Four major upgrades to the new iPad mini

Apple has released the latest generation iPad mini, marking its first update since 2021. This upgrade mainly focuses on support for new Apple Intelligence features and is powered by the A17 Pro chip, which is also used in the iPhone 15 Pro series. According to media reports such as 9to5 mac and apple insideriPad mini 7 upgrade brings support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Apple also announced that the new iPad mini supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), but not Apple Pencil 2. The device features Pencil Hover, a feature first introduced in the M2 version of the iPad Pro. A variety of new gesture features are enabled even when the pencil tip is not touching the screen. This report provides a comparative analysis of the new model and its predecessor.

Dimensions and weight

The new iPad mini looks almost the same as its predecessor, measuring 195.4mm long, 134.8mm wide, and 6.3mm thick. Weight is 293g (Wi-Fi version), 297g (Wi-Fi + Cellular version).

screen

The new iPad mini features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2,266 x 1,488 pixels and 326 ppi. Unlike the iPad Pro, it doesn’t utilize OLED technology and maintains a brightness level of 500 nits without the high-end XDR brightness effects. However, P3 Wide Color and True Tone technology are still available.

camera

The new generation features a 12MP wide main camera with f/1.8 aperture, 5x digital zoom, and True Tone flash. Supports 4K video recording at 60 fps and 1080p slow motion recording at 240 fps. The front camera also has a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens and supports Center Stage auto-framing, making it suitable for video calls. Compared to the previous generation Smart HDR 3, the new model has been upgraded to Smart HDR 4 for improved photo HDR performance.

Processor performance

The previous generation featured the A15 Bionic chip with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine (NPU) capable of performing 15.8 trillion operations per second.

The new iPad mini uses the same A17 Pro chip as the iPhone 15 Pro series, and features the same 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 16-core NPU, but with 30% and 25% performance improvements, respectively. Masu. The upgraded NPU can perform 35 trillion operations per second and includes improved support for Apple Intelligence.

According to Geekbench, the 6th generation iPad mini scored 2,120 in the single-core test and 5,370 in the multi-core test, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max received scores of 2,879 and 7,135, respectively. currently has no benchmark data).

connectivity

The new generation iPad mini supports wireless connectivity up to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, but cellular connectivity is still limited to Sub-6GHz 5G. USB Type-C connection speed is increased to 10Gbps and supports 4K 60Hz display output. Unlike the previous generation, iPad mini does not support physical SIM cards, only e-SIM.

Other highlights include the continued use of Touch ID instead of Face ID, audio support with a dual-speaker design, and sustained 19.3Wh lithium-polymer battery capacity for up to 10 hours of web browsing and video playback. Included.

In conclusion, the 7th generation iPad mini has few cosmetic changes, but significant performance improvements, especially with support for Apple Intelligence. This is the first update in three years, making it a worthwhile upgrade option for most users.

Source: Apple, Apple Insider, DIGITIMES compilation (October 2024)