Apple iPad Mini 6 Review: Budget iPad For Everyone

Okay, I will say that Apple always does a good job, so if you have a sideline thought, I will listen but just hold on for a while. I am talking about the iPad, and if you want a big display that works exactly like your Apple iPhone 12 or Apple iPhone 13, then perhaps this is the choice you need to opt for. Indeed the device is pricey, and it might cost you Rs. 46,900 for the base variant of the iPad Mini, but it is worth your time and money. 

So, just to sideline the argument, how good the new Apple iPad Mini is? Is it any better than the iPad 2021, or is the new device is just a finely tuned iPad? Let’s find out everything.

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The Apple iPad Mini 2021 comes in four colour variants, Space Grey, Pink, Purple, and Starlight. In storage, you have two options, 64GB and 256GB, and for the connectivity, we have Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi, Cellular variant. 

The Apple iPad Mini 6th Gen is available on Apple.com, Flipkart, Amazon, and the authorised Apple store. The starting price of the device is Rs. 46,900. However, you can get the iPad Mini at a much lower price if you opt special bank offer. 

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You’ll get the following item inside the box of an Apple iPad Mini.

• Apple iPad Mini
• USB-C charge cable
• 20W USB-C Power adapter
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card

Before I talk in detail about the Apple iPad Mini 2021, let’s see all the specs:

• Display: 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display 
• Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic
• RAM & ROM:  4GB RAM & 64GB ROM, 4GB RAM & 256GB ROM
• Software: iPad OS 15, upgradeable to 15.3
• Rear camera: 12-megapixel 
• Selfie camera: 12-megapixel
• Battery: Li-ion battery 19.3 Wh
• Weight: 293g
• Dimensions: 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm

Aluminium body, lucrative materialistic colour and a pocket-size screen, what more a person can ask. Jokes apart, the new iPad mini has an aesthetic look that you won’t find in the previous Apple iPad 4 or iPad 2021; it comes closer to the trendy design of the Apple iPhone 13. 

On the top right corner of the edge, we have the touch ID. I’m personally not a fan of this touch ID placement because I cannot find it every time I pick up the device. In addition, we also get a volume rocker on the left edge of the top; this might not be the right placement for the volume rockers, especially on the screen that is 8.3-inches.

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Coming to the right, we have a magnetic strip where you can attach your Apple Pencil, and it will start charging automatically. So, if you already have an Apple Pencil, this feature might come in handy. In addition, we also get a sim tray in the Cellular enabled iPad Mini, and it works similar to any sim tray.  

We have a speaker grill a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom side. USB-C in iPad has been a boon for all the Apple enthusiasts, and trust me, this does help a lot in charing the iPad faster and much more efficiently. 

On the other hand, if I look at the back, there is a single camera cut-out, the shiny Apple logo, and on the front, we have a huge display with a single camera on the top for the awesome selfies that you are going to take. 

I have to say that the display of the Apple iPad Mini is somewhat decent, I feel, I aspected more. However, I’m pretty satisfied with the current performance so far. The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is vibrant colour full; however, in the end, it is an LCD panel, and thus it consumes more electricity than the OLED ones that iPad Pro has. 

A sweet 2266 x 1488 resolution and 326ppi of pixel density come with Apple’s own True Tone display standard. This alone makes the display some of the finest LCD displays in the market. 

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Unlike iPad Pro, it has a 60Hz refresh rate; indeed, you’ll not notice it the first sight, but if you have already experienced the fast 120Hz refresh rate on the iPad Pro, you might flinch a little bit. Altogether, the iPad Mini has a great display I have seen on any tablet of this size. 

I know the iPad Mini has an Apple A15 Bionic chipset; I’m kidding. This is a fact. The A15 Bionic is the most powerful mobile microprocessor, second only to the M1 chipset. That is a processor reserved for the Mac and the high-end iPad Pro. 

In terms of performance, I have to say that it is exceptional; you’ll have no problem running any iPhone application on the device since it has the same processor that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro has. The device comes with 4GB of RAM, and though this might sound like a petite memory, the efficient processing capability can run all the tasks smoothly. If I talk about the number game, the iPad Mini has got my attention. Geekbench 5 has a single-core score of 1,610 and a multi-core score of 4,714. This is not higher than the iPad Air or the iPad Pro; however, it is significantly closer to both devices. 

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The iPad mini has two storage options, 64GB and 256GB. I personally feel Apple should stop producing devices with 64GB of storage capacity; however, I can’t argue much here. In any scenario, my recommendation would be to go with the 256GB iPad Mini; this will help you in the longer run. 

The iPad Mini comes with the latest iPad OS 15, and there is no denying that it will not get the newest iPad OS when it comes out. However, the animation and transition are smooth, and there is no performance lag in the operating system. Playing games and installing any iPhone application is just a click away, and thanks to the Apple A15 Bionic chipset, the device can handle and multi-tasks all the processing quickly. 

The iPad OS 15 features some feature that makes the device stand sundry among iPhone and Mac. A large touchscreen enables you to quickly switch between apps and efficiently multitask. The iPad OS comes with some classic iPhone features, such as Split View, centre window, new shelf, app switcher, keyboard shortcuts and many more. The integration between all the Apple devices enables the iPad OS to collaborate with your Mac, iPhone, and Apple Watch. 

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I have to say that you’ll fall in love with the new iPad OS 15; it doesn’t just have a premium touch. Moreover, it is entirely user friendly. 

Here is what it is! The iPad doesn’t have a good camera. We have got a 12-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture. Five-element lens, true tone flash, HDR 3, AIS, 5x Digital Zoom. However, despite being the eye of the Eden, the iPad Mini has just got the basic features covered. It doesn’t even stand in front of the Apple iPhone 11. We can all argue that the iPad is not meant for photography, and thus a single camera lens is justified. However, what if I want to take photographs? 

On the other hand, the front camera is a boon; we have a 12-megapixel lens with an f/2.4 aperture 1080p HD video recording. It also has an extended dynamic range and cinematic video stabilisation, enabling you to have a clyster clear video call while sitting on your favourite bean bag. The 122-degree field of view is amazing, it gives clarity and more space in your video calls, and with the iPad OS 15, it becomes exceptional. 

The new feature centre stage tracks your movement and keeps you in the centre while blurring the background of the video call. Though these features only work on FaceTime calls, however, don’t get disappointed if you’re at that Zoom meeting, you’ll still have a fantastic video calling experience with your teammates.

Let’s talk about the battery of the Apple iPad Mini. The device packs a 19.3Wh lipo battery, and Apple promises that it can quickly deliver up to 10 hours of battery life while browsing on the Wi-Fi model. However, you might get up to 9 hours of screen time in the cellular model. But in the end, here is how it is, don’t expect the iPad Mini to outperform the Apple Macbook Air or iPhone 13 in terms of battery. Nevertheless, it’s decent and will last you for a day. 

The iPad Mini comes with a 20W USB-C fast charger, and perhaps this must be the best thing about the device so far. USB-C gives you the flexibility of charing the device your Mac charger as well. In addition, it also decreases the amount of time consumed in charging a battery from 0-100 per cent. I found out that the device can charge from 0-15 per cent in just 15 minutes, and in 30 minutes, it reached 35 per cent. Fairly decent, I would say.

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The battery of the device is okay. However, you’ll drain the battery faster if you’re using cellular mode. We got eight hours of battery life on full brightness in our testing. Unfortunately, we don’t get wireless charging with the iPad Mini, and this might be a bummer if you have a MagSafe charger. 

The iPad mini comes with stereo speakers; it has a punchy bass and works quite remarkable, to be honest. I had a great time listing to music watching videos on the device. However, I will say that it is not as loud as the Macbook Air, but it is certainly louder than the iPhone 13’s speaker. 

We have a Wi-Fi 6 standard connection, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. This enables the iPad to have a seamless connection over any Wi-Fi network. In addition, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity with MIMO allows your iPad to connect with multiple devices at one time.

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This time the biometric authentication is integrated into the power button on the top. It’s fast and reliable, and you can wake your iPad in less than a second. However, I’m not entirely happy with its placement. So, I would recommend you register multiple fingerprints so you can quickly turn on the device, no matter how you pick it up.