New iPad mini 7 Review Roundup [Video]

Early reviews of the new iPad mini 7 have arrived ahead of its official release on October 23, 2024.

The new iPad mini (A17 Pro) will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray. It starts at $499 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi model, and $649 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

You can learn more about the iPad mini 7 here:
● Apple Unveils New iPad mini With A17 Pro Chip


You can pre-order the new iPad mini 7 here:
● Pre-order iPad mini 7 on Amazon

Check out our review roundup below!





Tom's Guide
The iPad mini 7 isn't a monumental update over the previous model but the changes it introduces make it a superior tablet. It has faster performance and comes with more storage. On top of that, it features the same portable design, gorgeous display and long battery life we've come to expect. And you get all of that for the same $499 starting price as before. Even if I'm not enamored with the front camera's portrait position and wish the tablet supported Apple Pencil 2, it's hard to deny that the iPad mini 7 is an all-around winner. Whenever Apple Intelligence features like on-device image and text generation arrive, this tiny slate could become even more useful. But as things stand, the iPad mini 7 is a remarkable device for what it offers.


Verge
There are so many other interesting things Apple could do with the Mini. It could give it iPhone Pro Max-level imaging and a Camera Control button and make this the device it hopes Hollywood will use to make movies. (I am vehemently against people taking photos in public with iPads, but the Mini is small enough to get away with it — and a viewfinder this big would be amazing.) Apple could make a charging dock that turns it into a music or smart home controller a la the Pixel Tablet. It could build a Backbone-style controller and make it a handheld console. Instead, all you get is the same flimsy cover, which is too expensive and constantly coming unstuck from the back of my device. The whole pitch for the new Mini, aside from the fact that it's the iPad Mini, is that it's the smallest iPad made for Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence better be a hell of an upgrade because, without it, the new Mini isn't much of an upgrade at all.


Byte Review



Engadget
It has one of Apple's best mobile chips and Apple Pencil Pro support makes it easy to recommend for anyone who wants a portable sketchbook. I wouldn't hate an improved display with smaller bezels and a higher refresh rate, and I wouldn't have said no to an M2 or A18 Pro chip inside, but those are the only things I'd change here. And both would surely make the iPad mini more expensive. As it is, it's a solid performer for $499. If you just want a little couch computing companion, or a tablet so small and light that you can take it everywhere with you, the iPad mini remains your best choice.


Six Colors
What's great about the iPad mini, ultimately, is also what limits it. It's a small iPad with plenty of power. It fits in places other iPads just don't. Depending on what you want to use an iPad for, it might very well be the perfect iPad. The jury is still out on Apple Intelligence—and may be for some time—but I'm glad that Apple cares enough about the iPad mini and the people who love it that it's made sure that the iPad mini is ready to use those features on day one.


Wired
Anyone with a sixth-gen iPad Mini will find few reasons to upgrade to this 2024 model. If you are constantly downloading and playing the latest mobile games and could use the graphical boost, then sure. Or maybe you really want to try the new capabilities of the Pencil Pro. Apple Intelligence in its form doesn't make this slate that much more enticing. For newcomers or anyone with an older Mini, this is otherwise a great tiny tablet. With a modern chip that supports the latest software smarts and accessories, the iPad Mini has been future-proofed for the next few years.


Karl Conrad