IPad Mini 7: Expected Design, Chipset And Pricing Rumors

It’s been a really long time since Apple showered some love on its most portable iPad lineup. Apple launched the iPad Mini 6 back in September 2021. Since then, the giant has released two generations of iPad Air and iPad Pro, as well as a new iPad. Now that it’s been three years since Apple launched the current iPad mini, it’s certainly due for an update. The good news is the Cupertino tech giant has plans to refresh its most portable tablet in 2024. The new iPad mini might be studded with AI galore, which would make it a substantial upgrade over the current iPad mini 6. Here’s everything we know about the iPad mini 7 so far.

Unchanged Design

If you’re hoping to see major design changes in the upcoming iPad mini 7, be prepared to get disappointed. As of now, there aren’t any rumors or leaks hinting at a design change for the iPad mini. Last year, the iPad mini 6 arrived with a major redesign over the iPad Mini 5, which aligned the portable tablet with the iPad Pro & iPad Air design. This year, the iPad mini 7 is most likely to feature the same 8.3-inch size with an all-screen look and squared-off design. Until we see any major design changes across the Air and Pro models, the iPad mini isn’t likely to evolve much. Just like the iPad mini 6, the upcoming model will sport a Touch ID Power Button and USB-C charging port.

Display Improvements

While the design is likely to remain the same, we are bound to see some display improvements in the iPad Mini 7. While there aren’t any concrete details, it will be annoying not to see any enhancements in the mini’s display even after 3 years of waiting. In December 2023, there were reports from ET News that an OLED display is in the works for iPad mini and Air, but it’s not expected until 2026. So, if the speculated iPad mini 7 release date is correct, the OLED panel will likely arrive on the iPad mini 8th-generation.

That being said, Apple will surely make some changes to the iPad mini’s display to fix the infamous “jelly scrolling” issue once and for all. For reference, Jelly Scrolling is a display phenomenon that gives the illusion that one side of the display is responding faster than the other. You’ll experience noticeable lag when scrolling a webpage in the Portrait orientation. Apple says it’s normal for an LCD screen to exhibit such behavior, but they are serious about making a change to minimize the effect.

There are a few rumors that Apple might introduce ProMotion technology on the iPad mini for a super-smooth scrolling experience. At the moment, this technology is limited to the high-end iPad Pro, iPhone Pro, and MacBook Pro models. While the exact plans remain unclear, Apple will certainly introduce some design tweaks such as rotating the display assembly to fix the jelly scrolling problems. That means jelly scrolling shouldn’t be much of a problem on the upcoming iPad Mini 7.

New Chipset with Apple Intelligence support

Of course, we’ll see a processor upgrade on the iPad mini 7. The current iPad mini 6 packs the A15 Bionic chipset, which is the same as the iPhone 13 series. Last year, there were rumors that the new iPad mini would pack an A16 Bionic chip, like the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 models. However, it doesn’t seem to be happening now. Wait, wait, there’s nothing to be disappointed about as the new rumors are far more interesting.

Since the new iPads, Macs, and iPhones are compatible with Apple Intelligence, the upcoming iPad mini is also poised to make a cut. The current iPad and iPad mini aren’t compatible with the AI features. If the mini 7 would pack an A16 Bionic chip, it wouldn’t be AI-compatible. That’s because only the A17 Pro and M-series processors have the computation power to support Apple Intelligence features. So, there are two options- an M-series chip like iPads and Macs or an A17 Pro (or newer) chipset like iPhones. We aren’t expecting the iPad mini to pack a Mac chip this year. Rather, Apple is likely to opt for the A17 Pro chipset or any other upgraded chipset that supports Apple Intelligence.

Given the iPad mini isn’t an entry-level tablet and aligns more with the iPad Air than the regular iPad, it makes all the sense to assume that Apple will add AI features to the new device. It might be possible that the iPad mini 7 will boast an A18 chipset, which will make its debut with the upcoming iPhone 16 models. With an A17 Pro or newer chipset, the iPad mini 7 will be on par with the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 16 models. Of course, it won’t be as powerful as the new iPad Air or Pro models, but users should get a noticeable performance upgrade.

Camera Upgrades

Honestly speaking, the camera isn’t a major selling point with the iPad mini series. But after several without any upgrades, the giant might introduce some modest changes in its portable tablet lineup. The 12 MP rear camera is likely to remain the same.

With the iPad Air 2024, Apple moved the front camera to the landscape orientation of the tablet for a more comfortable video conferencing experience, aligning it with the more expensive iPad Pro models. Apple might offer the same 12MP ultrawide selfie camera on the upcoming iPad mini 7. If this turns out to be true, the iPad mini 7 camera will have a wider aperture and HDR 4 support.

Improved Connectivity

Apple is embracing the Wi-Fi 6E standard as it adds new products across different lineups. Currently, the M2 iPad Air, M2 & M4 iPad Pro, iPad Pro 4th & 6th gen, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max support the faster Wi-Fi 6E standard. Macs released in 2023 and 2024 also support the Wi-Fi 6E networks. Now, it’s the turn of the iPad mini lineup.

The upcoming iPad mini 7 is likely to allow its users to connect to the 6GHz Wi-Fi band on supported routers and enjoy those blazingly fast speeds. Another expectation is the Bluetooth 5.3 support. Also, Apple might ditch the physical SIM slot and introduce eSIM-only variants in some countries.

Apple Pencil Pro support

Apple launched the new Apple Pencil Pro in May, alongside the 2024 iPad Air and iPad Pro models. The new Apple stylus offers some additional features like a squeeze gesture, barrel roll gesture, and Find My integration. At the moment only the new Air and Pro models are the only iPads compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro. The current iPad mini 6 supports Apple Pencil 2, and the upcoming iPad mini 7 is likely to work with the upgraded Apple Pencil Pro. So, you’ll get to enjoy a more precise writing & drawing experience that mimics the real-world pen-on-paper feeling.

Possible Color Options

The current iPad Mini 6 comes in Space Gray, Pink, Purple, and Starlight options. With new models, Apple usually offers refreshed color options so we can expect to see some new iPad Mini 7 colors. Apple ditched the Pink color option with the M2 iPad Air launched in May 2024. The iPad Mini typically walks on the footprint of the Air, so we might see Apple replacing the Pink color option with the new Mini 7.

If it mimics the iPad Air, the iPad Mini 7 might come in Space Gray, Purple, Starlight, and Blue finishes. While pastel hues look stunning, a Space Black iPad mini still remains an absolute dream for me.

iPad Mini 7 Potential Release Date

Considering Apple’s usual timeline, the giant usually launches a new iPad mini towards the end of the year, most likely in September or October. Sometimes, Apple holds a special October event to unveil its new iPads and Macs. This time, there are chances that Apple might launch the new iPad mini 7 at its iPhone 16 launch event on September 9 which kicks off at 10 a.m PT. Mark Gurman reported that the current iPad Mini 6 stocks are pretty low in the stores, and this could be a sign that Apple is making way for the new model.

So, we might see an iPad Mini 7 on September 9, 2024. If we don’t see an iPad mini there, Apple might announce it via a press release in October.

iPad mini 7 Expected Price

Coming to the iPad mini 7 price, the current rumors hint at a $499 price tag for the Wi-Fi model, which is the same as the current iPad mini 6. The Wi-Fi + Cellular version is likely to start at $649. Earlier, there were rumors that Apple would drop the price of the iPad mini 7 to match the $399 price tag of the older iPad mini 7. However, the recent rumors didn’t suggest so. Also, since the upcoming iPad mini is speculated to boast a better display, more powerful processor, and Apple Intelligence support, we might not see any price drops.

These are all the iPad mini 7 rumors so far. We’ll update this piece as soon as we spot any other solid leak. Stay tuned!

What would you like to see in the upcoming iPad mini? Don’t forget to share your views in the comments below.