The iPad mini has always been a curious device; too big to be pocketable but not as roomy as a full tablet, often missing out on the best tech from both the latest iPhones and iPad Pros, and yet undeniably joyful to use.
And the latest model releasing this week could be the most curious yet, having had its most major redesign to date and packing the full power of the iPhone 13 Pro, yet also being closer in size to mainstream smartphones than ever before. It’s the greatest iPad mini Apple has made, but it’s also certainly an oddity in 2021.
Bigger than a phone but more portable than a laptop, the mini is a niche but capable device.
The sixth generation mini is slightly smaller than its predecessors while packing a slightly larger screen. It looks very much like a shrunken version of last year’s iPad Air, with a flat metallic frame and no Home button. A fingerprint scanner is built into the power button, there are speakers top and bottom for stereo sound, a magnet to attach and charge a second generation Apple Pencil and (thankfully) a USB-C port for power and connectivity.
I must admit to having a soft spot for the iPad mini. Its size is perfectly suited for many of the things I like to do most on tablets; read e-books and comics, play games, browse the web, make video calls, touch up some photos. But it’s always felt a bit compromised by being halfway between the iPhone and bigger iPad.
The new iPad mini is compatible with the Apple Pencil.
In some ways that’s still true, with the latest version of iPadOS — really optimised to get a lot of creative work done on the bigger iPad Pros — looking a bit cramped on the smaller screen. Some text elements are tiny, while multitasking can leave you with some fiddly little spaces to work in.
On the other hand, there’s a similar number of pixels crammed into a tiny display, making for a higher density than on the Pro models, and just like on previous minis the result is a super sharp look. I wish it had the OLED or 120Hz ProMotion seen on the iPad Pro and iPhone 13 Pro, but it’s inarguably a stunning screen, great for reading and streaming video.
All the other things I like to do are great here as well. My DSLR plugs in directly thanks to the USB-C port, the front camera crops and follows me properly in calls, and the A15 Bionic chip gives plenty of horsepower for Apple Arcade games while offering more screen real estate than iPhone and a more thumb-friendly shape than bigger tablets.
Headphones are a must if you’re holding it in your hands because you will palm the speakers, but you can easily prop the mini up and play with an Xbox or PlayStation controller.