iPad mini 7: Here’s what’s next for Apple’s smallest tablet

It’s been a long time since Apple updated the iPad mini. Apple’s smallest iPad was given a substantial facelift at the end of 2021. The 6th-generation iPad mini sports a complete redesign with a bigger display, Touch ID on the power button, USB C instead of Lightning, and an upgraded front camera. This represented the first major change to the design since the iPad mini was first introduced back in 2012.

Nearly three years after the last iPad mini update our attention has turned to what’s coming next. With no new iPad mini in 2022 (despite it being its 10th anniversary) and no new iPad mini in 2023, surely 2024 will bring some big updates for the littlest iPad.

With the iPad Air M2 and iPad Pro M4 launching in two sizes: 11-inch and 14-inch earlier in 2024, could we we see the iPad mini take up the role of the smaller iPad with identical specs to that device? And with the advent of AI and Apple Intelligence, which requires a suitable chip, are we about to see a big leap to a new processor?

Read on to find out what could be coming to the iPad mini in 2024.

iPad mini 7 release date: Is a new iPad mini coming out in 2024?

Possible launch: October 2024

It’s been almost three years since the 6th generation iPad mini launched in September 2021, making it the oldest iPad in the lineup currently and long overdue for an update. The good news is that this update could arrive soon, with stock dwindling across Apple’s stores. It is possible that Apple will update the iPad mini in October, although it’s not yet known if there will be an October Apple event in 2024.

However, it’s not unheard of for the iPad mini to have a long period of neglect. After the launch of the iPad mini 4 September 2015, there was a delay of around 42 months (almost three and a half years) until it was updated again in March 2019. At the time of writing, it’s only been 35 months since the iPad mini 6th-gen went on sale.

Here’s how long the current iPads have been on sale:

iPad mini (6th gen) on sale since September 24, 2021

iPad (10th gen) on sale since October 26, 2022

iPad Air M2 available May 2024

iPad Pro M4 available May 2024

If we have to wait 42 months, as with the 4th generation, then we might not see the iPad mini refreshed until February 2025.

Hopefully, it won’t be that long. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in a September report that the iPad mini is “on deck” for an October launch. This confirms what Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested back in November 2023. He expected the 7th-gen iPad mini to arrive in the second half of 2024.

iPad mini 7 price: How much will the new iPad mini cost?

It is unlikely that the price of the new iPad mini will change compared to the 6th generation.

The 6th-gen iPad mini has had a few price changes outside the U.S. since its launch in 2021. When it launched the U.K. price was £479, then there was a rise to £569 a few months after launch. But the good news is that the price dropped back to £499 in May 2024. There has been no adjustment for the iPad mini price in the U.S.

When the 7th-generation model launches we expect that the price will remain at $499/£499.

iPad mini 6th generation: $499/£499 (as of May 2024)

iPad mini 5th generation: $399/£379

iPad mini design: What will the new iPad mini look like?

We expect that the iPad mini 7 design will be largely the same as the 6th-gen model.

One of the most obvious changes to the iPad mini 6th generation was the new palette of colors that Apple made available, including space gray, pink, purple, and starlight. The colors may get a refresh with the new generation, perhaps following in the footsteps of the iPhone 16 and 10th-gen iPad with a bolder and darker color scheme.

In fact, the new iPad mini for 2024 could look a lot more like the standard iPad if Apple chooses to unify both models as a big and small version as it has with the 11-inch and 14-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro models.

We aren’t expecting the size of the iPad mini to change this time round: In 2021 the screen size jumped from 7.9-inches to 8.3-inches.

iPad mini 7 specs: What new features will the iPad mini have?

There’s an expectation the new iPad mini will feature a more impressive processor than it does currently. Indeed, the iPad mini will need a suitable processor if it is to be able to take advantage of Apple’s new Apple Intelligence AI-powered features. Indeed, it would be strange if Apple introduced a new product unable to take advantage of those new features.

With that in mind, here’s what we expect:

A17 processor

The iPad mini 6 offers the A15 Bionic chip as found in the iPhone 13, mini, Pro and Max, however, this chip is down-clocked compared to the one inside the iPhone 13 series. Here’s how that chip compares to the rest of the range and what is expected for the next generation.

iPad Pro: M4.

iPad Air: M2.

iPad mini (6th gen): A15, as found in iPhone 13 series. The next generation is expected to get A16, as found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15.

iPad (10th gen): A14, as found in iPhone 12 series. The next generation is expected to get A16, as found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15.

Kuo reported in December that the iPad mini’s “main selling point” would be the new processor. He didn’t specify which processor, but at the time it was thought that it would be A16 chip found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Max and the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. However, we now know that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are not able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence, so it seems more likely that Apple would jump to the A17 Pro that was featured in the iPhone 15 Pro and Max when they launched in 2023.

You may be looking at the iPad Air and wondering if the iPad mini might get an M1 chip like that previously found in the iPad Air. Perhaps it’s something Apple might consider down the line, but the rumors around the launch of the iPad Air indicated that Apple’s reason for using the M1 was the reduced of availability of the A16 at the time, as per this tweet from Mark Gurman.

More RAM

It’s also possible that Apple will double the RAM in the iPad mini from 4GB to 8GB so it can support Apple Intelligence when it arrives in iOS 18.1.

Increased storage

On the current iPad mini 6th generation, the base model starts off with a rather paltry 64GB of storage. For a device like an iPad, where you can store movies, TV shows, books, comics, magazines, games, and a wide range of apps, that amount can often become a problem, especially if you want to take your iPad away on holiday or use it for your commute without needing to manage the storage.

Although Apple has something of a history of giving base models low storage capacities, we think it would be a wise move to upgrade the entry-level iPad mini 7th generation to at least 128GB. File sizes are growing all the time, due to higher-quality cameras and software, so doubling the existing 64GB would be a very consumer-friendly solution.

Along these lines, there’s also the possibility that the upper limit of the storage could be increased. At the time of writing, the most storage available on the iPad mini 6th generation is 256GB. Moving up to 512GB would be the logical step, especially if the baseline storage moves to 128GB.

iPad mini 7 display: Will the iPad mini get a new screen?

It’s unlikely that the design will change, but the new iPad mini is expected to include a new display controller designed to mitigate a problem described as a “jelly scrolling issue” that reportedly makes content look laggy.

There have been reports for a while that Apple will move the display technology to OLED but this looks like it won’t happen until at least next year. Apple is said to be talking to LG, Samsung, and other companies regarding active matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs). But, according to market research company Omdia: “Apple is continuously discussing the possibility of widely adopting OLED technology for the iPad mini and iPad Air lineup as the next phase of its strategy from 2026 onward.”

Screen size

The iPad mini screen was 7.9-inches up until the current iPad mini 6th generation launched in 2021. The iPad mini 6th generation screen is 8.3-inch thanks to the removal of the Home button.

A report from ET News in November 2023 suggested that an iPad mini with a larger 8.7-inch OLED display is in the works. However, this change might not happen with the 7th generation as the iPad mini with OLED screen isn’t expected until 2026.

ProMotion screen

The screen in the 7th gen model isn’t expected to grow from the current 8.3-inch, but there may be new screen technology. A post on a South Korean forum back in November 2021 indicated Apple had ordered 8.3-inch displays from Samsung that support 120Hz maximum refresh rates. If true, the post on Clien (translated here) could mean the next mini offers the ProMotion ultra-smooth scrolling feature currently seen on the iPad Pro, iPhone 13 Pro models, and 14- & 16-inch MacBook Pro. This could address the minor issue of “jelly scrolling” that some users have complained about with the current iPad mini.

However, it’s not looking like this particular rumor is accurate. Analyst Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, doesn’t believe that Apple will be giving the iPad mini a ProMotion display yet. He indicates that doing so would require significant hardware changes. This would require a “whole new level of engineering,” according to Young.

We remain skeptical of a ProMotion upgrade as it’s one of the main differentiators between the standard and Pro devices Apple sells.

Folding display

Apple is said to have been working on an iPad with a folding display, but it’s unlikely to come to this model. In December 2022, Ming-Chi Kuo said that reports of a folding iPad mini in development were wrong “because a foldable iPad will have a markedly higher price than an iPad mini, so such a replacement is not reasonable.”

We’ll update this article as more details become available, but until then, be sure to read our iPad buying guide to see which models we’d recommend if you want to buy one of Apple’s tablets today. And check our roundup of the best iPad mini deals for the latest bargains on the current range.