Apple’s A17 Pro is key to the essence of this tablet’s upgrade. To make that clear, Apple is calling it the iPad mini with A17 Pro, not iPad mini seventh-generation. The chip update means that it’s capable of running Apple’s take on AI, called Apple Intelligence, which arrives soon.

The last-gen iPad mini 6 is back on sale at Amazon, returning to its all-time best price of $349.99 as the iPad mini 7 hits store shelves tomorrow.

The bigger iPads are increasingly competing with your laptop; the Mini very much still complements it. The Mini has always felt like an afterthought — updated only occasionally, forced to run apps and an OS clearly designed for larger screens — but the one-handed iPad was the one for me anyway.