• Apple has revealed an updated version of its smaller form factor tablet – the iPad mini.
• This latest iteration features the company’s A17 Pro chipset and is designed with support for Apple Intelligence in mind.
• Pricing for the new iPad mini starts at $499, but no local pricing and availability has been detailed at this stage.

A week ago we reported on rumours that Apple was readying to unveil new Mac and iPad hardware. While we are still waiting for the former, the Cupertino-based company has revealed a new offering for the latter in the form of a refreshed iPad mini for 2024.

The new tablet features improvements across the board, which is expected given the previous generation is a couple of years old now. The company is also noting that it is designed with Apple Intelligence in mind, thanks to the use of the A17 Pro chipset internally.

“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,” Apple shared in a press release.

“With a 6-core CPU — two performance cores and four efficiency cores — A17 Pro delivers a 30 percent boost in CPU performance. A17 Pro also brings a boost in graphics performance with a 5-core GPU, delivering a 25 percent jump over the previous generation,” it highlighted.

It added that the first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in the English (US version) later this month through a free software update via iPadOS 18.1, and available for iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later models specifically.

Some of the Apple Intelligence features that will be made available in iPadOS 18.1 include:

• Writing Tools – Offers rewriting, proofreading, and summarising text functionality across most apps,
• Siri – Gain onscreen awareness to understand and take action with users’ content,
• Memories – Enables users to create the movies by typing a description,
• Image Playground – Users can create images quickly,
• Image Wand – The Apple Pencil tool palette can transform a rough sketch into an image,
• Emoji – The ability to create original Genmoji,
• ChatGPT – Users can access ChatGPT for free without creating an account.

Full specifications for the 2024 iPad mini are as follows:

As for pricing and availability, local details on that front are yet to be shared, but we expect to see more information on 23rd October, which is when resellers are set to begin listing the new tablet for sale.