The iPad mini 7th-gen is built for Apple Intelligence, but it’s still a better realization of Apple’s tablets for most users.

I should confess right up front that I have always loved the iPad Mini. I’ve owned several; I’ve bought them as gifts for multiple family members. I want a tablet I can use to read in bed, throw into my overstuffed carry-on bag, or prop up on the toaster to help me cook dinner. The Mini is the one.

Apple’s A17 Pro is key to the essence of this tablet’s upgrade. To make that clear, Apple is calling it the iPad mini with A17 Pro, not iPad mini seventh-generation. The chip update means that it’s capable of running Apple’s take on AI, called Apple Intelligence, which arrives soon.

Like the iPhone 16, the iPad Mini (A17 Pro) features RecoveryOS, which allows nearby iDevices to wirelessly revive it if bricked.

The iPad mini 7 reviews are in, and they're mostly positive. Here's what critics are saying about Apple's smallest tablet.

The most important thing about the new iPad mini is that, on the one hand, it’s a pretty minimal update. It got a better processor—the A17 Pro from last year’s Pro iPhones—and Apple supposedly fixed a display refresh problem that previously caused what is known as jellyscrolling,

The iPad Mini (A17 Pro) still suffers from the jelly scrolling effect, but it’s not as prominent when compared to its predecessor.