Last Updated on July 22, 2022 by srinivas
Apple’s smallest iPad received a major facelift at the end of 2021. Featuring an all-new design with an edge-to-edge display with no Home button, Touch ID on the power button, the addition of USB-C instead of Lightning, and an increase in screen size for the first time since the model for it was first introduced in 2012. So, with the mini celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2022, what will Apple do to mark the occasion? Here’s everything we know so far about the new iPad mini 7th generation (2022).
iPad mini 7 release date: when will the new iPad mini be released?
There haven’t been many rumors about the next version of the iPad mini, so at this point it’s just speculation when it might arrive. To give us some insight, here’s when the last few models made their debut:
As you can see, September is the traditional month in which the new iPad mini comes out, although the release pattern is a bit diffuse in terms of years. The four-year gap between the 4th and 5th generations is unusual for Apple and led many to speculate that the mini had quietly been retired before the 5th generation was released.
iPads generally don’t receive yearly updates consistently, as consumers don’t upgrade them at the same rate as, say, an iPhone, so it seems likely that the iPad mini 7 won’t get an update until September 2023. This could be wrong, or of course Gizchina is suggesting that we could see a new iPad mini in the first half of 2023, so a spring launch is possible.
iPad mini 7 price: how much will the new iPad mini cost?
The arrival of the redesigned iPad mini 6th generation saw a price increase over the previous model. This is undoubtedly due to the more expensive construction and improved components. Here’s how they compared:
- iPad mini 6th Gen: £479 / $499
- iPad mini 5th Gen: £379 / $399
Since Apple has already made the jump to the new styling and features in the 6th generation, we think the price will likely remain the same for the 7th generation, although it is possible that due to currency fluctuations there will be price increases in the UK and elsewhere. locations around the world.
iPad mini 7 design and display: Will the iPad mini get a new look?
It’s been surprisingly quiet on the rumor front, with hardly any online reports from the usual leakers and insider sources proving a bountiful harvest in recent years. This is what we were able to discover.
Display with 120Hz refresh rate and ProMotion
The screen is not expected to change from the current 8.3-inch, but there may be new screen technology. A post on the South Korean site in November 2021 indicated that 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 that the next mini will offer the ProMotion ultra-smooth scrolling feature currently seen on the iPad Pro, iPhone 13 Pro models, and 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. This would address the minor “jelly scrolling” problem that some users have complained about with the current iPad mini.
However, it doesn’t look like this particular rumor is true. Analyst Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, doesn’t believe Apple will give the iPad mini another ProMotion display. He indicates that this requires significant hardware changes. This, according to Young, would require a “whole new level of engineering.”
We remain somewhat skeptical about this, however, as “jelly scrolling” is pretty standard on LCD screens, where text seems to wiggle as you scroll up and down, as it’s the nature of the way refresh images are displayed. ProMotion is also one of the differentiators between the standard and Pro devices that Apple sells.
New colors
The iPad mini will likely keep the same design for generations.
IDG
One of the most obvious changes to the iPad mini 6th generation was the new color palette that Apple made available.
While you can currently choose between space gray, pink, purple and starlight, there are several interesting shades available on the iPad Air 4th generation which also got a new look in the fall of 2021. These include silver, rose gold, green and sky blue. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that some of these will make it to the mini size, giving customers an instant boost to options.
iPad mini 7 specs: what features does the iPad mini have?
In a Twitter post in November 2021, FronTron suggested that a “Pro” iPad mini could have the following specs:
- 8.3-inch ProMotion display with refresh rates up to 120 Hz
- A15 Bionic chip clocked at 3.23GHz
- 4 GB memory
- Storage from 128 GB
Pro Features
According to the FronTron post above, we could see some of the capabilities of the iPad Pro models trickle down to its smaller cousin. It has even been suggested that Apple could launch an iPad mini Pro model. In that case, we could see that the iPad mini has a LiDAR scanner, Face ID, M1 processors, additional cameras, audio zoom and brighter screens.
However, we think it’s more likely that Apple will keep these for the Pros, but even if one or two make it to the mini, that would make the new model a very tempting proposition.
More storage space
On the current iPad mini 6th generation, the base model starts with a rather paltry 64 GB of storage. For a device like an iPad, where you can store movies, TV shows, books, comics, magazines, games, and a wide variety of apps, that number can often become a problem, especially if you want to take your iPad with you on vacation or. use it for your commute without having to manage storage.
While Apple has a history of giving low storage capacities to base models, we think it would be a wise move to upgrade the entry-level iPad mini 7th generation to a minimum of 128 GB. File sizes are constantly increasing, thanks to higher quality cameras and software, so doubling the existing 64 GB would be a very user-friendly solution.
Along these lines, there is also the possibility that the upper limit of the storage could be increased. At the time of writing, most of the available storage space on the iPad mini 6th generation is 256 GB. Moving to 512 GB would be the logical step, especially if the base storage is moved to 128 GB.
Improved processor
The iPad mini 6 offers the A15 Bionic chip as found in the iPhone 13, but this chip is downclocked compared to the one in the iPhone 13. It is possible that the next iPad mini model could offer an improved A15 (perhaps a A15 bionic) or the launch of the new model could offer the same chip as the iPhone 14 series (A16 we assume). As FronTron suggested, perhaps a 3.23GHz chip can be expected.
We don’t expect the iPad mini to have an M1 chip like that of the iPad Pro, but maybe it’s something Apple could consider in the future.
Better battery life
It has been suggested that if the new iPad mini uses ProMotion, it will reduce battery consumption, but it doesn’t look like it ProMotion is coming to the iPad mini soon, so Apple will have to look elsewhere to improve battery life. However, Apple has stuck to a 10-hour battery life for every iPad ever released, so don’t expect much from a breakthrough.
We’ll update this article as more details become available, but until then, read our iPad buying guide to see which models we recommend if you’re looking to buy one of Apple’s tablets today. And check out our roundup of the best iPad deals for the latest bargains in the current range.