Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) vs iPad mini 6th Gen: Twice the RAM, half the excitement

Updated: Oct 16, 2024, 10:06 AM

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Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad mini 6th Gen

Intro

Apple just announced a new iPad mini. Well, by all rights it should have been called the iPad mini 7th Gen, but Apple being Apple, the new tablet is actually dubbed iPad mini A17 Pro.

Spoiler alert, the new chipset is one of the few upgrades over the older generation, but hey, it's a pretty decent spec bump that not only brings the iPad mini up to speed with all current standards, but also makes it future-proof with artificial intelligence in mind––the new iPad mini supports Apple Intelligence, which should arrive pretty soon to all eligible iPhones.

iPad mini (A17 Pro) vs iPad mini 6th Gen differences explained:

iPad mini (A17 Pro)	iPad mini 6th Gen
8.3" Liquid Retina display	The same 8.3" screen
Apple A17 Pro chipset with 8GB of RAM	Apple A15 chip with 4GB of RAM
Apple Intelligence support	No Apple Intelligence support
Wi-Fi 6E support (Lower latency than Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6 support, Bluetooth 5.0
eSIM only	Nano-SIM + eSIM support
Supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil with USB-C, supports Apple Pencil hover	Supports Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and Apple Pencil with USB-C, no Apple Pencil hover
128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage versions	64GB and 256GB versions
New colors: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, Starlight	Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Starlight colors

Table of Contents:

Design and Display
Performance and Software
Camera
Battery and Charging
Audio Quality
Specs
Which one should you buy?

Design and Display Quality

If you've seen one, you've seen them all

As the new iPad mini is mostly a hardware refresh, the design of the slate has remained identical in comparison with the previous generation. The same mostly compact aluminum build with thick bezels is common on both tablets, with the unmistakable iPad styling that is pretty well-known at this point.

Both tablets share the same dimensions: 195.4mm in height, 134.8mm in width, and 6.3mm in depth. The Wi-Fi versions weight 293 grams each, while the cellular one – 297 grams. Quite compact for an 8.3-inch tablet.

Apple has changed the color selection: the new model is available in Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight colors, while the older one could be yours in Space Gray, Pink, Purple, and Starlight. A pretty decent selection that lets you go with a more understated business-like hue or express yourself with a slightly more vibrant color.

Both of these two tablets have Touch ID embedded into the top-positioned power button. There's USB-C on both the iPad mini with A17 Pro and the iPad mini 6th Gen.

The display, as we mentioned, is the same on both: an 8.3" Liquid Retina screen. With no ProMotion and merely 60Hz as the maximum refresh rate, this one at least has P3 wide-gamut support, True Tone, and anti-reflective coating. While it can't stand a chance to the mini-LED or OLED screens of the higher-tier iPads, it's still a pretty decent LCD screen that matches well with the lower-tier positioning of the iPad mini lineup.

Performance and Software

Major improvements

Unlike the premium iPads, which feature a chipset not even used by the MacBook lineup yet (the Apple M4), the iPad mini has always relied on an iPhone chipset. The new tablet is not any different.

One of the main improvements introduced by Apple on its new iPad mini is the 3nm Apple A17 Pro chipset on deck. That's actually Apple's ex-flagship chipset that powered the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro, so performance and efficiency shouldn't really be a concern for the potential adopters of the new iPad mini. There's also 8GB of RAM on deck, twice as much in comparison with the iPad mini 6.

Meanwhile, the older iPad mini 6th Gen comes with the Apple A15 chipset and 4GB of RAM. This chip was used on the iPhone 13 generation, so while not terribly outdated just yet, it noticeably lacks in power in comparison with the A17 Pro generation.

The old tablet was only available in 64GB and 256GB, but the new one can be yours with 128, 256, or 512GB, which is good news.

And here is the kicker: thanks to the A17 Pro, the new iPad mini will support all Apple Intelligence features that are coming with the iOS 18.1/iPadOS 18.1 update later this month. With the first wave of Apple Intelligence features, we will be getting Writing Tools, notification and email summarization, and more.

Read more about Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1 here.

Features-wise, the new iPad mini supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil with USB-C. The Apple Pencil 2nd Gen ISN'T supported on the iPad mini (A17 Pro). The older iPad mini 6th Gen, however, supports Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and Apple Pencil with USB-C.

On the connectivity front, we get Wi-Fi 6E on the new iPad mini, while the older tablet has Wi-Fi 6. The difference between the two isn't that big: with compatible network hardware, the new tablet should experience less latency.

Oh, and if you go for the cellular-enabled iPad mini with A17 Pro, be aware it only has eSIM support. The cellular iPad mini 6th Gen had a nano SIM slot as well as eSIM support.

Camera

Stagnation

Save for the iPad Pro line, cameras on tablets are usually an afterthought.

Nothing special with this here iPad mini (A17 Pro)––it has the same camera as its predecessor. We are talking about a 12MP wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a maximum digital zoom of 5X.

The front camera is the one you'd probably use more. Again, no changes: a 12MP FaceTime snapper with an f/2.4 aperture, Center Stage, and cinematic video stabilization. Sounds good enough for FaceTime and Zoom calls alright!

The only difference between the two generations is that the new iPad supports Smart HDR 4 for still photography, while the iPad mini 6th Gen only supports Smart HDR 3. That isn't something that should play such a big difference to the overall photo quality, as we don't really expect miracles from an affordable iPad's camera setup.

Battery Life and Charging

Possibly big improvement in battery endurance

While Apple hasn't disclosed the particularities of the iPad mini (A17 Pro)'s battery capacity, we can surmise that it's just about the same one as on the previous generation. The iPad mini 6th Gen came with a 5078mAh battery, so we'd actually be surprised if the new tablet features anything different.

While the battery capacity hasn't changed, the A17 Pro chip is certainly more efficient than the A15. Can we expect better battery endurance because of this? Well, we suppose that we might see slightly better battery life, though it's important to note that Apple's projected battery life figures haven't changed between iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad mini 6th Gen.

Both tablets are rated for up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and up to 9 hours of browsing on cellular.

Charging-wise, no changes once again. Both have USB-C ports and charge at up to 20W.

Specs Comparison

Here's how the iPad mini (A17 Pro) vs iPad mini 6th Gen specs compare:

Specs	iPad mini (A17 Pro)	iPad mini 6th Gen
Dimensions	195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm	195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm
Weight	297gr	297gr
Screen	8.3-inch LCD 60Hz 500 nits peak brightness	8.3-inch LCD 60Hz 500 nits peak brightness
Processor	Apple A17 Pro (3nm)	Apple A15 (5nm)
RAM, Storage and Price	8GB/128GB - $499 8GB/256GB - $599 8GB/512GB - $799	4GB/64GB 4GB/256GB
Cameras	12MP F1.8 12MP front, f/2.4	12MP F1.8 12MP front, f/2.4
Battery Size	5,078mAh	5,078mAh
Charging Speeds	20W wired USB-C	20W wired USB-C

Which one should you buy?

Well, probably nobody asked for this iPad release, but hey, at least we've got more storage and memory. It also has the sanitary minimum for Apple Intelligence support, which is cool.

The iPad mini is a pretty niche product that's far from a fan-favorite bestseller, but it still evokes some of the same charm that devices like the iPhone SE carry. After all, it's pretty inexpensive and compact for its class, making it a suitable purchase as a secondary tablet or for your kids to play with.

So, should you upgrade?

If you're a dedicated iPad mini user, then upgrading to the new model is probably a no-brainer. It features what we'd expect to be the biggest hardware refresh in the history of the iPad mini, so now is the time to get the compact tablet with some up-to-date brawn in tow.

If you've been pondering getting into the iPad scene, then we wouldn't say this is the perfect entry point, but it's the most affordable one, making it a proper gateway for the rest of the lineup. Worthy of consideration, at least.

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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.