The iPad mini had a new lease of life with the release of the sixth-gen tablet in 2021, offering a substantial upgrade compared to what came before it.
As well as a boosted 8.3-inch display in the same form factor as its older sibling, the iPad mini 6 sported a refined design similar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, along with A15 Bionic performance and support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.
This time, however, the iPad mini 7 only seems to further improve on everything the iPad mini 6 did brilliantly, making it a more minor update.
The question is, will it prove to be as big a sales hit as its predecessor? Here’s everything Apple has unveiled about it.
When will the new iPad mini 7 be released?
The new iPad mini 7 is available for pre-order starting today, 15 October 2024, with its official launch in stores and shipping to customers on 23 October 2024.
The device will be available in 29 countries and regions, including the US and 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, with the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starting at £649/$649.
It comes with at least 128GB of storage, double the 64GB of the previous generation. Higher storage configurations of 256GB and 512GB are also available.
Additional accessories, including the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), are priced at £129/$129 and £79/$79 respectively. The Smart Folio for the iPad mini is available for £59/$59 in various colours.
As a reminder, here’s 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 the US figures, as we’ve seen on some other Apple products.
What specs and features will the new iPad mini 7 have?
The iPad mini 7 has been officially revealed, but there aren’t any huge changes compared to its predecessor. Here are all the key details.
Design
With such a dramatic redesign on the sixth-generation iPad mini, Apple didn’t make any noticeable design changes on the next-gen tablet.
So, it retains its compact, ultraportable design, which is available in four finishes: blue, purple, starlight, and space grey. The 6th-generation iPad mini was available in space grey, pink, purple, and starlight.
However, this time around, the sleek design is complemented by support for the Apple Pencil Pro, which magnetically attaches for easy storage, pairing, and charging. As you might expect, it’s sold separately.
Display
The iPad mini 7 features the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display as its predecessor, so it should continue to deliver great visuals and vibrant colours.
With advanced display technologies like True Tone, P3 wide colour gamut and 500 nits of brightness, the display offers 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 said above, the display also supports the Apple Pencil Pro, which enhances precision for drawing, sketching, and note-taking.
Performance
At the heart of the iPad mini 7 is the A17 Pro chip which supposedly brings a 30% boost in CPU performance compared to the A15 that powered the iPad mini 6. It’s the same one 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 supposedly provides a 25% improvement in graphics performance, with Apple claiming it makes the iPad mini 7 capable of handling high-end gaming, AR applications, and pro-level creative tasks.
Its hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading also aim to enhance visual effects and true-to-life gaming experiences.
The tablet is available with 128-, 256- or 512GB of internal storage (double the starting storage of the previous generation), paired with 8GB of RAM so it can handle the Apple Intelligence features.
The previous model featured only 4GB of RAM.
Cameras
The iPad mini 7 is 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 deliver enhanced dynamic range and sharper images.
The 12Mp ultrawide front camera also is unchanged and supports Center Stage, which automatically keeps the subject in frame during video calls, making it ideal for virtual meetings and content creation.
It also incorporates machine learning to automatically detect and scan documents directly in the Camera app.
Battery & Charging
As usual, Apple doesn’t provide the exact battery capacity. However, it claims that the new iPad mini 7 offers ‘all-day battery life.’
Additionally, the USB-C port has been upgraded for faster data transfers of up to 10Gbps, allowing for quick importing of large files, including high-resolution photos and videos.
Software
Running iPadOS 18, the iPad mini 7 introduces advanced features powered by Apple Intelligence. Those features integrate seamlessly with the device to simplify tasks, enhance creativity, and offer contextual insights.
Apple Intelligence includes tools like Writing Tools for text refinement, a revamped Siri with natural language capabilities, and innovative features such as Clean Up in Photos to remove background distractions.
However, these will be rolled out gradually throughout the next few months (at the time of writing) and aren’t available at launch.
How does the new iPad mini compare to the best iPads and best tablets overall? Time will tell.
