In a surprising move, Apple unveiled the long-rumored iPad mini refresh at its recently held California Streaming event. The iPad mini 2021 also known as Apple iPad mini 6, iPad mini (6th generation) not only brings a design refresh but also adds Touch ID, 5G support, and more to the device.
Table of Contents
Apple iPad mini (2021)
Starting with the design, the iPad mini brings the same design as the existing iPad Air and Pro. That means the device boasts an all-metal build with flat edges, and most importantly, a USB Type-C port at the bottom.
A major upgrade comes in the form of a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display as compared to the 7.9-inch screen on its predecessor. The iPad mini still remains the handiest iPad in Apple’s portfolio, though. The panel here supports up to 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color gamut, True Tone, and anti-reflective coating. The bezels are minimal but you don’t have Face ID onboard. Instead, the mini has Touch ID integrated into the power button at the top.
Under the hood, the iPad mini (2021) is powered by the new A15 Bionic chipset. It includes a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, delivering a 40% and 80% increase in performance as compared to last year’s A14 Bionic chip. There’s also a 16-core Neural Engine and new ML accelerators onboard, enabling the mini to support AI features such as Live Text. The device runs iPadOS 15 out-of-the-box, and you can read all about the best new iPadOS 15 features via the linked article.
As for the cameras, Apple’s latest mini tablet includes a 12MP selfie camera and a single 12MP rear camera. The selfie camera supports a larger field of view and Center Stage to keep users in the frame while they move around.
It’s also worth mentioning that the latest iPad mini supports 5G, offering download speeds of up to 3.5Gbps to users. It also supports Gigabit LTE, Wi-Fi 6, and eSIM support to round up the connectivity options. The tablet also supports 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, which will magnetically attach to the iPad mini for wireless charging.
Apple iPad mini (2021) Specifications
Network Properties
- 2G bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
- 3G bands: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
- 4G bands: LTE
- 5G bands: SA/NSA
- Speed: HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA), 5G
Launch
- Announced: 2021, September 14
- Status: Exp. release 2021, September 24
Design
- Dimensions: 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm (7.69 x 5.31 x 0.25 in)
- Weight: 293 g (Wi-Fi) / 297 g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (10.34 oz)
- Build: Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
- Colors: Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Starlight
- SIM: Nano-SIM, eSIM
- Stylus support (2nd gen only)
Display
- Type: Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 500 nits (typ)
- Size: 8.3 inches, 203.9 cm2 (~77.4% screen-to-body ratio)
- Resolution: 1488 x 2266 pixels, 3:2 ratio (~327 ppi density)
- Protection: Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
- Wide color gamut
- True-tone
Operating System
- iPadOS 15
Hardware
- Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
- CPU: Hexa-core
- GPU: Apple GPU (5-core)
- Storage: 64GB, 256GB
- Memory Card slot: No
Cameras
- Main Camera: Single – 12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF
- Features: Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama
- Video: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS
- Selfie Camera: Single – 12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide)
- Features: HDR
- Video: 1080p@25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Multimedia
- Radio: No
- Loudspeaker: Yes, with stereo speakers
- Audio 3.5mm jack: No
Connectivity
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
- Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP
- GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS (Wi‑Fi + Cellular model only)
- NFC: No
- USB: USB Type-C 3.1, DisplayPort
Features
- Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
- Siri natural language commands and dictation
Battery
- Battery Type and Capacity: Li-Ion, non-removable (19.3 Wh)
Apple iPad mini (2021) Price and Availability
The iPad mini (2021) is priced at;
- $499 for the Wi-Fi variant
- $649 for the Wi-Fi + cellular variant
This device comes in four colorways – purple, pink, starlight, and space gray. It will be available to buy from September 24.
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