Apple’s premium small tablet delivers the full modern iPad experience in a compact package, while getting faster for 2024 with support for new accessories and impending AI features.
The design of the refreshed iPad mini in 2021 was great, so it’s no surprise that Apple kept it mostly the same except for changes under the hood and tweaks on the sides to support new accessories. But while it may be smaller in stature, the new iPad mini is still expensive, with prices starting at £499 (€599 / $499 / AU$799), starting at £329 for the base model iPad and £599 for the 11-inch iPad Air. located between.
The new tablet looks like a smaller version of the iPad Air and retains the same 8.9-inch LCD display as its predecessor, with a low-glare coating that’s crisp, bright, and easy to use outdoors. The so-called “jelly scroll” screen effect you saw when scrolling in previous versions has been improved, but you can still see it if you pay close attention.
Get the most out of your videos and games with the tablet’s excellent stereo speakers. The ultra-thin body, weight of less than 300g, and width almost the same as an A5 paper pad make iPad mini extremely easy to hold, use, and pack.
It’s almost pocket-sized, so it’s perfect for taking quick notes, playing videos, or reading Kindle books while you’re at school or commuting. In its previous work, it found its niche in various professions such as hospitality and healthcare, and pilots were definitely special fans of this one.
The only thing that shouldn’t have changed is the location of the center stage video calling camera. It’s still on the left side when held horizontally, rather than on the top edge as is consistent with the rest of Apple’s iPad lineup. This will still work, but the angle of the video call will be lower, which is not ideal.
specification
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screen: 8.9-inch 2266×1488 LCD display (326ppi)
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Processor: apple a17 pro
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Ram: 8GB
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Storage: 128, 256, or 512GB
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operating system: iPadOS 18
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camera: 12MP rear camera and selfie camera
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Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E (5G optional eSim only), Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C, Touch ID
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size: 195.4×134.8×6.3mm
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Weight: 293g (4G version: 297g)
New A17 Pro chip and iPadOS 18
The biggest change in the new iPad mini is an upgrade to the A17 Pro chip, first used in the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s 30% faster than the previous model and has a 2x faster AI processor.
It’s in a class of its own when compared to similarly sized tablets from competitors, but it’s not as powerful as the M2 or M4 chips used in Apple’s larger Air and Pro iPad models, and some computers don’t support it. yeah. Features like. You can connect a monitor to your tablet via USB-C, but it is only for mirroring the screen or video output and cannot be used as an external display with the Stage Manager multitasking system.
Battery life is slightly longer than its predecessor, with approximately 12 hours of video streaming over Wi-Fi and 10 hours of common app usage such as browsing, note-taking, and emailing. . Gaming and other more intensive use will shave off a few hours of total time, but that’s still impressive for a tablet of this size.
iPad mini is powered by the latest iPadOS 18, with a variety of new customization options and great new math notes features when using a stylus. But like the recently launched iPhones, it lacks the intelligence features that Apple touts, such as smarter Siri, notification summaries, various AI writing tools, and emoji and image generators. These will begin rolling out in beta with the iPadOS 18.1 update in the US at the end of October and in the UK, Australia, and other non-US English countries at the end of December. None of the features work in the EU.
sustainability
Apple hasn’t revealed the expected lifespan of the battery, but it should last more than 1,000 full charge cycles at at least 80% of its original capacity, and replacements start from £115. Tablets can usually be repaired from £339 for damaged out-of-warranty repairs.
The tablets contain at least 25% recycled content, including aluminum, copper, glass, gold, tin, plastic, and rare earth elements. In its report, Apple provides a detailed analysis of the environmental impact of tablets, and offers a trade-in and free recycling system for non-Apple products as well.
price
iPad mini A17 Pro is priced from £499 (€599 / $499 / AU$799) or £649 ($769 / $649 / AU$1,049) with 5G.
For comparison, the 10th generation iPad starts at £329, the M2 iPad Air starts at £599, the iPad Pro M4 starts at £999, the Amazon Fire HD 8 starts at £99.99, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 starts at £169, and the Samsung Galaxy From £169. The Z Fold 6 costs £1,799 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold costs £1,749.
verdict
With significant chip and feature updates, iPad mini continues to be the best small tablet in many ways. Its closest competitors are a handful of cheap Android tablets and a new breed of ultra-expensive flip phones, making it unrivaled.
Its pocketable size makes it easy to hold and pack, and iPadOS is packed with apps that can be used for a wide range of purposes beyond entertainment. Featuring the £129 Apple Pencil Pro, it’s a particularly good, albeit pricey, alternative to paper notebooks.
iPad Air and Pro models don’t have M-series chips, which limits multitasking capabilities, but the cheaper 10th-generation iPad has a larger screen, making it a better choice for people who just want an Apple entertainment device. It will be a good purchase. It’s not a dramatic upgrade from the 2021 model either.
While the iPad mini may seem superfluous as cell phones continue to get larger, it’s especially popular with journalists, pilots, and people who need a capable, compact tablet with a long charging time. For those people, the new A17 Pro iPad mini is almost perfect.
Strong Points: Compact design, great performance, 10 hours of battery life, great screen, USB-C, iPadOS, plenty of apps, great speakers, great microphone, long-term software support, recycled aluminum, and support for Apple Pencil Pro.
Cons: It’s expensive, its small size is cramped for some applications, it doesn’t have a landscape-oriented video calling camera, it doesn’t have an M-series chip for advanced multitasking or computer use, and it doesn’t have any major upgrades.
