The mini iPad just got mightier

The iPad Mini is my favorite iPad, at least for use on the go. It’s small enough that it is easy to carry, can be used for Notes, Browsing, or Emails on the go, and has a split on-screen keyboard (unlike the Pros). At the same time, it’s big enough to be useful as a primary tablet for children (and adults alike) or as an eReader to read your favorite books.

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Despite its popularity, Apple has always left the iPad Mini out. A Pro version of the iPad Mini would likely be popular, so the iPad Mini is closer to the iPad Air and not the iPad Pro M4. Instead of frequent updates, it gets a new version every three years or so.

The 6th generation iPad Mini was launched in 2021, and today, Apple launched the 7th generation. It has been updated by the bare minimum for it to run Apple Intelligence; it now runs the A17 Pro chip (from the iPhone 15 Pro) with 8GB of RAM, which is up to 30% faster in CPU, and 24% faster in GPU, tasks compared to the previous edition.

The new chip also allows the iPad Mini to run AAA games; how great would it be if someone made a gaming controller for it? There are also slight upgrades to connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB-C 3.1 and it now supports the Apple Pencil Pro.

The rest of the iPad Mini looks and feels like the 6th generation. There are two new colors — purple and blue — that look very similar to the previous colors. It’s priced at $499 but now starts at double the storage: 128GB. That’s the same price as before with double the storage. If you want the Wi-Fi + Cellular option, it’ll cost you $150 more.

This is an update just for Apple Intelligence but that isn’t a bad thing per se: it’s clear that Apple Intelligence is the future for Apple, and it would be bizarre to have a tablet that was still sold but didn’t support it.

Should you upgrade? It’s probably worth it, even if you have the 5th generation. Apple Intelligence is a big enough feature that not being able to run it on your iPad will be a problem. The upgrade to the A17 Pro and increase from 3GB of RAM to 8GB also future-proof it until the next update, which will hopefully be much more substantial.

You can pre-order the new iPad Mini today via the button below, ahead of the release date next Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024.

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