The new iPad mini 7 was announced yesterday, and the biggest news here is that it’s not much of an upgrade, even though it’s been three years since the previous model was released.
It feels like Apple has pretty much done the bare minimum here, including using the oldest possible processor capable of running Apple Intelligence…
New iPad mini 7 processor specifications
Yesterday, we explained the differences between the iPad mini 7 and its predecessor, starting with its processor. Last year’s iPhone 15 Pro model, the A17 Pro, replaces the A15 Bionic and appears to be a binned version.
Apple highlighted the differences between the two:
A17 Pro improves CPU performance by 30%. A17 Pro also improves graphics performance with a 5-core GPU, delivering a 25% improvement over the previous generation.
But the goal here seems to be to produce an iPad mini that can run Apple Intelligence, and nothing more. This means the device is virtually guaranteed to have 8GB RAM (up from 4GB) as that’s an AI requirement, but it’s otherwise a very modest upgrade.
Other improvements
In addition to Apple Pencil Hover, the new device also supports wireless charging support for Apple Pencil Pro.
There are connectivity upgrades such as 10Gbps USB-C connectivity (up from 5Gbps), Wi-Fi 6E (vs. Wi-Fi 6), and Bluetooth 5.3 (5.0 and above), all of which are compelling upgrades for most people. does not provide any discussion.
Perhaps the best part, other than Apple Intelligence, is that it doubles the base storage from 64 GB to 128 GB for the same price, which also feels like something Apple should have done at this point. I will.
But it’s almost the same device
Other than the new (very subdued) colors, the form factor is the same, so it’s not smaller or lighter, and there’s no design enhancement.
Battery life remains the same.
The camera is the same except for a slight upgrade from Smart HDR 3 to 4. It’s also still on the short side, which is probably more understandable on devices most commonly used in portrait orientation.
The display hasn’t changed at all. It has the exact same 8.3-inch 2266 x 1488 pixel panel and the same 500 nits maximum brightness.
Why such a small upgrade?
There are several possible explanations, centered around price.
Price, especially for the corporate market
The iPad mini’s biggest market is believed to be businesses, not consumers. The device has proven popular for tasks such as warehouse inventory management and digital menu pads for customer service staff, and its compact size is important for something designed to be held in one hand.
So price is key. Consumers may see more impressive upgrades and decide it’s worth the price increase, but businesses buy devices in bulk, so even a small unit price increase can be a major barrier to purchase. There is. The A17 Pro is a cheaper chip than the M2 used in the A18 and iPad Air.
That’s also why Apple doesn’t change form factors easily. For example, it’s common for business users to use high-capacity charging stations and some mounting docks, and businesses don’t need to replace them to accommodate new devices. This is probably the main reason why it took Apple so long to update the iPad mini to the latest all-screen format.
A series chip demand and supply
Jason Snell has another theory about the A17 Pro chip. While Apple needs all the A18 chips it can get to meet demand for the iPhone 16, it may have had an oversupply of these chips.
Apple ended up with a surplus of A17 Pro chips after discontinuing production of the 15 Pro. [Or] These are all just binned versions (with 5 GPU cores instead of 6) that were not adopted for the iPhone and were left to be reused in other products. [Or] Apple has a contract with TSMC that includes enough capacity to continue manufacturing this chip until that contract ends. [Or] When developing the iPhone 16s, Apple probably didn’t want to repurpose the fresh A18 chip, which is available in limited quantities, into the iPad mini.
Snell shares my view that this is a kind of holdover, and that a new iPad mini should be developed sooner or later. Apple can’t really keep selling this version for another three years.
Should I buy it?
If you currently own an iPad mini 6, you almost certainly don’t own one. The only real reason to upgrade is if: must With access to Apple Intelligence on your device, you need it now.
However, for some people this may be enough of a reason. Excludes people who already own a device that can run Apple Intelligence. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16. M series iPad. Or an M-series Mac, there’s probably no real reason to want the iPad mini to have AI capabilities as well.
But if you please don’t If you currently own an AI-enabled device, the iPad mini 7 has one advantage. It’s now the cheapest Apple device with access to Apple Intelligence. That may be its most attractive selling point.
Photo: Apple
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