Apple’s iPad mini lineup was long due for an upgrade after the 6th generation iPad Mini was launched in 2021. After three long years of waiting, the all-new iPad mini 7th generation has finally arrived, with the Cupertino-based tech giant bestowing this miniature-sized tablet with a fairly major spec boost.
Here we now compare the Apple iPad Mini 7 and the iPad mini 6 and see what's changed in the seventh-gen model compared to the previous release.
Design and Display
In terms of design, display specs, and overall weight, there is hardly any difference between these two tablets. Both the iPad Mini 7 and Mini 6 sport an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina LCD 60Hz display, making them one of the smallest tablets in the offerings from Apple. This makes them easier to carry around.
If we talk about their overall weight, both iPad Minis weigh 293 grams for the Wi-Fi-only variant, whereas the Wi-Fi + cellular variants weighs 4 grams heavier. Both tablets have a resolution of 2,266 x 1,488 pixels while maintaining a pixel density of 326ppi.
Performance
The new iPad Mini seventh generation gets the A17 Pro chipset. It certainly overpowers the iPad Mini sixth generation, which features an A15 Bionic chip. The A17 Pro is a hexa-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficient cores. In terms of GPU, we get an upgraded 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine on the iPad Mini 7.
Apple claims that there is a 30% performance boost when it comes to the CPU, while the GPU is 25% better than the A15 Bionic SoC. With the A17 Pro chipset, Apple also introduced hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which the iPad Mini 6 lacks.
Software
Apple confirmed this year that the A17 Pro SoC will support Apple Intelligence features. Therefore, the Apple iPad Mini 7 with the iPadOS 18 will support exclusive AI features, while the older A15 Bionic SoC in the iPad Mini 6 will not. These features include new Writing Tools for generating or editing text, using AI to edit or find images, and more.
Other advanced Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji and upgraded Siri capabilities are expected to be rolled out by early next year.
Accessories support
The new iPad Mini 7 comes with the new Apple Pencil Pro support. It offers improved haptic feedback and support for the new squeeze and barrel roll gestures. It also facilitates easier brush and line settings as well as gyroscope tech that works for precise rotation detection. This is particularly useful for artists who use their tablets for sketching or drawing.
In contrast, the iPad Mini 6 supports up to second-generation Apple Pencil. Both the devices come with similar 5,078 mAh battery packs and come with USB Type C 3.1 support.
Price
The iPad Mini 7 is now available for preorder. It has a starting price of Rs 49,990 for the base variant with 128GB internal storage. The tablet is available with two more variants up to 512GB storage priced at Rs 79,990.
Sadly, the iPad Mini comes with 64GB storage in the base variant. Its currently priced at Rs 48,900. The other 256GB storage variant is available for Rs 59,900.
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