iPad mini 7 is officially here – and it's built for Apple Intelligence

The mini 7 lands with an A17 Pro chip

News By Mark Wilson published 15 October 2024

Jus over three years on from the iPad mini (2021), Apple has finally revived the little tablet by announcing the new iPad mini 7 – and it packs an A17 Pro chip for Apple Intelligence.

That new chip isn't the only new feature for the 8.3-inch tablet. Apple has announced two new colors – blue and purple – alongside starlight and space gray – and has beefed up the storage options.

The mini 7 starts with 128GB storage, and there are now 256GB and 512GB options, too. Naturally, it also runs the latest iPadOS 18. You can pre-order the iPad mini 7 from today, with pricing starting at $499 / £499 (for the Wi-Fi model) and $649 / £649 for the Wi-Fi and Cellular model.

Another big bonus for the mini 7 is that it supports the Apple Pencil Pro, making it a tempting little digital notebook for creatives. Apple says that the A17 Pro chip – which debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max – doubles the speed of the tablet's Neural Engine compared to the mini 6 and delivers a faster CPU and GPU.

Like before, the iPad mini 7 has a 12MP rear camera, but this time, it's been upgraded to Smart HDR 4 processing. There's also now support for Wi-Fi 6E for speedier wireless connectivity.

But the biggest software boosts will come from that Apple Intelligence support, which will be landing fully "later this month" in the US. That includes new AI-powered writing tools in apps like Mail, Notes and third-party apps, plus imaging tricks like Apple's Clean Up tool.

If you've been patiently waiting for the iPad mini 7, you can finally order one now from the Apple Store. We'll soon give you our full verdict on where the dinky tablet ranks in our guide to the best iPads.

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