Apple finally unveiled and made available the latest iPad mini 7, one of the most awaited releases from the Cupertino tech giant this year, and one of its biggest features touted by the company is Apple Intelligence. While Apple's iPad mini 7 went ahead of the Apple Intelligence's releases, which were only made available early this week, it is considered as one of the cheapest ways to get access to the latest AI model.
It is known that Apple products do not go cheap, but there are certain affordable devices available now that also guarantee Apple Intelligence access, and here is why the iPad mini 7 is the best there is for now.
Top 3 Reasons Why iPad mini 7 Is the Cheapest for Apple Intelligence
In the middle of last week, Apple debuted the iPad mini 7 after massive requests from fans, and it debuted the iconic small form factor tablet which features an all-new chipset, capabilities, and experiences that are available to purchase now. This highly anticipated device went over three years since it was last refreshed by Apple, and this was an infamous release, as the iPad mini 6 was plagued with jelly scrolling issues which led to a lawsuit.
The latest announcement from Apple revealed that the iPad mini 7 is an all-new device that fixes the issues found on the previous model, and not only that, it is the most advanced in the lineup as it features the A17 Pro chipset.
With this new processor, it is guaranteed to run Apple Intelligence, one of the most coveted technologies available now, and its pricing makes it the most affordable device to get the said experience.
Price Point
For users who are planning to get Apple Intelligence but have older devices, browsing Apple's latest catalog of technology may discourage them from buying a new one as all are at a premium. However, the new iPad mini 7 only starts at $499 for its 128GB Wi-Fi only variant in the U.S.
To compare, the cheapest iPhone 16 with only 128GB already costs $799, the 11-inch iPad Air with M2 chip and 128GB storage starts at $599, and the MacBook Air with M2 and 256GB storage starts at $999.
It is already cheaper by $100 compared to the latest base model of the iPad Air, and it does not come close to the iPhone 16 and MacBook Air M2's pricing.
Chipset Installed
It is important to note that the iPad mini 7 was given the A17 Pro chipset, which Apple last used for the iPhone 15 Pro series from last year. According to recent discoveries, the iPad mini 7 uses the "binned" version of the A17 Pro, and it has one less GPU core for a total of five (5).
On the other hand, the main release with the iPhone 15 Pro uses the one with six cores. Despite this, analysts claim that it will not get much performance changes and it was said that the iPad mini 7 can still run Apple Intelligence without a hitch.
Release Date
The iPad mini 7 is also the best tablet to get in the market now because it is one of the most recently released devices from Apple, particularly as it only debuted on Oct. 23. Apple's iPad mini 7 is a brand new device, and users will not feel like they are downgrading despite getting a 2023-released chipset.
