Our Verdict
The iPad Mini ( 2021 ) is a complete rethinking of the tired format extend by the iPad Mini ( 2019 ) . A fast processor , bigger screenland , ripe cameras , upgraded connectivity and a endearing design make it the one you should be spend your money on if you want a companion equipment for a good few long time to come up .
Best Prices Today: Apple iPad mini (6th gen, A15, 64GB, 2021)
Apple has released a unexampled version of its smallest tablet in the form of the iPad mini 6 . We take a look at how this redesign model compare to the iPad miniskirt 5 that it replaces .
Design and Build Quality
The newiPad mini ( 2021)marks the first time since the origination of the line that Apple has plow its bantam pad to a full redesign . Sitting the two equipment side by side now makes it easy to differentiate between them .
On the older mannequin you ’ll see the familiar 203.2 millimetre x 134.8 millimeter x 6.1 mm bod with its Touch ID loaded Home push at the bottom and single FaceTime camera at the top . Surrounding these are the declamatory bezels that frame the 7.9 in display . Flipping it over reveals gently slue edge , the Apple logo at the centre and a single television camera crystalline lens in the upper left recession . If you ’ve ever seen an iPad mini in the past , then it will have reckon exactly like this .
For 2021 , Apple has give way the gadget a meaning face - rise . Gone is the Home button from the front panel , Touch ID has moved instead to the power button on the top edge . This is link up by the bulk controls , all to make room for the magnetic charging area on the ripe flank that can domiciliate the Apple Pencil ( 2nd Gen ) . This is a step up from the 1st Gen Apple Pencil support offered by theiPad mini ( 2019 ) .
soft curves on the chassis have give way to the squarer edge that are also apply on the iPhone 13 , iPad Pro and iPad Air devices . It ’s all redolent of the iPhone 4/5 era , while still managing to reckon good advanced .
The bezel on the new exemplar have also been slimmed , while still retaining enough outer space to take into account you to in reality hold the machine without actuate commands on the showing . With the Home button gone , the user interface is now motion based , as on the iPad Pro andiPad Air ( 2020)models .
More features that are absent from the iPad miniskirt ( 2021 ) admit the earpiece labourer and a lightning port . The former comply Apple ’s fixation with kill off wired headphones , while the latter is to make room for a USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate charging porthole that brings it into line of reasoning once more with the iPad Pro and iPad Air .
Twin verbalizer adorn both models , but the newer loop has something Apple bid Landscape musical mode , which is supposed to equate to a kind of stereo effect .
At the gist of the new iPad mini is the larger 8.3 in display , marking an increase in sizing from the 7.9 in sieve that ’s hail with all mini gimmick since the first one appeared back in 2012 . Thanks to getting free of the Home clit , Apple has managed to fit this big panel into a small gadget , with the iPad mini ( 2021 ) measuring 195.4 mm x 134.8 mm x 6.3 mm , making it brusk but very marginally thicker than its predecessor . Weight has also been addressed , with the erstwhile 300.5 g being minify to 293 g ( on the Wi - Fi only model ) .
Features & Specs
It ’s not just the casing that received an service , as Apple has pay close-fitting tending to how the young miniskirt works too . Here ’s the primary features that you should be looking at .
Display
While both gimmick feature fully laminated IPS panels that offer 326ppi , True Tone , P3 Wide colour display , 500 nits maximum luminousness , and an anti - reflective finishing , the obvious difference is that the screen on the fresh mini is larger .
The 8.3 in panel is enough of a step up from the 7.9 in version to feel more spacious , without recede any of the practicality and pocketability for which the mini is renowned . Otherwise , there ’s not too much to set them apart . Refresh charge per unit remain at 60Hz for both devices , while the heavy jury in the new mini gives it a resolution of 2266 x 1488 or else of the 2048 x 1536 find on the onetime mini . Oh yes , and the iPad mini ( 2021 ) has a Liquid Retina display rather than the simply Retina one found on the iPad miniskirt ( 2019 ) , so … there ’s that . Unfortunately the name ‘ Liquid ’ does n’t actually signify a difference in terms of screen door quality .
Processor and storage
One area where the Modern mini marchland ahead is in terms of its processing power . The 2019 iPad mini was already a punchy machine thanks to the A12 Bionic chip Apple bestowed upon it , but this is pink into the proverbial cocked hat by the A15 Bionic that ’s installed in the 2021 model . This is the same processor you ’ll find in theiPhone 13range , include theiPhone 13 Proand Pro Max , and is the first time this new chip appears in an iPad .
We ask the next iPad Air to also get the A15 Bionic eventually , but at the time of write the small iPad in Apple ’s range now comes with its most powerful A - serial processor . patently , the latestiPad Pro 11inandiPad Pro 12.9inhave the M1 mainframe as seen in the 2020 Macs , and it ’s expected that the next versions will come with anM1X , M2 or M2X mainframe , but those really are a dissimilar class of machine now compared to the consumer - horizontal surface iPads .
depot deplorably has n’t seen any change , with both the iPad miniskirt ( 2021 ) and iPad miniskirt ( 2019 ) pop the question either 64Gb or 256 GB contour .
Cameras
You wo n’t find any multi - camera array on the mini , as those are still reserve for the iPad Pro range , but the new mini does have some upgraded optic . The iPad mini ( 2019 ) has an f/2.4 8MP wide-eyed television camera with Auto HDR for photos , whereas the iPad miniskirt ( 2021 ) benefits from a faster f/1.8 12MP Wide camera with Smart HDR 3 . This mean you should get better shots on the New version with brighter and more detailed colours .
telecasting is also improved , with the iPad mini ( 2021 ) capable of 4 yard at 60fps , while the onetime model tops out at 1080p at 30fps . There ’s also stretch out dynamical kitchen stove when record up to 30fps , and a level best of 240fps when using Slo - mo ( the old mini can only stretch to ( 120fps ) .
The iPad miniskirt ( 2019 ) is all right as a basic camera , but if you want more refined results , especially in video , then the iPad mini ( 2021 ) is the easy winner .
Front cameras have also seen some tending , with the FaceTime building block on the 2019 mini replaced by an f/2.4 Ultra Wide 12MP mental faculty in the mini 2021 that has a 2x zoom out feature film that means it can volunteer Apple ’s new Centre Stage technology that keep you in the middle of the screen even when you move around on video calls . It ’s a subtle but worthy addition , especially in these solar day of constant video conferencing .
Connectivity and Technical specs
A couple of thing worth noting about the iPad mini ( 2021 ) is that it boast not only the late Wi - Fi 6 velocity , but if you prefer for the LTE version then you ’ll also be capable to use 5 G networks , neither of which are usable on the iPad mini ( 2019 ) .
For a full breakdown of the proficient specs for both devices , here ’s our quick guide :
Software
evidently , the lack of a habitation clit on the iPad mini ( 2021 ) means the port is unlike to the authoritative variant found on the iPad miniskirt ( 2019 ) . gesture are the rescript of the day , with swiping replacing the unexampled for the Home button .
Both machine extend iPadOS 15 , with the older machine still able to use most of the features on fling , with Centre Stage being a hardware - restricted skip . Apple has proven honest in the yesteryear at sustain its equipment updated , so we think it ’s dependable that the iPad mini ( 2019 ) should still get a few more updates .
Of course , if you want the most next - proof Cartesian product , as well as one that ’s optimised for the new software , then the iPad mini ( 2021 ) is the one you should take . To see what both can do , take a looking at ourguide to iPadOS 15 .
Price and Availability
The new design and hardware has result in a large price jumping for the new iPad mini . Whereas the previous model was available for £ 399/$399 for the 64 GB version or £ 549/$549 if you want 256 Gi , Apple has push the iPad mini ( 2021 ) up to £ 499/$499 ( 64 GB ) and £ 649/$649 ( 256 GB ) . This make them more of a considered purchase than before , especially as we ’ve already seen the iPad mini ( 2019 ) price at£369 on Amazon UK . gestate other retailer to offer similar rebate as the older stock sell through .
The iPad miniskirt ( 2021 ) was loose on 24 September 2021 , whereas the iPad mini ( 2019 ) was stop around the same meter , so you ’ll only be able to beak up the latter from third party retailers or perchance in theApple Refurbished Store .
Of course , you should also read ourwhere to bribe the iPad mini 6guide to see if you’re able to snap up a gravid deal .
You may be able to find a great mountain on an iPad mini 5 from 2019 – just remember that it ’s value will have decreased since the new simulation ’s introduction . Check out the latest mass below :
Verdict
We always wish the iPad mini ( 2019 ) as it offered excellent operation and value for money if you need a smaller iPad . It ’s still a great product , but the new design and advance capacity of the iPad miniskirt ( 2021 ) do signal a step forward for the data format . The A15 Bionic is a much faster processor , the improved camera put up more flexibleness and quality , plus the larger filmdom and lack of base button just make it a more modern gimmick .
The iPad miniskirt ( 2019 ) would still be a buy if you may get one at a price reduction , but iPad mini ( 2021 ) is the futurity and we have to say , it looks pretty lustrous .
