(Image credit: Apple / Tom's Guide)

Apple just surprised everyone with the news of the iPad mini 8 , announced two days ahead of the company's Pro and Tell event .

The iPad mini 8 marks the biggest redesign in years, although some key specs stay the same. One thing has changed: The price, and not for the better.

What's new compared to the iPad mini 7 , and is now the right time to upgrade? We'll dig into the specs and compare the iPad mini 8 to our own review of the previous generation.

iPad mini 8 vs. iPad mini 7: Specs

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Header Cell - Column 0 iPad mini (A20 Pro)

iPad mini (A17 Pro)

Price

From $699 (Wi-Fi), $849 (Cellular)

From $599 (Wi-Fi), $749 (Cellular)

Display

8.5-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED), 2316 x 1512, no ProMotion

8.3-inch Liquid Retina (LCD), 2266 x 1488, 60Hz

Brightness

600 nits SDR, 1,200 nits peak HDR (rated)

493 nits (tested)

Colors

Midnight, Starlight

Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray

Chip

A20 Pro (5- or 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU)

A17 Pro…