The new iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air 6 are both long-awaited upgrades to Apple's biggest tablets, but the launch event was worryingly quiet for the iPad mini. Does that mean Apple's smallest tablet is on the chopping block? Not necessarily, according to the latest rumors, though its future does remain uncertain.
We confirmed with Apple that the current iPad mini 6 is the same model as before Apple's iPad 2024 event, and has the same pricing. So despite the big changes we saw for its larger siblings, including an M4 chip for the iPad Pro, Apple hasn't given its 8.3-inch tablet any kind of bump.
That's a little disappointing for fans of the compact tablet, but all is not lost. Last month, Bloomberg's reliable Mark Gurman claimed that Apple "is also working on new versions of the low-end iPad and iPad mini", but that those won’t be coming "before the end of the year at the earliest".
This echoed an earlier report from respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who stated that mass production of the iPad mini 7 had merely been "delayed" rather than canceled. These remain the last credible rumors we've heard about an iPad mini 7, so there is still a chance we'll see it arrive later this year, even with only a minor processor upgrade.
That said, Gurman did predict that Apple's low-end iPad would be "a cost-reduced version of the 10th generation model from 2022", and that's what happened at yesterday's event (albeit earlier than he predicted). Apple killed its ninth-gen iPad, and cut $100 off the price of the 10th-gen version.
So as it stands, the iPad mini lives on with rumors still predicting a refreshed iPad mini 7 is in the works. But as the only iPad-related product in Apple's Store that doesn't have a "new" label on it, its future does still look a little uncertain.
Is the iPad mini still relevant?
The iPad mini is now clearly caught in between Apple's larger tablets and the increasingly large iPhone. The iPhone 16 Pro series, for example, is expected to grow in size this year to include 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screens (on the Pro and Pro Max models).
Apple's reluctance to give the iPad mini 6, which arrived back in 2021, even a minor specs upgrade also suggests that interest in the compact tablet has waned. But the tablet does also continue to have something of a cult following, with many finding it to be an ideal size for note-taking and watching movies while on the move.
The current iPad mini is also a great size for reading books and playing games, so a future-proofed specs bump with a new processor (most likely the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 Pro and Max) would likely be enough to keep fans happy. An M1 chip would be even better, of course, but could push the price too high.
Right now, this remains the most likely scenario according to the latest speculation, even if Apple's iPad 2024 event may have understandably dented those hopes. Still, while Apple's new tablets look like dead certs for the top of our guide to the best tablets, the iPad mini does live on – with the iPad mini 6 still a solid option, particularly if you pick up a cheaper refurbed version, if you need a compact tablet.
