Apple Releases 7th Generation iPad mini

Apple introduced the latest version of the iPad mini this week. The 7th Generation iPad mini has mostly minor changes including:

• A17 Pro chip: The blazing-fast A17 Pro chip makes iPad mini a portable powerhouse. It enables Apple Intelligence and delivers a big boost in performance. The 16‑core Neural Engine is up to 2x faster than the previous generation. The 5‑core GPU brings advanced features like hardware‑accelerated ray tracing for graphically intense triple‑A games. And you can work, play, and create from anywhere with all‑day battery life.³
• Apple Pencil : The 7-generation iPad mini supports Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil sets the standard for how drawing, painting, handwriting, and note‑taking should feel — intuitive, precise, and magical. All with pixel‑perfect precision, low latency, tilt sensitivity, and support for palm rejection. And now Apple Pencil Pro adds even more capabilities to bring your ideas to life like never before.
• Connectivity:  The iPad mini now supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. This should keep the iPad mini up to date and make it a tad faster.
• Increased Storage:  The new model comes standard with 128 GB; but you can upgrade to 256 GB for $100 or 512 GB for $300.
• Smart HDR 4: The Wide back camera features a 12MP sensor with Focus Pixels and a large aperture to deliver stunning photos and clear 4K video. And the new ISP in A17 Pro enables Smart HDR 4, for capturing images that are more detailed and more vivid than ever.

The seventh-generation iPad mini now comes in four nice colors (including purple, my fave!) and there are matching new smart folio cases.

The iPad mini’s price remains the same, starting at $499. Cellular connectivity adds $150 although if you have an iPhone you can always use its Personal HotSpot and save yourself those bucks.

I am upgrading to get the purple model, AI features that the A17 chip brings and the better camera but this is an incremental speed bump and you should assess your needs. Small Dog Electronics will have iPad Mini inventory in stock for Wednesday's release.