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The iPad miniskirt is still a neat tablet , perhaps the best at its size and honorable than bigger , non - Apple tablets . But if you own a 6th - contemporaries iPad mini , you do n’t need to rush to upgrade to it unless you want Apple Intelligence .
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The main reason Apple updated the iPad mini is support for the new Apple Intelligence features, such as the writing tools in apps like Pages.
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Best Prices Today: Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
On October 15 , Appleannouncedan upgrade to theiPad mini . call back the iPad miniskirt ? Did you forget about it ? Ca n’t blame you if you did – after all , it seemed like Apple did , because the last iPad mini was issue over three age ago .
After waiting all this sentence , the upgrades Apple made to the iPad mini ( A17 Pro)–Apple chuck the generational naming in favor of chip shot identification , like the other iPads – find like they do n’t amount to much , at least on the surface . What you will find is that the Modern iPad mini has been develop with internal upgrade , which should keep it relevant for , say , another three years until the next refresh orredesign .
The iPad mini is still a enceinte lozenge , perhaps the best at its size and better than larger , non - Apple tablets . But if you own a sixth - coevals iPad mini , you do n’t need to rush to upgrade to it , except for one affair : Apple Intelligence .
The main reason Apple updated the iPad mini is support for the new Apple Intelligence features, such as the writing tools in apps like Pages.
iPad mini: Performance boost from the A17 Pro
The iPad mini ’s major upgrade is with its chip . The A15 Bionic that was in the old iPad miniskirt has been substitute by the A17 Pro , which was used in the discontinuediPhone 15 Pro . It ’s notexactlythe same poker chip , however . It still has six CPU heart and soul ( two performance cores and four efficiency cores ) , but it has five GPU cores alternatively of the six that were in the iPhone 15 Pro .
Geekbench 6.2 CPU benchmarks
Geekbench results are state as grudge . high score / long bars are faster .
We usedGeekbench 6to standard of measurement operation and picture a 23 percent increase in the multi - core public presentation of the raw iPad mini over the honest-to-goodness one . In unmarried - core examination , the newfangled iPad miniskirt was 26 percentage quicker . Those are undecomposed numbers , but the boost is bare . You wo n’t notice it in everyday , simple task but if you do longer , more complex calculation , they will be quicker .
Geekbench 6.2 GPU Compute
The artwork betterment is a act more impressive . Using the Geekbench Compute bench mark , the tryout showed a 31 percent improvement over the quondam iPad mini . If you like to play games , you ’ll be able to remark a difference .
iPad mini: Now with Apple Intelligence!
Perhaps more important than the carrying out improvement that the A17 Pro provides is its support forApple Intelligence , Apple ’s much - hype exercise set of AI - based lineament . Apple Intelligence requires Apple atomic number 14 with at least 8 GB of unified memory and the A17 Pro and M1 flake are the cutoff power point – chips former than the A17 Pro have less than 8 gibibyte . The sixth - coevals iPad mini ’s A15 Pro has 4 GB of incorporated retentivity , so it ca n’t hunt Apple Intelligence .
The first readiness of Apple Intelligence features is now available with the recently released iPadOS 18.1 update , which let in writing tools that can revise your text , summaries for Mail , Notifications , and Safari , and a background cleanup tool in Photos . If that does n’t sound all that exciting , then perhaps the features come to iPadOS 18.2 will get your attention : image generation , ChatGPT consolidation , automatic Mail categorization , and more . TheiPadOS 18.2 betais available now , with a likely prescribed going by the oddment of the year . Learn more about the Apple Intelligence feature article rollout .
The primary reason Apple update the iPad miniskirt is support for the raw Apple Intelligence feature , such as the composition tools in apps like Pages .
Apple upgraded the iPad mini withUSB 3.1 Gen 2, so it has faster data transfer speed.
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iPad mini: What else is new
Apple promote several other features of the iPad miniskirt ( A17 Pro ) , but none of them are the eccentric of upgrade that will make you chuck the 6th - generation iPad mini apart and mock it for being such an outdated gadget . Here ’s what else is Modern .
128 GB service line storage : Apple increased the start compass point of the amount of entrepot , which was previously 64 GB . The $ 499/£499 iPad mini includes a 128 GB SSD ( which still experience too small ) ; the $ 599/£599 model has 256 GB ; the $ 799/£799 model has 512 gilbert .
Wi - Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 : Wireless connectivity melioration are always honest . But it ’s not the Wi - Fi 7 that Apple has in the iPhone 16 lineup – seems like Apple is going with Wi - Fi 6E for price considerations , but you in all likelihood would n’t notice a difference anyway .
Apple is using the same display that was in the 6th generation iPad mini.
USB 3.1 Gen 2 : Apple put down the Lightning interface with the previous iPad miniskirt . But now the iPad mini ’s port can support data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps .
Apple upgraded the iPad miniskirt with
Smart HDR 4 : The latest version of Apple ’s tv camera technology that unite stroke taken at different exposures to create a photo with the good combining of high spot and phantasm item . That ’s nice , but the iPad mini is n’t being used for its camera like an iPhone , so the tab has only a unmarried - lens 12MP wide camera with 5x digital zoom . picture transcription is capable of 4 K at 60 fps . ( Seems to me that if the iPad mini had a better camera , it could work well withFinal Cut Camera . )
The iPad mini (A17 Pro) is a great tablet, but if you were hoping for Apple to do something fresh and dramatic with it, you won’t find it here.
eSim only : If you want a cellular connective , you must habituate eSIM . The nano - SIM one-armed bandit is work .
Apple Pencil Pro accompaniment : liberate this past spring with the M4 iPad Pro , theApple Pencil Prois sell separately for $ 129 , or you could apply the USB - C Pencil . If you already have a 2nd - generation Apple Pencil that worked with the previous iPad mini , you ca n’t use it with this new one . Sorry .
Color variety : Apple has decided on a muted colour pallette , so the space gray , starlight , and majestic color option are n’t as deep as with the late iPad mini . Also , pink has been dropped , supercede by bluing .
Apple is using the same exhibit that was in the 6th contemporaries iPad mini .
iPad mini: What hasn’t changed
At a glance , the iPad miniskirt ( A17 Pro ) looks exactly like the 6th - generation iPad mini . The figure has n’t changed ; the only forcible deviation you might notice ( besides the color ) is that the new iPad miniskirt does n’t have the nano SIM slot on the side . Here are the major features that have not changed in the iPad miniskirt ( A17 Pro ) that could influence your purchasing decision .
8.3 - in Liquid Retina exhibit : It ’s a good - wait show , but since it ’s not a Pro model , the iPad miniskirt does n’t underpin ProMotion , Apple ’s engineering that dynamically adjusts the cover refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz . The display has a 60Hz refresh rate , which process very well for routine use , but if you ’ve used Apple ’s Pro devices with ProMotion , you will notice the remainder and may not care it . The iPad miniskirt could practice a better display to make it a adept e - reader competition to Amazon Kindles or Kobo machine . But nothing changed here . Also , iPhone Pro user should know that the iPad mini does n’t have an always - on display – none of the iPads do .
Cameras : Nothing has changed about the specifications for the front and back cameras , except the upgrade to Smart HDR 4 , which is computer software - based . The camera computer hardware does n’t appear to have change from the sixth - multiplication iPad mini . That is credibly not such a crowing lot to iPad user .
shelling spirit : Nothing has change about the 19.3 - watt - hour battery , which still offer , “ Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi or keep an eye on video , ” concord to Apple . I ran a video that was saved to the iPad mini ’s SSD on a loop , with the display set to 200 nit , and the battery eventually ran out after 9 hours and 57 proceedings , matching Apple ’s claim . When using the iPad mini as I typically would – check email , web access , edit photos , and say Scripture – I never had to worry about the bombardment life .
USB - C charging only : The iPad miniskirt does n’t have MagSafe ( none of the iPads do ) . It charge through its USB - 100 interface . MagSafe would been overnice , but it ’ll belike debut on the iPad Pro long before it come to the miniskirt .
The iPad mini ( A17 Pro ) is a smashing pad of paper , but if you were hop for Apple to do something reinvigorated and striking with it , you wo n’t discover it here .
Should you buy the iPad mini (A17 Pro)?
Apple actually included a fair amount of raise in the iPad mini – but if you were hop for Apple to unveil a new feeler with the iPad miniskirt , you ’ll need to keep hope alive for mayhap a few more years . essentially , the fresh iPad mini is a chip upgrade to confirm Apple Intelligence and not much more than that .
If you have the sixth - generation iPad mini that work well , and you ’re wonder about upgrading , the question to ask yourself is how much you want to apply Apple Intelligence . Try it on another gadget if you could and approximate how much you use it , then you could figure out if you call for a newfangled iPad mini . If you do n’t care about Apple Intelligence ( even after trying it ) , chances are you wo n’t handle about the new iPad mini , either , unless your 6th - generation iPad mini needs repairs and you ’ve been place them off .
If you have an iPad miniskirt with a Lightning port , you have more of an incentive to elevate . You ’ll get a handsome and better display and improved execution that is very detectable . If you have n’t had an iPad mini before and do n’t care for Apple Intelligence , you might investigate shopping for a sixth - genesis iPad mini ; its price will bemarked downto unmortgaged out remaining parentage , so you could lay aside some money .
If you do n’t have an iPad and you want one to utilise Apple Intelligence , the iPad miniskirt ( A17 Pro ) is the meretricious tab that ’s compatible and a great lower - price alternative to Apple ’s higher - price offer . However , the 128 GB 11 - in iPad Air with its M2 chip is only $ 100 more and is a better price - per - performance deal . But if you prioritise the smaller profile , foot the iPad miniskirt .
Take a look at ouriPad buy guideto find out which iPad is best for you . We also compare the 2024 iPad miniskirt with the old model here : New iPad miniskirt vs quondam iPad mini : What ’s different ?
