We’ve been hearing rumors about a new iPad mini from Apple for quite some time. The company issued a news release revealing its next-generation, more portable tablet. Forget the glitz and atmosphere of big events like the Glowtime One event where the company unveiled the iPhone 16 series, as Apple opted for a quieter approach for this event.
iPad mini (2024) pricing and availability
Apple chose to launch the iPad mini out of nowhere today (October 15th), and it’s already available for pre-order. Pre-order the latest small Apple tablet for delivery on Wednesday, October 23rd. Available in four colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray.
When it comes to pricing, Apple has chosen to keep the price the same as the 2021 iPad mini, with the most affordable storage option priced at $499. However, instead of offering the cheapest model at 64GB, Apple has doubled the starting storage to 128GB, which is excellent value.
If you’re looking for a model with cellular capabilities, the starting price is quite high at $649.
iPad mini (2024) specifications
The new iPad mini has pretty impressive specs for a $499 tablet. Apple included an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2266 x 1488. Due to the small screen, the pixel density is high at 326 ppi. This screen supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) with Apple Pencil hover functionality.
Apple has included the respectable A17 Pro chip that first launched in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This is the first widely available SoC built on the 3nm process. It can’t match the iPad Air or Pro with M-series chips, but it’s more than powerful enough to run most iPad apps smoothly.
For those who don’t want to use their face to unlock their tablet, Apple has included Touch ID.
The battery lasts up to 10 hours for surfing the web and watching videos over Wi-Fi. This is sufficient for a small device. You’ll need to take the iPad mini to a lab to test the battery yourself, but 10 hours seems about right considering the previous iPad mini clocked 10:29.
iPad mini camera
Tablets aren’t exactly camera-focused devices, but the iPad mini makes a lot of sense as a smaller camera.
The new iPad mini has a simple 12MP wide camera on the back with an ƒ/1.8 aperture. Capture 4K video at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps. Slow-motion video up to 240fps is also available.
Flip it over to the front and you’ll find a 12MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.4 aperture.
