iPad mini 7 — 3 reasons I’m excited for Apple’s new tiny tablet
When it comes to the best iPad, I've never thought much about the iPad Mini 6. Why would I want to use such a small tablet when the iPad Air 5 and especially the iPad Pro M2 offer more screen real estate? Yes, the iPad Mini's size is ideal for reading novels – but I have a Kindle Paperwhite 2021 for that. So when I heard rumors about the iPad mini 7, I didn't pay much attention until I had to write about it for work.
The situation has changed now.
I read manga on the Kindle Paperwhite vs. the iPad Mini 6 for a week and found the latter to be the best choice for the task. Not only that, but I've started using the iPad mini 6 instead of the iPad Pro for watching videos because the smaller tablet is easier to carry around my apartment. I didn't think I'd like the iPad Mini so much. This is definitely one of the best tablets you can buy. Due to my newfound fascination, I'm now eager to see what the iPad mini 7 has in store.
There are not many rumors about the iPad Mini 7. What we've heard points to a minor update – with a faster processor, better LCD display and possibly new colors. It's not very exciting, but given how much I'm enjoying the iPad Mini 6 Apple let me borrow, I'm considering buying its follow-up for myself. here's why.
fast processor
According to Bloomberg reporter and Apple tipster Mark Gurman, There will be no major changes in iPad Mini 7, Instead, the biggest update to the tablet will be a processor upgrade. The iPad mini 6 uses the same A15 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 13 Pro, which is noticeably faster. However, I need a little more speed.
Some rumors claim that the iPad Mini 7 will have an A16 Bionic chip while others say it will have an A17 Pro chip. I've heard some talk about the iPad mini 7 possibly having an A18 or M1 chip, but that's more speculative thinking as no reliable leaker/tipster has discussed it. In such a situation, the A16 and A17 Pro chips seem to be the most likely candidates.
The iPad mini 6 is no slouch in terms of performance, but I can feel the difference when switching between it and the M2-powered iPad Pro. I'm not expecting that level of performance from the iPad Mini 7 but any bump in speed would be appreciated.
There is also potential for battery efficiency improvements with the A16 or A17. The iPad Mini 6 lasted about 11 hours in our battery test, so I expect the updated tablet to last longer, though probably not by much.
The iPad Mini 6 is great but it suffers from a major problem called “jelly scrolling”, which is an effect where both sides of the display are scrolling at different speeds. According to 9to5Mac, This problem is easy to identify in portrait mode, and the different rates of scrolling create a noticeable tilt when you're trying to navigate up and down the page. Although Apple claimed that iPad Mini 6 'jelly scrolling' is not a problem, the issue resulted in a class action lawsuit.
Thankfully, the iPad Mini 7 can fix the little tablet's biggest problem. As we mentioned, the tipster instant digital (Via macrumors) claims that Apple has fixed the problem. According to his post on the Chinese social network weibo, the leaker claims that changes to the way the screen is assembled means the “event” has been “improved.” The machine translation of the leaker's post is not perfect, but it appears that jelly scrolling will be reduced or resolved with the iPad Mini 7.
I don't find this to be a problem when using the iPad Mini 6 as I don't need to scroll up and down to read manga. I also don't notice a jelly-scrolling effect when watching videos with the tablet horizontally. That said, I see it whenever I surf the web and have to scroll through sites. Hopefully Apple will fix this problem.
more storage options
The second major upgrade reportedly coming to the iPad mini 7 is improved cameras. It's nice, but I don't use the camera on the tablet. I've also heard talk about new colors, thinner bezels, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
No known or reliable source has discussed these aspects, so I will not go into further detail about them. However, there is one thing I haven't heard discussed in the rumors that I would love to see. It's also the thing that would inspire our own Alex Wawro to buy the iPad Mini 7 instead of just any tablet. Namely, more storage options.
Except for the iPad Pro, all iPads come with 64 GB of storage space by default. Seeing as how iPadOS consumes about 10GB, you're effectively left with 54GB of storage… which won't last very long these days. Of course, you can upgrade to 256GB of storage for an additional $150 – which will bring the total to $650 before taxes.
So what do I want? iPad mini 7 with 128GB storage. This will give me enough space to download manga, comics, and even videos while traveling. And while that storage option will increase in price, it will cost less than the 256GB upgrade.
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