We know this has slipped under many people’s radar, but Apple has quietly unveiled its latest iteration of the iPad Mini. This pint-sized powerhouse, the seventh generation of Apple’s smallest tablet, is set to hit the shelves next Wednesday, October 23, with some decent upgrades.
The core of the new iPad Mini is packed with the A17 Pro chip, the same silicon chip powering the iPhone 15 Pro. This means a 30% faster CPU and a 25% faster GPU compared to its predecessor. However, the real focus of attention is the Neural Engine, which is now twice as fast, and in the age of AI, this is where things get interesting.
With this beefed-up Neural Engine, the new Mini is ready for Apple’s foray into AI, or as they’re calling it, “Apple Intelligence.” Expect to see AI-powered writing tools, smarter notification summaries, and a Siri that might finally understand your mumbling. There are also whispers of an AI art generator on the horizon, but don’t hold your breath.
Speaking of art, the new Mini now supports the Apple Pencil Pro. This stylus comes with a squeeze sensor that brings up a palette tool, complete with haptic feedback. Also, it can tilt now, which is a feature artists will love.
Moving on to storage, Apple has finally bumped up the base storage to 128GB, all while keeping the starting price at $499. The new Mini is also getting a connectivity boost with Wi-Fi 6E support, promising speeds up to twice as fast as its predecessor. The USB-C port is also zippier, supporting up to 10Gbps transfer speeds.
As for colors, Apple is swapping out Pink and Purple for Blue and a lighter shade of Purple, joining the classic Space Gray and Starlight options.
There’s no news yet on whether Apple has finally fixed the “jelly scrolling” issue that plagued the previous model. The annoying quirk where one half of the display refreshes faster than the other causes a subtle jiggle effect during scrolling. It’s unclear whether this has been addressed in the new model. We’ll have to wait to get our hands on it to find out.
If you own the previous iPad Mini and it’s serving you well, you might not feel an urgent need to upgrade. The form factor remains unchanged, and many of the core features are similar. However, if you’re a heavy AI user, a digital artist eyeing that new Pencil, or someone who’s been holding out for more storage, this new Mini might just be what you’ve been waiting for.
Pre-orders are open now, so if you’re feeling curious, you know what to do.
