iPad mini 7: A17 Pro chip in a scaled-down version

The iPad mini 7 is finally here and brings with it some exciting new features that make it a worthy upgrade. Although at first glance there are few differences to the previous model, the improvements under the hood should not be underestimated. With a new A17 Pro chip, support for the Apple Pencil Pro and improved connectivity features, the iPad mini 7 sets new standards in the field of compact tablets.

The iPad mini has established itself in recent years as the perfect companion for on the go. Small, light, yet powerful - that's how we know the iPad mini. Now Apple is bringing the latest version onto the market with the iPad mini 7, which offers numerous improvements under the hood despite the familiar design. The new A17 Pro chip in particular is causing a stir, even if it comes in a slightly slimmed down form.

Design and Display

At first glance, the iPad mini 7 looks very similar to its predecessor. The compact 8.3-inch display remains unchanged and continues to offer the high resolution and color reproduction that you are used to from Apple. It supports the Apple Pencil Pro, which is a great advantage especially for creatives and note-taking lovers. The integration of Smart HDR 4 also improves the image quality, especially for photos and videos.

New A17 Pro chip: More power, but with limitations

The heart of the iPad mini 7 is the A17 Pro chip, which already showed impressive performance in the iPhone 15 Pro. However, the iPad mini uses a slightly weakened version of the chip: a GPU core is missing. While the 6-core CPU of the A17 Pro chip remains intact and thus offers enough power for demanding apps and multitasking, the graphics performance is slightly reduced. With a 5-core GPU, however, you don't have to forego smooth performance - even graphics-intensive games and apps run smoothly. However, you will probably only notice the difference in very graphics-intensive applications, such as AAA games or ray tracing, a function that is hardware accelerated and ensures particularly realistic light and shadow effects.

Improved connectivity: WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3

When it comes to connectivity, the iPad mini 7 scores with the latest standards. With WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, you are prepared for the future. WiFi 6E offers you an even more stable and faster Internet connection, especially in congested networks. Bluetooth 5.3 also ensures improved audio quality and lower energy consumption when using wireless devices such as headphones.

USB-C port with faster transfer rates

Another upgrade is the USB-C port, which now supports transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps. This means large files, such as high-resolution videos, can be transferred even faster. This is especially useful if you use your iPad mini 7 for creative work or professional use.

RAM

The iPad mini 7 now has 8GB of RAM, giving you even more room for demanding multitasking tasks. This is a significant leap compared to its predecessor, which had to make do with less RAM. Whether you're working with multiple apps at once, creating graphic designs or editing complex spreadsheets, the iPad mini 7 always remains powerful.

Benchmarks and real performance

Only detailed benchmarks will show how the A17 Pro chip performs in practice. The iPad mini 6 also features a slightly reduced version of the A15 Bionic. Apple is known to have throttled the clock frequency of the GPU to increase energy efficiency. So it remains to be seen whether Apple has made similar adjustments to the iPad mini 7. Nevertheless, you can assume that the new model is significantly better than its predecessor in terms of performance and efficiency.

iPad mini 7: Compact, powerful and future-proof

The iPad mini 7 is a successful update of the popular model series and offers some interesting new features with the new A17 Pro chip, 8 GB RAM and improved connectivity. Even though the chip comes in a slightly slimmed down version, the iPad mini 7 is still powerful enough for most applications. Creative people and power users in particular will benefit from the improved functions. With the new USB-C port and the modern wireless standards, the iPad mini 7 is also well equipped for the future. If you are looking for a compact but powerful tablet the iPad mini 7 is definitely worth considering. (Image: Apple)