Apple finally announced the iPad mini 7 this week, and I couldn’t be more stoked.
I’m a huge fan of the iPad mini 6, but the latest iteration adds several improvements I’ve longed for. On top of that, Apple’s upcoming miniature tablet also packs features that are a nice bonus, such as Apple Intelligence support.
Even if the iPad mini 7 isn’t a revolutionary update, this refreshed model could be one of the best iPads yet, based on what we know so far. Here are five reasons I’m excited about the iPad mini 7.
More storage, same price
One of my biggest gripes with the iPad mini 6 is its paltry 64GB of storage. Because of that, I always have to be conscious of what I download so I won’t unexpectedly run out of space. That won’t be such a problem with the iPad mini 7, as it now starts with a generous 128GB.
With 128GB, I’ll be able to store more videos, podcasts, comic books, and even some video games. And the best part is that the iPad mini 7 retains the same $499 starting price as its predecessor even after packing in twice the storage space. That’s a win-win in my book!
A17 Pro performance
The iPad mini 7 is getting a major upgrade thanks to the A17 Pro under its hood. This is the same chip powering the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which means the iPad mini 7 should be a performance beast.
Games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage should run wonderfully on this tablet since the A17 Pro’s GPU is up to 20% faster than on prior models. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing support and custom shader architecture should also help games look their best. The best iPad games optimized for A17 Pro will both look and run better than on the iPad mini 6.
Though I don’t play a lot of games on iPad, having the option to play games with the best possible performance and graphics on such a small device is tempting. And even outside of gaming, flipping through comic book pages and websites should be noticeably faster on Apple’s new tablet.
Apple Intelligence
Thanks to the A17 Pro, the iPad mini 7 supports all the Apple Intelligence features coming to iPadOS 18. This includes Writing Tools for generating or editing text and Photos upgrades that let you use AI to touch up or edit your favorite photos. The more intelligent Siri will also be available on iPad mini 7.
Features like on-device image generation aren’t yet available — they're not in the current iPadOS 18.1 beta — but I’ll no doubt make good use of Writing Tools, which is my favorite Apple Intelligence feature on iPadOS 18. I’m not sure how much use I’ll get from Apple Intelligence in the long run, but I like knowing that iPad mini 7 will (or should) get most if not all upcoming features.
Apple Pencil Pro support
The iPad mini 7 supports the new Apple Pencil Pro, which is great if you like drawing or writing on iPads.
This updated Apple stylus has haptic feedback and supports squeeze and barrel roll gestures. Squeeze lets you open a palette, edit or redo, run system shortcuts and more. Barrel roll is particularly cool since you can rotate the pencil to control the brush or pen tools with greater precision. Both of these features are meant to make using the Apple Pencil Pro easier and more intuitive.
Though I’m not an artist and prefer writing on the best mechanical keyboards instead of by hand, I quite like the Apple Pencil Pro thanks to features like those I mentioned. I’m looking forward to seeing how well Apple’s latest stylus works with the iPad mini 7.
Same portable design
Based on what we know, the iPad mini 7 has the same design as the iPad mini 6. While some might have wanted a redesign, I’m glad Apple has seemingly kept things the same. After all, you don’t want to mess with perfection.
Thanks to its lightweight design, the iPad mini 6 is the ideal iPad to travel with. It’s also fantastic for reading comics and especially manga. The tablet also doesn’t take up much room on a table or desk if you want to watch YouTube while having dinner. I expect to have all these experiences with the new iPad mini 7.
Outlook
The iPad mini 7 isn’t offering monumental upgrades from its predecessor. In fact, if you’re happy with the iPad mini 6, you might not need to upgrade — especially if features like Apple Intelligence don’t interest you.
Still, the combination of Apple Intelligence, Apple Pencil Pro support, faster performance and more storage space might be enough to win some folks over. Said updates certainly have me excited.
