On October 15, 2024, Apple took the time to unveil its iPad mini 7 with a press release. This wise announcement thus unveiled a new small-screen tablet, which is still 8.3 inches, very powerful. We actually get the A17 Pro from the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, which means compatibility with Apple Intelligence.
However, that’s not the only thing that’s changed compared to the iPad mini 6. First, there are two additional changes: the move to USB 3.1 Gen 2, offering transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s (compared to 5 Gb/s before) and the arrival of WiFi 6E, the addition of the 6 GHz frequency band, Faster and more stable than standard Wi-Fi 6.
Still on the connectivity side, Bluetooth 5.0 has been replaced by Bluetooth 5.3. This results in various advantages associated with this version: increased range, higher throughput, less interference and even better energy consumption.
To wrap this up, eSIM is now the only way to have a cellular connection on Apple’s tiny tablet, which means giving up a physical non-SIM port.
On the photography side, HDR Smart moves up a gear with support for HDR 4 technology, allowing the latter to capture images thanks to the A17 Pro chip. “Even more detailed and more dynamic” According to Apple.
We then appreciate the fact that Apple has finally dropped the 64GB storage capacity, thus offering 128GB for the base version. The entry price has unfortunately dropped to €609 for the 128 GB iPad mini 7 instead of €559 for the 64 GB iPad mini 6 in their wifi version.
In terms of styluses, the new iPad mini benefits from compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro, previously exclusive to the iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4. However, Apple Pencil 2 is no longer supported.
Finally, it is possible to highlight the addition of “iPad mini” engraving on the back of this new tablet instead of the traditional “iPad”. Already in use by Apple since the iPad Pro M2 and iPad Air M1.
Pre-orders for the iPad mini 7 are already open, and deliveries will begin on October 23, 2024.
