TechRadar Verdict
If you liked the previous iPad mini, you’ll like this one even more.
iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024): one-minute review
The variety in iPad sizes is impressive.
you might get everything from a 13-inch giant iPad Pro down to an 8.3-inch iPad mini.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The iPad mini is also a product that’s been on the bubble.
Many worried thatApplemight simply cancel it.
It’s Apple Intelligence-capable, and has more than enough power for a screen of almost any size.
Apple didn’t bother to upgrade the design, the screen, the cameras, or the speakers.
The new iPad mini supports just two styluses: the Apple Pencil USB-C and the new Apple Pencil Pro.
And with 18.1 and Apple Intelligence, it’s possible for you to even Scribble to Siri.
What might matter most to iPad mini fans, though, is its ability to support Apple Intelligence.
Some of these features may arrive by the end of October; others might not arrive until 2025.
It’s a mystery to me why Apple is moving so slowly in this regard.
Even without Apple Intelligence, the iPad mini is an excellent tablet.
At 9.7 inches, that iPad was larger and heavier (it weighed a pound and a half).
Few tablets are as versatile and powerful as the iPad mini.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I used it for all kinds of work, creative, and entertainment activities and was never disappointed.
It remains one of my favorite drawing devices.
If you own an iPad mini 6th generation, hold onto it and upgrade to iPadOS 18.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Even without Apple intelligence, you’ll be happy.
It has an antireflective coating, and is somewhat resistant to fingerprints.
Still, this is a three-year-old technology, so I should not expect 2024 display updates.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The iPad mini truly shines, though, when you add an Apple Pencil.
It’s enough space, I promise you.
I can also squeeze it to change tools.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The Pencil is not just for drawing.
I wrote ‘200+36=’ and the iPad quickly returned ‘236’.
I’m fine with that this is a good and solid design.
The 100% recycled aluminum chassis is thin, 6.5mm, and light, just 293 grams.
The iPad mini offers no water resistance and doesn’t have a dust rating.
If you plan to take it to the beach, buy a case.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
These two new shades and Starlight perfectly match the new AirPods Max.
The front camera takes nice selfies, but not portrait-mode shots.
It’s a nice feature, especially if you like to walk and talk while conducting Facetime calls.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
At least it now includes natural language search queries that should make finding photos across vast libraries far easier.
I especially like how it summarizes Slack and Group messages, generally providing a good gist and summary.
The same goes for Mail in Apple’s own app or third-party ones in Gmail.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I also still desperately wish I had Math Notes when I was growing up.
Plus, it’s the first A-class chip that could support Apple Intelligence.
Pilots run apps like ForeFlight on it to plan trips.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Similarly, I edited four streams of4Kvideos at once in Adobe Premiere Rush.
The performance boost you’ll see in the new iPad mini is borne out in its Geekbench 6 numbers.
The CPU scores are all measurably higher.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
In our Future Labs tests, the new iPad mini managed around 10 hours and 36 minutes.
At least the iPad ships with a woven USB-C cable and a nice 20W adapter.
Should you buy the iPad Mini A17 Pro (2024)?
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
If you’ll never invest in one, perhaps look at a different tablet.
Like the Pad Go, it also features Dolby Atmos capability.
It is more expensive, though, and Google Play isn’t supported.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
You’ll also have to pay slightly more if you want the ad-free version.
Read we test.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
