Apple's new iPad mini is more exciting than it looks

When Apple announces a new product via a simple press release, it's usually one of the company's less exciting launches. Indeed, the new iPad mini, revealed this afternoon, looks like a particularly iterative update. But the specs are impressive, and for fans of the mini's diminutive form factor, the very fact that Apple is keeping the tiny tablet in the race is cause for celebration.

The headline features of the 7th generation iPad mini are its powerful A17 Pro chip, and new support for the Apple Pencil Pro. The latter means that in terms of stylus support, the mini is up there with the newly released M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air. (Not sure which model is for you? Take a look at our guide to the various iPad generations.)

At a glance, internals aside, the new iPad mini looks pretty similar to the 6th generation. There are no major design changes save for the addition of new blue and purple shades, and that display, infamously prone to 'jelly-scrolling', remains the same. But with the addition of the much-improved chip, offering a faster CPU and 2x faster Neural Engine, and support for the impressive Apple Pencil Pro, this really does look like the full iPad experience for creatives.

And "full iPad experience" is the key here. Apple has had form when it comes to axing its smaller devices lately, with the iPhone mini facing the chop in 2022. But by upgrading both the chip and stylus support for the iPad mini, Apple is declaring the diminutive tablet a bonafide iPad.

From the from Adobe iPad suite to the full version of 3D software ZBrush, there's a plethora of iPad apps available for creatives, and to be able to access them in such a diminutive package is great news for creatives on-the-go. Screens might be getting bigger, but the iPad mini remains a delightful outlier, and the fact that Apple's timely update shows that the device has at least a few more years of life left is great news to me.

The new iPad mini is available to preorder now. It ships from 23 October and starts at £499. For the lowdown no the previous model, take a look at out iPad mini 6 review.

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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.