The Best iPad Mini 7 Accessories (Revealing My Setup!)

We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.

The iPad mini remains my favourite iPad of all time because it has somehow managed to maintain some very specific use cases within my life. Other iPads usually fall by the wayside.

These use cases include consuming content, referencing stuff while filming YouTube videos, occasional note-taking and occasional writing. It isn’t my main device – I’m not someone who has switched from his Mac to an iPad full-time. I’ve tried, and I can’t. The iPad is still, as far as I’m concerned, a niche device in that regard.

What makes every iPad sing, however, is the stuff you add to it. The things you pair. The bits and bobs that make the iPad more than just a big iPhone. And this is where my favourite bunch of iPad mini 7 accessories comes in.

This isn’t a spectacular or particularly exciting list, but it does contain a bunch of iPad accessories that have merit beyond the initial “ooh, this is cool” factor. Which is what matters.

Case: Moft iPad Folio

You need a case of some description for your iPad mini 7. Just like all Apple gear, it’s a lovely thing to behold, naked, but it’s also very susceptible to bumps and scrapes.

The trick is finding a case that offers a degree of functionality beyond protection, and that’s where MOFT comes in. I’ve been using the Snap Float Folio for a while now, and it offers full protection for the front and rear of the iPad mini, along with the ability to fold itself into a stand.

The stand functionality has three modes, defined by MOFT as Sidecar, which elevates the iPad to eye level for better posture (handy for when you’re using it as a second display on your Mac), Study, which is perfect for consuming content, and Draw, where it lies in landscape orientation and slightly raised for the doodlers among you.

The iPad Folio is also scratch-resistant and made from rather nice MOVAS leather. I’m yet to find an iPad case as good as this one.

Keyboard: NuPhy Air60 + Nufolio

I don’t write regularly on my iPad mini. In fact, it’s quite a rare occurrence these days, but if I need to save weight or just fancy a change from the Mac, the combination of the iPad mini and the NuPhy Air60 mechanical keyboard is rather lovely.

That’s right – my recommendation for an iPad mini keyboard companion is a mechanical keyboard. 

The Air60 is, as the name suggests, a 60% keyboard, which means it’s missing the numpad and function keys. That’s essential for it to be a travel companion next to the diminutive iPad mini, but it’s not short on features.

Low-profile switches are included and you can choose from the usual range to suit your typing taste – if you know your mechanical keyboard onions. There’s also a backlight, RGB lights on the side, and a 1,000Hz polling rate which means absolutely nothing to me but is, I’m told, rather impressive for a keyboard of this size and price.

Battery life is rated at around a week of use, which seems consistent with my experience.

The best thing about the Air60, however, is the ability to pair it with the NuFolio case, which wraps around the keyboard when not in use and turns into a neat stand that can happily accommodate an iPad mini in landscape or portrait mode. Neat.

I still want a mini Magic Keyboard from Apple, though.

Screen protector: Paperlike

If you use your iPad for any form of writing, drawing, sketching, or Apple Pencil work that I can’t think of right now, you need a Paperlike.

It does two things. Firstly, it protects the display because it’s a screen protector. Secondly, it provides a new surface for your iPad mini’s display, which feels a bit like paper. Hence the name.

Using the Apple Pencil directly on the iPad mini display isn’t a particularly pleasurable experience. Using it on the Paperlike’s surface is joyous. Addictive, even.

And, yes, it’s easy to apply (you get two in the pack, just in case), and no, it doesn’t dull the colours of the iPad’s display. For around £35/$45, Paperlike is an absolute no-brainer.

Stylus: Apple Pencil Pro

There are some really interesting Apple Pencil alternatives on the market which cost significantly less than Apple’s in-house stylus. Both ESR and Benks have good options for this, but you will make some concessions such as the lack of pressure sensitivity.

If you don’t want to make any concessions at all and want the absolute best stylus (sorry, Apple, that’s exactly what we’re talking about here) for your iPad mini, the Apple Pencil Pro is the pinnacle. And it works with the iPad mini 7.

Sure, it costs £129/$129, but what you get in return is an Apple Pencil that features the never-not-impressive Squeeze feature, along with barrel roll (great for artists and people who care about their handwriting), and haptic feedback.

The Apple Pencil Pro is just the right size and weight and has superb battery life. There’s nothing better – and it’s worth adding to your iPad mini 7 budget for that reason.

P.S. We have an Apple pencil buying guide if you’re interested.

Charging brick: Anker 735 Nano ii

This won’t set your world alight, but you’ll thank me later.

The iPad mini doesn’t come with any form of charging brick, because it’s 2025. You get a nice USB-C cable, sure, but that ain’t gonna charge your little bundle of joy without some form of power.

I always turn to Anker for this kind of thing, and their 735 Nano ii – while possessing the least interesting name ever – is one of the best charging bricks I’ve found. Because it isn’t a brick.

It’s tiny, in fact, but thanks to GaN II tech, it’s capable of pumping out 65W of max charge and doesn’t get even remotely warm. There are two USB-C outputs and one USB-A, which I think covers most people’s charging requirements these days.

The 735 Nano ii is so good, in fact, I’ve just bought another one.

It’s just a shame the iPad mini only accepts 20W charging, eh?

Power bank: Anker Nano PowerBank

As you might expect, I get sent a lot of power banks to review. Only a select few end up being featured because most of them aren’t very interesting or unique at all. The Anker Nano PowerBank, however, is both of those things.

It costs about £35 and features a 10,000mAh battery nestled inside a very small frame. The Nano PowerBank provides up to 30W of charge (which is obviously more than enough for the iPad mini 7) and has a small colour display which reveals the charge time remaining and how long it’ll take for the bank to fully recharge.

However, it’s the built-in USB-C cable which is the winning element for me. It’s not too long to be annoying, but long enough to work perfectly with the iPad mini, even when elevated via the MOFT Float Folio. It’s just one less thing to carry around in terms of cabling, which makes the Nano PowerBank one of the most convenient accessories I’ve ever used. It goes everywhere with me.

Audio: AirPods 4 with ANC

The iPad mini 7 has surprisingly good speakers for its size (one of Apple’s special powers). But you will need a pair of earbuds if you want to get the most from it – both sonically and productively.

I review most new earbuds that hit the market, but if you’re an Apple person, there’s no better alternative to AirPods. They are one of Apple’s few ‘magic’ products these days which get pretty much everything right.

I could, of course, recommend the AirPods Pro 2, because they’re the pinnacle of the lineup and are utterly brilliant. Instead, though, I’m going to point you in the direction of the AirPods 4 with active noise cancelling (ANC). The reason is simple – they cost less and offer most of the benefits of their silicon-tipped big brothers.

The sound is great. The noise cancelling is great, all things considered, and they benefit from the best passthrough mode on the market. The AirPods 4 are also powered by the H2 chip, which means they have personalised spatial audio with head tracking, Conversation Awareness, and all of the trick EQ stuff that makes them sound so good, no matter where you are.

There’s just one caveat, and it’s one from which I unfortunately suffer. They may not fit your ears. I’m pretty sure that Apple has, largely, got this right, and that only a small proportion of the population will struggle with AirPods 4, but I advise trying them before you buy. For me, the left earbud is never secure, which is desperately frustrating.

The fact I dearly wish I didn’t have the Left Ear Problem reveals everything you need to know about AirPods 4.

(BTW if you are torn, read our AirPods 4 vs AirPods Pro 2 buying guide).

Mouse: Logitech MX Master 3s

Truth be told, I don’t use a mouse very often with my iPad mini, but if the situation ever calls for it, there’s only one that I reach for – the Logitech MX Master 3s.

I wax lyrical about this mouse all the time, but I’ve just realised that I never detail its specs. Which is silly.

The MX Master 3s has an 8K DPI tracking sensor, glass tracking, silent(ish) clicks, loads of configurable buttons, and very convenient charging (it lasts for 70 days and you’ll get three hours from a one-minute charge). You can also pair up to three devices and switch quickly between them via the button on the base of the mouse.

Oh, it’s also the most ergonomic thing you’ll ever place in your hand. Ever.

There’s a reason lots of us annoying tech YouTubers go on, and on, and on, and on about this mouse.

Just buy it.

Wrap up

I’ve shown you mine – now it’s time to show me yours.

What’s in your perfect iPad mini setup? What have I missed above that people should be aware of?

Oh yeah, and if you’re curious, you can also read up on my M4 Mac Mini setup too.

A big thank you to MOFT and Paperlike for supporting this content!