iPad mini 7 delay will see 2024 release alongside another affordable iPad

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Rumors of a next-generation iPad mini have circulated for a while now, yet we’re still waiting for an upgrade to Apple’s tiny tablet. According to a new report, the iPad mini 7 will be released slightly later than anticipated in 2024 alongside another affordable iPad.

Ming-Chi Kuo, writing on Medium, reports that the iPad mini 7 will enter mass production in the second half of 2024, a slight delay on the previously reported Q1 2024 prediction. This hints at a potential Autumn release, perfect for the holiday season.

The iPad mini 6 was released in 2021 and is starting to lag behind the other iPads in Apple’s lineup due to an older A15 Bionic chip compared to the M-series chips found in the iPad Air and iPad Pro models. Not only is the hardware showing its age, the iPad mini 6 suffers from “jelly scrolling” that causes a wave-like effect when scrolling through pages.

According to Kuo, the iPad mini 7 will be joined alongside a new 11th-generation iPad that will likely enter production around the same time. New refreshes to the mini and the iPad will overhaul Apple’s iPad lineup, with the company expected to discontinue the iPad 9th generation by the end of 2024.

2024, the year of the iPad?

With rumors of a new larger 12.9 inch iPad Air and a massive OLED display upgrade coming to the iPad Pro in 2024, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Apple’s tablets. That said, for years, the iPad’s hardware has outpaced the software experience of the device, so hopefully, if Apple plans to refresh the iPad landscape in 2024, we’ll also get some major changes to iPadOS 18.

If you’re looking to pick up an iPad before the end of the year or maybe purchase one as a holiday gift, Black Friday is just around the corner, and iMore has you covered for all the best iPad Black Friday deals.

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John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.