Everything you need to know about the iPad mini 7: complete technical sheet, price and our opinion

Apple presented October 15, 2024the 7th generation iPad mini. If the tablet does not really differ from its predecessors in its design, once under the hood, the performance no longer has anything to do with it. Presented with a simple press release, the tablet from the Apple brand is however not a second-rate product, to be taken lightly. This is a truly nice evolution of the iPad mini, although the aesthetic differences are minor.

Screen: no changes

The first thing you see when you takethe 7th generation iPad miniin the hands, it is its screen. Apple did not want to take the slightest risk on this part of the tablet, often the most expensive. It therefore retains the same technology as the 6th generation iPad mini put on sale in 2021.

If the 6.8-inch LCD panel still does the job (500 nits of maximum brightness, a resolution of 2,266 x 1,488 pixels at 326 ppi), we could have expected a switch to OLED on this device. But such a technological choice would surely have exploded the manufacturing cost and therefore the sales price of the product.

Performance: the revolution is here

If there is only one new feature to remember about the 7th generation iPad mini, it is undoubtedlythe arrival of the A17 Pro chip. Already present on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max since last year, this processor is the only one in the A suite (with the A18 chip in the iPhone 16) that can support Apple Intelligence.

Concretely, the chip is made up of a CPU with 6 cores, including 2 performance and 4 high energy efficiency for minimal consumption. The GPU has 5 cores, while the Neural Engine can count on 16 cores and thus operate Apple Intelligence in the best conditions.

In its press release, Apple specifies that the A17 Pro chip brings 30% more efficiency to the iPad mini 7 compared to the 2021 version of the small tablet.The GPU is also 25% faster.

Design, size and weight

We have already said it above, but the design of this iPad mini 7 is not a revolution, far from it. The device uses the same chassis as the 2021 version. The dimensions are the same, as is the weight on the scale. Concretely, the tablet measures 195.4 mm long, 134.8 mm wide and 6.3 mm thick.

Here again we could have hoped that Apple would make efforts on the size of the tablet. She demonstrated at the beginning of the year onthe new version of the iPad Prothat it had the technical capabilities to produce thinner iPads. Unfortunately this iPad mini will not be able to do so.

Photography

This is not the most important criterion when you want to buy an iPad mini, but photography always remains a parameter to take into account. Apple does not offer its best lenses on this small tablet. You will have to make do with a single sensor on the back of the tablet. This12 MP wide-anglehas an opening ofƒ/1.8 and up to 5x digital zoom.

On the front, the camera is a lensultra-grand angle de 12 Mpx, perfect for videoconferencing. The aperture is ƒ/2.4.

The iPad mini 7 has two stereo speakers and two microphones for better sound pickup.

Autonomy and recharging

As on the 2021 version, the iPad mini 7 has a charging connection inUSB-C. Apple offers data transfer of up to 10 Gbps. The apple brand ensures that the tablet can hold more than10 hours of video playbackon Wi-Fi connection. The cellular version has a battery life of 9 hours.

Other features

On the rest of the technical sheet, we can mention the arrival of new standards on this iPad mini. This is particularly the case ofWi-Fi 6Eor evenBluetooth 5.3. As on the 2021 iPad mini, Face ID is not included. You will need to use Touch ID to unlock your tablet.

The tablet also has more “classic” sensors like a three-axis gyroscope, an accelerometer, a barometer and an ambient light sensor. The cellular version of the iPad mini 7 is the only one to benefit from a GPS chip.

Prices and availability

The iPad mini 7 is available on the Apple online store from today, the day the article is published, and from October 23 in stores. It is sold at609 €in its 128 GB version. To double the storage, you will have to pay739 €. Finally, the 512 GB version is displayed at989 €. Count in all three cases170 €in addition to upgrade to the Wi-Fi + Cellular version.

iPad mini: rather yes or rather no?

The iPad mini is really only mini in its screen. The price is clearly no longer low, nor even its power and capabilities. So, if you are looking for a small format iPad, perfect to take with you either in addition to a small iPhone, outside the house, this iPad mini 7 is what is best. But if the iPad is intended to stay inside your home, it is better, in our opinion, to opt for a tablet with a larger screen, classic iPad or iPad Pro.

Also for small hands, this iPad mini may find interest, we think in particular of children. With this new generation tablet, you have a potential powerful game console, easy to transport, and a multimedia streaming device comfortable with all types of files and services (Netflix, Apple TV+, video, music, podcasts, etc. ).