r/ipad • u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) • Oct 15 '24
Apple just announced a new, faster iPad Mini Starting at $499 with A17 Pro and USB C Discussion
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/15/24268079/apple-ipad-mini-2024-specs-price237
u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
It's more of a spec bump. That's why it's a press release.
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u/inssein Oct 15 '24
they have AI all over the page, its funny seeing coming soon all over the page.
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u/flogman12 Oct 15 '24
Hello Apple Intelligence (jk coming later)
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u/k-u-sh Oct 15 '24
Every single product on the Apple home page says that. Iāve never seen such complacency from Apple.
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u/pikachukutilan Oct 15 '24
Technically so does the iPhone 16 lineup. Thatās why most of the keynote is about a feature that doesnāt ship with the phone
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u/MacAdminInTraning Oct 15 '24
A storage bump on the base model without a price increase, color me impressed.
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u/-NotActuallySatan- Oct 15 '24
Thankfully they've been doing that for awhile now. Started with the iPhone 12 Pro models, then the standard 13 models, then the iPad Airs. And now the Mini
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u/sgtakase Oct 15 '24
I am okay with this upgrade. New processor means that itāll last me longer. They upped the minimum storage and it looks like they lowered the price in the US for the 256GB, which is great because thatās the one I wanted anyway. The jelly scroll still might have been fixed and they just didnāt make that a big thing. Overall I think this is a decent scenario for all those people who recently bought the Mini 6 on sale and for those waiting, it gives you more but not so much that you feel completely screwed over by Apple. I would have loved faster refresh rate or OLED but we all knew that wouldnāt have been the case if you look at everything Apple does, but the only thing I was really hoping for was an M series chip for Stage Manager. (But also that was an impractical wish of mine anyway)
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u/Fair-Frozen Oct 15 '24
Them saying they fixed the jelly scroll would be them admitting there was a jelly scroll, and they donāt want to do that.
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u/nWhm99 Oct 15 '24
They can say "with the most smooth screen ever". They've done it two plus times just this year with "ipad pro having enhanced frame" and iphone 16 with "enhanced cooling".
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Oct 15 '24
I think the worst part about it though is your current Apple pencil won't work. I can understand it not charging it but it's just ridiculous that they're making it so they're digitizer is not recognizing these older pencils. I don't get it nobody else does that. You can use a Surface pen from 10 years ago on a surface device whether it's the Duo or the Surface Pro 11 or whatever.
You can use an S pen from a Note 5 on a Galaxy S10 ultra and vice versa.
Again I understand maybe not having a built-in way to charge the older pencil but to make it so the digitizer doesn't recognize it is frankly something that should not be even be allowed by law.. I hope some regulators realize that that is just inviting e-waste
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u/-NotActuallySatan- Oct 15 '24
Honestly, I would've hoped that they would at least do a trade in program for the Apple Pencil 2 so you can get a discount for the Apple Pencil Pro. That would be way better and encourage people to trade in and let Apple recycle/refurbish it.
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u/jalexxander Oct 15 '24
Iām pretty disappointed that there has been no change to the display. Using the Mini alongside the Mac and iPhone really makes the lower quality noticeable. The chip on my 2020 iPad Pro supports stage manager so would have enjoyed that as well with this upgrade. Maybe in another 3 years š¤·āāļø
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u/sgtakase Oct 15 '24
All those things would have been nice, Iāve been adamantly in favor of getting external display stage manager for the mini, but I think they would have added costs in a time everyone already is raising costs (Sometime just for the sake of it) If I can get better performance and more storage for less then itās a win to me. Itās still possible they at least got the jelly scroll fixed
Edit: but yeah it definitely would have been way nicer with more upgrades
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u/Dugiebones Oct 15 '24
USB C 2.0?
(scroll scroll scroll)
USB 3 (!)
(relief)
hopeful the thing will be introduced to Indonesia market soon (tm)
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u/verdantvoxel Oct 15 '24
More like (scroll SCROLL SCROLL) on the new iPad mini.
Iām guessing jelly scroll is still going to be a thing since the display is still the same.
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u/mr_bots Oct 15 '24
Well, no regrets in getting the mini 6 earlier in the year. Main thing it needs is an improved screen which sounds like it didnāt get.
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
Yup. How much did you get it for.
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u/mr_bots Oct 15 '24
Not a good deal compared to now: WiFi+5G 256GB model for $699. But also see no need to upgrade it to get the same screen. CPU doesnāt matter for reading and media consumption.
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u/osxdude Oct 15 '24
Jeez you should have got one on the day after Thanksgiving. I bought mine from Best Buy for $399. And trade-in value is like $260 for it sooooooo I might jump on it so the thing lasts as long as my phone.
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u/mr_bots Oct 15 '24
Iāve seen the WiFi 64GB models for that but not the LTE 256GB.
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Oct 15 '24
I actually now might be the best time to buy it because we might see a relative price drop. No longer the latest. A lot of people will start selling their older ones and battle for the market a bit and lower the price.
And you can use your existing Apple pencil or buy a cheaper one rather than having to get the newer one.
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u/Andalusian_Reigns Oct 15 '24
Waiting for hands on reviews. All I want is a mini without the jelly scroll and pref 90hz or more. Though I can manage without a higher refresh rate as long as the screen doesnāt feel as sluggish as the 6 does
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u/itshuey88 Oct 15 '24
they didn't change the display at all. 60hz no OLED.
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u/hctiks Oct 15 '24
they might have "rotated" the panel to have less noticeable jelly scroll
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
Even the air didn't get pro-motion yet. Let alone the mini
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u/Andalusian_Reigns Oct 15 '24
Good point! Iād argue the airs display feels a lot better and more premium though despite having the same 60hz. Ymmv
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u/gadgetluva Oct 15 '24
Yea, the display on the Mini 6 wasnāt very good, and Iām not talking about the jelly scroll. Jelly scroll just made it unusable for me.
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u/King_Kea Oct 16 '24
Even just an increase to 90Hz and screen brightness to 700 nits (over 500 on the mini 6) would've been a major draw card.
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u/frockinbrock Oct 15 '24
I doubt weāll see it before 2027, if ever, but it would have been nice these past couple years to have an OLED mini with 90hz or higher.
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Oct 15 '24
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u/Smathatic Oct 15 '24
Iād probably not look into it if I were you, if youāre anything like me you canāt āunseeā it
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u/Salt-Operation-3895 Oct 15 '24
I forget about it until Iām reminded again. Then itāll be a while till I forget it exists š
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u/baseballandfreedom M1 iPad Pro 12.9" (2021) Oct 15 '24
Consider yourself lucky. I returned the Mini because of the jelly scroll.
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u/ILikeTyranids Oct 15 '24 edited Oct 15 '24
It has to do with how the display prioritizes which axis the display refreshes on. I think (it's been bit since this "controversy") the display refreshes starting from one of the shorter sides and then goes row by row from there. Users preferred to hold the tablet with the long side up, so when scrolled the displayed content would "tear"
I might have the axises flipped in my mind, but that's essentially the idea.
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u/AkakiPeikrishvili Oct 15 '24
They fixed the jelly scroll I think. Just rotated the display.
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u/davidmcg Oct 15 '24
I canāt find anything that suggests they did. Where did you see that?
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u/Andalusian_Reigns Oct 15 '24
If true it might just be worth it, even if higher hz wouldāve been a dream come true.
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u/BubblyResident7764 Oct 15 '24
Gotta realize Oled screen are expensive and too sensitive, if mini iPad was oled they would rise those prices, at that point that you would just get the iPad Pro. This is what the whole line up should been.
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
Exactly but they just want to push you to get the Pro ultimately.
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u/BubblyResident7764 Oct 15 '24 edited Oct 15 '24
Unfortunately, even tho now iPhones are now a bit bigger screen so we eventually will have like iPad mini display not wider as iPad mini, but as I my first time buying iPad I went with the Pro M4 11inch because of gorgeous screen and such nice upgrade on performance and thinner iPad. I felt like this new iPad mini shouldāve with Oled for bigger upgrades. I could have bought it this instead because I like the portability and lightweight. But I feel like sometime this lineup will die soon if they donāt improve or do bigger upgrades.
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Oct 15 '24
Okay but it's not impossible to OLED on a 500 product, many companies do it. There are $600 laptops with OLED and many tablets $500 or less and countless phones.
I don't think it's all that important frankly but I just don't want to act like it would radically change the cost of the parts.
It's not about the cost of the parts it's about pushing people to the more expensive models.
They're getting healthy margins on the iPad mini as it is and would have healthy margins even if they were using OLED.
ESPN
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u/Odd-Fisherman-4801 Oct 15 '24
Kinda feels like Apple just doesnāt care about the mini. Like they had a bunch of A17 lying around and said hey letās throw those in the mini and go to Arbyās
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u/Unfair_Finger5531 M4 iPad Pro 13" (2024) Oct 15 '24
They donāt want the mini to sell well because itās cheaper. They are fine with it being a low-priced, low-selling device that they donāt have to devote much attention to. If they put an M-chip in it, people might buy it instead of one of the more expensive ones. And they canāt raise the price because people wouldnāt buy it all.
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u/Odd-Fisherman-4801 Oct 16 '24
I have an M4 iPad Pro and while itās great, performance wise I donāt notice a difference from my m1. I just wanted an oled iPad and that keyboard. And the Apple Pencil is a nice upgrade. I wish they would do at least that for the mini.
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u/jakub_199 Oct 15 '24
Thats a shame, was waiting for an upgrade for months now, in hope of buying it once it gets a better screen. But of course, they donāt want to cannibalise revenue from the more expensive models. Itās all about delivering shareholder value after all š
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u/MC_chrome M1 iPad Pro 12.9" (2021) Oct 15 '24
But of course, they donāt want to cannibalise revenue from the more expensive models
That's not really why the iPad Mini gets infrequent updates mostly with spec bumps. The Mini is the worst selling iPad line, and as such I am not surprised that Apple doesn't dedicate more time towards improving it. If the Mini sold more, I think Apple would be willing to put more effort into the product
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u/Spaghetti-Sauce Oct 15 '24
This isnāt true as far as I could see
https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/06/most-popular-ipad-in-2023/
In fact, the iPad minis sales jumped from 9% to 16% in 2023, overtaking the standard ipad.. while still being the old 2021 model at that.
Thereās only a 10% difference in total sales between the mini and the highest selling model (pro at 26%) according to the article š¤
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u/ADHDK Oct 15 '24
I just donāt use my full size iPad, itās too big, Iād get far more use out of a mini but this feels pretty meh.
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u/useittilitbreaks Oct 15 '24
I suspect they donāt sell all that well and the line is on borrowed time. I love mine, truly hand hold-able but almost never see them out in the wild.
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u/TrumpKanye69 Oct 15 '24
MINI ITEMS DO NOT SELL WELL.
Yes there are some people who still buy it but in Apple's overall sales, mini products sell horribly. Look at the iPhone minis in the past, it only lasted during the 12 and 13 series because it just didnt sell.
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u/Zealousideal-Role-24 M1 iPad Air (2022) Oct 15 '24
Woah, I wonder what chip will ipad 11 get
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u/XaRR99 M2 iPad Pro 11" (2022) Oct 15 '24
Face ID and 120 hz is pro only, so are the new processors. What did you expect?
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u/BluePeriod_ Oct 15 '24
This is pretty disappointing because I'm rocking an iPad mini 5 and the 6 didn't seem like a worthwhile jump. Now this is the clear upgrade but it doesn't feel like much of an upgrade. Hell, they're not even calling it the iPad mini 7th Gen. Huh. Well, this is certainly one to buy with trade in credit or putting on my Christmas wish list.
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u/SelectTotal6609 Oct 15 '24
for people who wanna try the mini, this is a fine upgrade
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
Starts with 128GB as base. So that's a consolation
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u/gamer50082 Oct 15 '24
They arenāt going to start at 64gb since they have stopped doing this since the iPad gen 10th 2022
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u/BluePeriod_ Oct 15 '24
Absolutely. Because they had me fucked up with a 64 GB. Like yeah I can carry around an SSD but still.
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
I have zero issues with my 64GB ipad Air. So it depends on the user.
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u/BluePeriod_ Oct 15 '24
Definitely. I do because when all I said Iām done thatās way less than 64 GB. But Iām glad that they allow you to throw an SSD on it.
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u/jegs06 Oct 15 '24
Keeping my iPad mini 5 another 2 years as well. Waiting for a worthwhile upgrade.
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u/trusk89 iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi Oct 15 '24
it's a good upgrade, the price point isn't. for 500 usd it should have been an M with 256 base.
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u/BluePeriod_ Oct 15 '24
I was really hoping for the M? chip. But at the end of the day, Iām definitely picking it up. Itās a good upgrade over the five and I feel like itās kind of a civic duty to show Apple that weāre still here and interested in the device.Geeky as that sounds Iām only half kidding.
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u/jeffh19 Oct 15 '24
99% of people are better off with an A chip in an iPad instead of an M chip. Better single core performance which is what about every app you use on an iPad (especially mini) utilizes. Better efficiency too
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u/BillionthDegenerate Oct 15 '24
Iāve been waiting for this for a long time and i honestly donāt see a reason to upgrade from the 6. It still performs perfectly fine so the perf bump doesnāt do much. The extra ram may provide a tangible improvement to apps staying open, but other than that there really isnāt anything.
No oled, no high refresh, no face id, etc.
I didnāt expect those things. Iām a realist. The mini is a niche product. Given the iphone mini was canned, i suppose we should be lucky the ipad mini is still getting refreshed. Still, a little disappointing.
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u/Standard_Plane6849 Oct 15 '24
Iāll probably get downvoted for this but i dont really care about the ipad mini now for some reason but i really hope to see a new ipad air getting released in 2025 because im planning on upgrading my ipad from ipad mini 4 to a new ipad air
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u/Mundane-Complex-1902 M4 iPad Pro 11" (2024) Oct 15 '24
Disappointing that they went with the A17 Pro chip, especially a binned one that only has 5 GPU cores. Definitely the bare minimum necessary to run Apple intelligence.
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u/hersheybar22 Oct 15 '24
Does this mean the iPad mini 6 will go on sale? I'm thinking about buying a new iPad since my iPad mini 4 is obsolete now.
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Oct 15 '24
It's pretty ridiculous your existing Apple pencil is not going to work on this.
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u/andrefilis Oct 15 '24
The Bezels are terrible. I kinda was looking for getting one since I like to draw and my Ipad feels big. But watching those bezels in 2024ā¦ itās wrong
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u/fractal324 Oct 15 '24
So the major changes from mini 6 is: A17 pro vs A15 Apple Pencil pro Apple intelligence. Wifi 6E vs 6?
I think Iāll sit this one out
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u/slatepad Oct 15 '24
Also 8GB of ram (supposedly) and the usb port gets updated to USB 3.1 gen 2 (10 GBPS)
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u/fractal324 Oct 15 '24
noted and thanks. but still not enough to tip me over to hit the buy button.
although, if the USBC when connected to an external monitor can do more than just mirroring... nah, still won't upgrade from my mini 6
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u/c_rorick Oct 15 '24
Just ordered mine. I think itās a solid ram/storage/processor upgrade, and itās for the exact same price.
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u/Bitter-Scarcity-1260 Oct 15 '24
Well now Iām unsure. I was waiting for the announcement to see if they would put out a new base model. Now they have just announced the mini like this, I wonder if the 10th gen will continue on?
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u/VapidRapidRabbit M4 iPad Pro 11" (2024) Oct 15 '24
I ordered the blue cellular model. I need something more portable to take on trips and to use on planes.
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u/FirefighterNo2409 Oct 15 '24
Finally all those screams about mini being forgotten will go away
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u/Jess_S13 Oct 15 '24
Of course they come out with one now. Ugh. I was seriously hoping they would make an update as I wanted to get one and a split controller to make into a PS5 remote play controller, I finally gave up and got a PS portal awhile back.
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u/King_Kea Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
Couple of complaints from me:
- No Apple Pencil 2 support. You either get forced to use the type-C pencil or fork out extra for the pro (and I've heard some people mention the pencil pro has weaker magnets?).
- Still 60Hz... I mean... it's workable. But even just increasing to 90Hz would've been very welcome.
- Still waiting to find out whether or not Jelly Scroll is still an issue.
- While I appreciate the form factor, I do feel a tad frustrated they're laying off decreasing the bezel size. I get that bezels help for holding a small device and not touching the screen, but a slight decrease in bezel thickness could increase screen real estate in this form factor a reasonable amount.
- I understand M-series chips might be somewhat tricky to cram into an iPad mini, but given the thinner iPad pro can do it... Even a last gen M series chip would've been nice. To be fair though, I don't know how well the chip they've opted for stacks up against the M-series options. Edit: I did a quick look and it seems the A17 Pro performs a little bit worse than the M2 in the iPad air, but is more efficient. Considering it's a newer architecture, it may improve with software updates to be more on-par with the M2.
- I'm still not personally a fan of AI assistants in general. The only use I have for siri is setting timers on a homepod. So all this focus on stuff like Apple Intelligence, CoPilot, etc... it's all moot for me.
Now for some positives:
- 128GB min storage, finally! Having to choose between 64GB for the base model or forking out quite a bit extra for 256GB wasn't good last gen, so I'm glad to see 128GB being offered for the base model now.
- The form factor is still appealing, and aside from the price I'm really interested to see how the pencil pro performs with this. Could be a good note-taking device for uni perhaps.
- Smart Folio colour options are nice. More subtle, somewhat washed out tones but I'm a fan. I'd probably go all-black myself with the space gray options for both, but starlight + sage as a combo looks nice!
- Anti-reflective coating included on the screen! I'm not sure if the Mini 6 had this, but the fact the 7 does is well-appreciated. Considering it's designed as a really portable device, that's a big draw card for me.
Time will tell how this device fares. Just gonna have to wait for reviews.
Edit: From what I can find, the 6 and 7th generations of the iPad mini share the antireflective coating and both have a screen brightness of 500 nits. While that's decent, more brightness would've been appreciated as part of the changes with the newer model. I'm sure the anti-reflective coating helps, but still...
I also saw a mention that the 7th gen model has 8GB of RAM - twice that of the 6th gen, but I can't confirm. Similarly, there's also a mention of the type C port on the newer model being 3.1 gen 2 instead of gen 1. From Apple's website they do quote 10Gbps, so that seems to check out.
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u/AnxiousBlock Oct 15 '24
Is it worth over 10th gen? Price is currently approx 200 usd more for mini. (India)
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u/Thebiggestbot22 M2 iPad Air 11" (2024) Oct 15 '24
Yes it is but I would wait and see if they would launch an iPad 11th gen
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u/JoshPlaysUltimate Oct 15 '24
This is probably to the mini 6 like the M2 iPad Pro was to the M1. Although in this case a fairly substantial horsepower boost
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u/jonymimoso Oct 15 '24
Shamefull.. An product with such potential but always being let down by Apple.. To me an minimum upgrade would be an 90hz screen with a18 pro and stage manager..
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u/thisispointlessshit Oct 15 '24
Apple said, āEnjoy last yearās chip,ā to loyal Mini users via email today.
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u/Logseman Oct 15 '24
And double the storage. The SoC bump is good, but the storage bump is what makes this an easy recommendation for anyone without the 6th gen.
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u/kokosowy Oct 15 '24
How much RAM does it have? Someone was saying current iPad lineup has too low RAM specs as AI model consumes significant amount of it.
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u/Dislike24 Oct 15 '24 edited Oct 15 '24
Interestingly no Landscape front camera. They changed to Apple Pencil Pro from Apple Pencil 2nd Gen so they can get landscape to work for Air and Mini but apparently not on the Mini
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u/Greyboxforest Oct 15 '24
So much for a āNovember eventā where a new iPad mini 7 would blow everyoneās minds.
Why doesnāt Apple ever listen to the rumours? Think of the YouTubers!
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u/PeachBoyX Oct 15 '24
Even with apple intelligence, it still doesnāt warrant me upgrading my Mini 6 especially with my use case. Holding onto mine I suppose for the next few years until OLED comes out next
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u/Leggo213 iPad Mini 6 (2021) Oct 15 '24
I upgraded because I originally got the mini 6 with 64, worst decision I made. I also like the new blue and being able to play more console-like games potentially will also be a plus with that A17 pro chip. Apple intelligence will be nice to try since I have the base 15
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u/Amazing_Agent_6618 Oct 15 '24
I love the mini but Iām not going to shell out the better part of a grand (255gb +cellular) for a tablet thatās just a bit faster. My current Mini (last gen) still performs really well.
At least itās staying around and hopefully the next gen will give me more reason to upgrade.
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u/ren0vat0r Oct 15 '24
I think I found my on the go photo editor. The mistake I made with my M1 iPad Air was going for the base 64GB storage. Now that this new mini starts with 128GB my air can become an overpowered content consumption machine for travel
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u/youriqis20pointslow Oct 15 '24
After using an ipad with a leather magic keyboard, i cant go back to using one without it. The metal ones look like they would be uncomfortable to the touch compared to the leather.
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u/EmaDaCuz Oct 15 '24
No M chip means no stage manager, right? I understand that a Mini may be too small for an M chip, but I think itās a missed opportunity to have the max portability and still the chance to use a full fledged setup with monitor and keyboard. May go for an Air to upgrade my old Mini from 2020
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u/DonutHolschteinn iPad Mini 5 (2019) Oct 15 '24
I have a Mini 5 but I really want more screen real estate and a USB C so I can have my phone and tablet both be USBC. Debating getting a 10th gen on a sale and trading in my Mini 5
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u/tony_bdt Oct 15 '24
Did we get 6GB or 8GB of ram now like the iPhones or is this new one still stuck at 4GB of ram?
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u/UnderstandingDuel Oct 15 '24
I guess that every iOS device will have 8gb from now on because of apple intelligence.
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u/Korrup7 iPad Pro 11" (2018) Oct 15 '24
I am assuming 8gb since it is pushing AI and it has an A17 Pro chip
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u/MidnightHacker Oct 15 '24
Even with the same display, the spec bump might justify upgrading from the Mini 5. The difference between 5 and 6 wasnāt that big to justify the cost difference IMHO.
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u/tacticalTechnician Oct 15 '24
The iPad Mini is in such a weird spot right now. When it released, it made sense, most phones were 4" and tablets were 10" and over with massive bezels, it was the sweet spot. Now, when we have phones that are almost 7" (and even the base iPhone is 6.3") and 10" tablets with very small bezels that are smaller than what an 8" tablet was a few years ago... I don't know, you have to be in a very specific demographic, where your phone isn't big enough, the base iPad is too big for some reasons and you're okay with paying a premium. It's not that good for reading (I would prefer either an E-Ink reader or a bigger screen to be closer to a regular sheet of paper), it's not that good for drawing (you would normally prefer closer to an A4 / Letter format), it's decent for gaming, but can't play the new games that require the M1 or better, it's not that much more comfortable to browse online than your phone... It's weird, I wouldn't be suprised if it was by far the least sold iPad right now. It's simultaneously the coolest iPad and the most useless one it feels like.
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u/Unfair_Finger5531 M4 iPad Pro 13" (2024) Oct 15 '24
You are right. The sales are abysmal. My theory is that one reason they donāt sell well is that they last so damn long. My husband, dad, and I all have first generation minis that still work š. (I have a newer one as well.)
They are phenomenal for traveling with. I used mine constantly when I was flying a lot. But at home, I turn to the iPad Pro. I have the newer one sitting on my desk, and I simply donāt use it. Iāve actually used it for one hour since getting it.
I dunno. š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Xymeth Oct 15 '24
Pretty frustrating that it doesnāt support 2nd Gen Pencil.
I could get a good chunk of the price off trading in my 6th gen mini towards this, but adding another Ā£129.99 for the Pencil Pro when thereās nothing wrong with the Pencil I have puts me off.
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u/danielbauer1375 Oct 15 '24
Super random observation: Apple changed the colors to match the new M2 iPad Air colors, and largely kept the same wallpapers, BUT replaced the wallpaper of the starlight model with the old pink version, reusing the old starlight version for the new blue model.
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u/FlowinBeatz Oct 15 '24
Man, why canāt Apple give us the iPad mini with Pro Res Display we want? Product politics is full of arrogance. Take it or leave it, idiots. Buy our 2000$ iPad Pro if you want to have hardware from 2024.
But hey, I still can buy a compact tablet computer with iOS and 120 Hz display from a different company š
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u/KilluaShi M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) Oct 16 '24
I think it's great for people who don't already own the current gen mini. I won't be upgrading. I'm hoping at some point they'll make like a mini pro or something with 120hz pro-motion and maybe even a small keyboard or something that's attachable.
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u/LifeDaikon Oct 16 '24
Iām actually happy too. Good to see that the mini is supported with more frequent updates than in the past, and at the same time I feel no pressure to upgrade.
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u/JL14Salvador Oct 16 '24
Exactly what I expected. No way will they put an A18 making up to par with the brand new iPhone 16. And the M series chips can be saved for the iPad pros and airs to continue to push those as more laptop replacements. It sounds like a simple spec bump so they can continue to push Apple Intelligence across the entire product line.
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u/Balance- Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 16 '24
Aside from the SoC, which is a huge improvement of course, changes are really minimal:
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth:
- iPad mini 6th gen: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0.
- iPad mini A17 Pro: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3.
- Apple Pencil Support:
- iPad mini 6th gen: Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation).
- iPad mini A17 Pro: Supports Apple Pencil Pro with additional features like haptic feedback, squeeze, and barrel roll.
- Apple Intelligence: iPad mini A17 Pro: Introduces Apple Intelligence, a personal assistant system for productivity and privacy.
- Camera Enhancements: The iPad mini A17 Pro has Smart HDR 4 for photos (compared to Smart HDR 3 in the 6th gen).
- Storage Options:
- iPad mini 6th gen: Available in 64GB and 256GB.
- iPad mini A17 Pro: Available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
- Siri and Apple Intelligence: iPad mini A17 Pro has more advanced Siri functionality, powered by the new Apple Intelligence system.
And that's everything.
Interesting they went with A17 Pro though, and not with A18 (non-Pro). They might have some leftover stock or leftover production capacity.
Notable the A17 Pro has 5 GPU cores enabled, compared to 6 on the iPhone 15 Pro. So they might have just been saving these up for over a year.
Base storage did increase though, which is nice, and 256 GB also got a bit cheaper:
- iPad mini 6th gen: $499 (64 GB), $649 (256GB)
- iPad mini A17 Pro: $499 (128 GB), $599 (256GB), $799 (512GB)
or in Europe:
- iPad mini 6th gen: ā¬609 (64 GB), ā¬779 (256GB)
- iPad mini A17 Pro: ā¬609 (128 GB), ā¬739 (256GB), ā¬989 (512GB)
They do still charge the insane $100 / ā¬130 per 128GB for storage upgrades. But at least they now start at a more usable base storage.
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u/Peac0ck69 Oct 16 '24
The Mini has always been something of an oddity in Appleās tablet lineup, similar to the iPhone SE: it has fans who love it for the smaller size, but Apple has always intimated that there arenāt actually that many of those fans.
The reason I have an iPad Pro 11ā is because it has a better screen, better processor and almost better everything compared to the iPad mini. If the iPad mini had the same specs then Iād opt for it instead. Unfortunately, Apple seem to undervalue the mini and so I never consider it.
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u/thinkscotty Oct 16 '24
Does it really not have a new screen? Are you serious? The old mini is the worst screen in the entirety of Apple's lineup.
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u/Apresrunner Oct 16 '24
The only reason I will never buy Mini is the display. If I would get at least 90hz would be a no brainer.
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u/cujo67 Oct 17 '24
Been watching the rumors for a year now, knowing the oled display would be a pipe dream. As a proud owner of a mini 5 I use for media consumption, Iāll hold onto the 5. The iPad Pro 11 is my alternative upgrade, but damn, it got so many bells and whistles not to mention the price for a 1tb (I mean, we need space right) that Iāll just save my money for now. Dang it, was hoping thereād be an October surprise of oled mini š
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u/Static_o Oct 17 '24
Apple intelligence is going to be so underwhelming and Iām here for it. Canāt wait til people realize it was a cash grab. Just use copilot. Donāt even think about Apple Intelligence.
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u/katkashmir Oct 15 '24
No OLED nor Face ID. Huge bummer. Another āupdateā just like the AirPods Max.
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
I think you're looking for an iPad pro which has everything you ask for
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u/wtathfulburrito Oct 15 '24
I would love a mini with pro specs. Would be perfect.
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u/MC_chrome M1 iPad Pro 12.9" (2021) Oct 15 '24
I would love a mini with pro specs
Smaller devices with top tier specs is just not a category that exists for almost any major device manufacturer, and likely never will.
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u/itsirfandude iPad Air 4 (2020) Oct 15 '24
Let's be happy that they didn't kill off the mini yet, let alone giving it VIP treatment
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u/grilled_pc Oct 15 '24
Again outrageous these STILL don't have 120hz ffs. Why the fuck does 120hz have to be for "pro users" only. It's no longer a pro function and not a basic requirement.
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u/SupperTime Oct 15 '24
No OLED means no buy for me. Pass. I will get a Lenovo Y700 or something.
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u/ripper_14 Oct 15 '24
11th gen iPad coming tomorrow? Or will the base model iPad not be getting Apple Intelligence when it finally releases sometime in the next decade?
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u/VaderCraft2004 iPad 10 (2022) Oct 15 '24
The A17 Pro is a very strange choice. I was expecting the A18, because I thought Apple would be unwilling to use the chips made using TSMC's costly and relatively unreliable N3B process for too long.