Lily Chemaa
Apple has finally unveiled the much-anticipated iPad Mini 7, marking an update after three years. While it retains the compact and portable design that makes the iPad Mini series popular, the new model promises improved performance. But how does it compare to its predecessor, the iPad Mini 6? Is the upgrade significant enough to justify a purchase? Let’s explore the key differences and find out if it’s worth upgrading.
Design & Build
Apple has kept the iPad Mini 7 nearly identical to the iPad Mini 6 in terms of size and weight, maintaining its sleek and compact form factor. The most notable change is the introduction of new colors, including a fresh blue and purple variant. Other than that, the design remains the same, including the placement of buttons and Touch ID integration on the power button.
Display: No Major Upgrade
The iPad Mini 7 continues to feature an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2266 × 1488 pixels and 326 PPI density, just like the iPad Mini 6. Although it delivers vibrant colors and sharp details, it still lacks OLED technology, which remains exclusive to Apple’s higher-end iPad Pro models.
With a maximum brightness of 500 nits, the screen performance is decent but does not support XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range). However, it retains the P3 wide color gamut and True Tone technology for accurate and natural color representation.
Camera: Slight HDR Upgrade
The iPad Mini 7 carries over the same 12MP wide-angle rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 5x digital zoom, and True Tone flash from its predecessor. It supports 4K video recording at 60fps and slow-motion recording at 1080p 240fps.
The only notable improvement is the upgrade from Smart HDR 3 to Smart HDR 4, which enhances image processing and dynamic range. The 12MP ultra-wide front camera remains unchanged, still supporting 1080p 60fps video recording, Center Stage, and cinematic stabilization for clearer and more focused video calls.
Performance: A17 Pro Takes the Lead
One of the most significant improvements in the iPad Mini 7 is its A17 Pro chip, replacing the A15 Bionic found in the iPad Mini 6. The A17 Pro offers a 30% boost in CPU performance and a 25% increase in GPU performance.
- A15 Bionic (iPad Mini 6): 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine handling 15.8 trillion operations per second.
- A17 Pro (iPad Mini 7): 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second.
Benchmark comparisons suggest that the A17 Pro significantly outperforms the A15, making the iPad Mini 7 a much better choice for demanding applications, gaming, and AI-based tasks.
Battery Life: No Changes
Apple has not changed the battery configuration in the iPad Mini 7. It still features a 19.3-watt lithium polymer battery, offering up to 10 hours of web browsing or video playback on Wi-Fi and 9 hours on cellular connectivity.
Connectivity & Ports: Faster USB-C and Wi-Fi 6E
One of the more practical upgrades in the iPad Mini 7 is its enhanced USB-C port, which now supports 10Gbps data transfer speeds, up from 3Gbps on the iPad Mini 6. This is especially useful for professionals handling large files.
Additionally, the iPad Mini 7 has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, improving connectivity and efficiency. However, it still only supports Sub-6GHz 5G (no mmWave) for cellular models.
Another notable change is the removal of the physical SIM card slot. The iPad Mini 7 is now eSIM-only, aligning with Apple’s recent trend of phasing out physical SIM cards.
Touch ID Remains
Despite expectations of Face ID integration, Apple has stuck with Touch ID, which is still built into the power button, just like on the iPad Mini 6.
Storage & Pricing
One of the best upgrades in the iPad Mini 7 is its increased base storage. Unlike the iPad Mini 6, which started at 64GB, the iPad Mini 7 now starts at 128GB for the same price of 3,999 yuan.
Here’s the pricing breakdown:
- 128GB – 3,999 yuan
- 256GB – 4,799 yuan
- 512GB – 6,499 yuan
Is the iPad Mini 7 Worth the Upgrade?
When the iPad Mini 6 was released, the Wi-Fi 64GB version was priced at 3999 yuan. The price of the iPad Mini 7 is still 3999 yuan, but the starting storage capacity has been increased to 128GB. In addition, it provides a storage option of 256GB and 512GB, and the prices are 4799 yuan and 6499 yuan, respectively.
The iPad Mini 7 mainly upgrades the configuration, and the appearance has not changed. At most, the Apple Intelligence function is added. Of course, the iPad Mini 7 supports Apple Pencil Pro as an upgrade. For users who often process a large number of files, the USB-C interface speed is more practical to increase the speed of 10Gbps.
If you are satisfied with the iPad Mini 6, the iPad Mini 7 upgrade may not be a necessary purchase. However, if you need better performance and higher storage, the iPad Mini 7 is a solid option.
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