Apple has launched a miniature version of its latest iPad in the new iPad mini, which is powered by the A17 Pro chip, supports Apple Pencil Pro, and works with all the latest Apple Intelligence features.
The ultraportable iPad mini, which comes in Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey, has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and faster CPU, GPS, and Neural Engine when compared to the previous generation iPad mini. Of course, there’s also the addition of Apple Intelligence. It also now works with Apple Pencil Pro.
The tablet has a 12MP wide back camera that supports Smart HDR and boasts all-day battery life as well as iPadOS 18 and all the features and benefits that come with it. It starts at 128GB storage as well, which is double that of the previous generation’s entry model.
The A17 Pro chip affords plenty of benefits over the A15 Bionic chip found in the previous model, including a boost in CPU performance, graphics performance, and new experiences. It’s faster for tasks like editing photos and using AR applications.
With Apple Intelligence, which will be available this month via free software update for iPads with the A17 Pro or M1 and later chips, offers experiences like Writing Tools, deep Siri integration, the Memories feature in photos, and more features in the coming months. This includes a new tool called Image Wand with the Apple Pencil tool palette that can transform a rough sketch into a polished image.
It supports Wi-Fi 6E, which delivers up to twice the performance of the previous generation model, and cellular models are now activated with eSIM versus a physical SIM card. The USB-C port, meanwhile, is now up to two times faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps for quickly and easily importing large photos and videos.
Using the 12MP wide back camera and 16-core Neural Engine, the iPad mini leverages AI to automatically identify documents in the Camera app and uses the new True Tone flash to remove shadows. When using the 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera in portrait orientation, it supports Center Stage for video calling.
With the Apple Pencil Pro, which is sold separately for $169, you can use the iPad mini as a sketchbook. It can sense your squeeze and bring up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colours. A custom haptic engine delivers a light tap that provides confirmation when you squeeze, double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape for an intuitive experience, says Apple.
The Apple iPad mini is available for pre-order in Canada starting today and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting Wednesday, October 23. It starts at $679 for the Wi-Fi model and $879 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model and comes in 256GB and 512GB configurations as well as the entry 128GB edition. For education, the new iPad mini starts at $599. You can also pick up a Smart Folio for the iPad mini in Charcoal Grey, Light Violet, Denim, or Sage for $75.
There are trade-in options for credit towards the purchase of this new model. Visit apple.com/ca/shop/trade-in for details.