Apple introduces powerful new iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence

Rhea-AI Summary

Apple has unveiled the new iPad mini, powered by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence. The device features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and is available in four finishes, including new blue and purple options. Key improvements include:

- 30% boost in CPU performance and 25% jump in graphics performance over the previous generation
- Support for Apple Pencil Pro, enabling new productivity and creativity features
- 12MP wide back camera with Smart HDR 4 and document scanning capabilities
- Wi-Fi 6E support for faster connectivity
- USB-C port with up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds

The new iPad mini starts at $499 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model and will be available from October 23. It runs on iPadOS 18, which introduces new features like a Calculator app, Math Notes, and enhanced handwriting capabilities.

Positive

• A17 Pro chip delivers 30% boost in CPU performance and 25% jump in graphics performance
• Support for Apple Pencil Pro, enabling new productivity and creativity features
• Wi-Fi 6E support for faster connectivity, up to twice the performance of previous generation
• USB-C port with up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds, 2x faster than previous generation
• Starting price of $499 with double the storage (128GB) of the previous generation
• New iPadOS 18 features including Calculator app and Math Notes

Negative

• None.

Insights

Tech Expert

Apple's new iPad mini represents a significant upgrade, positioning it as a powerful, compact device in the tablet market. Key improvements include:

• The A17 Pro chip, offering a 30% CPU and 25% GPU performance boost over its predecessor
• Support for Apple Intelligence, introducing AI-powered features like Writing Tools and enhanced Siri capabilities
• Compatibility with Apple Pencil Pro, enabling new creative and productivity workflows
• Improved connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E and faster USB-C port
• Starting price of $499 with double the base storage (128GB)

These enhancements could stimulate iPad mini sales, potentially boosting Apple's tablet market share and revenue. The integration of AI features aligns with industry trends, keeping Apple competitive in the evolving tech landscape. However, the impact on AAPL stock may be , as the iPad line contributes a relatively small portion to overall revenue compared to the iPhone.

Financial Analyst

The new iPad mini launch presents a modest positive for Apple's financials:

• Potential for increased Average Selling Price (ASP) due to higher-end features and storage options
• Opportunity to boost iPad segment revenue, which accounted for about 7.5% of total revenue in FY2023
• Margins could benefit from the A17 Pro chip's economies of scale, shared with iPhone 15 Pro models
• The $499 starting price maintains Apple's premium positioning while offering more value

However, investors should temper expectations. While innovative, the iPad mini is unlikely to significantly move the needle for a company of Apple's size. The true test will be how these AI-driven features translate across Apple's ecosystem, potentially driving service adoption and hardware upgrades in the long term.

The ultraportable iPad mini is more capable and versatile than ever with the powerful A17 Pro chip and support for Apple Pencil Pro

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apple® today introduced the new iPad mini®, supercharged by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence™, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. With a beloved ultraportable design, the new iPad mini is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple, and features the brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina® display. A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini,¹ and support for Apple Intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of the new iPad mini are taken to a whole new level with support for Apple Pencil Pro™, opening up entirely new ways to be even more productive and creative. The 12MP wide back camera supports Smart HDR 4 for natural-looking photos with increased dynamic range, and uses machine learning to detect and scan documents right in the Camera app.

The new iPad mini delivers powerful performance, incredible value, and the full iPad experience in an ultraportable design. (Photo: Business Wire)

The new iPad mini features all-day battery life and brand-new experiences with iPadOS® 18. Starting at just $499 with 128GB — double the storage of the previous generation — the new iPad mini delivers incredible value and the full iPad experience in an ultraportable design. Customers can pre-order the new iPad mini today, with availability beginning Wednesday, October 23.

“There is no other device in the world like iPad mini, beloved for its combination of powerful performance and versatility in our most ultraportable design. iPad mini appeals to a wide range of users and has been built for Apple Intelligence, delivering intelligent new features that are powerful, personal, and private,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the powerful A17 Pro chip, faster connectivity, and support for Apple Pencil Pro, the new iPad mini delivers the full iPad experience in our most portable design at an incredible value.”

A17 Pro Unlocks Powerful Performance

The new iPad mini gets a major update with A17 Pro, delivering incredible performance and power efficiency in an ultraportable design. A17 Pro is a powerful chip that unlocks a number of improvements over A15 Bionic in the previous-generation iPad mini. With a 6-core CPU — two performance cores and four efficiency cores — A17 Pro delivers a 30 percent boost in CPU performance.¹ A17 Pro also brings a boost in graphics performance with a 5-core GPU, delivering a 25 percent jump over the previous generation.¹ A17 Pro brings entirely new experiences — including pro apps used by designers, pilots, doctors, and others — and makes it faster than ever for users to edit photos, dive into more immersive AR applications, and more. The new iPad mini brings true-to-life gaming with hardware-accelerated ray tracing — which is 4x faster than software-based ray tracing — as well as support for Dynamic Caching and hardware-accelerated mesh shading. From creating engaging content faster than ever in Affinity Designer, to playing demanding, graphics-intensive AAA games like Zenless Zone Zero, users can take the powerful performance and ultraportable iPad mini anywhere.

Built for Apple Intelligence

With the power of the A17 Pro chip, the new iPad mini delivers support for Apple Intelligence. Deeply integrated into iPadOS 18, Apple Intelligence harnesses the power of Apple silicon and Apple-built generative models to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. Many of the models that power Apple Intelligence run entirely on device, and Private Cloud Compute offers the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers.

The first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in U.S. English this month through a free software update with iPadOS 18.1, and available for iPad® with A17 Pro or M1 and later. Apple Intelligence delivers experiences that are delightful, intuitive, easy to use, and specially designed to help users do the things that matter most to them:²

• With Writing Tools, users can refine their words by rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.
• Siri® becomes more deeply integrated into the system experience and gets a new design with an elegant glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when active on iPad. With richer language-understanding capabilities, communicating with Siri is more natural and flexible. Siri can follow along when users stumble over their words, can maintain context from one request to the next, and now, users can type to Siri. Siri also has extensive product knowledge to answer questions about features on iPad and other Apple devices.
• In Photos, the Memories feature now enables users to create the movies they want to see by simply typing a description, and with the new Clean Up tool, they can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.

Additional Apple Intelligence features will be rolling out over the next several months:

• Image Playground allows users to create playful images in moments.
• Image Wand is a new tool in the Apple Pencil® tool palette that can transform a rough sketch into a polished image.
• Emoji will be taken to an entirely new level with the ability to create original Genmoji™ by simply typing a description, or by selecting a photo of a friend or family member.
• Siri will be able to draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that is tailored to them. It will also gain onscreen awareness to understand and take action with users’ content, as well as take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps.
• With ChatGPT integrated into experiences within iPadOS 18, users have the option to access its expertise, as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities, within Siri and Writing Tools without needing to jump between tools. And privacy protections are built in so a user’s IP address is obscured, and OpenAI won’t store requests. Users can access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT’s data-use policies apply for those who choose to connect their account.

Even Faster Connectivity

With faster wireless and wired connectivity, users can do even more on iPad mini while on the go. The new iPad mini supports Wi-Fi 6E, which delivers up to twice the performance than the previous generation,³ so users can download files, play games online, and stream movies even faster. Wi-Fi + Cellular models with 5G allow users to access their files, communicate with peers, and back up their data in a snap while on the go. Cellular models of the new iPad mini are activated with eSIM, a more secure alternative to a physical SIM card, allowing users to quickly connect and transfer their existing plans digitally, and store multiple cellular plans on a single device. Customers can easily get connected to wireless data plans on the new iPad mini in over 190 countries and regions around the world without needing to get a physical SIM card from a local carrier. The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps, so importing large photos and videos is even quicker.

Incredible Camera Experience

Great cameras, along with the incredibly portable form factor of iPad mini, enable powerful mobile workflows. The 12MP wide back camera delivers gorgeous photos, and with Smart HDR 4, they will be even more detailed and vivid. Utilizing the powerful 16-core Neural Engine, the new iPad mini uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically identify documents right in the Camera app and can use the new True Tone® flash to remove shadows from the document. The 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera in portrait orientation, with support for Center Stage™, is great for all the ways customers use iPad mini.

Magical Capabilities with Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil Pro unlocks magical capabilities and powerful interactions, turning iPad mini into a sketchbook users can take anywhere. Apple Pencil Pro can sense a user’s squeeze, bringing up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors, all without interrupting the creative process. A custom haptic engine delivers a light tap that provides confirmation when users squeeze, double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape for a remarkably intuitive experience. Users can roll Apple Pencil Pro for precise control of the tool they’re using. Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, just like pen and paper, and with Apple Pencil hover, users can visualize the exact orientation of a tool before making a mark. Apple Pencil Pro features support for Find My®, and pairs, charges, and is stored through a new magnetic interface on the new iPad mini. iPad mini also supports Apple Pencil (USB-C), ideal for note taking, sketching, annotating, journaling, and more, at a great value.

iPadOS 18 Brings Powerful and Intelligent New Features

In addition to the groundbreaking capabilities of Apple Intelligence, iPadOS 18 brings powerful features that enhance the iPad experience, making it more versatile and intelligent than ever. iPadOS also has advanced frameworks like Core ML® that make it easy for developers to tap into the Neural Engine to deliver powerful AI features right on device.

• Designed for the unique capabilities of iPad, Calculator delivers an entirely new way to use Apple Pencil to solve expressions, as well as basic and scientific calculators with a new history function and unit conversions. With Math Notes, users are now able to type mathematical expressions or write them out to see them instantly solved in handwriting like their own. They can also create and use variables, and add an equation to insert a graph. Users can also access their Math Notes in the Notes app, and use all of the math functionality in any of their other notes.
• In the Notes app, handwritten notes become more fluid, flexible, and easy to read with Smart Script and the power of Apple Pencil. Smart Script unleashes powerful new capabilities for users editing handwritten text, allowing them to easily add space, or even paste typed text in their own handwriting. And as users write with Apple Pencil, their handwriting will be automatically refined in real time to be smoother, straighter, and more legible.
• With new Audio Recording and Transcription, iPad can capture a lecture or conversation, and transcripts are synced with the audio, so users can search for an exact moment in the recording.
• New levels of customization come to iPad, and users have even more options to express themselves through the Home Screen with app icons and widgets that can be placed in any open position. App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make them appear larger to create the experience that is perfect for them. Control Center has been redesigned to provide easier access to many of the things users do every day, delivering quick access to new groups of a user’s most-utilized controls. Users can even organize new controls from third-party apps in the redesigned Control Center.
• The Photos app receives its biggest update ever, bringing users powerful new tools that make it easier to find what they are looking for with a simplified and customizable app layout that takes advantage of the larger display on iPad and helps users browse by themes without having to organize content into albums.
• Users have new ways to stay connected and express themselves in Messages, with all-new animated text effects, redesigned Tapbacks, and the ability to schedule messages to send at a later time.

Better for the Environment

The new iPad mini is designed with the environment in mind, including 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure, 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100 percent recycled gold plating and tin soldering in multiple printed circuit boards. The new iPad mini meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and is free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, and PVC. The packaging is 100 percent fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal to remove plastic from all packaging by 2025.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations and, as part of its ambitious Apple 2030 goal, plans to be carbon neutral across its entire carbon footprint by the end of this decade.

Pricing and Availability

• Customers can pre-order the new iPad mini starting today, October 15, on apple.com/store, and in the Apple Store® app in 29 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Wednesday, October 23.
• Available in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, the new iPad mini starts at $499 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi model, and $649 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
• The new iPad mini starts with 128GB of storage — double the storage of the previous generation. The new iPad mini is also available in 256GB and 512GB configurations.
• For education, the new iPad mini starts at $449 (U.S.). Education pricing is available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and home-school teachers of all grade levels. For more information, visit apple.com/us-hed/shop.
• Apple Pencil Pro is compatible with the new iPad mini. It is available for $129 (U.S.), and $119 (U.S.) for education. Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for $79 (U.S.), and $69 (U.S.) for education.
• The new Smart Folio®, available in charcoal gray, light violet, denim, and sage, is $59 (U.S.).
• Apple offers great ways to save on the latest iPad. Customers can trade in their current iPad and get credit toward a new one by visiting the Apple Store online, the Apple Store app, or an Apple Store location. To see what their device is worth and for terms and conditions, customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in.
• Customers in the U.S. who shop at Apple using Apple Card® can pay monthly at 0 percent APR when they choose to check out with Apple Card Monthly Installments, and they’ll get 3 percent Daily Cash® back — all up front. More information — including details on eligibility, exclusions, and Apple Card terms — is available at apple.com/apple-card/monthly-installments.
• AppleCare+® for iPad provides unparalleled service and support. This includes unlimited incidents of accidental damage, battery service coverage, and 24/7 support from the people who know iPad best.
• Every customer who buys directly from Apple Retail gets access to Personal Setup. In these guided online sessions, a Specialist can walk customers through setup, or focus on features that help them make the most of their new device.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

^1. Testing conducted by Apple in September 2024 using preproduction iPad mini (A17 Pro) and production iPad mini (6th generation) units. Tested with Affinity Photo 2 v2.5.5.2636 using the built-in benchmark version 25000. Performance tests are conducted using specific iPad units and reflect the approximate performance of iPad mini.

^2. Apple Intelligence will be available as a free software update for iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later with device and Siri language set to U.S. English. The first set of features will be available in beta this month with iPadOS 18.1 with more features rolling out in the months to come. Later this year, Apple Intelligence will add support for localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. In the coming year, Apple Intelligence will expand to more languages, like Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and others.

^3. Wi‑Fi 6E available in countries and regions where supported.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.

© 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPad mini, Apple Intelligence, Liquid Retina, Apple Pencil Pro, iPadOS, iPad, Siri, Apple Pencil, Genmoji, True Tone, Center Stage, Find My, Core ML, Apple Store, Smart Folio, Apple Card, Daily Cash, and AppleCare+ are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241015440083/en/

Tara Courtney

Apple

tcourtney@apple.com

Skylar Eisenhart

Apple

s_eisenhart@apple.com

Source: Apple

FAQ

When will the new iPad mini with A17 Pro chip be available for purchase?

The new iPad mini will be available for purchase starting Wednesday, October 23. Pre-orders begin on October 15.

What is the starting price for the new iPad mini?

The new iPad mini starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage.

What are the key performance improvements in the new iPad mini compared to the previous generation?

The new iPad mini with A17 Pro chip offers a 30% boost in CPU performance and a 25% jump in graphics performance compared to the previous generation.

What new Apple Pencil features are supported by the iPad mini?

The new iPad mini supports Apple Pencil Pro, which offers features like squeeze detection for tool selection, haptic feedback, and precise control through barrel rotation.

What are the new connectivity features in the iPad mini?

The new iPad mini supports Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connectivity and features a USB-C port with up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds, which is 2x faster than the previous generation.