While Apple refreshed the iPad Pro and the iPad Air in May 2024, the iPad mini is still in need of an update. Apple last introduced a new iPad mini in September 2021, so it’s overdue for an overhaul.
Rumors suggest that Apple has plans to refresh its smallest tablet later in 2024, and this guide highlights all of the rumors we’ve heard about the device so far.
Display and Design
We haven’t heard rumors of design changes for the iPad mini, which means it will likely feature the same 8.3-inch size and all-display design. The current iPad mini has a Touch ID Power Button, which we’re also expecting for the new model.
According to a 2023 rumor, Apple will make a small tweak to the iPad mini’s display in an effort to cut down on “jelly scrolling.” The screen assembly will be rotated, which is supposed to reduce the effect when using the iPad mini in portrait orientation.
Jelly scrolling refers to noticeable lag when scrolling vertically through text-based context like a webpage. Each line appears to tilt downward toward the left of the screen as it passes, which makes it look like one side of the display is responding faster. Apple says that this is normal behavior for LCD iPads, but the company still wants to make a change to minimize the effect.
A-Series Chip
The iPad Pro and the iPad Air have M-series chips, but we’re not expecting the iPad mini to get a Mac chip this year. Instead, Apple is likely to go with the A17 Pro that was used in the iPhone 15 Pro models, or some other A17 variant that’s capable of handling Apple Intelligence.
It’s also possible that the iPad mini will get an A18 chip if it comes after the iPhone 16 lineup, as rumors suggest the iPhone 16 models will have chips in the A18 family.
With an A17 Pro or better, the iPad mini would be on par with or faster than the iPhone 15 Pro models, but it won’t have the speeds of the iPad Air or iPad Pro.
New Colors
The iPad mini is available in space gray, starlight, pink, and purple right now. Apple often refreshes color options with updates, so new colors are a definite possibility. With the iPad Air, which the iPad mini often mimics, Apple got rid of pink.
If Apple makes the iPad mini available in the same colors as the iPad Air, it could come in space gray, purple, blue, and starlight.
Front Camera
Apple moved the front-facing camera on the iPad Air to the landscape edge of the device, and it could make the same change for the iPad mini. It may make less sense to have a landscape camera on an iPad mini, though, because it’s less often used with keyboards.
The camera could get support for HDR 4 and it could have a wider aperture, if it adopts the camera used in the iPad Air.
Connectivity
Apple has been adding Wi-Fi 6E to each product as it’s updated, and it should be the iPad mini’s turn this year. Wi-Fi 6E will allow the iPad mini to connect to the 6GHz Wi-Fi band on supported routers.
Bluetooth 5.3 is also expected, as that’s another update Apple has been making to new devices, and the iPad mini could lose its nano-SIM slot, with Apple opting only for eSIM.
Apple Pencil Pro
The current iPad mini works with the Apple Pencil 2, so the new model will likely support the Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple Pencil Pro has a squeeze gesture, haptic feedback, a gyroscope for barrel roll support, and Find My integration.
Apple Pencil hover might also be a new feature, as the current iPad mini does not support it.
Release Date
Apple will likely release a new iPad mini toward the end of the year, likely in September or October. In some years, Apple holds a special October event for Macs and iPads, and we could get that in 2024. Apple is planning to hold an iPhone-centric event on Monday, September 9, so it’s also entirely possible the iPad mini will see a debut then.
There are, however, refreshes coming for the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac, so it would also make sense for Apple to hold a second fall event.
Supplies of the current sixth-generation iPad mini are starting to dwindle in stores, which could be a sign that a refresh is coming in the near future.
Future iPad mini Models
There are rumors that Apple is working on a foldable iPad mini and OLED display technology for the iPad mini, but neither of these updates are expected in 2024.
An OLED display or a foldable iPad mini are technologies not expected until 2026, 2027, or even later.
This article, “What to Expect From Apple’s 2024 iPad Mini 7” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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