Getting a new iPad mini always feels like a happy little reunion. I’ve been using an iPad Pro, so I haven’t used an iPad mini since I returned the 2021 model three years ago.
The new 2024 iPad mini is powered by the A17 Pro chip, strangely taken from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, and is almost identical to the iPad I reviewed back then. The new processor is really important because it makes the iPad mini the latest Apple device to support Apple Intelligence.
But other than that, it’s pretty much the same as the iPad mini from three years ago. Apple seems satisfied that the iPad mini will perform as well as the iPad Air. That’s one step above the average iPad, but also one step below the iPad Pro. Anyone looking forward to the iPad mini Pro (and the horrible capitalization that followed) will walk away disappointed, perhaps forever.
The iPad mini is a niche product within an already niche product line. Apple probably never wants to slice things thinner than they already are. That said, the iPad mini has a comfortable niche. It’s great for kids, for people who prioritize reading over productivity, and in general for anyone who can fit an iPad into their lives, but it doesn’t take up much space.
As we reported three years ago, the iPad’s hardware is so fast that it can do basically anything you set your mind to. I used to edit podcasts and write articles on my old iPad mini, and the new processor makes it even more powerful. The additional ray tracing capabilities of the M3/A17 processor generation mean even more performance when it comes to graphics-intensive games. However, ProMotion is a feature reserved for the pro level, so you’ll be playing games at 60 frames per second. Apple products.
In terms of pure single-core performance, the A17 Pro processor outperforms the M2 iPad Air thanks to one better processor core in the A17 Pro generation. But the M2 has more processor cores than the A17 Pro, so the iPad Air beats it in other tests. Still, it doesn’t really matter. iPad mini is fast enough to do anything you want. And most importantly, it has enough system memory to run Apple Intelligence features coming later this month. (The iPad mini I tested had iPadOS 18.0, which of course doesn’t offer any of these AI features.)
When you hold the iPad mini in your hand, you will notice that it has excellent performance as a vertically oriented device. That, and the fact that it’s too small in any orientation to support a proper add-on keyboard, is probably why Apple chose to leave the FaceTime camera on the short side of the device instead of moving it to the long side. Other iPads. I agree with that decision. It still seems weird to me to have the volume buttons on the top of the iPad, opposite the sleep/wake/Touch ID buttons, but they should add proper magnetic charging support for the Apple Pencil.
With support for that Pencil and a standalone charging USB-C model introduced in 2023, Apple’s Pencil story is getting simpler. Eventually, only a few Pencil models will be supported across the product line, but we’re not there yet. Still, no iPhone supports Apple Pencil, making the iPad mini the smallest device available for people who want to use Apple’s stylus to write, draw, and interact with other app interfaces. It will be.
A sign that I’m getting used to Apple’s latest iPhones and iPads is that I was a little surprised by the size of the bezel around the iPad mini’s display. Every other Apple device seems to have absorbed a bit of that guts, either expanding the display, shrinking the physical dimensions, or a combination of both. Although the iPad mini’s bezel is not hugerelatively speaking, it feels huge compared to that of the iPad Pro, let alone the iPhone.
I’m also disappointed in what Apple has done with the colors of these models. Following the previous generation’s series of bright colors, apparently Funpolis has arrived and decreed that all colors be diluted versions indistinguishable from silver. I don’t understand modern Apple’s relationship to color. I also don’t understand how a company that got it right with the last iPad mini, iPhone 16, and M1/M3 iMac would do it so wrong with something so boring and washed out. A color palette like this. I was using purple, but I didn’t know that it wasn’t just silver unless I looked it up by email.
I think I have some good news. Many users of the previous model iPad mini complained about a “jelly scroll” effect. Scrolling content in portrait orientation could result in visual artifacts where one side of the screen updated before the other. . I understand that the display circuitry on newer models is different than older models, but in my usage I couldn’t detect any “jelly-like scrolling”. That doesn’t mean it’s definitely gone. I’d love to see some sharp-eyed “jelly-like scrolling” experts report back with their results, but even when I recorded myself scrolling in a high frame, I certainly couldn’t see it . I set the rate and played it frame by frame.
So beyond Apple Intelligence expectations, I don’t know what to say about the iPad mini in 2021 that I haven’t said. iPad mini is a great little iPad that can do just about anything. It’s fun to hold in one hand. It’s a great device for reading, but it’s not a replacement for an e-reader because it doesn’t have a glossy display, is waterproof, and has a distraction-free reading environment. Too small to type. it’s okay.
Ultimately, what’s great about the iPad mini is also its limitations. This iPad is small but has plenty of power. It fits where other iPads don’t. Depending on what you want to use your iPad for, it could be the perfect iPad for you. The jury is still out on Apple Intelligence and may be for a while, but it’s clear that Apple cares enough about the iPad mini and the people who love it to make sure these features are available on the iPad mini. I’m glad you’re here. Day 1.
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