iPad mini (2021) review

Up to date on 19 October 2022 to mirror a value hike within the UK.

The iPad mini has been a long-time favorite amongst followers, and after a interval devoid of significant updates, the small-screen pill has lastly bought the love and a focus it deserves. Sporting a reinvigorated design much like that of the remainder of the premium iPad assortment, and efficiency to match, the sixth-gen iPad mini is healthier trying and extra succesful than ever. The catch? There’s a brand new price ticket to mirror the upgraded smarts on supply.

The query is, is the sixth-gen iPad mini definitely worth the £569/$499 asking value? Maintain studying to seek out out. 

Design and equipment

• Refreshed design much like the iPad Air
• Elevated show dimension with out an elevated footprint
• USB-C & Contact ID
• Second-gen Apple Pencil assist, however no Magic Keyboard

The iPad mini 6 is the redesign of Apple’s small-screen pill that followers have been ready for, bringing the design extra according to that of the iPad Air and iPad Professional vary. The truth is, it’s so much like the iPad Air that it might’ve been referred to as the iPad Air Mini if that wasn’t such a mouthful, sporting the identical close to bezel-free look, Contact ID-enabled Energy button and extra, although there are just a few essential variations. Extra on these in a bit.  

The important thing design change is a bigger show, leaping from 7.9in on the iPad mini 5 to eight.3in on the iPad mini 6, however due to the slimmer bezels, it measures in at a close to equivalent 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3mm. Meaning the iPad mini is simply as dinky and moveable because it was earlier than, however with a much-improved show expertise.

Mixed with a weight of simply 293g, it’s the one iPad which you could comfortably use one-handed. Whereas I like the massive show of the 458g iPad Air and 682g iPad Professional 12.9in, there’s one thing refreshing about having a one-handed pill expertise. Plus, the power to hold it round in a big pocket can also be a giant win for portability. 

The iPad mini can also be out there in quite a lot of new colors together with Pink, Starlight, Area Gray and the Purple of our overview unit. Whereas it appears to be like superbly purple in Apple’s renders, the end is extra muted in actual life, not trying that dissimilar to the Area Gray mannequin in some lighting circumstances. That stated, the English Lavender folio case (offered individually) does assist the color pop. 

No matter color choice, you’ll discover stereo audio system on the prime and backside of the iPad mini, offering a stereo expertise that’ll alter relying on the orientation of the pill with a stunning quantity of energy, accompanied by the Contact ID-enabled Energy button and quantity buttons on the highest and a USB-C port on the underside.

It’s the primary time the amount buttons have appeared on the highest of an iPad, and whereas it initially took a little bit of adjustment, I now favor the comfort of getting all of the buttons in a single place. 

Why transfer the amount buttons in any respect? It was to make approach for second-gen Apple Pencil assist, bringing the upgraded stylus expertise to the small-screen pill for the primary time, together with magnetic wi-fi charging. The small dimensions of the pill meant that, not like the iPad Air and its ample house on the aspect, the amount keys would get in the way in which of the Apple Pencil when docked. 

The second-gen Apple Pencil is a pleasure to make use of on the iPad mini, whether or not you’re jotting down notes utilizing Fast Notes whereas engaged on a venture or cooking up your subsequent inventive imaginative and prescient in Procreate, with impressively low latency, correct strain and angle detection and a no-fuss charging system. 

Although the brand new Apple Pencil expertise is a welcome change for iPad mini customers, it doesn’t get the equally-impressive Magic Keyboard expertise regardless of the accent being out there for the iPad Air.

It’s right down to a scarcity of Good Connector on the rear of the iPad mini, which means you’re relegated to plain iPad mini keyboards. That’s not essentially a nasty factor, with nice third-party keyboard instances out there, nevertheless it gained’t present the identical premium expertise as Apple’s official accent. 

Show

• Greatest pixel density of any iPad
• Shiny, vivid colors are good for movie-watching
• 60Hz refresh fee limits the expertise
• Small show isn’t suited to split-screen multitasking

Packing a bigger show with thinner bezels than its predecessor, the 8.3in LED IPS show of the sixth-gen iPad mini is phenomenal for a pill of its dimension.

The visuals produced are vivid and crisp whether or not you’re catching up on Marvel’s What If? on Disney+ or doodling on Procreate, with respectable brightness that permits for out of doors use (albeit with reflections) – as much as 518cd/m2 in benchmark checks.

Colors pop with spectacular vibrancy, a lot in order that I virtually forgot that it’s not truly an OLED or Mini-LED powering the expertise, with solely the not-quite-deep blacks giving the sport away. 

Nonetheless, it’s detailed. Extra detailed, in reality, than every other iPad in Apple’s product line – and that features the iPad Professional – due to its miniature dimension.

The mixture of an 8.3in show and a formidable 2266 x 1488 decision gives a pixel density of 326ppi, far surpassing the 264ppi normal throughout the remainder of the iPad assortment, in addition to smoking a lot of the Android competitors too (sure the 179ppi Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, I’m taking a look at you). In case you’re a self-confessed pixel-chaser, the excessive pixel density of the iPad mini 6 will possible attraction to you. 

However whereas it’s sharper than its siblings, the small show does have its downsides; specifically in relation to multitasking.

Regardless of providing the identical split-screen and floating window multitasking options as the remainder of the iPad vary (full with new simpler to make use of toggles in iPadOS 15), the smaller dimensions of the show imply that textual content can shortly change into small, and icons change into arduous to faucet. So when you can multitask on the iPad mini, the bigger show of the iPad 10.2in, iPad Air or both iPad Professional can be higher suited. 

With such a premium show expertise on supply from the iPad mini 6, it’s a disgrace that it doesn’t supply the 120Hz ProMotion show tech out there on the iPad Professional vary and up to date iPhone 13 Professional fashions to finish the expertise. It’s not a shock – it’s not out there on any iPad apart from the Professional vary, because it’s very a lot a Professional characteristic in Apple’s eyes – however the enhanced refresh fee would’ve really made the iPad mini show the one to beat within the small-size pill market. 

Options and efficiency

• A15 Bionic gives flagship-level efficiency
• Stellar efficiency when gaming and dealing
• Improved Neural Engine gives new AI options together with Dwell Textual content
• iPadOS 15 gives the perfect pill software program expertise 
• Non-obligatory 5G connectivity out there

Regardless of its tiny dimension, there’s flagship-level efficiency on supply from the sixth-gen iPad mini. At its coronary heart you’ll discover the identical A15 Bionic chipset because the iPhone 13 vary, comprised of a six-core CPU, five-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, and it’s secure to say that it provides numerous energy.

In real-world use, the iPad mini might deal with something I threw at it, be it enjoying Genshin Impression on the very best settings with a floating Twitter window enjoying a viral video (not one thing many individuals would do, however y’know, testing) or throwing collectively a 4K edit in iMovie, with out a trace of stutter or lag.

Even exporting the completed 4K masterpiece was a handy guide a rough course of, good for creatives that wish to share their creative imaginative and prescient on the go, though the M1 on supply from the
12.9in iPad Professional will possible serve you higher.

That have is backed up by benchmark outcomes too, blowing the iPad Air 4 – and virtually each Android pill – out of the water. The iPad mini scored a good multi-core rating of 4476 in Geekbench 5, and topped out a lot of the charts in GFXBench too, making it a succesful pill for each work and play. The truth is, I’m assured that the iPad mini might’ve pushed the body charges even additional if the refresh fee know-how allowed it.  

You possibly can check out the complete benchmark breakdown proper right here:

The improved Neural Engine brings enhancements to machine studying (ML), powering the contextual expertise provided by Siri together with just a few new iPadOS options.

Certainly one of my favourites is Dwell Textual content, which analyses pictures in your gallery for textual content, permitting you to repeat and paste (and even name telephone numbers) with a single faucet. It’s a formidable expertise solely made attainable by ML, although it’s not alone. There are many different apps that make the most of the Neural Engine of the A15 Bionic together with Search, an app that helps determine species of plant, and Canvas, an app that creates a digital map of your own home, and it’ll solely increase over time. 

Fancy new options apart, iPadOS 15 gives a top-tier pill expertise with a raft of options unique to Apple’s iPad vary, together with Fast Notes, clever handwriting recognition and split-screen performance, and the vary of tablet-optimised apps out there from the App Retailer is second to none, each when it comes to high quality and performance. If you need the perfect pill expertise, iPad is the way in which to go, no matter mannequin. 

Relating to storage, you’ve bought fewer choices than you would possibly count on, with Apple solely providing 64- or 256GB of storage. That’s a giant soar between the 2, with no 128GB candy spot, and it took an identical strategy with this yr’s entry-level iPad.

Given the £160/$170 value distinction between the iPad 10.2 and iPad mini, a bump to a base 128GB of storage would’ve been a win for the small-screen iPad, however 64GB needs to be sufficient for many informal customers – solely energy customers and creatives would possibly really feel the necessity to stretch to the top-end mannequin. 

Relating to connectivity, count on the newest and biggest together with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, and there’s 5G assist for people who go for the mobile mannequin too – so long as there’s 5G protection in your area, anyway. 

Battery life

• Cost through USB-C
• 20W charger within the field
• All-day battery life

The iPad mini’s small kind issue makes it moveable and versatile, however that additionally means it could actually’t fairly compete with bigger iPads when it comes to battery life – there’s a finite quantity of house inside that small case, in spite of everything!

That’s to not say it’ll run out of juice after just some hours – the iPad mini comfortably lasts all day with a mixture of social media, gentle gaming and web searching, and it’ll go for a few days with extra sporadic use – however energy customers gained’t make it by means of a full second day of use with out a top-up. 

That’s backed up by benchmark outcomes too; the iPad mini lasted a good 8 hours and 19 minutes in testing, which beat the 7:13 of the similarly-sized
Samsung Galaxy Tab Lively 3, however fell behind the 9:07 of the newest iPad Air 10.9in, and effectively behind the 11:07 from the iPad Professional 12.9in. 

That stated, I don’t really feel short-changed by the iPad mini’s battery life; it’s greater than sufficient to get me by means of a day or two with out fear, and it’s straightforward to prime it up in a single day when required, although energy customers could disagree. 

In contrast to with the iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple remains to be delivery charging bricks with the iPad mini. You’ll get a good 20W USB-C charger within the field, up from the 12W charger bundled with the previous-gen iPad mini, and that’ll present 34% cost in half-hour and a full cost in slightly below two hours in my expertise. 

Digicam

• Upgraded 12Mp FaceTime HD digicam
• Middle Stage works effectively more often than not
• Rear-facing digicam efficiency is pretty normal

It’s all in regards to the rear-facing cameras on smartphones, nevertheless it’s all in regards to the front-facing digicam on tablets, be it for selfies on social media or chatting with family and friends through FaceTime, and its significance has grown exponentially over the previous couple of years with an elevated reliance on distant communication.

Apple recognised that, and determined to improve the front-facing digicam of the iPad mini. Gone is the disappointing 7Mp sensor of the iPad mini 5, changed as an alternative by the next decision 12Mp FaceTime HD digicam that’s noticeably crisper with a lot much less noise. The improved high quality is instantly noticeable each in selfies and in video chats, particularly in well-lit environments, and you may toggle between a cropped and ultra-wide selfie too. 

There’s additionally one other profit for video chats; Apple’s Centre Stage know-how. It first made an look on the iPad Professional vary earlier this yr, however has since come to the iPad mini, entry-level iPad and it’ll possible be on the next-gen iPad Air too. 

Utilizing the expansive 122-degree discipline of view on supply from the front-facing digicam, the iPad mini can maintain you within the centre of the body even in case you’re transferring across the room, and it’ll routinely reframe if different folks come into sight too. It’s not out there in the principle Digicam app, nevertheless it’s a focus in FaceTime and different supported apps (together with the likes of Zoom and Filmic Professional). 

It’s spectacular stuff, and feels far more reactive than related tech on supply from the Fb Portal vary, although it does typically go away somewhat extra headroom than I’d like, and movies appear somewhat darker with the tech enabled. If Centre Stage isn’t your cup of tea, you’ve additionally bought the choice of disabling it throughout FaceTime calls. 

It’s a lot the identical story with the upgraded rear-facing 12Mp digicam; it’s nice for fast point-and-shoot images, and excels in well-lit environments, nevertheless it gained’t beat snaps taken by similarly-priced smartphones when it comes to element or distinction, and also you gained’t discover any superior digicam results (together with Centre Stage and Night time Mode) both. Moreover, who actually makes use of the iPad mini as a large digicam anyway?

Worth

The one iPad mini 6 change that followers won’t recognize is the rise in value in comparison with the $399 iPad mini 5, with a $499 RRP for the 64GB mannequin and $649 for the 256GB mannequin, with an extra $150 in case you go for mobile connectivity.

Whereas that’s a tough capsule to swallow, it’s far more costly within the UK as of October 2022. Whereas the iPad mini 5 initially began at £479, the worth has since skyrocketed by £90 to £569 for the 64GB mannequin. It’s the identical story with the 256GB mannequin, with a £140 improve to £749.

That’s fairly a bit greater than the iPad mini 5 within the US and much more within the UK, nevertheless it’s nonetheless arguably cash effectively spent; the iPad mini has by no means earlier than been positioned as a strong, succesful pill, however moderately an entry-level pill for small-screen lovers. The iPad mini 6, with its up to date design, flagship-level A15 Bionic, compatibility with Apple Pencil and extra, could be very a lot a flagship-level machine, even when there are just a few lacking options that strip it of a Professional moniker.

It’s a premium pill, sure, however there’s an equally premium pill expertise on supply to match. 

If you’re tempted to purchase the brand new iPad mini, it’s out there from the
Apple Retailer together with third-party retailers like
Amazon and
John Lewis within the UK and
Greatest Purchase within the US. 

Verdict

The sixth-gen iPad mini ticks numerous bins; it’s handsome, boasts a bigger show with out an elevated footprint and it’s among the many most able to tablets of any dimension due to the inclusion of the A15 Bionic. That energy gives a top-notch pill expertise freed from stutter or lag, even in top-end cell video games and when working a number of apps concurrently, and it’ll possible keep that approach for fairly a while. 

It’s nice for one-handed use, making it the proper moveable iPad for catching up on social media and watching YouTube movies, and the small dimensions imply the show has a larger pixel density than every other iPad, although the shortage of a 120Hz refresh fee means there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. 

The 8.3in show provides further display screen actual property that’s good for each gaming and social media, nevertheless it’s not the perfect for split-screen actions, with textual content turning into too small to comfortably view – particularly in portrait orientation.

That, coupled with the shortage of a Good Connector for a Magic Keyboard means the iPad mini most likely isn’t the iPad in case you’re in search of a work-focused machine, even when there’s second-gen Apple Pencil assist. 

However, in case you’re in search of a conveyable pill for watching motion pictures, searching social media and video calling your buddies that’ll final all day, the iPad mini 6 is a perfect choice.