Artist Review: iPad mini 7 (2024)

Not a sponsored review

The Apple iPad mini 7 was released October 2024 and is an update to the iPad mini 6 from late 2021. Price starts from USD 499 with 128GB storage and does not include the USD 129 Apple Pencil Pro.

Here are the upgrades:

• Apple 17 Pro chip - variant from the one used in the iPhone 15 (2023)
• RAM increased from 4GB to 8GB
• Starting internal storage from 64GB to 128GB
• Support for Apple Pencil Pro with hover, haptic, barrel roll, squeeze features
• USB-C transfer speed increased from 5Gbps to 10Gbps
• Support for Apple Intelligence

Things that remained the same are the price at USD 499. Jelly scroll is still as obvious as the previous model. Display still runs at 60Hz. The tablet does not support Stage Manager so you can't connect this to an external display and use it as a desktop.

Video review

Bottom line

The main selling point of the iPad mini is it's the only small format tablet with great pen support.

The pen performance for drawing and writing is fantastic. For drawing experience, it really depends on whether you see the smaller display as a pro or con. The pro is this can be the most portable and capable digital sketchpad. The con is the screen is small and may not be satisfying to draw on due to the size.

As someone who sketches outdoors, I always bring my 11-inch iPad Pro around in a bag, so it doesn't really matter whether it's 8.4 or 11-inches. 8.4-inch can be held in one hand comfortably, but I don't find the 11-inch overly unwieldy by comparison. 293g vs 444g weight difference isn't too significant to me.

If you're thinking of upgrading, it will come down to whether you need or want the Apple Pencil Pro features. This new iPad mini no longer works with Apple Pencil 2.

Specifications

• Display: 8.3 inches, Liquid Retina, 2266 x 1488 pixels, 326 ppi
• Refresh rate60Hz
• Brightness500 nits
• Processor: A17 Pro chip with 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Operating System: iPadOS 18
• Camera: 12MP Wide rear camera, 12MP Ultra Wide front camera
• Selfie Camera: 12MP Ultra Wide
• Battery: Up to 10 hours of web browsing or video playback
• Charging: 20W USB-C Power Adapter
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, optional 5G, Bluetooth 5.3
• Port: USB-C 10Gbps
• Weight: 293 grams (Wi-Fi) / 297 grams (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
• Colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey
• Price: Starting at $499 for the Wi-Fi model

Design

Design of the iPad mini looks similar to the previous model, and still looks good today. This tablet weighs 293g and can be held in one hand easily. This design is the main selling point for people who prefer a compact lightweight device that's easy to bring around and handle.

I'm currently using another 8.4-inch tablet, the Alldocube iPlay 60 Mini Turbo (video review) and I actually pick that up at home more often compared to the 11-inch iPad Pro unless I really need to use the iPad Pro for specific work.

There's something about a small form factor tablet that makes it so convenient to just pick up for reading, web browsing, social media and watching videos.

Oh, an 12MP f2/4 front camera is still on the portrait orientation.

The iPad mini still uses Touch ID for fingerprint unlock. At the top you'll also find the volume buttons.

Camera on the back is 12MP f/1.8. These are the same cameras from the previous gen. The Starlight colour shown above is gorgeous.

USB-C port transfer speed has increased from 5Gbps to 10Gbps. This tablet can output video but you'll only get mirror mode since there's no Stage Manager external desktop feature.

Display

The iPad mini 7 display is still LCD and refresh rate is still 60Hz. The display does feel dated considering the expensive price point of this tablet. Advertised brightness is 500 nits.

M4 iPad Pro with OLED vs iPad mini 7

When using the M4 iPad Pro and the iPad mini 7 indoors, the visual difference between the displays is not that significant, but I do notice the extra contrast from the OLED display. When used outdoors under direct sunlight, the LCD is difficult to see.

Since I use my tablets outdoors under bright conditions often, I need the 1000 nits brightness from the M4 iPad Pro. The extra brightness it the only reason why I upgraded from the M2 to M4 iPad Pro.

The anti-reflective coating works well, but brightness won't be high enough to go through the bright reflections.

Jelly scroll

Jelly scroll issue/effect still exists when tablet is in portrait orientation. If you look at the photo above, you can see the right side of the display refreshed earlier than then left side. If there's no jelly scroll, I won't be able to tell you which side of the display refreshes faster.

This jelly scroll issue/effect is more noticeable when you scroll at normal speed rather than with high speed scrolling.

There are many reviews out there saying that jelly scroll has been fixed or minimised. I can only say jelly scroll still exists but I cannot say whether it has improved because I no longer have the iPad mini 6 by the side to compare.

By the way, all tablets will have jelly scroll. The only reason why it's such a big issue with the iPad mini is because it's more noticeable compared to other tablets.

Would you be affected by jelly scroll? It's best to see the tablet in person yourself to know the answer.

Apple Pencil Pro

iPad mini 7 supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C (no pressure sensitivity).

Apple Pencil Pro is sold separately for USD 129.

Apple Pencil Pro supports cursor hover, double tap shortcuts, magnetic pairing and charging, haptic feedback, squeeze to show shortcuts, barrel roll and lost location finder with Find My app.

Cursor hover is new to the iPad mini because Apple Pencil 2 does not support with iPad mini 6. There's also the barrel roll feature where you can rotate the cursor by rotating the pen.

If you already have intention to get the Apple Pencil Pro, that's great because this new iPad mini now supports that pen. If you already have the iPad mini 6 and is thinking of upgrading, I'm just not sure the Apple Pencil Pro new features are worth upgrading for, but that of course will depend on how you use the pen.

Display is laminated so there's almost no gap between the line and the pen tip. Latency performance is good but there's still the 60Hz fresh rate animation which isn't as smooth compared to 120Hz.

I've already gotten used to drawing on glass display so I no longer use matte screen protectors. The pen is smooth on the glass but not slippery. If you prefer a more tactile drawing experience and don't mind sacrificing some display quality, you can certainly still go with a matte screen protector (I recommend SuperShieldz because it's cheap and good).

Apple Pencil Pro will attach to the side of the tablet magnetically for charging. I don't know how long the battery is for the pen but as long as you keep the pen attached when not using it, you don't really have to worry about the battery life. I do recommend getting case that can prevent the pen from dislodging by the side.

Creative and visual apps

iPads have a huge selection of feature-rich drawing, graphic design and video editing apps.

Below are non-exhaustive lists for some of the popular creative apps:

Drawing

• Procreate
• Medibang Paint
• Medibang Pro
• Clip Studio Paint
• Sketchbook Pro
• Tayasui Sketches Pro
• Concepts
• PaintStorm
• Infinite Painter
• Affinity Photo
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Fresco
• ArtStudio Pro

Graphic design

• Affinity Photo
• Affinity Designer
• Vectornator
• Amadine
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Affinity Publisher

As mentioned, apps that have minimal UI elements will work better on the smaller display.

Drawing experience

Drawing experience with Apple Pencil Pro is great, and has always been great since the first gen Apple Pencil.

The pen has support for tilt, pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. I actually do not use many of the new features, such as barrel roll, squeeze and tap shortcuts. I do use haptic which lets me know when I've activated a certain shortcut (by mistake).

The 11-inch iPad Pro's drawing area is almost 2 times of the iPad mini's. One advantage of the larger display is you can rest your palm comfortably on the glass while drawing, and palm rejection works great. Resting your palm on the iPad mini while drawing or writing means covering the already small display.

This small display does not work well with drawing apps that have many UI elements, such as Krita, Medibang Paint, PaintStorm, Clip Studio Paint (but there's a new tablet mode).

These are sketches that I've drawn while commuting on the train. This was drawn while I was seated

And these sketches were drawn while I was standing. While it's more convenient to hold an 8.4 vs 11.-inch tablet for drawing while standing, I certainly do not have any problems holding the 11-inch M4 iPad Pro (444g) while standing and sketching.

Below are the number of layers you can get for an A4 sized 300 DPI canvas in Procreate.

Looking at the layer count, it seems the iPad mini 7 has 8GB RAM.

Conclusion

Spending USD 499 for a tablet with 128GB storage and USD 129 for Apple Pencil Pro is expensive.

The iPad mini is a good tablet. If you don't already have a tablet and want something compact, the iPad mini is a good choice.

For the high price, I wish there are more substantial upgrades but this is what it is. The iPad mini is basically on the same tier as the iPad Air, both below the iPad Pro.

If you already have an older iPad mini that's still working, I don't think it's worth upgrading to unless you really need the new features from Apple Pencil Pro. I personally do not use the new features from Apple Pencil Pro. Upgrading from an iPad mini 5 or 6 is basically spending money to buy a tablet to do something your old tablet already can do.

If you don't actually need the pen support, you can actually go with the Alldocube iPlay 60 Mini Turbo with 128GB storage for just USD 180. It's crazy how affordable Android tablets are.

If you have more budget, the Lenovo Y700 (2024) has more features than the iPad mini but again there's no pen support, but more importantly there may be no Global ROM for Google Play Store.

I find it sad that Samsung does not have Galaxy tablet of this size that compete with the iPad mini. Can you imagine a 8.4-inch tablet from Samsung that has 120Hz OLED display, an included pen, and Samsung Dex desktop mode for external displays? Instead, we have the iPad mini without competition simply because it has awesome pen support.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Compact and portable
+ Lightweight
+ Build quality
+ Beautiful design
+ Anti-reflective coating
+ Good brightness
+ 6hr 30min battery life at max brightness
+ Touch ID
+ Apple Pencil Pro support
+ Tilt and pressure sensitivity works well
+ Palm rejection works well
+ USB-C 10Gbps file transfer
+ Good audio quality
- Jelly effect when scrolling in portrait orientation
- Keyboard covers good portion in landscape orientation
- Hand will cover a larger proportion of the display while drawing
- No Stage Manager

Availability

You can get the iPad mini 7 from Apple online store, Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP