Quick Summary
Apple has surprisingly announced a new iPad mini outside of a major event.
It is available for pre-order now, priced from £499 / $499.
We've been waiting years for a new iPad mini and Apple only goes and sneaks one onto its store with very little fanfare.
Not that we're complaining though, as the iPad mini remains among the best iPads and the new model is now available to pre-order with some significant upgrades underneath the hood.
For starters, the new model runs on the same A17 Pro chip that drives last year's top-level iPhones – the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. That's important as the new mini will support Apple Intelligence features when they start to arrive later this month.
You also get faster wireless connectivity, with the tablet now coming with Wi-Fi 6E tech. The Wi-Fi + Cellular model supports 5G too, which uses eSIM to hook-up with the network of your choice. And there's now a USB-C port rather than Lightning for charging, which Apple claims is two-times faster for data transfer.
And finally, the iPad mini 7 supports the Apple Pencil Pro – the sensor-packed latest stylus from the brand that was launched in May. This makes the iPad mini more than just a travel companion, it's now a serious creative tool, too.
Many of the other specifications are similar to its three year-old predecessor. You get an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display (2266 x 1488) and a 12-megapixel rear camera that is Smart HDR 4-enabled.
The front camera uses a 12-megapixel sensor too, plus an ultra-wide lens. It can record video up to 1080p 30fps, while the rear can capture up to 4K 60fps footage.
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Centre Stage is available for video calling, which makes sure you are always in the centre of the frame, even if you're moving around.
Touch ID is on board for security, with the sensor hidden underneath the power button.
The new iPad mini is available to pre-order now in Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Gray.
It's priced from £499 / $499 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model, £649 / $649 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version, and will ship from Wednesday 23 October 2024.
Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.
Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.
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