After three long years, Apple released a new iPad mini model on Tuesday. Although this tablet looks similar to its predecessor, the company upgraded its specs with long-awaited features, making it the iPad mini Pro people have always wanted.
Funny as it seems, customers have been disappointed by the M4 iPad Pro price and the lack of exclusive iPadOS 18 features. As a result, many people on social media started asking for what they would call “an iPad mini Pro.” Well, it’s here. But will you buy it?
The first feature that makes this iPad mini a “Pro” model is the A17 Pro chip. While rumors suggested Apple would use the A18 chip, the company decided to go with the A17 Pro, which was, until now, exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro. This processor compares to the M3 chip, which no iPad has.
Apple says the A17 Pro delivers a “huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU and a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini.” This means that whether you’re editing on Final Cut Pro or playing your favorite triple-A games, this tablet can handle it without any issues.
Another feature that elevates the new iPad mini is Apple Pencil Pro support. Previously only available for the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro models, this accessory improves how artists create with several exclusive features that even the Apple Pencil 2 lacks.
It’s also impossible to talk about the new iPad mini without mentioning Apple Intelligence. For the first time, Apple doubled the RAM on the tiny tablet to bring Apple Intelligence capabilities to its smallest iPad. Even though the platform is in its early days, everyone agrees that this tablet had to feature Apple Intelligence and Apple installed one of its most advanced chips to ensure the new tablet would get the latest AI features.
However, Apple didn’t stop there. The new iPad mini can be considered Pro because it features an improved USB-C port with up to 10 Gbps transfer speeds. This was a complaint users had about the previous model, and they can now easily transfer data to and from this iPad quickly. Apple also added Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and eSIM technology with 5G support to this tablet.
Finally, Apple doubled the minimum storage capacity of the tablet while offering new 256GB and 512GB versions, which should satisfy most customers.
That being said, it’s important to note that the new iPad mini doesn’t feature an OLED display, which is rumored to land in 2026, nor does it have ProMotion or Face ID. Still, for a $499 starting price, it’s safe to assume Apple just released the iPad mini Pro everyone wanted.
