The new iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air 6 are both long-awaited upgrades to Apple’s biggest tablets, but the launch has been worryingly quiet for the iPad mini. Does this mean Apple’s smallest tablet is on the chopping block? Not necessarily, according to the latest rumors, although its future remains uncertain.
We confirmed with Apple that the current iPad mini 6 is the same model as before Apple’s iPad 2024 event, and the same price. So despite the big changes we saw in its bigger siblings, including an M4 chip for the iPad Pro, Apple hasn’t given its 8.3-inch tablet any trouble.
That’s a little disappointing for fans of the compact tablet, but not all is lost. Last month, Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman claimed that Apple is “also working on new versions of the low-end iPad and iPad mini,” but that they won’t come “until the end of the year at the earliest.”
This echoed an earlier report from a respected analyst Ming Chi Kuo, which stated that mass production of the iPad mini 7 had merely been “postponed” rather than canceled. These remain the last credible rumors we’ve heard about an iPad mini 7, so there’s still a chance we’ll see it release later this year, even with just a minor processor upgrade.
That said, Gurman predicted that Apple’s low-cost iPad would be “a cost-cutting version of the 2022 10th generation model,” and that’s what happened yesterday (albeit sooner than he predicted). Apple has killed off the ninth-generation iPad, offering a $100 discount on the price of the tenth-generation version.
As it stands, the iPad mini lives on, with rumors still predicting a refreshed iPad mini 7 is in the works. But because it’s the only iPad-related product in the Apple Store that doesn’t have a “new” label, its future still looks a bit uncertain.
Is the iPad mini still relevant?
The iPad mini is now clearly caught between Apple’s larger tablets and the ever-growing iPhone. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro lineup is expected to grow in size this year and include 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screens (on the Pro and Pro Max models).
Apple’s reluctance to give the iPad mini 6, which launched in 2021, even a minor spec upgrade also suggests that interest in the compact tablet has waned. But the tablet also continues to enjoy something of a cult following, with many finding it an ideal size for taking notes and watching movies on the go.
The current iPad mini is also a great size for reading books and playing games, so future-proof specs with a new processor (most likely the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 Pro and Max) would likely be enough to keep fans happy. An M1 chip would of course be even better, but could push the price too high.
At this point, this remains the most likely scenario according to the latest speculation, even if Apple’s iPad 2024 event has understandably put a dent in those hopes. While Apple’s new tablets look like dead evidence at the top of our guide to the best tablets, the iPad mini still lives on – with the iPad mini 6 still a solid option, especially if you get a cheaper refurbished version, if you need a compact tablet.