Apple iPad mini (7th generation)

Apple iPad mini (7th generation)

By Apple · Tablets · Phones & Computers

  • 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, 500 nits
  • A17 Pro chip with 16-core Neural Engine
  • Apple Intelligence support
  • Works with Apple Pencil Pro
  • 128GB base storage

Lowest price seen
~$499.00 (approx.)
from $499.00 at Amazon

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

The iPad mini (7th generation) is Apple’s smallest tablet — an 8.3-inch, 0.65-pound slab built around the A17 Pro chip, aimed at readers, note-takers and travelers who want iPad power one-handed. Check the price before you buy: it cost $499 at launch and went to $599 in June 2025, and reviewers say the $349 standard iPad covers most people’s needs.

Strengths

  • Small and light enough for one-handed reading — 0.65 lb in a 7.69 × 5.3-inch body.
  • The A17 Pro is roughly 30% faster in CPU and GPU than the mini 6’s A15.
  • 128GB base storage, which reviewers called long overdue.
  • Apple Pencil Pro support turns it into a pocket notebook.
  • Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and 10Gb/s USB-C keep it current.
  • PCMag measured 7 hours 23 minutes of video streaming at max brightness.

Weaknesses

  • The display is locked to 60Hz with no ProMotion/120Hz option, which reviewers call outdated at this price.
  • The chassis is unchanged from the 2021 mini 6, and critics call the upgrade minimal.
  • The front camera sits on the short edge, awkward for landscape video calls.
  • No Face ID, no water or dust rating, and no Apple Pencil 2 support.
  • Apple Intelligence did not ship with the tablet — you got iPadOS 18.0 out of the box and needed the 18.1 update.
  • Jelly scrolling is improved, but PCMag says the issue remains.

Verified specifications

Display8.3-inch Liquid Retina, 2266x1488 at 326 ppi, 500 nits, 60Hz, True Tone, P3 wide color, fully laminated with antireflective coating.
ChipA17 Pro with 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine.
Memory and storage8GB RAM; 128GB / 256GB / 512GB.
Battery19.3Wh; up to 10 hours of web browsing or video over Wi-Fi, up to 9 hours on cellular.
Cameras12MP rear (f/1.8, Smart HDR 4); 12MP front (f/2.4) with Center Stage.
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C at 10Gb/s.
Cellular5G sub-6GHz only — no mmWave; eSIM only, no physical SIM.
BiometricsTouch ID in the power button; no Face ID.
Apple Pencilsupports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); not Apple Pencil 2.
ColorsBlue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray.
Weight0.65 lb (293 g) Wi-Fi; 0.66 lb (297 g) cellular.
Dimensions7.69 × 5.3 × 0.25 in (195.4 × 134.8 × 6.3 mm).
Enclosure100% recycled aluminum.
In the boxiPad mini, 1 m USB-C charge cable, 20W USB-C power adapter. No Pencil or keyboard.
Full research notes and sources

Design and display

The external design is carried over from the 2021 mini 6: 7.69 × 5.3 × 0.25 inches of recycled aluminum at 0.65 lb, a size reviewers consistently praise for one-handed reading and travel. The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina panel is sharp at 326 ppi and bright at 500 nits, with P3 color and True Tone, but it stays at 60Hz while faster-refresh displays are common at this price. PCMag says the jelly-scrolling artifact of the mini 6 is less severe here but “the issue remains”; Engadget says Apple seems to have fixed it; The Verge says it is still very much present. There is no published data on whether units differ, so treat it as a known annoyance rather than a defect.

Performance and Apple Intelligence

The A17 Pro (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) is the iPhone 15 Pro chip family with the GPU cut from 6 cores to 5. PCMag measured about 30% faster CPU and GPU than the A15 in the mini 6, with Geekbench 6 scores of 2,972 single-core and 7,362 multi-core; AnTuTu came in at 1,551,685. Trusted Reviews measured 2,836 and 7,021 on the same test. It is the least powerful iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, and that feature did not ship with the tablet — you got iPadOS 18.0 out of the box and needed the 18.1 update. iFixit’s teardown identifies the A17 Pro (APL1V02), 8GB of SK hynix LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of Kioxia NAND.

Battery and charging

Apple rates the 19.3Wh battery at up to 10 hours of web browsing or video over Wi-Fi, 9 hours on cellular. PCMag measured 7 hours 23 minutes of video streaming at max brightness — up from 6h41m on the mini 6 — and a full charge took 1 hour 50 minutes with the included 20W adapter. Trusted Reviews used 6% of the battery in an hour of HDR Netflix and 5% in 30 minutes of intensive gaming; Engadget reports about 8 hours of mixed use with gaming, The Verge about 8.5.

Is it worth it?

It launched in October 2024 at $499; a June 2025 increase took it to $599. MacRumors’ deal tracker lists the Wi-Fi 128GB at $569-599, 256GB at $649-699, 512GB at $874-899 and cellular 128GB at $729-749. The Pencil is extra: Apple Pencil Pro costs $129, the USB-C Pencil $79. PCMag says the $349 standard iPad is the better choice for most people, Wirecutter leaves it out of current tablet recommendations, and MacRumors’ buyer’s guide says now is not a good time to buy — an OLED mini is expected. The Verge called it “the worst value in the iPad lineup” at launch. If you want the smallest iPad for reading, notes and travel, this is the one; if you just want an iPad, look at the standard model first.

Which model this is

This page covers the iPad mini (7th generation), model A2995 (Wi-Fi) and A2996 (Wi-Fi + Cellular), released October 2024. The US 128GB Wi-Fi Space Gray variant is ASIN B0DK3W6TV6. Do not merge it with the iPad mini 6 (2021, A15), the iPad Air or the iPad Pro.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

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