It’s been three long years since Apple last updated the iPad Mini, but the company is finally turning the page on the sixth-gen model of its smallest tablet. The company announced a refreshed iPad Mini today, and preorders have just opened at Apple with an October 23rd release date. Prices start at $499 for the Wi-Fi-only 128GB configuration, which is double the previous generation’s starting storage.
Back in 2021, the sixth-gen iPad Mini was a relatively big update for the dainty tablet, reflecting Apple’s latest design tenets. It got a slightly bigger display, USB-C, and second-gen Apple Pencil support, among other key changes. This year’s upgrade feels a little tamer in comparison. The highlight is the addition of Apple’s A17 Pro chip, giving the tablet plenty of processing headroom and an upgraded neural engine for Apple Intelligence, which will come to the iPad Mini as part of iPadOS 18.1 when Apple finally launches it later this month.
Today’s refresh also brings Apple Pencil Pro support (which is great for the powerful calculator app the iPad finally has), Wi-Fi 6E radios, and faster USB-C performance with 10-gigabit data transfers. The new iPad Mini is otherwise similar to the last-gen model, including the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and the same 12MP resolution for its rear and front cameras (which now support Smart HDR 4, the latter still centered in portrait orientation).
Apple is now accepting preorders for the 2024 iPad Mini, starting at $499 for a 128GB Wi-Fi model and topping out at $799 for 512GB. The cellular model starts at $649 for the same 128GB and goes up to $949 for a 512GB configuration. We haven’t spotted preorder listings at other retailers or carriers yet.
As mentioned above, the seventh-generation iPad Mini will hit stores starting October 23rd. You can get it in four colors: space gray, blue, purple, and starlight.
