This week, Apple announced a suprise update to the iPad mini. This was a surprise as Apple was expected to have some sort of media event in October or November, but this may still happen. This update brings the iPad mini into its seventh-generation and adds a new chip, refreshed colours and of course, Apple Intelligence.
The sixth generation iPad mini was released in late 2021 and marked a major redesign for the model, taking on the same design as the iPad Air forth generation, released in late 2020. This new iPad mini uses the exact same design as its predecessor, with a 8.3-inch screen that is edge to edge, Touch ID and more.
The new iPad mini adds a new chip too, the A17 Pro from the iPhone 15 Pro. This adds a 30% jump in CPU performance and a 25% increase in GPU performance, compared to the A15 Bionic from the sixth gen. Apple has also added support for the Apple Pencil Pro, meaning ressure sensitivity and haptic feedback are now supported.
Faster USB-C data transfer is also added as well as WIFi 6E which offers 6GHz support for WiFi, something the latest iPhone models and some Mac models already have. Also, the 12MP camera has been upgraded to support Smart HDR 4. For the cellular models, Apple has moved to make the new iPad mini eSIM only, and has removed the physical SIM card slot.
Apple Intelligence is another main highlight of the new iPad mini, which was announced during WWDC 2024. This brings a whole suite of tools and features and will be available with iPadOS 18.1 in the US, later this month.
The new iPad mini seventh generation comes in a few new colours, mainly the same blue and purple found on the latest iPad Air, as well as starlight and space grey. Apple has also shuffled around the specs offered too. Gone is the base 64GB model and you now get 128GB as standard, for $499 US or £499 UK. There is also the addition of 512GB and WiFi or WiFi with cellular.
Apple started taking preorders on Tuesday the week and the first until to customers will be available soon, on 23rd October.
Source: Apple
