Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence

Apple just unveiled a new generation of the iPad mini, and it’s the first update to its smallest tablet since 2021. The new iPad mini is powered by Apple’s A17 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. The A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini, along with support for Apple Intelligence.

Not surprising, the iPad mini has attracted a fanbase of users who appreciate its more portable 8.3-inch screen, which is great for reading books, watching movies, or taking notes at school, as the regular iPad is rather large. The new iPad mini features support for the Apple Pencil Pro as well, which will help with the latter.

Visually, the iPad mini appears almost identical to the prior model, with a brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. However, it is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple. One new design change is a magnetic charging region on the side of the tablet, allowing the mini to wirelessly pair and charge the Apple Pencil Pro.

Other improvements for the new Apple iPad mini include Wi-Fi 6E support, faster USB-C data transfer, and an upgraded 12MP wide camera with Smart HDR 4. And of course, all of the new functionality that comes with iPadOS 18.

You won’t be able to play with Apple Intelligence just yet, but according to Apple, the first set of Apple Intelligence features will be rolled out to U.S. users later this month through a free software update with iPadOS 18.1.

Pricing for the iPad Mini 7 starts at just $499 with 128GB (double the storage of the previous generation), and $649 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The iPad mini is also available in 256GB and 512GB configurations. You can preorder it today, with availability starting October 23rd.