Apple introduces updated iPad mini with A17 Pro and Apple Intelligence, starting at $499

[Shawn Knight]

What just happened? Apple has introduced an updated version of the iPad mini powered by the A18 Pro, the same chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. While it is not the latest SoC from Cupertino, the year-old SoC will be fast enough to power Apple Intelligence starting later this month.

The new Apple iPad mini features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display – an LED backlit multi-touch screen with IPS technology that operates at a resolution of 2,266 x 1,488 (326 PPI). It boasts 500 nits of brightness and supports Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro.

The A17 Pro consists of two performance cores and four efficiency cores. According to Apple, the chip delivers a 30 percent boost in CPU performance compared to the A15 Bionic found in the previous generation iPad mini. The A17 Pro's five-core GPU, meanwhile, is said to offer a 25 percent jump in graphics performance.

Apple Intelligence on the iPad mini will afford writing and image creation tools, and it can even take action across apps to accelerate everyday tasks. Much of the processing for Apple Intelligence happens locally on-device, although it can also tap into more powerful models that run on dedicated Apple servers in the cloud.

The new iPad mini will ship running iPadOS 18. Apple said the first set of AI features will be available via a free software update with iPadOS 18.1 due out this month.

Other noteworthy features include support for Wi-Fi 6E, a faster USB-C port that supports data transfers up to 10Gbps, and a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with Smart HDR 4. Battery life from the 19.3Wh unit is rated at up to 10 hours of web surfing / video consumption.

The 7th generation iPad mini is available to order now starting at $499 for the Wi-Fi model with 128 GB of storage and topping out at $949 for a cellular variant with 512 GB of onboard storage. Look for it to ship / hit retail on October 23.

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Apple introduces updated iPad mini with A17 Pro and Apple Intelligence, starting at $499

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Better processor is nice, and more storage is nice too. But no screen update, still stuck with a tiny battery, and for that price should have had the A18.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Companies sure have confused people briefly enjoying an AI party trick and people wanting to spend real money on AI.

 

[NumberNine]

Apple and Microsoft seem to be putting in overtime lately to do away with any remaining notions of user privacy.

 

[Billybobjoey]

I would love to buy a new iPad, my old iPad Pro from 2017(?) is finally no longer getting iOS feature updates this year, but for some reason 120hz is still only available on the pro. I don't really want to shell out Pro money when I don't need most of the Pro features. A mini with a 120hz display would be perfect.

 

[Megalomaniac]

The launch of iPhone 16 without the Apple Intelligence greeting you as you walked into the Apple store would send shudders down Job's spine. He must be spinning in his grave.

 

[Megalomaniac]

The 7th generation iPad mini is available to order now starting at $499 for the Wi-Fi model with 128 GB of storage and topping out at $949 for a cellular variant with 512 GB of onboard storage.

That price disparity is ridiculous. The 512GB module and the cellular data module should in no way be adding a whole $350.

It's a good thing the iPad mini can share your phone's connection because this is ridiculous.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I would love to buy a new iPad, my old iPad Pro from 2017(?) is finally no longer getting iOS feature updates this year, but for some reason 120hz is still only available on the pro. I don't really want to shell out Pro money when I don't need most of the Pro features. A mini with a 120hz display would be perfect.

The battery needs a serious upgrade too. 5000 mah? My thinkphone and previous moto g had the same size battery and were significantly smaller. The mini seriously struggles to get anywhere close to the 10 hour battery life claim.

 

[Tom Yum]

Not supporting at least a 90Hz refresh rate seems like a miss, and it appears that they've made no effort to address the jelly scroll effect which was particularly bad on the previous mini because of the 60 Hz refresh rate and the fact the mini is typically used in portrait mode (but the screen refreshed in landscape, amplifying the issue).

60Hz is ok for media consumption, but for taking notes (which the mini is otherwise good for) the slower refresh rate is noticeably laggy when taking notes (in my experience at least, others may notice it less).

 

[Starscream07]

Mini is the closest I've coming to convince myself of getting an ipad but its still a no from me dawg.