Apple iPad mini 7 (2024) review: Still the Best Small Tablet

Best Prices Today: Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)

$399

It took a few years to arrive, but Apple finally updated the iPad mini late in 2024. While it might be a niche size, the iPad mini makes for a perfect tablet for many users. 

This latest model, the iPad mini 7 as it’s commonly known, arrives with a nearly identical design to its predecessor and a very Apple asking price starting at £499/$499. 

So why buy the new iPad mini? Well, it’s arguably the most powerful small tablet money can buy with Apple’s A17 Pro chipset but let’s see what else it has to offer. 

Design & Build 

• Same design 
• Two new colours 
• Extremely portable 

As mentioned at the top, the latest iPad mini (A17 Pro) looks almost identical in its design to the 2021 model.  

In fact, it comes in the exact same chassis, so you’ll need to pick up one of the two new (very pale) colours – Blue or Purple – to differentiate easily. The other available colourways are Starlight and Space Grey. 

If you’re not familiar with the previous iPad mini, the 2024 model has a design like recent iPhones with flat sides and rounded corners. I’m not the biggest fan of this trend on phones but I feel like it works much better on a tablet. 

The iPad mini is a svelte 6.3mm thick and only 293g (or a few grams more if you get a cellular version). It makes it incredibly easy to sling around the house or in a bag.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

If it’s portability you need, then the iPad mini puts a huge fat tick in that box. And unusually, it’s not something you can easily find elsewhere with most Android tablets opting for screen sizes around 11-inch. 

One thing to point out about the iPad mini, especially if you’re used to modern iPhones is that it has Touch ID. The fingerprint scanner is embedded in the power button and there’s no Face ID here. 

It’s more secure and very easy to use, particularly when using the tablet in portrait orientation since you’re using the power button to wake the device anyway.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

As you’d expect from an Apple product at this price, build quality is exemplary and Apple does better than most rivals in terms of eco-credentials. Many parts are 100% recycled including the aluminium enclosure. 

Like most tablets, there’s no IP rating for dust and water protection. It’s also worth a small note that the Nano-SIM card slot is gone so it’s just eSIM now. 

Screen & Speakers 

• Still 8.3-inch  
• IPS LCD 
• Pencil Pro support 
• Stereo speakers 

Much like the design, the Liquid Retina display on the iPad mini 2024 remains the same. It’s an 8.3-inch panel using IPS LED backlit technology.  

While an upgrade to an OLED Ultra Retina XDR panel found on the iPad Pros would be welcome, it’s understandable that Apple reserves this tech for those models. Regardless, the screen on the iPad mini is more than good enough for most people. 

It’s crisp, and colourful and offers plenty of contrast and brightness. It’s compatible with Apple Pencil and now Pencil Pro, opening up a lot of possibilities for different use cases from note-taking to graphic design. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

An addition to the iPad mini 7 compared with its predecessor is support for Apple Pencil hover. It shows where your tip will touch down on the screen as well as showing a shadow of the tool you’re using. 

You might be looking at pictures of the iPad mini and wondering why it has an unusually large bezel around the display. Sure, it looks quite dated but in day-to-day use, it makes absolute sense in order to hold and use it without touching the display. 

Two drawbacks to make you aware of start with, like a lot of Apple devices, a 60Hz refresh rate. It might not bother a lot of people but at this price, we’d prefer 90- or even 120Hz for a smoother experience. Even the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE has a 90Hz screen and it’s less than half the price.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

It’s also not the best iPad for multi-tasking due to, of course, the size. You have access to features like split-screen and floating window but if you rely on them daily then a bigger iPad might make for a wiser choice. 

The iPad mini still has stereo speakers when you use it in landscape orientation, which makes sense for watching video content. They are decent as you would expect and produce quality sound regardless of what you’re using them for. 

Specs & Performance 

• A17 Pro chipset 
• Double the storage
• Small wireless upgrades 

Some of the biggest upgrades to the iPad mini 2024 are invisible to the human eye. They come in the form of core internal specs starting with the A17 Pro. 

This is the SoC (system on a chip) found in the iPhone 15 Pro models and is based on an impressive 3nm manufacturing process.  

While you could argue using an M2 chip like the latest iPad Air would be preferable, this may have cost and thermal implications, making it a less sensible choice. And I’ve had no problems with performance from the A17 Pro.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

It might be expensive, but when you compare performance with similar-sized Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 there’s no contest. They are typically lower spec to hit a more budget-friendly price. 

It’s a fairly big jump from the A15 Bionic found in the last iPad mini and it’s also nice to see Apple double the storage capacity. You now get 128GB for the entry-level model and can upgrade to 256- or a new 512GB capacity if you like. 

Other smaller upgrades and changes include bumps to Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. As mentioned earlier, there’s no SIM card slot so it’s only eSIM if you get a cellular model. 

iPad mini 7 (2024) benchmarks

Cameras 

I won’t spend very long talking about the cameras on the iPad mini. They are tablet cameras after all, and they are the same as before. 

All you really need to know about the rear camera is that it’s decent enough to take photos if you really need to – perhaps you want to list something on Vinted and need a couple of quick snaps. 

The front camera will almost certainly get a lot more use. It’s also 12Mp, albeit with a slightly slower aperture of f/2.4. Still, quality is good, and it supports 1080p video making it higher quality than most webcams on laptops. 

There’s also support for Center Stage which can follow you around if you move while on a video call and do things like reframe if someone else enters the shot. It works pretty well most of the time and is supported in apps like Zoom as well as FaceTime. 

Battery Life & Charging 

• Still 10 hours 
• Still slow charging 

It feels like the broken record of tech, but Apple once again touts a battery life of 10 hours if browsing the web or watching video on Wi-Fi. This is despite the chipset going from 5- to a more efficient 3nm process. 

The wait goes on for longer battery life, but it should still be enough for most users in the majority of use-cases. I found, as I always do with iPads, that battery life was solid, so I was not reaching for a charger very regularly at all. 

Of course, it will depend on if you’re picking it up occasionally or whether it’s a device you need to use for many hours each day. Still, it’s nice knowing that with a full charge, you could use it constantly for most long-haul flights without it running out. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Apple’s claim of 10 hours video rings true, though it’s a little confusing as when the battery is full it goes down slower for something like an hour of video compared to when it’s lower. 

As with all modern Apple products, the iPad mini uses USB-C as its physical port, not Lightning, if you’re upgrading from a reasonably old model. You get a cable in the box but no charging brick. 

Charging is still basic with Apple not promoting any kind of fast charging method whatsoever. In our usual 30-minute test with an appropriate charger it got from dead to 32% which is better than some rivals but still uninspiring. 

Software & Apps 

In terms of software, you get iPadOS 18 with the usual suite of Apple’s own apps and the almost endless selection of apps from the App Store. 

There may be some ways in which Android tablets are better when it comes to software, but Apple still has the slickest experience overall.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The software experience is great for a wide range of users, in terms of both types of use as well as level of experience.

First time iPad users can pick it up and get to grips with how things work to do anything from stream content on Netflix to simply browsing the web. Equally, more advanced and demanding users can grab an Apple Pencil, specialist apps and more complex features whether you’re a graphic designer or a pilot.

The iPad mini 7 also supports Apple Intelligence, which is Apple’s AI system, but I wasn’t able to test this before sending the review sample back.

It’s likely to get software support and updates for at least five years, too so it won’t be a paperweight any time soon.

Price & Availability 

The iPad mini 2024 starts at £499/$499 which gets you the Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage. This will likely be the most popular option, but you can upgrade to 256- or 512GB storage if you need it as well as cellular data as well. 

It means you can spend up to £949/$949 and that is very expensive, especially when you consider that the iPad mini 5 launched at £399/$399. 

Such is the state of tech pricing, and although it’s easy to find with a roughly £50/$100 discount, you should carefully consider if this is the right iPad for you before hitting the order button.

If you do want one, you can buy an iPad mini from the usual places including Amazon, Currys and Argos in the UK. Find it at Amazon and BestBuy in the US.

Check out our rankings for the best iPads and best tablets to see more options.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Should you buy the iPad mini 7? 

The iPad mini (2024) is the best compact tablet you can buy but that doesn’t mean you should buy it. 

At essentially £500/$500 for the cheapest model, it’s no longer a no-brainer and remains the most niche option in Apple’s iPad range. 

For some people, it will be the perfect option but for many, there will be a better choice – whether that’s Apple’s standard iPad or an Android alternative. 

I’d say you’ve really got to want a tablet this size, weight and power in order to justify the cost of an iPad mini. It’s hardly like the regular iPad 10th-gen (2022) is huge and heavy and it’s a much more palatable £329/$329.

With its similarity to the previous generation, you could always look for more affordable deals on the iPad mini 6 if the latest upgrades don’t matter much. 

Specs

• iPadOS 18
• 8.3in LED display
• 2266 x 1488 (326ppi)
• Stereo speakers
• Touch ID
• 128/256/512GB storage
• A17 Pro
• 5G cellular (optional)
• eSIM
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 12Mp ultra-wide front-facing camera with Center Stage
• 12Mp rear camera
• USB-C port
• 19.3Wh battery
• Available in Space Grey, Starlight, Blue, Purple
• 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3mm
• 293g (Wi-Fi)