Apple launches 7th gen iPad mini with A17 Pro chip; Price in Malaysia starts RM2,199
Apple has finally uncloaked the latest iteration of their iPad mini, their seventh generation to date. To jog your memory, the previous iPad mini launch took place three years ago in the throes of the Covid era. Back then, it came with the A15 Bionic chip.
Now in 2024, the new iPad mini (7th gen) will be powered by the A17 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU consisting of 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; and a 5-core GPU. According to Apple, all this adds up to a 30% boost in CPU performance and 25% boost in GPU performance over its predecessor.
The showstopper here seems to be that the new iPad mini will support Apple Pencil Pro, but as usual, it will be sold separately.
To no surprise, Apple is again pushing Apple Intelligence (AI) as its main marketing pivot, just like they did with the iPhone 16 series. Apple promises a whole suit of AI features compatible with the iPad mini. These include Writing Tools for rewriting and proofreading texts, Clean Up feature for removing unwanted objects in photos, and ChatGPT integration. The redesigned, context-aware Siri – as advertised during the iOS 18 and iPhone keynote events – will also be available on the iPad mini.
You can expect all these…eventually. The first set of Apple Intelligence is only set to hit the US market this month via the iPadOS 18.1 update, after which we can assume a global rollout that would take a little more time.
Elsewhere, the iPad mini’s display is similar to its previous generation. It sports the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, offering 2266×1488 resolution and 500nits brightness. The same can be said about the camera department, which maintains a 12MP wide rear camera and 12MP ultra-wide front camera.
The new iPad mini now also has support for Wi-Fi 6E.
In terms of colours, Apple has added two new options to their line-up. Alongside Starlight and Space Gray, you’ll now have the choice of Blue and Purple.
iPad mini (7th gen) price in Malaysia
Apple Malaysia has not confirmed the availability date for the iPad mini (7th gen), though we can expect it to arrive soon through the newly inaugurated Apple Store in TRX.
Here’s how the iPad mini (7th gen) is priced in Malaysia:
iPad mini (7th gen), Wi-Fi
- 128GB, Wi-Fi – RM2,199
- 256GB, Wi-Fi – RM2,599
- 512GB, Wi-Fi – RM3,499
iPad mini (7th gen), Wi-Fi + Cellular
- 128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular – RM2,899
- 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular – RM3,299
- 512GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular – RM4,199
These prices are without taking into account add-ons such as the Apple Pencil, Smart Folio, and AppleCare+.
If you do intend to bundle it with the Apple Pencil, that will cost you an additional RM349, while the Apple Pencil Pro will do further damage with an additional RM549.
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