Apple could release an updated iPad mini 7 by spring 2024 with a quick spec update but no major design changes, according to an analyst.
- What’s happening? Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the next iPad mini will arrive early next year, with mass production starting in the first quarter of 2024.
- Why care? Previously, Kuo hasn’t been as precise about a possible launch date for the iPad mini 7. However, his latest tweets give us a better idea of when we might be able to get our hands on the seventh generation iPad mini.
- What to do? See Kuo’s Twitter account for details.
Kuo: updated iPad mini 7 may be released in early 2024
A few weeks ago, Kuo said that the next iPad mini would begin mass shipping either towards the end of 2023 or in the first half of 2024.
His latest tweets point to the start of mass production of the device at the beginning of the first quarter of 2024. If this is true, Apple could release the iPad mini 7 by spring 2024. It also means there won’t be an iPad mini update in 2023 like before. suggested.
The analyst did not say anything about possible new hardware changes to the iPad mini line that may be in the works. Previously, Kuo made a prediction that the device could get a faster chip, but won’t give up. Of course, a faster chip is the bare minimum expected from any Apple hardware upgrade, so that might be the best bet.
Kuo says there may not be new iPad models at all this year, which he believes means annual iPad shipments could drop by 10 to 15 percent.
Will the next iPad mini get ProMotion?
The next iPad mini should be a boring spec upgrade. The current 8.3-inch model, released in September 2021, has undergone a major design change, adopting an all-screen design with Touch ID built into the power button.
Whether the next iPad mini will be able to use ProMotion remains an open question. ProMotion is an Apple technology that delivers dynamic screen refresh rates from 120Hz for games and other fast-paced content to 30Hz or as little as a few hertz (full frame redraw per second) for content that doesn’t refresh. change as often as watching a video or reading a book.
In other words, ProMotion on the next iPad mini will deliver a maximum screen refresh rate of 120Hz, up from the current 60Hz cap. ProMotion is currently used on Pro-branded iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and all iPad Pro models. Read: 33 things to do after setting up a Mac