iPad Mini 7 Unveiled: Release Date, A17 Pro Chip, Features, Pricing and More
Apple has announced the iPad mini 7, featuring the A17 Pro chip. It includes details on the release date, specifications, pricing, and more.
Apple’s Quiet Reveal
Technology titan Apple took everyone by surprise with a low-key announcement of its next-generation iPad mini, eschewing the fanfare of large-scale events like the iPhone 16’s Glowtime unveiling for a more subdued approach.
Pre-order, Availability, and Pricing
Available for pre-order since October 15, the iPad mini will start shipping on Wednesday, October 23. It comes in four colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray, maintaining its 2021 price point. The most affordable model is priced at 609€, now with a doubled starting storage capacity of 128GB, enhancing its value. The cellular model will set buyers back 779€.
Performance and Features
The iPad mini boasts commendable specs for a tablet at 609€, featuring an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2266 x 1488 and a pixel density of 326 ppi. This screen supports both the Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C Apple Pencil, including motion detection capabilities.
Powered by the formidable A17 Pro processor, first introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro series, this chip is the first widely available SoC made with a 3nm process. Although it doesn’t match the M-series chips in higher-end iPads, it efficiently handles most iPad apps. The battery life promises up to 10 hours of web browsing or video watching, with lab tests pending for confirmation.
A Tablet with True Photographic Ability
Despite tablets not typically being photo-centric devices, the iPad mini shines with its compact size making it a convenient photography tool. It features a 12MP rear camera with an ƒ/1.8 aperture and capabilities for 4K video at various frame rates, and slow-motion up to 240 fps. A 12MP ultra-wide front camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture complements the setup.
Designed for Apple Intelligence
This feature enhances text rewriting, summarizing, and improving across various apps like Mail and Notes, and facilitates more natural interactions with Siri. Siri has also become more context-aware and flexible, capable of handling complex queries with privacy ensured through on-device processing.
This update will be available for free in English (US) with iPadOS 18.1, for models equipped with the A17 Pro or M1 chip and later.