iPad mini 7 review: Tiny tablet, mighty potential

Powerful things do come in small packages, and the iPad Mini 7 is a prime example. It’s hands down the most powerful compact tablet on the planet. Whether you’re editing videos in Final Cut Pro or crafting designs in Procreate, the iPad mini 7 handles it all with ease, going toe-to-toe with its M-series siblings. In fact, I didn’t encounter a single task where the mini lagged behind the iPad Air M2. Powered by the A17 Pro—Apple’s 3-nm chipset, which also runs last year’s iPhone 15 Pro—the iPad mini 7 is a great value at ₹49,900 in India. It’s the most affordable way to experience Apple Intelligence, and its portability makes it an ideal choice for while you are on the go. In some ways, it might even be better suited for gaming than the higher-end iPads. The iPad mini 7 caters to a unique group of users and fits a lot of use cases. In this review, I’ll take you through my first impressions after switching from a 13-inch iPad Air M2. 

iPad mini 7 performs no less than the big dogs

Let me start by saying that I used the iPad mini as I would my iPad Air M2. I was doing everything that I do on my iPad Air—including editing short videos on Lumafusion and Final Cut Pro, alongside creating thumbnails on a day-to-day basis in Procreate. I was also editing raw images using Adobe Lightroom. Now, you would think that being the A17 Pro, it would perform slightly inferior to, let’s say, the M series silicon that you typically find in the iPad Air and the iPad Pro range. But I’m happy to report that in real-world scenarios, I have noticed barely any difference.

Yes, the export times in apps like LumaFusion were just barely higher than what you would find on the M2 iPad Air, but it’s so negligible that it’s not jarring at all. In fact, I did a side-by-side comparison of exporting the same 4K video in LumaFusion. The iPad Air took 14 seconds to export, while the iPad mini 7 took around 17. This is just a minor difference and shouldn’t be a point of concern for anyone.

The A17 Pro is a champ, and by no means a weak processor. Even in apps like Procreate, I had no problem creating thumbnails. The multi-layered workflow was smooth, and there was basically no tangible difference that I felt compared to using Procreate on the iPad mini versus the iPad Air M2.

When it comes to battery life, you would think that it would be inferior compared to the iPad Air as well, right? Because of the smaller form factor and the smaller battery. Well, it isn’t entirely the right assumption to make because the iPad mini 7’s 5078 mAh battery lasts a full day and beyond. In fact, I would say it’s just slightly inferior compared to the iPad Air 13-inch model. It is so little different that you would be hard-pressed to notice a difference, really.

That being said, your battery life depends on what you do on your iPad. If you’re just reading ebooks or watching YouTube, your battery life would be great. But if you’re doing performance-intensive tasks, such as playing Resident Evil 4 or other AAA games, thanks to the A17 Pro chipset, or editing heavy files in Lightroom, then the battery life can take a hit. But it’s true for other iPads as well, so you’re not losing out on anything as such. On a full charge, in a realistic scenario with mixed usage involving editing thumbnails in Procreate, editing a short video for around 30 minutes, and watching a lot of YouTube and Amazon Prime, the tablet lasted us a full working day. Typically, I would end with around 15 to 20 per cent remaining by the end of the day. On the days when I was not editing anything, the tablet would easily last me two full days. That is stellar battery life.

And when it comes to gaming, while the performance is great but what’s better is the ease with which you can play games. I feel the 11″ and 13″ models are too large for most games, and iPad mini strikes just the right balance. I thoughly enjoyed my time playing Stardew Valley on the iPad mini 7—something I can’t say for the larger models.

Also Read: Motorola Edge 50 Neo review: The best Android experience under ₹30,000?

iPad mini 7 and Apple Pencil Pro combo is as good as it gets

When I first reviewed the iPad Air M2 and Apple Pencil Pro, I was fondly surprised by the little things that the Apple Pencil Pro brought, which made the overall experience of using it so much more enjoyable than the Apple Pencil 2nd generation, which I was using with the previous generation iPad Air. Right from how the barrel rotate feature works to how you get haptic feedback when you do little actions like double-tapping on the pencil to change tools—it’s just a more enjoyable and immersive experience. It still holds true. I said the same thing when I reviewed the iPad Air M2 (iPad Air M2 review), and I’ll say it again.

These changes make for a way better experience for people like artists and editors. Features like barrel roll, which uses the inbuilt gyroscope to rotate brushes in apps like Procreate, and, of course, Apple Pencil hover is also another big addition. You get to see where exactly your brush will hit, and this increases precision.

That said, the Apple Pencil Pro is exactly the same as the Apple Pencil 2nd generation in terms of design, so some might be confused when the 2nd generation pencil does not pair with the iPad mini 7. The magnet placement is different, and for several other reasons, you can’t pair a 2nd generation Apple Pencil with the iPad mini 7. So your only option now is to either get the Apple Pencil Pro or the Apple Pencil with USB-C.

iPad mini 7’s display does the job, but it is not the best

The iPad mini 7’s display is not an OLED or a mini LED panel. In fact, the display is exactly the same as the last generation iPad mini 6. It’s a Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2266 pixels by 1488 pixels, which makes for around 326 pixels per inch. The peak brightness also isn’t impressive by any means, coming in at 500 nits. And of course, because the panel is the same, you don’t get a high refresh rate as well. That being said, this IPS panel is fantastic to look at. I would say it is one of the best IPS LCD panels you can buy in a consumer-grade device. It still holds true for the iPad Air M2, and it holds true for the iPad mini 7 as well.

I did notice some real-world differences between the iPad Air M2’s IPS LCD display compared to the iPad mini 7’s IPS LCD display. The first thing I noticed was that the black levels on the iPad Air M2, despite having a traditional IPS LCD display, were slightly better compared to the iPad mini 7. Also, because the iPad Air M2 supports a higher peak brightness of 600 nits, it can be more legible in direct sunlight. I experienced this while working out of a cafe one day, and while the difference isn’t drastic, it is certainly noticeable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly usable display that you will learn to enjoy when watching TV shows, reading ebooks, browsing the web, and of course, whatever you’re supposed to do on an iPad.

It gets the job done and builds on the narrative that Apple is trying to create here, which is making an “almost” pro-grade experience available at entry-level pricing and on a much smaller form factor so that people who want the mini for its size don’t have to compromise on power and experience. And that brings me to who the iPad mini 7 is for.

Also Read: iPhone 16 review: Solid design, performance with a few unmet expectations

Who is the iPad mini 7 for?

Before I tell you who the iPad mini 7 is for, let’s talk pricing. The iPad mini, for the base 128 GB model with Wi-Fi only, starts at ₹49,900 in India. Comparing this price to other iPads, such as the iPad Air, the iPad Air with the M2 chip comes in at ₹10,000more, at ₹59,900. By saving ₹10,000, you’re getting essentially the same experience as the iPad Air. In fact, I would say the iPad mini is a smaller iPad Air.

But as things stand, price isn’t something that should be a factor while choosing the iPad mini. I would say it is the form factor that should appeal to you when you choose the iPad mini. I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day, who happens to be a commercial pilot. He told me that the iPad mini is quite a popular device in aviation simply because of its form factor. It is easily manoeuvrable in the cockpit. You can easily access your maps and other data while you are taking a flight. You can’t do the same with the 11-inch or the 13-inch iPads.

Also, now that the mini is quite powerful, you don’t have to compromise on much. So, what I would say is, you should get the iPad mini if you are always on the go, if you want a display that is bigger than your smartphone, and if you want more immersion out of your content consumption experiences but don’t necessarily want to lug around a huge iPad. In fact, after using the iPad mini, I have started to bring it along with me more. 

It’s so small that I just throw it in my side carry bag and basically forget about it, only using it when I need it. But with the 13-inch iPad Air, I always have to think about it. Will I be able to use the iPad Air? Is it going to be worth carrying so much weight? So, this is a big advantage with the mini, essentially. So, if you want a lot of power in a small form factor, the iPad mini is the one you should get. And of course, if you are in aviation or a professional who requires your tablet to be small, the iPad mini becomes a non-negotiable choice.

iPad mini 7 design and build quality is flagship level but the bezels could have been smaller

Let me start by saying that the iPad mini is built no less than the iPad Pro. It has the same premium glass and aluminium construction that we have learned to expect from Apple. The finish is top-notch. The device feels solid, and it’s just a premium tablet to hold. That being said, it does carry the exact same design from the last generation, which launched almost three years ago in 2021.

So while a design change would have been welcome, Apple chose to go with the old design of the iPad mini 6. I do think that the bezel size on the iPad mini could be reduced a bit. It is the same size as the iPad Air M2, but on the iPad Air, it’s less noticeable because the overall display footprint is larger. But on the iPad mini’s 8.3-inch panel, the bezels can look a bit dated. Here’s to hoping that Apple shrinks the bezels, making the iPad mini even more compact while offering the same display size. It would be a dream come true.

That said, it does come in fresh new finishes now, which happen to be a new Blue and a new Purple, and it joins the existing Space Grey and Starlight colours. Like before, you can always pick the free engraving option that Apple offers in India to personalise your iPad.

The iPad mini has two stereo speakers, similar to the iPad Air and the 10th generation iPad. Yes, you don’t get four speakers like the iPad Pro, but that’s okay because the sound quality you can extract out of this tiny device is great. The sound, while not as loud as the iPad Air, is full-sounding, with a good balance. It offers a good enough experience overall. It is also loud enough so that you can use the iPad mini in loud environments. But of course, you shouldn’t use the iPad mini on an airplane, blurting out your audio. But in situations where using the speaker is not negotiable, the iPad mini will actually be just fine.

Also Read: ASUS Vivobook S15 CoPilot+ PC Review: Setting a benchmark for ARM laptops

iPad mini 7: What could have been better?

While the 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera is excellent for things like FaceTime and just taking selfies, it misses out on the placement that you get with the iPad Air. It still lays sideways, unlike the iPad Air, which gets it right and places the camera on the side bezel. Also, it cannot record 4K video; it caps out at 1080P up to 60 FPS.

On the other hand, the rear-facing camera is excellent at 12MP. It comes with all the features you would expect, including Smart HDR, Burst mode, the ability to capture images in either HEIF or JPEG, and even 4K video recording at up to 60 FPS. Plus, you also have continuous autofocus, video stabilisation at all resolutions, and a True Tone flash, which happens to be missing on models like the iPad Air. I guess because of the portable form factor the iPad mini offers, Apple wants you to take more pictures with it. I mean, I have no use for it, but I’m sure someone else does.

Another thing I would like to point out is the omission of support for the Apple Pencil 2. A lot of people who are upgrading from older iPads still have those pencils lying around. It is the same for other iPads as well, but not having Apple Pencil 2 support isn’t the right thing, in my opinion. It practically makes old Apple Pencils electronic waste.

Buying iPad mini 7 is the cheapest way to experience Apple Intelligence

Coming to the elephant in the room, yes, the iPad mini happens to be the cheapest way possible to experience Apple’s generative AI, which it calls Apple Intelligence. You get the whole suite of features that are available currently, including writing tools, Clean Up in the Photos app, which lets you erase objects, the brand new Siri experience, which is much smarter now, and notification summaries, which can indeed come in quite handy.

I would say, to say the least, the experience is just starting to build. There’s not a lot you can do at the moment, but iPadOS 18.2 is on the horizon now that December is here. With the update, the iPad mini will get several new features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration, and more. This will make the experience more complete and well-rounded.

So, if you have been wanting to try out Apple Intelligence but don’t want to splurge on something like the iPhone 16 or an iPad with an M series processor, the iPad mini will be a compelling device at ₹49,900.

iPad mini 7 review verdict: It deserves a corner in your backpack (or handbag)

If you are in the market for a compact tablet that does everything a tablet is supposed to do and beyond, without skipping a beat, the iPad mini is the de facto choice; it has been the de facto choice for a while now, and the iPad mini 7, with its latest A17 Pro chipset and support for Apple Intelligence, only doubles down on this lead. You can’t go wrong with the iPad mini 7. For ₹49,900, Apple has actually made quite a value-for-money device. Yes, the design is not fresh, and the front-facing camera placement could have been better, but these can be ignored for the experience you get at large.