Hands-On With the New iPad Mini 7

[MacRumors]

Today is the official launch date of the iPad mini 7, which is the first new iPad mini that we've had since 2021. It has a much faster chip and a few other tweaks, so we thought we'd check it out and do a quick review.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple didn't change the design of the iPad mini 7 compared to the iPad mini 6, and it's tough to tell them apart from the outside. The colors are more muted this time around, with Apple eliminating pink and adding blue, and the text on the back now says "iPad mini" instead of "iPad." Other than that, the iPad mini 6 and iPad mini 7 are identical.

Inside, there's a faster A17 Pro chip that's a notable improvement over the A15 Bionic, but depending on what you do with your iPad mini, you might not notice huge gains in performance. If you play games, it's going to be a lot faster, plus there's now support for ray tracing and mesh shading, features that enable console-quality games like Death Stranding.

The major draw of the A17 Pro is support for Apple Intelligence, and the first AI features are set to come out next week in iPadOS 18.1. Right now, Apple Intelligence is limited to Writing Tools, a new look for Siri, summaries, and smart replies, but Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and more will be coming in iPadOS 18.2, an update Apple started testing just today.

At $499, the iPad mini 7 is only $100 less than the more capable and larger M2 iPad Air, so it's kind of a niche product. It's not worth choosing an iPad mini over an iPad Air unless you specifically want the smaller 8.3-inch size for portability.

With all of the changes internal, the iPad mini 7 is somewhat of a boring update and there's not a lot to say about it. Along with the A17 Pro, you get 8GB RAM (up from 4GB), Wi-Fi 6E support (for connecting to faster 6GHz networks when available), Bluetooth 5.3, faster USB-C transfer speeds, Apple Pencil Pro support, and higher 128GB base starting storage.

Did you get an iPad mini 7 or plan to? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New iPad Mini 7

 

[turbineseaplane]

What is the MacRumors conclusion and stance on the Jelly Scroll situation?

 

[Adamj53]

I upgraded from a 6 and I am very happy with mine. Seems generally quicker and smoother all around. The jelly scroll seems to be dramatically improved also.

 

[KPOM]

The main draw of the iPad mini is the size. I think a lot of readers here have unrealistic expectations about the device. It is much better for content consumption than creation. Hence no Apple keyboard or Stage Manager support. Many are used in enterprise for point of sale or kiosk use. Hence no high end screen.

 

[citysnaps]

Thanks for the review, Dan - appreciate it!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I upgraded from a 6 and I am very happy with mine. Seems generally quicker and smoother all around. The jelly scroll seems to be dramatically improved also.

That's what I'm seeing too.

Mostly it's an iPad Mini 6, just a bit better.

 

[Bhy]

What is the MacRumors conclusion and stance on the Jelly Scroll situation?

Every time I see this I think of Jellyroll by The Fat Boys.

 

[turbineseaplane]

You know, the part about this product I had forgotten as I’m sitting here staring at my mini 5, is the aspect ratio change

As I’ve been mulling over trying out the 7 from Walmart with their long holiday return policy it just dawned on me…. I’m not gonna like how much shorter the screen is in landscape.


Ugh

 

[citysnaps]

What is the MacRumors conclusion and stance on the Jelly Scroll situation?

In the video (5:30) Dan says he doesn't see any.

 

[diamornte]

Wow, the ad for Clean My Mac takes almost a third of the total running time of the video. Guess it really IS a tiny update.

 

[klasma]

What is the MacRumors conclusion and stance on the Jelly Scroll situation?

Dan’s conclusion in the video is “Honestly I have no idea”.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Dan’s conclusion in the video is “Honestly I have no idea”.

Sounds like we can look forward to 3 more years of "jelly scroll is awful", "jelly scroll doesn't bother me" and "I don't have jelly scroll" threads

 

[gsmornot]

I have been someone that notices the jelly issue from day one. It's on my 7 but they have done enough to make it less noticeable that I dont currently feel like I need to complain about it. General review of the 7 versus 6 in my few hours is as above, better overall but nothing that stands out a a wow factor. Just an updated 6 that can use the latest features, same size so I can use my accessories, and less of a screen issue so at least it does not make me feel bleh when I really do the things that makes it obvious. When it goes micro LED or OLED, it will be a bigger update. Overall, very satisfied and now I have more than 64GB of storage.

 

[TechieTaco]

Dan, why rip the paper?!

 

[gupe]

The main draw of the iPad mini is the size. I think a lot of readers here have unrealistic expectations about the device. It is much better for content consumption than creation. Hence no Apple keyboard or Stage Manager support. Many are used in enterprise for point of sale or kiosk use. Hence no high end screen.

Stage Manager enhances content consumption. It enables me to set up multiple app clusters and switch between them very quickly. I hope Apple one day enables official Stage Manager support for iPad Mini.

 

[Rychiar]

I didn't even realize people were paying $499 or these. that's crazy

 

[Rychiar]

Stage Manager enhances content consumption. It enables me to set up multiple app clusters and switch between them very quickly. I hope Apple one day enables official Stage Manager support for iPad Mini.

one thing I tried to use on my iPad Pro 12" and quickly got annoyed with and stopped using lol

 

[l0ken]

Watch this at 11:01 mark, jelly scrolling is still there but less severe it seems like

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Just unboxed mine, this jelly scroll **** isn't fixed at all! Going back!

Additionally, because the display controller is still wrong the 60hz is crazy noticeable in portrait mode. Blurry mess of a display. Apple killed the Mini and I’m really bummed.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Watch this at 11:01 mark, jelly scrolling is still there but less severe it seems like

Bleh .. that clip at 11:37 of the text in portrait

🤮

I'll pass

(thank you for linking to that clip btw)

 

[klasma]

I didn't even realize people were paying $499 or these. that's crazy

Cheaper than an iPhone, which is smaller.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I didn't even realize people were paying $499 or these. that's crazy

Same case, same old bleh screen
The Apple margins just keep getting fatter on this sucker...

 

[MNGR]

Today is the official launch date of the iPad mini 7, which is the first new iPad mini that we've had since 2021. It has a much faster chip and a few other tweaks, so we thought we'd check it out and do a quick review.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple didn't change the design of the iPad mini 7 compared to the iPad mini 6, and it's tough to tell them apart from the outside. The colors are more muted this time around, with Apple eliminating pink and adding blue, and the text on the back now says "iPad mini" instead of "iPad." Other than that, the iPad mini 6 and iPad mini 7 are identical.

Inside, there's a faster A17 Pro chip that's a notable improvement over the A15 Bionic, but depending on what you do with your iPad mini, you might not notice huge gains in performance. If you play games, it's going to be a lot faster, plus there's now support for ray tracing and mesh shading, features that enable console-quality games like Death Stranding.

The major draw of the A17 Pro is support for Apple Intelligence, and the first AI features are set to come out next week in iPadOS 18.1. Right now, Apple Intelligence is limited to Writing Tools, a new look for Siri, summaries, and smart replies, but Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and more will be coming in iPadOS 18.2, an update Apple started testing just today.

At $499, the iPad mini 7 is only $100 less than the more capable and larger M2 iPad Air, so it's kind of a niche product. It's not worth choosing an iPad mini over an iPad Air unless you specifically want the smaller 8.3-inch size for portability.

With all of the changes internal, the iPad mini 7 is somewhat of a boring update and there's not a lot to say about it. Along with the A17 Pro, you get 8GB RAM (up from 4GB), Wi-Fi 6E support (for connecting to faster 6GHz networks when available), Bluetooth 5.3, faster USB-C transfer speeds, Apple Pencil Pro support, and higher 128GB base starting storage.

Did you get an iPad mini 7 or plan to? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New iPad Mini 7

We like the smaller size.
Receiving delivery today

 

[Johnny365]

Stage Manager enhances content consumption. It enables me to set up multiple app clusters and switch between them very quickly. I hope Apple one day enables official Stage Manager support for iPad Mini.

I remember being so excited for stage manager coming (to M1 iPads) and then when it came out, I tried it a few times and haven't looked back. Just not for me.

 

[flur]

one thing I tried to use on my iPad Pro 12" and quickly got annoyed with and stopped using lol

I hated it on the 11” iPP but thought it might be more useful on a larger screen. It’s helpful to know it’s not!