Two minute review
The defining characteristic of the iPad mini (2021) is its small size, and like the iPhone 13 mini, it is a device that combines a stripped-down design that will be popular with many users with specs and power. Think of it like an iPad Air 4, but scaled down and with a more powerful chipset inside. It inherits a design similar to the iPad Air 4, with square edges, no home button, and a USB-C port on the bottom edge. The 8,3-inch screen is sharp and bright enough for outdoor use, as well as anything you want to do with your tablet indoors. Apple calls this an "all-screen design", but we'd say the thicker bezels mean that's a pretty bold statement. That said, this iPad mini is easier to hold because of these bezels, so they're not necessarily a negative. There are four colors to choose from: purple, pink, space gray, or starlight. Apple made the iPad mini shine in the specs department, mainly thanks to the new A15 Bionic chipset, which impressed us with its performance during our testing period. There's also 64GB or 256GB of storage, depending on which model you choose. 5G is now also available on the iPad mini, for the first time on Apple's smallest tablet. This means you can connect to next-generation networks, if you opt for the cellular version and have a supporting carrier. The changes here from the 2019 iPad mini are incremental, but the sixth iteration of the iPad mini brings improvements in a number of areas. It's not the best iPad, but it's the best tablet you can buy if you're looking for a small device.
IPad mini (2021) launch date and price
(Image credit: TechRadar) The new iPad mini (iPad Mini 6) was unveiled alongside the iPhone 13 line at Apple's launch event on September 14, and its official worldwide release date is September 24, so you can see it buy in US, UK. and Australia. You can order it now from Apple's website, and we're seeing it appear at several other retailers as well. You can see all the prices for the new iPad mini models below, for 64GB and 256GB storage sizes, and Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular options. It should be noted that the 2019 iPad mini was available in either 32GB or 128GB options, so storage doubled for the 2021 model.
Integrated
The new iPad mini isn't mini enough for one-handed use, but it's significantly easier to use than even the iPad Air 4 due to its small size. It seems like the perfect compromise, in terms of form factor, between the iPhone 13 Pro Max and a larger tablet like the iPad Air 4. Its dimensions of 195,4 x 134,8 x 6,3mm (it's significantly smaller than the latest generation mini) make it one of the smallest tablets we've ever used, and it's a pleasant experience. For anyone who doesn't need a bigger screen to watch. videos and more. Image 1 of 3
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(Image credit: TechRadar) The design here is more like the iPad Air 4 or the new iPhone 13 than the previous mini: it's a flat-edged design that looks and feels premium, with a brushed metal effect on the back. back of the tablet. There are four color options: purple, pink, and space gray, plus a cream color Apple calls Starlight; you will see the purple model shown throughout this review. The purple and pink colors are bolder and more vibrant than the 2019 iPad mini or 2021 iPad Pro options, and we recommend choosing one of those shades over the more conservative space gray if you're looking for one. Eye more captivating design. The iPad mini weighs 293 grams (slightly less than the 2019 model), which means it's easy to slip into a bag, and even a large jacket pocket, without feeling the extra weight. Apple has moved the buttons around slightly on the new iPad mini, and you'll now find the volume buttons on the top edge, in the top right corner. In previous versions, you found them on the right edge of the device. There's also no home button on the 2021 iPad mini, which was a staple of earlier versions of this tablet. Instead, there's a power button on the top edge in the left corner, and it also houses the Touch ID sensor that lets you use your fingerprint to unlock the tablet. We recommend that you place your fingers on both hands so that the unlock button is always within reach of one of your digits, whether you are using the tablet in portrait or landscape orientation.
(Image credit: TechRadar) On the bottom edge of the tablet is the USB-C port, which is used to charge the device and connect accessories. The iPad mini supports a variety of accessories like the Apple Pencil, though it's not as functional as the 2021 iPad Pro with its Thunderbolt connector. The right edge houses the charger/jack for the Apple Pencil (XNUMXnd generation) as well as the SIM tray. Keep in mind that Apple Pencil doesn't come with the tablet, so you'll spend more if you want Apple's stylus. iPad mini also has enhanced stereo speakers, which we think provide full, clear sound when listening to music or watching videos on the tablet.
Monitor
The iPad mini has an 8,3-inch Liquid Retina display, which offers good image quality. Apple says this is an "all-screen design", but we'd say that's not strictly the case, as there are thick bezels around the outside of the screen. These glasses aren't necessarily a problem, as they make it easier for you to hold the tablet without touching the screen. However, it is far from a "full screen" appearance.
(Image credit: TechRadar) The resolution is 2266 x 1488, which corresponds to 326 pixels per inch. That's fine for a tablet, but it's not the best resolution we've seen on a slate, and especially when watching video, the resolution isn't quite as sharp as it is on some Android tablets or even the 2021 iPad Pro line. you encounter this problem, and the screen is bright enough and the image quality is clear. Unlike the 120Hz iPad Pro line, the iPad mini has a standard 60Hz refresh rate display, so you don't get a super smooth experience when scrolling social media or playing games. If you're looking for a tablet with a smaller screen, the panel here will suit you very well; we would have liked to see a 120Hz refresh rate, but that's not much of a problem.
The 2021 iPad mini is powered by Apple's new A15 Bionic chipset – it's the same processor as in the iPhone 13 series, and it's powerful enough to run any app or game you find on it. App Store, as well as for multitasking. It's not quite as powerful as the iPad Pro's M1 chipset, but we found it more than capable of doing what we wanted in the iPad mini. If you need top-tier power, you could go with the iPad Pro line, but most people will be happy with what's on offer here. We still don't know how much RAM is inside the iPad mini, but our tests found it to be more than enough for everyday outings. Benchmarking software Geekbench 5 gave us a multicore score of 4700, which is similar to what we saw for the iPhone 13. It's significantly better than the iPad mini (2019), which scored 2680, but not quite as high as the iPad Pro 2021 of 7.297. This iPad Pro 2021 scores remarkably high, and we didn't expect the iPad mini to be able to compete with the M1 chipset, and the average user won't need that kind of performance, even if they're using a lot of power. . greedy apps. You can buy the tablet with either 64GB or 256GB of storage; as usual, there's no microSD support, so it'll use whatever built-in storage and whatever iCloud storage you have. If you plan on storing a fair amount of media on your device, you'll probably want to go with the 256GB model. That being said, power users will likely find 256GB of storage not enough. The new iPad Pro has up to 1TB of storage, so this model might be worth checking out if you intend to fill your tablet with apps and media. There's also 5G connectivity on the iPad mini for the first time, though the tablet doesn't support mmWave 5G, so if you're a Verizon customer you might want to check before you buy the tablet.
(Image credit: TechRadar) The iPad mini's rear camera is a wide 12 MP snapper with an f/1.8 aperture and up to 5x digital zoom. This is nice, and while it's not a replacement for your smartphone's camera, whether you're using it for augmented reality experiences or with other apps that require the use of the rear camera, it'll be satisfactory. On the front of the tablet is a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with a 122-degree field of view and an f/2.4 aperture. This is a very good camera for video calls, and we've found the quality here to be better than the shooter on the back of the device. Apple also brought its Center Stage functionality from the 2021 iPad Pro to the iPad mini. This allows the camera to follow you when you make video calls and makes sure you are always in the center of the frame. We've found this to work well, and it's especially helpful when someone else steps into the frame and you want them to be included in the video as well.
Camera Examples
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(Image credit: TechRadar) The iPad mini comes with iPadOS 15 out of the box, and Apple's tablet-optimized operating system works well on Apple's smaller-screen tablet. iPadOS 15 brings updates like widgets to your home screen, which are welcome on the new iPad mini. There's also a new way to activate split screen mode with one click, which is another nice improvement. The iPad mini 2015 and iPad mini 2019...