Apple announces new iPad mini with A17 Pro chip, Pencil Pro and Apple Intelligence support

Apple today introduced a new generation of iPad mini, equipped with the A17 Pro chip. This is the same chip as the iPhone 15 Pro. This means the new iPad mini can support the full range of Apple Intelligence features. It also offers support for the Apple Pencil Pro.

The new iPad mini costs $499 and has 128GB of storage – that's twice as much storage as the previous generation for the same price. Customers can order the iPad mini now, with delivery starting next week, starting October 23rd.

The A17 Pro CPU is up to 30% faster than the A15 Bionic chip in the previous iPad mini, and the new GPU is up to 25% faster. The A17 Pro chip also enables maximum utilization of the USB-C port at USB 3 speeds (10 Gbit/s). For the first time, iPad mini also supports Wi-Fi 6E for a faster wireless connection at home.

In terms of industrial design, the iPad mini appears to be almost identical to the previous model. However, there are some new color variants including blue and purple.

A new design change is a magnetic charging area on the side of the tablet that supports the Apple Pencil Pro. This allows the Mini to pair and charge the Apple Pencil Pro wirelessly. The iPad mini is also compatible with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) by connecting a cable to the USB-C port.

The iPad mini ships with iOS 18, without Apple Intelligence. The first Apple Intelligence features such as writing tools and Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode will be available as part of iOS 18.1. iOS 18.1 is expected to be released to the public at the end of October.

The new iPad mini is available now in Wi-Fi and cellular configurations starting at $499 and $649, respectively, for 128GB of storage. You can configure the iPad mini with up to 512GB of storage.