iPad mini 7 review: A minimal update for Apple’s smallest iPad

After years of waiting, Apple has finally released a new generation of the iPad mini in 2024. Is this the upgrade we’ve been waiting for? We will tell you in this iPad mini 7 review.

iPad mini 7 review

Do you think the regular iPad is too big? And your iPhone is just too small? Then you quickly arrive at the iPad mini. Apple announced the iPad mini 7 on October 15, 2024, which has been in stores since October 23. The seventh generation of the tablet has received an update mainly under the hood, because from the outside you hardly see any changes. Has Apple made enough adjustments to switch to the new iPad mini? You can read that in this review of the iPad mini 7!

Well-known design

Anyone who sees the iPad mini 7 for the first time probably does not immediately realize that it is a new tablet. The device has virtually the same design as the iPad mini 6. However, Apple has released the iPad for the first time with a blue housing, which replaces the pink version. The colors are slightly less saturated on the iPad mini 7, which in our opinion makes them less noticeable compared to the iPad mini 6. That’s not a big deal, you probably hide the tablet in a case anyway.

It is a missed opportunity that Apple has not changed the design of the iPad mini. The iPad mini has relatively thick screen edges, while the iPad Air and iPad Pro are a lot thinner. This was the moment for Apple to make the iPad truly mini and take away space from the screen edges. Unfortunately, that did not happen, so we see exactly the same dimensions as the previous generation. Another shortcoming is Face ID, the iPad mini unfortunately still has to make do with Touch ID.

Apple may have missed an opportunity in adjusting the screen bezels, but the display is still the perfect size in our opinion. The iPad mini 7 is the right middle ground if you find the regular iPad too big and the iPhone just too small. The small device is ideal for reading books, watching series or films or taking notes. The 8.3-inch display leaves little to be desired.

Improved display

We think the screen size is perfect for the iPad mini, but what about the quality of the display? The iPad mini 6 had problems with many users jelly scrollingwhere one part of the screen refreshes faster than the other. Apple has not made any statements as to whether this problem has been resolved with the iPad mini 7. In practice, this appears to be the case, because fortunately we are not bothered by it. jelly scrolling with the little iPad. The main iPad mini problem seems to have been solved in no time.

We do miss ProMotion with the iPad mini. The device again has a 60 Hz LCD display, which means that always-on and ProMotion are missing. That’s a shame, because that really completes the iPad mini 7’s screen. The difference with the small tablet is noticeable, especially if you have an iPhone with ProMotion. We hope that Apple opts for an OLED display with ProMotion for the next iPad mini, because that is what you can expect for this purchase price.

A17 Pro chip on the iPad mini

From the outside we hardly see any changes to the iPad mini 7, but that certainly does not apply to the technical specifications. The small tablet runs on the A17 Pro chip, which we previously saw in the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It is a very powerful processor, which allows the iPad to handle the most demanding tasks. In addition, you now get 8 GB of RAM as standard with the iPad mini, while it was 4 GB with the iPad mini 6. This means a doubling of working memory.

The A17 Pro chip is a nice addition to the iPad mini. In practice, the tablet works extremely fast. We have been using the device for about a week now and there have been no glitches yet. When playing more demanding games, the loading time is slightly longer, but it does not cause any problems with the iPad mini 7. The small tablet has absolutely no trouble with everyday tasks such as watching series or films, taking notes or playing games.

(Lack of) Apple Intelligence

It is not surprising that Apple has opted for the A17 Pro chip and 8 GB of RAM, because with these specifications the iPad mini 7 has support for Apple Intelligence. The company’s new technology brings artificial intelligence to the iPad. Almost all apps are expanded with useful AI functions, which should become the most important features of the iPad mini. The problem? These features are not available in the European Union for the time being.

Apple has announced that Apple Intelligence will be available in the Netherlands in April 2025. That will take a while, so the iPad mini 7 will have to make do without the most important functions. The benefits of the A17 Pro chip are therefore barely noticeable. We are very curious about the features of Apple Intelligence, because they will determine how innovative the iPad mini 7 actually is. For now, the difference between the iPad mini 6 and the iPad mini 7 is very small, the question is whether Apple Intelligence will change that.

Subtle camera improvements

The iPad mini 7 again has a 12-megapixel camera at the rear, the front camera also has 12 megapixels. Apple has not made any changes to the hardware, but the new iPad still takes photos that are slightly sharper. The device has Smart HDR 4, which captures more details. We certainly noticed that, because for a tablet this camera is of good quality.

For really good photos we still use the 48-megapixel camera of the iPhone, because the camera quality of the iPad mini 7 is really lacking. The photos are less sharp and the camera has more difficulty in low light. We don’t mind that very much, because the iPad mini is not our main device for taking photos or videos. The small tablet has an excellent front camera for video calls.

We notice an important improvement when scanning documents. With the help of artificial intelligence, the iPad mini 7 filters out shadows on paper. An extremely useful feature in our opinion, because it makes digitizing documents much faster. We no longer have to stand at an odd angle to avoid shadows, instead the iPad mini removes them on its own. A nice addition, the small tablet is perfect for scanning documents.

Support Apple Pencil Pro

New to the seventh generation of the iPad mini is support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil hover. The latter in particular is a nice addition, because with the Apple Pencil hover, the tablet recognizes the stylus from a distance of 12 millimeters. A kind of shadow will then appear where you touch the display with the pen. We think this is a great feature, because it makes making drawings a little easier.

However, we believe that support for the Apple Pencil Pro has a downside. The iPad mini 7 only works with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil with USB-C connection. This means that the first and second generations of the Apple Pencil no longer support the small tablet. For many people, this will mean that they have to get a new Apple Pencil with the iPad mini 7. That’s a shame, because the price quickly increases.

Connectivity and more storage space

Apple has also made minor changes to the iPad mini 7, which we hardly notice in practice. The tablet has WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, which makes wireless connections more stable. These are nice additions, but we notice no difference compared to the iPad mini 6. With the iPad mini 7 you can only add a digital SIM card, but that should not be a problem with the largest providers.

A major advantage of the iPad mini 7 is the amount of storage space on the standard model. You now get at least 128 GB and that is necessary. We use the tablet to watch series and films, even when we are on the road. With standard 128 GB of storage space, the iPad mini fills up much less quickly, even if you have a lot of downloads. That is the case with 64 GB of storage. For users who install a lot of apps or download films and series, we even recommend 256 GB or 512 GB of storage space, so you can be sure you’re in the right place.

iPad mini 7 review: conclusion

Apple missed opportunities with the design of the iPad mini 7. The tablet has relatively thick screen edges and features such as Face ID and ProMotion are missing. That is a shame, because these features would have made the tablet complete. This does not alter the fact that the iPad mini is the perfect size for reading, watching series or films and taking notes. The tablet is considered the most compact iPad and undoubtedly lives up to that role.

The biggest change is under the hood, because the iPad mini 7 runs on the A17 Pro chip. This processor is very powerful and fast, but is not yet reaching its full potential. With the A17 Pro chip, the iPad mini has support for Apple Intelligence, but that technology will only be available in the European Union from April. For the time being, the device must therefore miss the most important functions.

We are very curious about the features that Apple Intelligence will bring to the iPad mini 7. In principle, that is the difference between the iPad mini 6 and the iPad mini 7, but we don’t notice it yet. The tasks that we now perform every day with the iPad mini 7 are also possible with the iPad mini 6. The arrival of Apple Intelligence will only reveal whether the iPad mini 7 is the upgrade we have been waiting for so long. If you now have an iPad mini 6, you do not have to switch yet. Do you have an iPad mini 5 or older? Then the iPad mini 7 is a huge step, especially with a view to the future.

Want to buy an iPad mini 7?

Are you looking for a new tablet, but do you think the regular iPad is much too big? Then the iPad mini 7 is the best choice in 2024. The small device has a powerful processor and is perfect for reading books, watching series or films and making notes. Do you already have an iPad mini? The iPad mini 7 is especially a nice step if you still have an iPad mini 5 or older.

The big difference between the sixth and seventh generations of the iPad mini is the processor, because the iPad mini 6 does not support Apple Intelligence. Do you want to be sure that you can get started with all AI functions? Then it’s time to switch to the iPad mini 7. You can now get the tablet for € 608.99. View the lowest prices here, so you never pay too much!