An October surprise isn’t just for American politics. Apple last night announced an unexpected (but not really) iPad Mini refresh that ups the dinky tablet’s power and sets the stage for another Apple Intelligence-supporting device. Yes, it’s just AI with extra branding but that’s just what the company does.

Apple also makes excellent hardware and the new Mini is no exception. Little has changed about the 8.3in Liquid Retina display but the chipset takes a big jump. So does default storage, which starts now at 128GB.

This iPad Mini isn’t minor

But it is the processor in the upgraded tablet that is noteworthy. Apple has stuffed its A17 Pro, the same chip found in last year’s headline iPhones, into the little slate. The point is to offer a “huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks”, plus support for the Apple Pencil and AI. Apple’s version of it, at any rate, and all the software upgrades that entails.

This will also make the Mini one of the most powerful tablets of its size on the planet. Usually an 8in tablet hovers at budget-to-midrange price points but Apple is bringing its entire lineup closer to premium. This will be reflected in price as well. At present, the 6th-gen Apple iPad Mini starts, in South Africa at least, at R11,900. If you’re fond of American prices, you can pick one up from Apple for about R9,000 ($500).

That doesn’t account for taxes and import costs, so we may see the revamped hardware here at close to the sixth generation’s current price. If it follows the processes the iPhone 16 took this year, we’ll match the overseas launch dates and see it in stores from 23 October. No official communication from local distributors yet, so we might still miss Apple’s overseas launch date.