pay extra for the bigger chip unless you know you'll use on-device AI features heavily.
If you're coming from a phone with a fast screen, or you hated the old mini's display, see it in a shop first. A 60Hz OLED panel still looks great when it's sitting still. The question is whether it bothers you every time you scroll, and Brownlee's answer is yes. Plenty of people won't notice. You should know which kind of buyer you are before spending $699 or more.
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