The iPad mini was given a new lease of life with the release of the sixth-generation tablet in 2021, offering a substantial upgrade over what came before it.
In addition to a beefed-up 8.3-inch screen in the same form factor as its older sibling, the iPad mini 6 featured a refined design similar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, along with A15 Bionic performance and support for the second generation. Apple pencil.
This time around, however, the iPad mini 7 only seems to improve further on everything the iPad mini 6 did brilliantly, making it a smaller update.
The question is: will it prove to be as big a sales hit as its predecessor? Here’s everything Apple revealed about it.
When will the new iPad mini 7 be released?
The new iPad mini 7 is available for pre-order from today, October 15, 2024with its official launch in stores and shipping to customers October 23, 2024.
The device will be available in 29 countries and regions, including the US and the UK.
As a reminder, here are the launch dates of the previous models:
- iPad mini 6: September 2021
- iPad mini 5: March 2019
- iPad mini 4: September 2015
How much will the new iPad 7 mini cost?
The iPad mini 7 starts at £499/$499 for the Wi-Fi only model, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at £649/$649.
It comes with at least 128GB of storage, double the previous generation’s 64GB. Higher storage configurations of 256 GB and 512 GB are also available.
Additional accessories, including the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), cost £129/$129 and £79/$79 respectively. The Smart Folio for the iPad mini is available for £59/$59 in a range of colours.
As a reminder, this is how much previous models cost at launch:
- iPad mini 6 (Wi-Fi, 64GB) – £479/$499
- iPad mini 6 (Wi-Fi, 256GB) – £619/$649
- iPad mini 6 (Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64GB) – £619/$649
- iPad mini 6 (Wi-Fi + Cellular, 256GB) – £759/$799
As expected, prices in the UK have been reduced to match US figures, as we’ve seen with some other Apple products.
What specifications and features will the new iPad mini 7 have?
The iPad mini 7 has been officially unveiled, but there are no major changes compared to its predecessor. Here are all the important details.
Design
With such a dramatic redesign of the sixth-generation iPad mini, Apple hasn’t made any noticeable design changes to the next-generation tablet.
So it retains its compact, ultra-portable design, which is available in four finishes: blue, purple, starlight and space gray. The 6th generation iPad mini was available in space gray, pink, purple, and starlight.
This time, however, the sleek design is complemented by support for the Apple Pencil Pro, which attaches magnetically for easy storage, pairing and charging. As you’d expect, it’s sold separately.
Display
The iPad mini 7 has the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display as its predecessor, so it should continue to deliver great visuals and vibrant colors.
With advanced display technologies such as True Tone, P3 wide color gamut and 500 nits brightness, the display provides an immersive experience for everything from media consumption to detailed creative work. However, the refresh rate is still limited to the standard 60Hz, as opposed to 120Hz on the latest iPad Pro.
As mentioned above, the display also supports the Apple Pencil Pro, which improves precision when drawing, sketching and taking notes.
Performance
At the heart of the iPad mini 7 is the A17 Pro chip, which is said to improve CPU performance by 30% compared to the A15 that powered the iPad mini 6. It is the same chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
This 6-core chip, with two performance cores and four efficiency cores, should ensure smooth multitasking and handling of demanding applications.
The 5-core GPU is said to improve graphics performance by 25%, with Apple claiming that this allows the iPad mini 7 to handle high-end gaming, AR applications and professional-level creative tasks.
The hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading are also intended to enhance visual effects and lifelike gaming experiences.
The tablet is available with 128, 256 or 512 GB of internal storage (double the starting storage of the previous generation), paired with 8 GB of RAM, so it can handle Apple Intelligence features.
The previous model had only 4 GB of RAM.
Cameras
The iPad mini 7 comes equipped with the same 12Mp wide rear camera, but this time it supports Smart HDR 4. The previous model supported Smart HDR 3, so the new one should offer improved dynamic range and sharper images.
The 12MP ultra-wide front camera is also unchanged and supports Center Stage, which automatically keeps the subject in view during video calls, making it ideal for virtual meetings and content creation.
It also includes machine learning to automatically detect and scan documents directly in the Camera app.
Battery and charging
As usual, Apple does not provide the exact battery capacity. However, the new iPad mini 7 is said to offer all-day battery life.
Additionally, the USB-C port has been upgraded for faster data transfers of up to 10 Gbps, allowing for quick import of large files, including high-resolution photos and videos.
Software
With iPadOS 18, iPad mini 7 introduces advanced features powered by Apple Intelligence. These features integrate seamlessly with the device to simplify tasks, enhance creativity and provide contextual insights.
Apple Intelligence includes tools like Writing Tools for text refinement, a revamped Siri with natural language capabilities, and innovative features like Cleanup in Photos to remove background distractions.
However, these will be rolled out gradually over the coming months (at the time of writing) and won’t be available at launch.
How does the new iPad mini compare to the best iPads and the best tablets in general? Time will tell.
