Instead of using the fanfare and spotlight of the September Glowtime event, Apple chose to introduce a new iPad mini rather silently, via a press release and new pre-order page. It comes in the same portable shape and size as before, but with a new, powerful chip — the A17 Pro.
Obviously, the iPad mini 7th gen was refreshed so it can support the new Apple Intelligence features (coming soon ™). But there's one tablet that was left behind. The reliable old iPad 10th gen.
The last time the iPad 10 got any sort of update was early this year, when its price was dropped. It starts at $349, making it the most affordable tablet in the Apple lineup. The hardware itself, well that's still the good old iPad that was launched in 2022. And if we want to get really picky here, the chip inside is an apple A14 Bionic, which launched with the iPhone 12 in 2020.
So, the iPad mini is definitely the more powerful device here, with its A17 Pro. It's more pricey too, starting at $499. So the simple answer from the get-go is — if you just want the cheapest Apple tablet, that's still the iPad 10th gen. If you want a tiny tablet, for one reason or another, that's the iPad mini. However, if you want the cheapest Apple tablet that also has contemporary power and features — like Apple Intelligence — then the answer to that is the iPad mini, again.
If you are still undecided, you are in luck, we go more in depth!
iPad mini (A17 Pro) vs iPad 10th gen differences explained:
iPad mini (A17 Pro)
iPad 10th gen
Small tablet, 8.3", can be held in one palm while drawing with the other
A "regular" 10.9-inch tablet for most use cases
Supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C
Supports base Apple Pencil (1st gen, and USB-C variant)
Tiny versus pretty regular (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Apple has slowly but surely made all iPads look the same. The all-screen front is present on all of them, albeit the cheaper models have a slightly thicker frame than the Pros. The selfie camera of the iPad mini is still on the top bezel, unlike all other iPads who have it moved to the side frame for horizontal orientation (a.k.a. 99% of the situations you are FaceTiming).
So, it's no surprise that the iPad mini looks like a smaller version of the iPad 10th gen. But it's actually the higher quality product. Yes, it's more expensive because of the hardware inside, but the screen is also laminated. It's a process where the digitizer and the actual display panel are fused into one layer, making the glass appear like it's thinner (well, it is in a way). And the coating on top is anti-reflective.
The screen of the base iPad 10th gen doesn't look bad per se, but it definitely appears more "sunken into" the body of the tablet. Also, the base iPad has no anti-reflective coating, so it definitely gives you a less-than-premium experience when using. Also, the iPad 10th gen has an sRGB color profile, the iPad mini 7 has a wide color P3 one, which matters more for pro graphic work.
In other words, people that are looking for a portable device to sketch on, or do quick graphic designs, may lean towards the iPad mini a bit more. Though, if that's the case, we do think the iPad Air M2 11", for $599 will offer a bigger canvas and more flexibility. Yes, that's the Apple pricing at work here, always pushing you to spend that $100 extra.
But you can still skirt around it if you don't insist on P3 and can do without the laminated screen. The bigger 10.9" screen of the iPad 10th gen lends itself much more for a wide selection of everyday tasks. From doing homework, to reading books, to binging Netflix and gaming. The iPad mini can definitely do these things, but its screen will feel constricting for more prolonged or focused sessions. It's definitely a tablet that puts portability first.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
If consumer viewing comfort is the only priority here, both of these screens have the toggleable True Tone auto-tuning to match your ambient light, and Night Shift to filter out blues in the evenings.
Does the iPad mini 7 still have the jello effect when scrolling up and down rapidly? Yes. It may be a bit less prominend than on the iPad mini 6th gen, but it's visible. Especially when scrolling long pieces of text — like this review, for example. It's a bit distracting, though people have gotten used to it and take it as a necessary evil when dealing with such a small tablet that also supports such an exceptional stylus like the Apple Pencil.
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Also, there's no official keyboard cover for the iPad mini, though Apple proudly states that it supports Bluetooth keyboards — imagine if it didn't. The iPad 10th gen does have a proprietary Magic Keyboard Folio for it, which is pretty nice, but also a bit expensive at $250. That's... almost the price of the iPad itself.ƒ
Both tablets unlock via a fingerprint reader embedded in the power button — we've had that since the iPad Air 4th gen and it works quite quickly and reliably.
Performance and Software
M1 capabilities in an A17 chip
Up until October of 2024, Apple claimed that the new Apple Intelligence features are coming to iPads equipped with an M1 chip or above. Well, add a tiny correction to that. The new iPad mini 7th gen has an A17 Pro chip inside. The same silicon that was in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. So it has now been added to the official FAQs that AI is comming to iPads with M1 and above or A17 Pro.
In other words, yes, the iPad mini (A17 Pro) will also support Apple's AI. It will also run pro apps faster than the iPad 10th gen, which has an old Apple A14 Bionic inside (the SoC that was in the iPhone 12).
So, while the mini is smaller, it's also faster. And, for the gamers out there — it will run Assassin's Creed, Resident Evil, Death Stranding, and the other AAA games that should be popping up in the App Store in the future.
The question on everyone's mind is — will the iPad mini (A17 Pro) also be able to run Stage Manager when you hook it up to an external monitor? Well, the processor is powerful enough, but we regret to inform you that no, you won't be able to carry it around and do desktop work wherever you find a hub to connect to. Stage Manager remains a feature exclusive to the iPad Air and up.
Camera
Same thing
Big Brother (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Few out there use a huge tablet as their main everyday camera, and manufacturers aren't putting a whole lot of weight into the cameras of their tablets, of course. You need a good enough selfie camera for video calls, and a good enough rear camera for document scans or just quick, impromptu pictures of random things and fleeting moments.
Both the iPad 10th gen and iPad mini 7th have a 12 MP main camera and 12 MP front camera — that's it. They perform very much the same, which in our experience with previous iPads is in the realm of "Quite OK".
The front cameras have the ultra-wide lenses on them to allow iPadOS to use the Center Stage feature. That's the one where the camera automatically zooms in on your face and follows you around, so you are not tied down to one particular spot while on a video call.
Battery Life and Charging
"All day"
USB-C for everybody! (Image credit - PhoneArena)
Apple says both of these will allow for up to 10 hours of web browsing or video binging. So, their battery performance should be around the same, but that doesn't sound right, does it? Well, we ran them through our eaborate battery tests to see what's up:
Well, the iPad mini does, indeed, hold its own. In fact, its battery performs quite evenly across the board, no matter what you are doing. Whereas, that bigger screen on the iPad 10th gen does draw more power when binging YouTube and gaming. Though, we also assume that the A14 Bionic chip is just less efficient.
These are very different tablets for very different needs. The iPad mini, in particular, is a very niche device. It's more powerful than many tablets out there, but doesn't offer a lot of screen to work on. It's for those that need truly portable power, especially if you need to sketch with the Apple Pencil on the go.
The iPad 10th gen is more of a "catch-all" tablet. It's cheap, by iPad standards, and it supports the basic Apple Pencil, a basic Magic Keyboard Folio (though, its price is anything but basic), and has the core iPadOS features.
So, to answer the question — most people will want the iPad 10th gen, unless they are willing to shell out for something like the iPad Air M2 or iPad Pro M4. But be careful — it's quite possible that Apple will do a silent launch of the iPad 11th gen to bring AI features to its most affordable iPad line in the near future.
Those that need the portability and the power and pro experience... well, they already have the iPad mini in their shopping cart.
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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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