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

[stocklen]

With regards to Apple Intelligence..

If the iPhone 15 pro (A17) is a minimum requirement for AI... and the latest iPhones are A18 - why release a brand new product that has a year old chip to just scrape the minimum requirements for AI.

It goes to show where Apple think the mini belongs in the lineup... i.e. way down there with the base iPad even though its more expensive.

I wonder what the base iPad will get? Surely not the A18 like the iPhone 16 has....

 

[EugW]

I wonder how much RAM. 6 GB? 8 GB?

 

[GMShadow]

2 surprises here for me:

1) Announcing this not at the end of October event is mildly surprising.

2) using last year’s “first gen 3nm” is also mildly surpassing. Was thinking Apple doesn’t want to use that stop-gap chip anymore.

Apple says 5 core GPU (iPhone had 6) which means these are almost all likely failed chips that didn’t pass muster to be in the iPhone.

 

[xxFoxtail]

Does it support stage manager and external display? It’d be a shame if it doesn’t.

 

[Delorean2006]

I wonder how much RAM. 6 GB? 8 GB?

8GB of ram, apple intelligence requires 8 and the new mini is compatible with it. Also, the A17 pro on the 15 pro and pro max both have 8.

 

[turbineseaplane]

What an absolute nothing burger of an update

3 years of waiting … to get that?

This company is just so dead to me

 

[mathewr]

Does anyone know if the ipad mini 6 smart folio will work with the new one?

 

[j26]

Nope - not for me. The increase in base storage is welcome, but the rest is underwhelming.

I'll stick with my Mini 6, or else look around to see what competitors are offering. Surely SOME manufacturer has to see the niche for a powerful small factor tablet....

 

[turbineseaplane]

Of course, we'll have to wait for reviews to see if the Jelly scroll issue was fixed.

I HAVE to think they at least changed the panel orientation back the other way so it’s less apparent

Could you imagine if they didn’t even fix the jelly scroll?

 

[chrono1081]

I was really hoping for a better refresh rate + faceID but I'm really missing having a mini so I preordered regardless. I currently have the 13 inch pro which I used a ton for work until recently work decided we couldn't use personal devices anymore. Now it's more of a secondary screen for my computer and to use while I'm cooking or for certain art apps (like Procreate or something else needing some good amount of real estate).

The mini is going to be for reading/doing pixel art/other types of work while lounging around outside or on the couch and for travel. Basically stuff I want to do where the 13 inch is a bit too big and unwieldy.

Yes, I have a lot of iDevices but they each have their own uses.

 

[one more]

No 120 Hz is instant pass for me.

Agreed, Apple releasing a new product in 2024 with a subpar screen tech when competition offers 120 Hz screens on phones starting from about 250$ is just plain cheap.

 

[Entilzha]

Does just a new chip and compatibility with the latest Apple Pencil qualify as a “significant update”?

The same chip that’s in the 15 Pro series, I’d say that’s a fairly significant update for a device that was previously running the chip that was in the iPhone 13.

 

[chrono1081]

Not like say the iPhone 16's?

Wow I stand corrected, I didn't realize it had Wifi7. I still stand by my statement it's stupid to put something in a consumer device until ratification though.

 

[ApplePM]

Has anyone checked the colors? That is the weirdest Blue I have seen... it's LIGHT GREEN!

 

[Danilamak]

Does support of new pencil means they moved camera to horizontal orientation?

 

[BorisDG]

Wow... a binned A17 Pro with 5 core GPU... so it's like A18, but A18 was still better with it's 5 core. It seems they had leftovers. A17 Pro was already discontinued (the full chip)

 

[iGeek2019]

Does anyone know if the ipad mini 6 smart folio will work with the new one?

Same dimensions between the 6th and 7th Generation so I imagine it’ll be fine.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I think I’m just gonna get a new battery for my iPad Mini 5 and soldier on

I need the nano SIM tray as I switch this particular data plan between the iPad mini and an older iPhone SE that doesn’t do eSIM

I miss the days when I actually liked new Apple products
Still happens from time to time with things like AirPods, I guess

 

[dgdosen]

I'd upgrade to a mini with OLED or the ability to run an external monitor at a different resolution.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Woahh!! Press release instead of event unveiling!! 🤯

Unveil what? It's got a couple new chips. Everything else unchanged. Hardly worth more than a press release.

 

[sracer]

$230 trade in for my mini 6 on a $600 mini 7, both 256gb.

Pass...

Is that on Apple's website?
I know that it is in vogue to bash and trash Best Buy, but I've always had great experiences trading my tech there...
Here's the latest trade-in value for a 256GB Mini 6...

 

[Biro]

Sad to see the iPad mini revert back to last generation chips instead of using the latest as the 6 did.

But the A15 chip in the Gen 6 Mini was binned. As in slightly crippled.

 

[EugW]

128

8GB of ram, apple intelligence requires 8 and the new mini is compatible with it. Also, the A17 pro on the 15 pro and pro max both have 8.

If true, that’s a doubling of both memory and storage, which is pretty nice.

I understand a lot of people like 120 Hz, but 120 Hz is not a must-have for me personally.

 

[lenard]

Ah yes, the Wi-Fi 6 that is faster than 7.....
View attachment 2437639

6E

 

[Isamilis]

Apple today announced a significant upgrade to the iPad mini, now featuring an A17 Pro chip and support for the company's new Apple Intelligence system. The refreshed seventh-generation tablet maintains its compact 8.3-inch design while offering notable performance improvements and new capabilities.

The A17 Pro chip brings a 30% boost in CPU performance and a 25% increase in GPU performance compared to the previous generation, according to Apple.

The new iPad mini also gains support for Apple Pencil Pro, which introduces pressure sensitivity, haptic feedback, and gesture controls. Other improvements include Wi-Fi 6E support, faster USB-C data transfer, and an upgraded 12MP wide camera with Smart HDR 4.

Apple Intelligence offers features improved writing tools, image generation, and enhanced task automation. The system utilizes both on-device processing and cloud-based models to balance performance and privacy. The first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in U.S. English this month through a free software update with iPadOS 18.1.

Available in four colors, including new blue and purple options, the new iPad mini with Wi-Fi starts at $499 for 128GB of storage (double the minimum storage of the previous generation), and $649 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The new iPad mini is also available in 256GB and 512GB configurations.

Pre-orders begin today, with availability starting October 23. A new Smart Folio, available in charcoal gray, light violet, denim, and sage, is also available for $59.


Article Link: Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence

Don’t worry, it will be on sale next 3 months.