iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 compared — Apple Intelligence on the smallest tablet

The October launch of the seventh-generation iPad mini brings an end to the long wait for the update. Arriving a lengthy three years after the sixth-generation iPad mini, the new model has a lot to live for.

As usual, it's a compact tablet, but one that's also quite powerful, with three years worth of updates to account for in its release.

What follows is a comparison of the specifications and features of the seventh-gen iPad mini against the one it's replacing, the iPad mini 6.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Specifications

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Physical dimensions

The iPad mini 6 is quite a small tablet compared to others in the Apple range. At 7.69 inches long and 5.3 inches wide, it has a footprint that's a little bigger than two iPhone 15 Pro Max units side by side.

At 0.25 inches thick, the iPad mini 6 is quite thin when put against an iPhone, but it's not quite as thin as the 0.20-inch M4 iPad Pro.

With the new iPad mini being a spec-bump update, there's going to be minimal change on the outside. The dimensions and appearance are all identical to the previous model.

On the weight side, the iPad mini 6 is 0.65 pounds for the Wi-Fi-only version. If you add in cellular, it becomes a marginally heavier 0.66 pounds.

Again, there's no weight change here for the iPad mini 7.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Display

The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display of the iPad mini 6 is an LED-backlit LCD display. It's not the all-singing, all-dancing OLED tech that the iPad Pro uses, but it's cheap and reliable enough for the price.

It's also reliable enough for Apple to reuse it in the iPad mini 7.

That means you get the same resolution of 2,266 by 1,488 pixels, while maintaining a pixel density of 326ppi.

The lack of OLED means the iPad mini 6 and 7 have a fairly pedestrian brightness when compared to the higher-end iPad Pro of 500 nits at maximum. There's no XDR brightness benefits here at all.

Apple continues to use a fully-laminated display for the iPad mini 7 from the 6, which includes Wide color (P3) support and True Tone.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Cameras

Around the back of the iPad mini 6 is a single 12MP Wide camera. It has an f/1.8 aperture, as well as a 5x digital zoom, and a True Tone flash.

Unsurprisingly, the camera on the iPad mini 7 is exactly the same specification.

The sixth-gen iPad mini is capable of 4K video recording at 60fps, as well as 1080p 240fps Slo-mo, Cinematic video stabilization, continuous autofocus, and time-lapse modes.

There's no difference in capability here in the iPad mini 7, except when it comes to HDR. There's Smart HDR 3 for photos on the iPad mini 6, while the iPad mini 7 goes to Smart HDR 4.

For the front camera, the iPad mini 6 has a 12MP Ultra Wide sensor. It's positioned on the short edge so it's in the middle of the screen when used in portrait orientation for calls.

The f/2.4 aperture camera is capable of 1080p 60fps video recording, complete with Cinematic video stabilization and auto image stabilization. When used for video calling, Center Stage will automatically reframe the picture so the user's in the middle of the frame.

It's exactly the same when it comes to the iPad mini 7's camera, albeit again with the upgrade to Smart HDR 4 for photos from Smart HDR 3.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Processing and performance

Inside the iPad mini 6 is the A15 Bionic, the same used in the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. It consists of a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores, as well as a 5-core GPU.

It also has a 16-core Neural Engine, which could perform at up to 15.8 trillion operations per second. For the time, this was impressive to have, though that's certainly been eclipsed by newer chip releases.

For the iPad mini 7, Apple bumped the chip up by about two generations. Powering the pint-sized tablet this time is the A17 Pro, the same chip included in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Again, it's got a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficient cores, as well as a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

This time, Apple claims that there is a 30% performance boost when it comes to the CPU, while the GPU is 25% better than the A15 Bionic.

The GPU also benefits from hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which is approximately four times faster than the software-based equivalent. There's even support for Dynamic Caching and hardware-accelerated mesh shading.

The main key here is the Neural Engine, which can manage up to 35 trillion operations per second. That's more than double the A15 Bionic's capability.

This better Neural Engine is used for Apple Intelligence, the company's generative AI push that it's bringing out on its M-series iPads and current-gen iPhone 16, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro. The higher operations per second count is crucial for the various features to work properly.

With Apple's intention to get Apple Intelligence on as many devices as possible, there was no option but for Apple to give the iPad mini 7 a chip capable of running it all.

While we can't directly compare the two models via benchmarks yet, we can compare the results of other models using the same chip. In the iPad mini's case, that would be the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The sixth-gen iPad mini's A15 Bionic scores 2,120 in Geekbench's single-core results, and 5,370 for the multi-core score. The A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro Max manages 2,879 and 7,135 respectively.

For graphics, the iPad mini 6 manages 19,457 for Geekbench's Metal test. In the iPhone, that figure goes up to 27,065.

It is obvious that when the iPad mini 7 ships, it will be a very powerful tablet. One that will certainly showcase the capabilities of Apple Intelligence.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Connectivity

On the wired side, the iPad mini 6 includes a USB-C connection in the base. It's capable of USB 3 connection speeds of up to 5Gbps, as well as charging and supporting DisplayPort connections.

For external video, the connection can support a single 4K display at 30Hz.

On the iPad mini 7, the USB-C has been upgraded to run at up to 10Gbps. As for the external display, the new model can also handle one 4K screen, but at a higher 60Hz.

To wireless connectivity, and the iPad mini 6 has Wi-Fi 6 support with 2x2 MIMO and simultaneous dual-band, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. In the iPad mini 7, that's now Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Cellular connectivity extends to 5G in the iPad mini 6, but only in the sub-6GHz variety, not mmWave. There's no change here for the iPad mini 7.

SIM card support in the iPad mini 6 extended to Nano-SIMs, but you could also take advantage of eSIMs as well. In the iPad mini 7, there's no option to use a physical SIM, only eSIMs.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Power and battery

The iPad mini 6 has a built-in 19.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, which Apple claimed could handle up to 10 hours of web surfing or video watching. For the cellular models, you could also get up to 9 hours of web surfing over that connection.

This is no different for the iPad mini 7. It uses the same 19.3-watt-hour battery and lasts for the same 10 hours of web browsing or video watching on Wi-Fi, or nine hours over cellular.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Other features

The iPad mini 6 was one of the last real holdouts for Touch ID, with it incorporated into a side button instead of moving over to Face ID support. The iPad mini 7 continues the tradition, using Touch ID and steering clear of Face ID.

Audio is provided on the iPad mini 6 by a pair of landscape stereo speakers. These are the same on the iPad mini 7.

Dual microphones are used for calls and video recording duties on both models.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Capacity, color, and pricing

The iPad mini 6 with Wi-Fi cost consumers $499 for the 64GB capacity at launch, $649 for the 256GB model. Adding 5G raised the prices to $649 and $799 respectively.

Cellular was an add-on that cost $150, regardless of capacity.

There were four colors available: Space Gray, Pink, Purple, and Starlight.

For the iPad mini 7, the base cost of $499 remains, but with a higher 128GB starting capacity. You can upgrade to 256GB for $599, or to 512GB for $799.

Going to cellular still costs an extra $150 across all models.

When it comes to colors, the selection is tweaked slightly. Pink is out for the iPad mini 7, in favor of Blue.

iPad mini 7 vs iPad mini 6 - Worth the upgrade?

It's clear that the iPad mini 7 is a spec-bump update rather than something completely new. To be fair to Apple, what it offered in the iPad mini 6 was already a compelling package, and didn't really need much changing.

Apple wanted an iPad mini 7 with Apple Intelligence, and it accomplished that with minimal redesign work. It needed a showpiece iPad that consumers would want, that could also show off the benefits of Apple Intelligence itself.

This would've been fairly acceptable on its own, but then Apple decided to make other small changes as well. Better Wi-Fi if you have the infrastructure, and better Bluetooth if you have the accessories.

Moving to support the Apple Pencil Pro was inevitable, too. However, the USB-C being updated to work at 10Gbps is going to be very handy for some users who work with massive files.

This may be a spec-bump update, but it's one that Apple had to do for Apple Intelligence. It's a refinement, but from an already pretty good starting point.

Where to buy the iPad mini 7 and iPad mini 6

The iPad mini 7 can be ordered from Apple Authorized Reseller B&H Photo, while closeout deals on the iPad mini 6 are already in effect. Pick up the 6th gen on Amazon starting at $379.99, a discount of $120 off MSRP. Easy price comparison is at your fingertips in our iPad mini 7 Price Guide and iPad mini 6 Price Guide.

Those picking up the iPad mini 7 can also save substantially on the compatible Apple Pencil Pro, which is on sale for $89.99 at Amazon, a $40 price drop off retail.

We've also rounded up the best iPad deals across Apple's entire tablet range.