Earlier this month, Apple announced a new iPad mini for the first time in three years. Ahead of the device’s launch next Wednesday, we outlined twelve new features and changes coming to the seventh-generation iPad mini compared to the previous model.
Here’s everything new on the iPad mini 7:
- A17 Pro chip: The A17 Pro chip, which was introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro models last year, 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.
- 8 GB RAM for Apple Intelligence support: The new iPad mini is compatible with Apple Intelligence, which will be available next week starting with iPadOS 18.1. Geekbench results confirmed that the device is equipped with 8 GB of RAM, the minimum requirement for Apple Intelligence. That’s more than 4GB of RAM in the iPad mini 6.
- Support for Apple Pencil Pro: The new iPad mini is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro.
- Apple Pencil hover: This feature allows you to preview the Apple Pencil’s stroke on the canvas before the accessory touches the screen.
- Fixed “jelly scrolling”? Most reviews said that “jelly scrolling” is much less noticeable or completely absent on the new iPad mini, but a prominent technology website disagreed, so we’ll wait for 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 mobile models of the iPad mini 7 worldwide do not have a nano SIM card slot 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 also need a router with Wi-Fi 6E support.
- Double the base save: 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.
- Enhanced HDR photos: The new iPad mini supports ‘Smart HDR 4’, while the previous model supports ‘Smart HDR 3’. Apple says Smart HDR 4 makes photos look “even more detailed and vibrant.”
- Inscription “iPad mini”: The new iPad mini has an inscription “iPad mini” on the back of the device. Earlier models of the device were engraved with ‘iPad’.
Popular stories
18 new things your iPhone can do in iOS 18.1
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.1 on Monday, October 28, bringing the first wave of Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update marks the first major step forward in Apple’s AI integration, delivering a new Siri context-aware experience and a range of additional capabilities powered by on-device machine learning and large language models. There are a…
Tim Cook admits the truth about Vision Pro after lackluster sales
The Wall Street Journal’s Ben Cohen interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook this summer about the Vision Pro, innovation, Apple Intelligence and more. Image Credit: Vanity Fair Cook admitted that the Vision Pro headset is not a mass-market product due to its high price. “At $3,500, it’s not a mass-market product,” Cook said. “Right now it’s an early adopter product. People who want…
Apple confirms that AirPods Pro 2 hearing features will launch in iOS 18.1 next week
Apple will release iOS 18.1 next week, bringing a range of advanced hearing health capabilities to the AirPods Pro 2 and the first Apple Intelligence features. The timing of the update was confirmed by reviewers who were given early access to the AirPods Pro 2’s new hearing health features, which are now known to be included in the update. The update includes three core features:…
Apple is working on new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard
Apple could soon release new versions of the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad, according to code found in MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris’s iOS 18.1 release candidate. There are references to a new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and various Magic Keyboards, including versions with Touch ID and numeric keypads, as well as models without. While there is no…
Gurman: New MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Mini models with M4 chips coming ‘very soon’
Apple plans to launch its first Macs with the M4 chip series “very soon,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In a post on social media today, Gurman said these Macs will specifically include new MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini models. He continues to expect the next Mac mini to have a “refreshed” design, in line with his previous reporting that the new model is almost…
Gurman: Apple believes its AI technology is two years behind the competition
Some Apple employees believe the company’s internal generative AI technology, which powers Apple Intelligence, is more than two years behind the industry leaders, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Gurman’s sources within Apple write in his latest Power On newsletter that the company’s own research suggests its upcoming AI features will lack the “wow factor” of competing technologies…
Apple Seeds iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 release candidates with Apple Intelligence
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 so they can continue testing Apple Intelligence features. The release candidate software comes a week after Apple posted the seventh iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas. The updates can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. Remark …
Will Apple release M4 Macs soon? This is what the latest rumors say
Apple often releases new Macs in the fall, but we’re still waiting for official confirmation that the company has similar plans this year. We’re already well into October, and if Apple plans to announce new Macs before the holidays, recent history suggests it will happen this month. Here’s what we know so far. It’s been more than 225 days since Apple released a new Mac, the last of which were M3 versions of the…
Apple releases new AirPods Pro, AirPods and AirPods Max firmware
Apple today released a new firmware update for the original AirPods Pro, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and the Lightning version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 6F21, an addition to the previous 6A326 firmware that these devices previously ran on. There’s no word on what’s in the firmware, but since these are all older models, it’s likely that the new…
