One of my favorite Apple devices just got a serious upgrade. Apple announced the new iPad mini, equipped with the A17 Pro chip (the same processor found in the latest iPhones), which will allow it to run Apple Intelligence.
The new iPad mini also supports Apple Pencil Pro and Wi-Fi 6E, offering precision for document review, presentation annotation, and remote work. The expanded Apple Pencil support enables instant sketching and note-taking.
It starts at $499 and starts shipping October 23. So… should you get one? If your iPad mini is older than 6th generation, it’s time to upgrade. Some older models will run iPadOS 18, but you won’t get the AI features without the newer chips. Will it be worth it? Not if you don’t need a new device. I’m going to wait to see how useful Apple Intelligence is on my iPhone 16 Pro Max before trading in my perfectly fine iPad mini (which is my favorite iPad form factor).
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.