The next iPad mini may get a water-resistant redesign

Macworld

Apple’s iPhones have long boasted impressive water-resistance capabilities. Every handset since 2018’s XS generation has been IP68 rated, the highest you’ll see on a consumer product, and specifically credited with the ability to survive submersion in at least 2m of water (or more, in later generations) for up to 30 minutes. Most of us still dread the idea of dropping our iPhone in the bath or the toilet, but the reality is that it would probably be fine.

The iPad, however, is a different matter entirely. For whatever reason, Apple doesn’t publish water-resistance specs for any of its iPads. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get them wet, but it probably means Apple doesn’t think they’d do very well, which is a worry for holidaymakers who like to read eBooks by the swimming pool.

This could be set to change. A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, which focuses principally on upcoming OLED screen upgrades, briefly alludes to another change: the iPad mini is getting a redesigned case that’s better able to withstand liquid intrusions.

The interesting part is that Apple isn’t simply copying what it does on the iPhone and using that on the larger device. Instead, the company is working on a whole new vibration-based speaker system, which would enable it to get rid of the speaker holes which are such a weak spot for water entry. “That’s a different approach than the iPhone’s water-resistant design,” Gurman explains, “which retains holes but adds gaskets and adhesives to prevent damage.”

At this stage, the idea remains quite vague, both on when this mini could arrive and how effective the water resistance will be—there’s no word on what IP rating this would result in, or whether Apple would choose to publicize a feature that would appear to give the iPad mini a selling point over its mostly more expensive siblings. The 7th-gen iPad mini came out in fall 2024, and based on past behavior (a 30-month gap between the 5th and 6th iPad minis; a three-year gap between the 6th and 7th), it could be a long wait for the next model, apparently code-named J510. That’s assuming Apple even completes the project in time for the next mini, and as Gurman points out, it could yet change its mind and move in a different direction.

One detail Gurman is prepared to comment on is the price of the upgraded mini: it could cost as much as $100 more than the current model, he says, which means up to $599. That price bump is mainly caused by the OLED screen, but having a bit of water resistance for the first time may help justify the cost if you’re planning to take the tablet with you on holiday.