iPad mini (A17 Pro): Apple Intelligence, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 128GB, Wi-Fi 6E, 12MP Front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life — Space Gray

I love iPads. I’ve had one ever since they came out because of the ease of use, good connection, and speed. The battery life makes it a good value. So this smaller version was purchased as a Christmas present for my 10-year-old daughter. She uses my old iPhone 7 to play games and text. So with all my experiences with Ipads, I'm confident the mini will be the same great quality with the same durability, clear screen and ease of viewing pages as the bigger Ipad. I like the way it looks, because it’s smaller, lighter, can easily fit in ny purse. I might have to get one for myself as well. I'm not ready to allow her to have a phone connected for calls. She can engage in learning apps for school and feel like it's her own device that we still keep at home without the worry of her losing it. I hate seeing kids constantly glued to their devices. So I know time management, self control, discipline, and many conversations about how to use it for education are going to be a part of the our learning process. Plus it’s going to be a good punishment reminder if rules aren’t followed. I will be buying a good screen protector and case to insure a lasting durable product.

Apple's been making pads for as long as I can recall, and for the most part they are all terrific. They run the Apple approved apps just as intended so no surprise there. Setup was super quick because Apple "sees" what devices you already have in their ecosystem and sets up new devices with little input necessary from you. I like the screen size and quality. The size is big enough for almost every task/game and the weight is better than having to hold their larger sized screens. Getting the pad to link to my router was super easy as well. I can't speak to the sound quality. Most of my apps don't have sounds, and when a game that I use comes on, I've already opted to turn the sound off. My recollection is that it sounds like a tiny speaker so forget about anything approaching high fidelity. Apple devices have always proved to be durable and I expect this will be too. I haven't dropped it yet and I have a protective sleeve around it for a time when it does slip from my hands. Apple gives you a magnetic cover in the box so you have something to cover the unit but it's not meant to save it from a fall. Are Apple tablets providing value for the money? That's a good question. People who buy other brand tablets might know better than me. I've always only worked with Apple tablets because they sync so well with their other products.

Am using this in my 2026 Tesla Juniper Y. It is mounted with magnets just below my (third party adjustable) main screen. It's the perfect size to watch movies and works great. With my iPhone 14 Pro used as a hot spot, I can now enjoy watching Prime et al as my Tesla drives me around. Android options for the Juniper (like the Screenmate One) just takeover the entire main screen which is not for me. Now I got movie screens front row and back row in my Y. Despite folks complaining about its LCD and 60mhz, it shows movies and Youtube videos just fine for me. I had also seriously considered a new iPad Mini 6 but could only find 64 GB standard memory to be available. The Mini 7 is overpriced enough so I wont be upgrading to iPad Mini 8.

The Apple iPad Mini 7 in Starlight is absolutely amazing! The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is crisp, vibrant, and perfect for everything from reading to drawing to streaming. Performance is incredibly smooth thanks to the A17 Pro chip — apps open instantly, multitasking is seamless, and gaming or creative work runs flawlessly. The 12MP front and back cameras take stunning photos and videos, and Touch ID adds both security and convenience. I also love the all-day battery life — it truly lasts throughout my busiest days without needing a charge. With 256GB of storage and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, it’s a powerhouse in a compact form. This iPad Mini is a perfect blend of portability, performance, and style — I couldn’t be happier!

This iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip is an absolute lifesaver on the wards. The 8.3-inch size is the biggest selling point—it fits perfectly right into my white coat pocket. During rounds, it's incredibly easy to whip out for quick note-taking or to look up something on Amboss without dragging a bulky laptop around. The A17 Pro chip handles switching between UWorld, the hospital EMR, and my notes without a single stutter. If you're hitting the floors, this is the exact piece of tech you need.

Small and convenient to carry. Love it!

I got an iPad Mini to replace my Kindle Colorsoft for reading and it has been awesome. I was worried at first because I always enjoyed reading on an e-ink display and have used a Kindle since 2021. It did take me a week or so to adjust to the LCD screen on the iPad but now I don't notice it at all and it is well worth the switch to me. I made a list of pros because I wanted to be sure the money I was spending on an iPad was worth it. Here's my list broken into two parts - the first is specific to the iPad Mini and the second is based on the Kindle iOS app vs reading on a Kindle device. iPad Mini Pros -Font is crystal clear and sharp with no ghosting -Better auto-brightness (I never have to fiddle with the brightness! I hated this on the Kindle!) -Auto-warmth (I set mine to sundown to sunrise) -Integrated Audible control (can control via the Control Panel or in the Kindle app, and can access Audible app) -Integrated music control (don't have to pick up my phone every time I want to set/control background music) -Great for reading manga (images are clear and you can turn the iPad sideways to show 2 pages at once) -Maps are a lot easier to see and you can zoom in on them -Device is more responsive overall (faster page turning, faster highlighting, faster loading times) -The ability to access other apps (I use OneNote and Notes when I read, nice to have Goodreads too) -Aluminum backing is durable and easy to clean with fun color options -Very comfortable to hold in your hand and feels premium -The lock button is on the top rather than on the bottom of the device -More customization for lock screen and home screen (can incorporate character art, quotes, book covers, etc.) Kindle iOS App Pros (these functions are not available on the Kindle devices) -Continuous scroll option -Page turn animations -You can customize the information that shows when you tap bottom left of page -You can show a reading progress bar on the lock screen (I prefer a progress bar to a percentage) -"Search in book" function (can highlight a word and search the book rather than using Search function) -"Search on web" function (helpful to me when there's a word I want a visual of, such as a castle "crenulation") -Can view your reading streaks and challenges **UPDATE: AI has now been integrated into the books. You can use the "Ask" function to search for anything you want and the AI program will only search from the pages you have read to give you an answer. This is seriously game changing for me. I never have to go back and search for a character name, place or thing or look through my highlights. I can just use the AI function and will get a much more comprehensive and time efficient answer.** The things I miss from the Kindle is the always-on display that shows the cover of the book, the ability to import custom fonts, the ability to bold the font (idk why this isn't a thing on the Kindle app), and the longer battery life. The battery life on the iPad Mini is the only con I have, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I read about 1-2 hours a day and can get 4-5 days out of the battery before I have to charge it if I'm only reading. If I use the iPad for other content like watching videos in addition to reading, I get 2-3 days of battery life. I don't mind charging it because I have a charger always out and ready to go and it charges quickly so it doesn't impact my experience much. Overall, I'm glad I tried the iPad Mini and don't plan on going back to a Kindle device. I'm hoping Apple continues to update the iPad Minis with features like the always-on display and OLED screens.

I had an iPad mini fourth generation years ago, and then updated to a fifth generation. Skipped the sixth. Decided to splurge on this one due to a trade-in offer. I can only compare to my fifth generation, but the processor is definitely faster. The extra ram makes it speedier as well, and it can now handle the AI features of iOS 18.2 if that matters to you. As with the other generations, this size is very good in that it gives you a larger screen than your phone, but doesn’t give you the bulk of a full-size iPad if you’re just doing simple and casual things. Battery so far, is what I would call above average but not quite as good as previous generations I’ve used. As with a lot of people however, I’m going to have to knock a star off and criticize Apple for the screen. I could live without 120 Hz if they had increased the brightness. Or even perhaps just bumped it up to 90 Hz, and bumped up the brightness level a bit. But they pretty much did nothing after several years of waiting for this update. It has pretty much the exact same screen as to generation before it, and there was really no excuse at this price point for that. It’s still an OK screen, it’s just that it should’ve been updated at least a little. I don’t notice the infamous jelly scroll issue really hardly at all and in the way I use it it’s not an issue. The camera could have also been updated. Again, most people don’t use their iPads as something they take camera photos with much, but it too was not updated as well over the previous generation. Just the software tweaked a little. Again, boo to Apple. My opinion is that this is worth it if you can get it on sale or get a good trade-in value for it. But due to the negligence of not updating the screen or camera, I’m not quite sure I’m fully raving about it at full price.