In 2021, Apple reintroduced the iPad mini line with the iPad mini 6. It had a stunning new look as well as a lightning-fast A15 CPU. You can upgrade to 5G if you want, and Apple Pencil support is available if that’s your thing. It’s the newest iPad’s smallest model, and it sits alongside the iPad 9, iPad Pro, and iPad Air.
While, it’s also the greatest little tablet on the market, by a long shot, but it’s not without flaws. The iPad Mini 6 has a hefty price tag. It starts at £479, and there are a few quirks in the iPadOS 15 that can make using it a little uncomfortable at times. Despite some glowing reviews from reviewers and customers, there is still potential for growth. However, too much improvement elevates the iPad mini to the level of a ‘Pro.’ It’s a difficult balancing act.
Expected Price and Availability
With tremendous advancement comes big price hikes. While the iPad mini was formerly the most economical alternative, Apple increased the price of the 6th generation to £479 for the basic 64GB Wi-Fi only model due to design and specs upgrades.
Apple is expected to release the iPad mini 7 in the autumn of 2022 at the same pricing points as the present model, with a 128GB option in the middle. Perhaps we’ll receive a new color choice in addition to the present options of space grey, pink, purple, and starlight.
Design & Display
In what was the series’ first major redesign, Apple overhauled the design language with the iPad mini 6. When compared to the body, there’s more screen real estate available because Touch ID has been relocated to the power button, which means it doesn’t take up an inch under the screen. Lightning connectors were also phased out in favor of USB-C.
With all of this in mind, we don’t expect Apple to make any more modifications for the next couple of generations, save for minor tweaks. Perhaps the inclusion of Face ID in the future will change things, but we’re not convinced that’s a realistic expectation.
Beyond the display size, we’d want to see, and maybe anticipate, the iPad mini 7 to improve in a few ways. Specifically, increasing the refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz using ProMotion technology.
Camera
Although the iPad’s smaller form factor makes it more ideal for photography, cameras aren’t high on the list of key functions. The iPad mini 6’s 12-megapixel front-facing camera has also been improved with Apple’s Center Stage technology, which follows you around the room when you’re on a video conference. Rather than making too many changes, we expect the iPad mini 7 to continue with this and the single-lens 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, which currently supports 4K video recording.
Specifications
The iPad mini 7 is likely to follow the current generation and include the processor used in the most recent iPhones. The iPad mini 6 boasted the same A15 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 13 series, although with a slightly lower clock speed. That’s still a lot of power. The tab can carry out iPhone transfer without any interruptions.
So, if we see an iPad mini 7 in late 2022, it’ll almost certainly be powered by either the A16 Bionic CPU (or whatever Apple calls the chip that powers the iPhone 14) or a full-throttle A15. Furthermore, an early rumor scooped up by MacRumors claimed an A15 processor with 3.23GHz clock speed, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
We can’t wait for Apple to officially release information about the latest addition to the iPad lineup. One thing is for sure, that it will beat completion by a long shot.