It was with surprisingly little fanfare that Apple announced the updated iPad mini last week, bringing the A17 Bionic chip and Apple Pencil Pro support to its tiniest tablet. On the face of it, this is a minor upgrade, with no visual changes save for the addition of a couple of new colours. But there's a lot going on under the hood, making this a tantalising (and tote-able) option for creatives on the go.
We've been getting to grips with the iPad mini for the past few days. Read on for our initial hands-on impressions of the diminutive device. And if you're not sure which iPad model is for you, take a look at our guide to the various iPad generations.
iPad mini 7th generation: Design
If you've been anywhere near a 6th generation iPad mini, then there's not much to see here. Design-wise, the iPad mini 7 is identical to its predecessor, save for the addition of two new hues, purple and blue (and these are very subtle). It's essentially a shrunken-down iPad Air, complete with USB-C, quad speakers and an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. It's the perfect size for chucking in a tote bag, and at 293 grams it's the lightest iPad out there.
If there's one major disappointment here, it's that display. While Apple may have quietly improved the infamous jelly-scrolling issue, we're still seeing the same 60hz display. It would have been great to see Apple's super-smooth 120hz ProMotion tech hit the iPad mini, and while OLED might have been too much to ask, a brighter and smoother display would have helped turn this into the ultimate 'full' mini iPad experience Apple is touting it to be. That said, the display is still an improvement over the basic 10th generation iPad, as it's fully laminated and has an anti-reflective coating.
iPad mini 7th generation: Specs
While things look the same as before on the outside, inside it's a different story. One of the headline features of the 7th generation iPad mini is its powerful A17 Pro chip. This offers 30% faster CPU and 2x faster Neural Engine. And the performance boost can be felt across the device, from the UI to creative apps.
Editing photos across the Adobe Suite, or creating 3D models in ZBrush is a breeze on the A17-powered iPad mini, and in my initial testing I was unable to find any creative task that the iPad mini struggled with, including exporting 4K video footage in the iPad version of Final Cut Pro.
The performance boost is also particularly clear when it comes to gaming. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing (4x faster than software-based ray tracing) means graphics-intensive AAA games like Zenless Zone Zero look absolutely stunning, even on the smaller display.
iPad mini 7th generation: Apple Pencil Pro support
The other major update for the iPad mini is Apple Pencil Pro support. This unlocks a bunch of new writing and drawing tools, and could be worth the update alone for digital artists.
Barrel Roll is one of the most impressive new features. Thanks to a brand new gyroscope, rotating the barrel of the pencil changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, just like pen and paper – and Pencil Hover means users can see a preview of the brush's orientation rotating in realtime before even touching the display.
And then there's the haptic engine. Like AirPods Pro 2, the Apple Pencil can now be squeezed to access tools and settings. A new sensor in the barrel lets users bring up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights colours and more. And like the best features for artists, it's basically a massive time-saver – instead of tapping the screen, the user simply squeezes, interrupting the creative process far less.
iPad Mini 7th generation: Should you buy it?
For iPad mini 6 owners, whether or not you'll want to upgrade the the 7th generation ultimately comes down to two factors: the chip, and Apple Pencil Pro support. The latter is a compelling development for digital artists, bringing the full iPad digital sketching experience to the mini, with the likes of Barrel Roll and haptic feedback now available on the tiny form factor. The chip, meanwhile, unlocks Apple Intelligence features and enhanced performance across the board, from creative apps to gaming. But this is very much an evolution rather than a revolution, and if you're happy with the performance of your iPad mini 6 and Apple Pencil 2, you might be happy sticking with what you've got.
But if this is to be your first entry into the iPad mini product line, it's a no-brainer. With 'mini' Apple products falling by the wayside over the last few years, most notably the iPhone mini, it's refreshing to see the iPad mini get an update. With a powerful new chip and support for the latest Apple Pencil, it's as future-proof as it gets.
