I’ve been using the M5 iPad Pro (11-inch) for the last couple of weeks (I grabbed it on launch day), and I wanted to compare the real user experience to my iPad Mini 7—an iPad I’ve genuinely loved since release. The Mini 7 is still one of my favorite iPads of all time for what it is: the perfect reading tablet and basically a Kindle replacement that actually feels like a book in your hand. It’s also a surprisingly great little gaming device, especially with a controller. But the second you try to do “work” on it, the limitations show up fast. The biggest differences come down to productivity and display. The iPad Pro is razor thin, super light for its size, and the tandem OLED display is absolutely out of this world—bright, punchy, and with inky blacks. Meanwhile, the Mini 7 is stuck at 60Hz LCD, and to me it often feels dim unless you’re using it at night. Performance-wise, the A17 Pro is fine for typical use, but the M5 iPad Pro is next level for multitasking—Safari with a ton of tabs, YouTube playing, notes open, all at once, no problem—plus 12GB RAM on the base model. I also talk about battery (pretty similar overall), but fast charging on the iPad Pro has been a game changer. And if you care about external displays, the Pro wins hard with true extended display support (and up to 120Hz), while the Mini is stuck duplicating with black bars. In the end, I’m sticking with the iPad Pro—but if you want the best pure tablet form factor, the Mini still shines.