New & Now: Meet The New iPad mini

By: Bailey

Content Writer

7 min read

When it comes to computers, phones and other smart devices, Apple has been one of the biggest leaders in the industry for years. While the brand's staple, best-selling product lines have remained fairly the same, the devices themselves have not. Apple dedicates itself to making each new generation bigger and better than the rest. On October 15th, 2024, the brand announced its latest tablet: the new iPad mini. Just a week later, and it's already hit the shelves at Abt! The iPad mini is a fantastic addition to any tech collection and it comes chock full of fun features and advanced abilities. Looking to learn more? Keep reading to enjoy our deep dive into this device and see if this brand-new tablet is the perfect product for you.

An image of five different ipad minis being shuffled like cards or floating through space. An Apple pencil is being used to write on one

The latest line of ipad minis in their new colors: blue, purple, space gray and starlight

Every iPad has a chip, which is responsible for powering the device's capabilities, performance and connectivity. The new iPad mini is equipped with the A17 Pro chip. In comparison to the previous generation iPad mini, The A17 Pro Chip has a two times faster Neural Engine, 25% faster graphics and a 30% faster CPU. All of these enhancements are guaranteed to take your creativity, productivity, multitasking and gaming to the next level. For gaming specifically, the 5-core GPU offers many advanced features, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This feature improves your gaming experience by producing more immersive and realistic environments with very lifelike lighting.

The new iPad mini relies on iPadOS 18 to perform, a powerful operating system built to support all of your favorite tasks. And this operating system has truly taken some of the classic Apple tech features to the next level. With Smart Script, you can refine your handwriting in real-time as you scribble. But that's not all. Students will love the iPad mini's ability to take live audio transcriptions. Just start recording audio within a new note and watch as your professor's voice transforms into text live. Should your notes end up quite long, iPadOS 18 now gives writers the ability to create collapsible sections too, so reading and studying later on is simpler than ever.

While the Calculator app may not seem like it could get any better, the new operating system has expanded to solve even more expressions, including History and Unit conversions. If you're an Apple Pencil owner, you can even plot graphs and assign variables just like you would on paper using Math Notes. Previously, Apple apps have followed a very rigid grid pattern on your home screen upon downloading them. With iPadOS 18, you can place your app widgets and icons in any position you'd like to create a visual layout that works for you. If you want to customize the look of your apps even further, you can enable Dark Mode or tint all of your widgets using any color you'd like.

You can even protect apps that contain more sensitive information and hide them from your home screen so friends and family can use your new iPad mini without gaining access to your private content. Fans of mobile gaming will love Game Mode. It minimizes all background activity so the device can provide a high frame rate, even if you're playing for hours. This is just the beginning of the enhancements iPadOS 18 brings to the new iPad mini, offering a more advanced performance and a more enjoyable user experience.

The new iPad mini relies on WiFi 6E to complete online tasks, which is two times faster so you can connect and enjoy as soon as possible. Not using your iPad in an area with WiFi? You can also use 5G wireless networks, which are extremely travel-friendly. As far as storage goes, the device comes in three different "sizes": 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. All three of these models, though, will offer 10 hours of battery life after a full charge, thanks to the 5078 mAh battery.

Interested in using your new iPad mini to take photos? You'll be more than satisfied with the camera technology on the device. The 12MP Ultra Wide front camera has the power to capture stunning photos and videos in 4K resolution. This front camera also features Center Stage technology. When taking video calls, Center Stage will always keep you in frame, no matter how much you move around. The Wide back camera also captures videos and photos in 4K resolution by using a large aperture and a 12MP sensor with Focus Pixels.

Thanks to the A17 Pro chip, Smart HDR 4 will be enabled every time you take a photo. The result? Your pictures will be as vivid and detailed as possible. Should you want to take a photo at night or in a darker environment, True Tone flash will take several photos and stitch them together to eliminate any unwanted glares or shadows. You can even use the new iPad mini camera to scan documents, rather than investing in a separate printer/scanner.

One of the biggest perks of the new iPad mini is that it's designed for Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence is an exclusive technology that helps you effortlessly tackle tasks, write and more. Plus, it offers groundbreaking privacy protection as well, so you always have peace of mind that no one but you has access to your data, photos and files. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, iPad mini users will gain access to Writing Tools. No matter what you're writing, Writing tools will help you find the perfect words.

Equipped with enhanced language capabilities, the feature can proofread, summarize and rewrite your text on any third-party app you choose. But writing isn't the only thing Apple Intelligence can assist you with. If you enjoy drawing or graphic design, Image Wand can turn your rough sketches into a related image. Image Playground, on the other hand, can create all new images for you based on suggested ideas, text descriptions or even a person you already have in your new iPad mini Photos library.

The new iPad mini has a minimalistic streamlined design as well. The light and thin build of the iPad makes it an ideal device to take on the go. Plus, it comes in four different finishes (blue, purple, Space Gray and Starlight) so it can suit any user's style or personality. If you want to further express yourself with the appearance of your iPad, you can even purchase a separate Smart Folio cover, which comes in several complementary shades.

Ready to bring a top-notch tablet home today? The new iPad mini is a fantastic option that's bound to take your workflow to new heights. Still looking to learn more about iPads and similar devices? Our tablet buying guide is a great resource to begin with. Any other questions you may have about the iPad mini and other Apple products can be answered by our experts at 800-860-3577.