Earlier this week, Apple announced the 7th generation iPad mini, and unsurprisingly, there are very few changes when compared to the previous generation. In this specs article, we introduced Apple’s latest pocket-sized iPad side by side with 2021’s iPad mini 6 and 2019’s iPad mini 5.
In a nutshell, the iPad mini 7 is a three-year-old iPad with three major upgrades. It’s powered by the much faster A17 Pro processor, taken directly from the iPhone 15 Pro, and now supports the Apple Pencil 2 Pro with fancy new gestures. The base configuration has 128 GB of storage, and there’s also a new 512 GB configuration.
Updating the processor from the A15 to the A17 Pro will enable the upcoming Apple Intelligence feature that Apple plans to release with iPadOS 18.1 later this month.
Below is a list of the major changes.
- A new processor that supports Apple Intelligence.
- Support for Apple Pencil 2 Pro.
- Faster USB-C port: 10Gbps over 5Gbps on mini 6.
- More storage in base configuration: 128 GB vs. 64 GB.
- Smart HDR 4 support for rear and front cameras.
- Faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
- There is no physical SIM.
- 1 new color.
Of course, if you want to update from an iPad mini 5 or an older model with a home button and thick bezels, the list of upgrades becomes even more important and impressive.
Below is a spec-by-spec comparison of the past three generations of iPad mini.
| iPad mini 7 | iPad mini6 | iPad mini5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| size | 195.4×134.8×6.3mm, 293g 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches, 0.65 lbs. |
203.2×134.8×6.1mm. 300g 8.0 x 5.3 x 0.24 inches. 0.66 pounds |
|
| screen | 8.3-inch Liquid Retina IPS, 60Hz 2,266×1,488, 326ppi Maximum brightness 500 nits True Tone, P3 |
7.9-inch Retina IPS, 60Hz 2,048×1,536, 326ppi Maximum brightness 500 nits True Tone, P3 |
|
| apple pencil |
Apple Pencil 2 Pro apple pencil 2 Apple Pencil USB-C |
apple pencil 2 Apple Pencil USB-C |
apple pencil |
| processor |
6 core A17 pro 5 core GPU 16 core NPU |
6 core A15 bionic 5 core GPU 16 core NPU |
6 core A12 bionic 4 core GPU 8 core NPU |
| apple intelligence | supported | not supported | |
| storage | 128GB256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 256GB | |
| rear camera | 12MP f/1.8 camera true tone flash Smart HDR 4 |
12MP f/1.8 camera true tone flash Smart HDR 3 |
8MP f/2.4 camera automatic HDR |
| front camera | 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera center stage Smart HDR 4 |
12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera center stage Smart HDR 3 |
7MP f/2.2 camera automatic HDR |
| sound | horizontal stereo speakers | bottom-emitting stereo speakers | |
| safety | Top button Touch ID | Home button Touch ID | |
| connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 5G sub 6 GHz GPS |
Wi-Fi6, Bluetooth5.0 5G sub 6 GHz GPS |
Wi-Fi5, Bluetooth5.0 4G LTE GPS |
| SIM | eSIM only | Nano SIM eSIM |
|
| port | USB-C 10Gbps | USB-C 5Gbps | lightning |
| battery | to be decided Up to 10 hours of video playback |
19.3Wh Up to 10 hours of video playback |
19.1Wh Up to 10 hours of video playback |
| color | space gray, bluepurple, starlight | space gray, pink, purple, starlight | space gray, silver, gold |
| price | $499 | $499 | $399 |
iPad mini 7 is available for pre-order now and will be available in 29 countries on October 23, 2024.
