iPad mini 7 review: A more powerful mini
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iPad mini 7
4.0/5 Buy on Amazon
There's nothing new to report on the iPad mini 7 other than the Update chipset that delivers a much-needed mid-life refresh.
It’s human nature to love something simply because it looks new and different, so the iPad mini 7 might seem boring to some. It’s anything but boring, though, as the A17 Pro turns this little tablet into a portable gaming machine and an Apple Intelligence machine.
The iPad mini 6 was a revolution when it was announced in 2021. Apple completely redesigned the little tablet and gave it the button-less, full-screen look that the rest of the lineup had seen.
The new design and decent power delivered by the latest iPhone chipset at the time, the A15 Bionic, made it one of Apple’s most surprising updates. It re-established the form factor as the best iPad tablet since it was originally portrait and portable.
Apple added the A17 Pro and little else with the iPad mini 7, but Apple wasn’t going to redesign an already redesigned tablet so soon. But after three years without an update, people were still disappointed.
I’m not, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Defining the iPad mini Market
I’ve seen a lot of people upset with the iPad mini 7, arguing that it was a lazy update from Apple. That it should have done more — but those cries are one-sided and come from tech-obsessed nerds who tend to chase specs.
iPad mini 7 review: Not a pro tablet
Sure, an M-series chipset would have been more desirable. So is OLED or 120Hz – but it's just not an iPad mini.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a die-hard iPad fan, and perhaps the biggest of all the AppleInsider staff, it’s that Apple views the iPad as a consumer device first and foremost. Pro iPad users exist, but they’re a niche in an already niche iPad community, with the larger user base finding smartphones or laptops more popular.
The most popular iPad is the cheapest model at $329. The iPad mini sits above that as the midrange equivalent to the iPad Air, just smaller.
The iPad mini’s tech stack is chosen specifically to hit its price point. For example, I don’t think Apple could make a compelling $300 iPad mini, but it could certainly cram it with tech and make it a $1,000 device.
iPad mini 7 review: Pro features could carry over into future generations
The problem with this idea is that it runs into the Mac Pro conundrum. There are people willing to pay for absolute power in that form factor, but that’s a niche of a niche of a niche. It just doesn’t make sense for a product like the iPad mini.
I believe that as the cost of tech comes down, we’ll eventually see an iPad mini that we’d call “pro” today. There’s just no market for an incredibly expensive tiny tablet when most people would just buy an iPad Pro.
There’s a chance I’m wrong and Apple will release an 8-inch iPad Pro in 2025, but I seriously doubt it. The closest we’re likely to get to an iPad mini Pro is Apple’s mythical foldable tablet — but I don’t think that’ll ever happen, either.
The good news is that if you’re unhappy with the iPad mini 7, you don’t have to buy it. Still, I bought it right away because I like the form factor, and three years of battery life is starting to tell — the A17 Pro is just a bonus.
iPad mini 7
Adorama Coupon
Get $20 to $25 off the iPad mini 7 with promo code APINSIDER. Plus save $10 on AppleCare.
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iPad mini 7 Review – Design and Specs
Apple didn't change much about the iPad mini 7's appearance other than increasingly desaturated colors. Pink has been replaced with blue, but the other colors remain the same: space gray, purple, and starry sky — if the shades are lighter.
The iPad mini 7 has an all-screen display, which means it ditched the Home button in favor of the top button with Touch ID from the previous generation. The bezels are a bit large compared to other iPads, but that works with the pocketable form factor.
iPad mini 7 review: space gray just got a little lighter
The volume buttons and top button are on one side, with a USB-C port on the opposite side. Speaker grilles are cut out on all four sides, but the iPad mini only supports stereo speakers in landscape orientation.
The rear camera is unchanged — it’s still 12-megapixel and records 4K video. The front camera is also in the same portrait orientation with the same 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor.
Overall, the design still feels fresh. There’s something about this tiny tablet that feels perfect in the hand.
The Liquid Retina display is also completely unchanged, with a resolution of 2266 x 1488 pixels at 326 ppi. It peaks at 500 nits with SDR content, so it’s a little dim by today’s Apple display standards.
iPad mini 7 review: the display is unchanged
Apple hasn't gone OLED, ProMotion, or Nano Texture this time around. While some were hoping for dramatic changes, that's unlikely for this product, as I explained above.
The jelly scrolling is apparently still there, but I just don't notice it, don't look for it, and don't care. If you look at the display with slow-motion cameras, the effect is visible, but I or anyone else will ever see this display like this.
Apple did something to reduce the effect, so if you've seen it before, it's less pronounced now. I'm not sure anyone outside of tech reports even knows it exists.
Apple Pencil Pro
I'm not an artist, to be honest. In fact, I don't really have much of a reason to own an Apple Pencil Pro other than to check out its features out of curiosity and let my actual artist friends draw with it.
iPad mini 7 review: hovering with Apple Pencil Pro
Apple has included support for the Apple Pencil Pro and all of its features, including hovering. It feels like a magical tool, and the haptics and shadow rendering on the screen are still great on the iPad mini 7.
Support for the Apple Pencil Pro means there will be no support for the Apple Pencil 2, so don’t expect to bring your old Pencil with you.
I’m so glad Apple didn’t wait another generation to bring the iPad mini 7 to the Apple Pencil Pro. Now I have one Apple Pencil that can switch between the iPad Pro and iPad mini just by plugging it in.
iPad mini 7 review: Handwriting fix makes text legible in iPadOS 18
While I’m not an artist, I still use the Apple Pencil Pro, especially on the iPad mini 7. I enjoy taking handwritten notes or drawing on it.
I really hope that one day Apple will release Apple Journal on the iPad with handwriting support. I might use the iPad mini for taking notes in the future if that were possible.
Review of iPad mini 7 – A17 Pro
The A17 Pro was first introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s the cheapest chipset capable of running Apple Intelligence, and likely the cost-effective choice for Apple.
iPad mini 7 review: Running AAA games like Assassin’s Creed
This is a big step up from the A15 Pro, which it replaces not only for AI but also for graphics and gaming. Coincidentally, the limit for Apple’s latest AAA gaming promotion is also the A17 Pro, meaning games like Resident Evil 4 can be played on the iPad mini 7.
This news seemed to fly right past everyone, as they complained about the old chipset and minimal updates. I was thrilled.
Sure, the range of games remains limited a year after Apple’s AAA gaming promotion began, but that won’t always be the case. The A17 Pro has access to important hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which allows you to run games like Death Stranding on your iPhone or iPad.
Power is also important for casual gaming titles, emulation, and other graphics-intensive tasks. This should mean more efficient performance, and so far it has resulted in a much cooler device.
iPad mini 7 review: Small enough for a handheld controller
I'm reviewing a Vice Grip controller that fits the iPad mini 7 called the Abxylute S9, which I'll post later. It's a great way to take advantage of the power packed into this tiny iPad.
If Apple had gone with a more powerful M-series chipset, it might have had issues with overheating in the tiny package. I think that's another reason the iPhone chipset is best suited for the iPad mini 7.
The A17 Pro was also the first iPhone chipset to support hardware-accelerated processing of the AV1 format used by YouTube and Netflix. This makes watching videos on those platforms much more efficient, and your device won’t get hot or drain your battery as much.
iPad mini 7 review: The best YouTube and Netflix experience
Customers also get a better entry-level storage of 128GB at no extra cost. There are also 256GB and 512GB options.
Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are also included thanks to the move to the A17 Pro. I would have liked Wi-Fi 7, but there’s nothing to be done given that it’s paired with the SoC.
If you buy the cellular model, there’s no longer a physical SIM card slot. Like other Apple mobile products, the iPad mini 7 only supports eSIM.
Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is still slowly rolling out, and the first wave of promised features won't fully launch until 2025. It seems the only reason the iPad mini 7 exists is to provide AI support.
iPad mini 7 review: Apple Intelligence
I’ve written extensively about Apple Intelligence as it exists in iPadOS 18.1, and I can say that it’s still in its early stages. The limited features available are still useful on the iPad mini 7.
Apple has highlighted Image Wand as a core feature for the iPad mini when paired with the Apple Pencil Pro. The scrubbing tool in Photos also benefits from more precise input on the larger display.
iPadOS 18.2 is in beta, and I’m also testing these features on the iPad mini 7. Genmoji and Image Playground work as expected, and easy access to the private ChatGPT is also useful.
Overall, I don’t think people should rush out and buy an iPad mini 7 just to get Apple Intelligence as it exists today. I’m glad it’s here, and I’m interested to see how it evolves within the Apple ecosystem in the coming months.
iPad mini 7 review – iPadOS
The iPad mini 7 doesn't get Stage Manager, despite running the same iPadOS 18 as my iPad Pro. The A17 Pro is probably more than capable of supporting it, even if it's only running on an external display.
iPad mini 7 review: Classic multitasking fits perfectly on a tiny display
But no, we're limited to classic full-screen apps, Split View, and Slide Over. This interaction paradigm is much better suited to a touchscreen, which is why it's a great fit for the iPad mini.
No Stage Manager means no external display support. This is a real crime, because I'd love to have an iPad mini that could suddenly become a 24-inch desktop computer via Thunderbolt.
This brings us back to the niche of a niche I was talking about earlier, but that doesn’t make it any less of a cool concept. For now, I’ll stick with the iPad mini 7 as an iPad — and it’s really good at that.
Three years of nonoptimized OS
The iPad mini 7 has a weird aspect ratio compared to other iPads, so iPadOS gives it a lot of padding. For example, the home screen is recessed deep into the device, enough so that you can add two whole rows of icons.
iPad mini 7 review: Lots of padding in the App Library
The effect can be seen in many apps or in the App Library. It just feels unoptimized and a little lazy, considering Apple usually does a great job of combining software and hardware.
Some apps have gotten better over time, like Apple News. Auto layout does its best, but it doesn't always place buttons correctly or organize them.
One of the funniest examples may not even be an issue with the iPad mini 7, but I can’t help but include it. When using Apple Music in landscape orientation, the album art becomes a 1.5-inch square.
Apple Music’s scaling of album art has always been weird, but this seems especially egregious since that’s the default layout on the iPad mini. It just feels broken with all that space around all those tiny icons. Surely Apple could have provided something more streamlined.
The iPad mini 7 is still the best handheld tablet
I’m a guy who works with an iPad Pro full time, so I’d say the 13-inch iPad Pro is definitely the best iPad overall. It even fits perfectly in the hand, but its size makes it less portable.
iPad mini 7 review: a tablet you can hold in your hand
The iPad lineup, which is around 11 inches, is much more portable and works great as handheld tablets, but they still teeter on the edge of being too big in some situations or better suited for a keyboard. The iPad mini fits anywhere an iPhone might fit, but it has a larger display and is easy to hold for hours.
There’s something magical about the 8.3-inch form factor that makes it feel like a Goldilocks tablet. It fits in a lot of pockets, works with the Apple Pencil, but never makes your wrist get tired or sore.
The original iPad had a 9.7-inch display surrounded by these hilariously large bezels. It was Steve Jobs’s vision of the future of computing — something you held in portrait while reading. Even Apple’s keyboard at the time held it in portrait.
Over time, the iPad has become more versatile in its role as a naked robotic core. Apple continues to introduce new accessories or features that make it much more than just a tablet.
iPad mini 7 review: A tiny naked robotic core
The iPad mini 7, however, retains that original ideal as a consumer product. It can be transformed, like other iPads, but into more fun devices, like a handheld gaming console, a portable TV, or a sketchbook.
The addition of the A17 Pro to the iPad mini may not be the most exciting upgrade in the world, but it reaffirms Apple’s commitment to tiny tablets. If you’re a heavy iPad mini user like me, you’ll likely want the battery upgrade, too.
So whether you're buying a tablet for the first time or upgrading, you're getting a powerful little tablet that can play AAA games from Apple's latest gaming lineup and is powered by Apple Intelligence. It's a good stopgap until more tech becomes less expensive and makes its way into the inevitable iPad mini 8.
ipad mini 7 Review – Pros
- Refined form factor
- Apple Pencil Pro support
- The A17 Pro enables a host of compute improvements from gaming to AI
- Cooler, more efficient operations
ipad mini 7 Review – Cons
- Unoptimized iPadOS
- No M-series chip means no Stage Manager or external monitor support
- Less saturated color options
- A17 Pro means no Wi-Fi 7
Rating: 4 out of 5
I'd honestly give the iPad mini 7 a 5 out of 5 if it debuted in 2023 with this chipset and the Jelly scrolling fix. Waiting three years to only offer a chipset upgrade is disappointing to a large buyer base, even if I'm okay with it.
This really is a perfect tablet, but it has room to improve. Apple will have a chance to really wow us with another tiny tablet sometime around 2027.
Where to Buy the iPad Mini 7 at a Discount
Apple's iPad mini 7 is on sale now, and retailers are competing for your business with discounts and coupons, which you can find in our iPad mini 7 Price Guide.
At the time of publishing, Amazon is offering discounts of up to $35 on models, while Adorama has issued a discount coupon with the code APINSIDER that applies to both the tablet and the optional AppleCare service.
You can also check out our roundup of the best iPad deals across the range, which is updated throughout the week.
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