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

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."
Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

turbineseaplane Avatar
9 weeks 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 Avatar
9 weeks 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 Avatar
9 weeks 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)
Johnnyponken Avatar
9 weeks ago
”Much less noticable jelly scroll” It shouldn’t even have it from the beginning.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
9 weeks ago
Picking mine up tomorrow. A great upgrade (storage, RAM, smaller bezels, Apple Pencil Pro, etc) from my Mini 5.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
9 weeks ago

On the ends I guess, but not on the sides
I wouldn't want smaller side bezels. That's where my thumb and heel of my left hand go when holding it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)