iPad Mini 7 Launches Tomorrow: Here Are 12 Changes to Know About

Tuesday October 22, 2024 8:45 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Earlier this month, Apple announced a new iPad mini for the first time in three years. Ahead of the device launching this Wednesday, we have outlined 12 new features and changes with the seventh-generation iPad mini compared to the previous model.

ipad mini 7 apple intelligence a17 pro feature
Here's everything new with the iPad mini 7:

A17 Pro chip: Introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro models last year, the A17 Pro chip is now available in the iPad mini 7, although it has a 5-core GPU instead of a 6-core GPU. Apple says the iPad mini 7 offers up to 30% faster CPU performance compared to the previous iPad mini with the A15 Bionic chip.
8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence support: The new iPad mini is compatible with Apple Intelligence, which will be available starting with iPadOS 18.1 next week. Geekbench results confirmed that the device is equipped with 8GB of RAM, the minimum requirement for Apple Intelligence. That's up from 4GB of RAM in the iPad mini 6.
Apple Pencil Pro support: The new iPad mini is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro.
Apple Pencil hover: This feature lets you preview the Apple Pencil's stroke on the canvas before the accessory touches the screen.
"Jelly scrolling" fixed? Most reviews said "jelly scrolling" is much less noticeable or fully absent on the new iPad mini, but one prominent technology website disagreed, so we await teardowns for further confirmation.
Faster USB-C port: The USB-C port on the iPad mini 7 supports data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps, compared to 5 Gbps for the iPad mini 6.
eSIM only: All cellular models of the iPad mini 7 lack a nano-SIM card slot worldwide and instead rely solely on digital eSIM technology.
Wi-Fi 6E support: The new iPad mini supports the faster Wi-Fi 6E standard, which extends the capabilities of regular Wi-Fi 6 to the 6 GHz band. You will also need a router with Wi-Fi 6E support.
Double the base storage: iPad mini now starts with 128GB of storage, compared to 64GB for the previous model.
Final Cut Pro support: Final Cut Pro is compatible with the new iPad mini.
Improved HDR photos: The new iPad mini supports "Smart HDR 4," whereas the previous model supports "Smart HDR 3." Apple says Smart HDR 4 makes photos look "even more detailed and vivid."
"iPad mini" inscription: The new iPad mini has an "iPad mini" inscription on the back of device. Previous models of the device are inscribed with "iPad."

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Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane

12 months ago

I have never understood who the mini is for? My phone is 6 inches. My iPad 10 is 11 inches. Who wants an iPad just bigger than a phone.? For me the iPad is for a big screen. And my iPad was half the price of this!

iPad Mini has 44% more screen area than even the iPhone 16 Pro Max

The different aspect ratio makes a huge difference

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

lazyrighteye

12 months ago

I have never understood who the mini is for? My phone is 6 inches. My iPad 10 is 11 inches. Who wants an iPad just bigger than a phone.? For me the iPad is for a big screen. And my iPad was half the price of this!

That’s cool. Different strokes.
I used to carry a sketch book (Field Notes) and pen. My iPad mini 6 + Pencil 2 has completely replaced those long-trusted daily carries, while adding tons of functionality my previous scenario couldn’t. The form factor is perfectly portable - more so than an iPad. I’ve owned several iPads over the years - dating back to the OG. This mini 6 is easily my fav iPad I’ve used to date. And most used - I use it daily. I’m in the camp that would preorder an iPad Pro mini the moment it was announced. The 7 is an ok update, but not quite enough to get me to upgrade from my 6. Unless their AI turns out to be an unexpected game-changer, I’ll not upgrade. Yet.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

DesertNomad

12 months ago

I have never understood who the mini is for? My phone is 6 inches. My iPad 10 is 11 inches. Who wants an iPad just bigger than a phone.? For me the iPad is for a big screen. And my iPad was half the price of this!

I use the mini in aviation. It is mounted on the yoke of the airplanes I fly and holds all the charts and approach plates. Larger iPads will not fit on the yoke.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)