Apple iPad Mini (2024): Specs, Launch Date, Value, Options

The seventh era of Apple’s tiniest iPad is lastly right here, three years since its final refresh. There was no fancy pretaped or reside occasion—the corporate quietly introduced the brand new pill via its on-line newsroom. The headline characteristic encapsulating this machine? Apple Intelligence. Apple’s synthetic intelligence options nonetheless aren’t out there for the iPhone 16, however they’re attributable to arrive this month by way of iOS 18.1.

Beginning at $499 for the bottom mannequin, the seventh-gen iPad Mini has the identical chassis as its predecessor, however with a couple of upgrades together with a brand new processor, help for Apple Intelligence, and double the storage. It additionally works with the newest Apple Pencil Professional. It is out there for preorder now and ships October 23.

Courtesy of Apple

It is What’s Inside

The sixth-generation iPad Mini acquired a serious facelift in 2021, so it is not surprising that Apple saved the exterior options the identical on this iteration. This pill packs an 8.3-inch LCD display, slim bezels, and a 12-megapixel selfie digicam, together with a USB-C port (now with 10-Gbps information switch speeds). The rear digicam has a 12-megapixel sensor with help for Good HDR 4, an up to date picture processing algorithm with the aptitude to detect and scan paperwork from the Digicam app (a characteristic we noticed launched again in Could with the M4-powered iPad Professional).

The extra vital adjustments are inside. Apple upgraded the processor from the A15 (the chipset contained in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Professional fashions) to an A17 Professional, the exact same that is within the iPhone 15 Professional. With a six-core CPU, the corporate claims it delivers a 30 % increase in CPU efficiency whereas the five-core GPU presents a 25 % soar in comparison with the earlier mannequin. In the meantime, the neural engine is twice as quick.

Placing this chip contained in the iPad Mini means it will possibly help Apple Intelligence—a collection of synthetic intelligence instruments coming in iOS 18.1. It makes the iPad Mini the most affordable pill of the lineup to have these options. Different supported fashions embody the fifth-gen M1 iPad Air, sixth-gen M2 iPad Air, fifth-gen M1 iPad Professional, sixth-gen M2 iPad Professional, and seventh-gen M4 iPad Professional.