Apple’s current (sixth-generation) iPad mini debuted in September 2021, making it more than two years since the small tablet has seen an update. Happily, an updated version of the device is expected to see daylight sometime in 2024. What can we expect to see from an updated iPad mini? When will it be released?
We can likely see the iPad mini’s processor receive a bump. At a minimum, we should see a faster A16 Bionic chip. Updated front and rear-facing cameras should come along for the ride. The current iPad mini cameras are a 12-megapixel rear camera with an ƒ/1.8 aperture and a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with an ƒ/2.4 aperture.
We’ll also likely see the next iPad mini include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, bringing faster Wi-Fi speeds and improved Bluetooth connectivity. Apple already offers Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support in its latest iPad Pro, iPhone 15 Pro models, and most new Macs.
Apple is also expected to update the iPad mini with an improved LCD screen and a more powerful processor. The new LCD display will reportedly fix the iPad mini’s much-reported “jelly scrolling” issues. Jelly scrolling is when text or images on one side of the screen appear to be tilted downwards because of a mismatch in refresh rates. Users usually see this when quickly scrolling through content, such as when viewing a webpage.
Apple seems a bit infatuated with new colors for their devices when they update them, so we may also see new available colors, which would either replace or complement the current Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, and Purple color options.
Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says we can likely expect to see mass production of the seventh generation begin at some point in the second half of 2024. If Apple sticks to tradition, it will likely debut sometime in September or October, based on that production timeframe.