iPad Mini 6 Review

Last Updated on March 10, 2023 by Ernests Embutnieks and Saad

If you’re looking for an ideal iPad that’s compact, then the iPad Mini 6 is just the right device for you. One of Apple’s newest iPads, The iPad Mini 6, was introduced in September 2021 and happens to be one of the four iPad variants produced by the company.

The iPad Mini series was basically targeted at a demographic that wanted the functionality of an iPad without being constrained by its size. So even though the iPad Mini lives up to its name as a really small tablet, you can rest assured that it comes jam-packed with lots of cool features.

If you’re someone who spends a lot of time on social media or YouTube, or even if you’re someone who loves to read books on a digital screen, the iPad Mini 6 is definitely something you should consider. In this post, we’ll be going over the specifications and main features of the iPad Mini 6, as well as seeing if this tablet is worth it or, simply put – what’s inside the new iPad’s Mini belly.

iPad Mini 6: Power in Your Pocket

The first thing of note is the screen of the iPad Mini 6. While testing this product, we observed a revamping of Apple’s usual design for small-screen tablets. This is easily evident to someone who’s familiar with different iPads and their differences, as the iPad Mini 6 closely resembles the iPad Air 5 and iPad Pro lineup in terms of style. The similarities between it and the iPad Air are so great that the name “iPad Air Mini” wouldn’t be incorrect. Despite a few significant variations, it supports the same almost bezel-free appearance, Touch ID-enabled Power button, and other features that are a staple of the iPad Air. The Mini 6 also feels smaller than the Mini 5 despite having a bigger screen thanks to its thin bezels. 

With an 8.3” LCD display and less than 0.66lbs(300g) of weight, the iPad Mini 6 takes the meaning of portability to a new level. You can hold this iPad in a single hand, and its slim appearance allows you to easily use it anywhere. Stereo speakers are located at both top and bottom. This allows you to experience great quality audio, no matter if you’re attending a Zoom call or watching a movie on Netflix/Disney+. It must also be said that with its screen size and Apple Pencil compatibility, this iPad seems to be a great choice for students and for people who want an iPad for their business but don’t want to get an iPad Pro. It’s sort of like a compact notebook. In comparison to iPad Air/iPad Pro, the screen is much smaller, and you have to have tiny handwriting to make notes. That’s something to keep in mind, especially for people with big hands.

Another thing that we felt was most peculiar in an iPad Mini was the location of the TouchID. The TouchID interface of this iPad has its sensor located on the power button in the upper corner. The volume buttons are also located on the top of the iPad, which is quite peculiar itself, not to mention a bit trippy for new users. We found out that the reason for this change in location for the volume buttons is because the side of this iPad is dedicated to securing the Apple Pencil Gen 2 that is used with this iPad. When you attach the Pencil to the iPad’s side, there isn’t any space left for the volume keys, which is why they have been bumped to their current location.

Ratings

Specifications

• OS: iPadOS 15
• CPU: A15 Bionic
• Storage: 64GB, 256GB
• Display: 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488 pixels) Liquid Retina
• Camera: 12MP wide (f/1.8) back camera, 12MP Front camera
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G (Sub-6)
• Battery life: 10:29 (tested)
• Size: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Weight: 0.7 pounds
• Price: $499

What’s Inside the Box

The iPad Mini 6 comes in a box pack which has

• An iPad Mini 6
• Power brick/charger
• A USB-C charging cable
• SIM ejector pin for cellular models
• Apple Stickers
• Manuals and Papers

Pros & Cons of iPad Mini 6

For some people, my pros will be cons, and my cons will be pros, so the list is subjectively from my perspective.

Pros

• Lightweight design
• LCD display
• Portable/Compact
• USB-C charging
• Apple Pencil Gen 2 compatibility
• A15 Bionic Processor
• Wide angle front camera
• Bright display with 500 nits
• Great speakers
• Great microphone

Cons

• No headphone jack
• No Magic Keyboard
• Expensive
• Hard to take notes for people with big hands
• No face ID
• 60Hz screen
• Storage – 64GB

60Hz screen(iPad Pro has 120Hz) if you’re a professional artist, you will feel the difference if you want to create art on it, but for note-taking, 60Hz is enough.

The base model only has 64GB of memory. It might be problematic if you want to download movies while traveling, assuming you will fill the memory with other apps, pictures, media, etc.

Features of iPad Mini 6

Now that we’ve taken a gander at the specifications of the iPad Mini 6 and its advantages and disadvantages let’s see what features Apple’s latest iPad Mini has to offer. There are many exciting features packed in this tiny little thing, but for now, we’ll focus on the big fish.

Display:

First of all, let’s talk about the display of the iPad Mini 6. The sixth-generation iPad Mini’s 8.3 in LED IPS display is incredible for a tablet of its size, packing a bigger display with thinner bezels than its predecessor. With its 2266 x 1488 resolution, this iPad provides a really good pixel density (326ppi). However, multitasking appears to be one area where more work has to be done on the display side of things. The reduced display proportions mean that text can soon become small and icons difficult to tap, despite the fact that it offers the same split-screen and floating window multitasking functions as the rest of the iPad range. It also works at a refresh rate of only 60 Hz.

Performance:

The iPad Mini 6 runs on a new A15 Bionic Chipset which provides a computational arsenal consisting of a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU, and a sixteen-core Neural engine. With such a high level of upgrade in performance, there shouldn’t be any problem in running any program on the iPad Mini 6. Whether it be gaming or video editing, this chipset is truly a beast in rendering the frames down so fast and in such a smooth manner. Even though the M1 chips on the new iPad Pro and iPad Air are even more powerful, the Mini 6 is enough for virtually every purpose you could use the iPad for. The iPadOS 15 also gives a superior tablet experience with a host of features that are only available on Apple’s iPad models, such as Quick Notes, intelligent handwriting recognition, and split-screen functionality.

Camera:

Even though cameras have never been something greatly focused on in tablets before Apple has done its best to make the cameras better since people often use their tablets for video conferences and zoom calls. The back camera of this iPad has a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and can click great photos and videos as long as there is ample light around the subject. The front camera, on the other hand, is so much more. With a 12-megapixel FaceTime HD lens, the front camera of the iPad Mini 6 is really great for attending video conferences, business meetings, and FaceTime calls. Since the iPad Mini 6 also has Apple’s new Center Stage technology, the camera can track you in its field of vision and keep you in the center. It can even compensate for other people coming into the frame, which is awesome.

Battery Life:

Despite Apple’s claims that the iPad Mini 6 lasts for 10 hours on a single charge, we are yet to observe any instance of such spectacular battery timing. As it stands, the battery on the iPad Mini 6 (Wifi Model) drains itself after about 7-8 hours of usage, even without putting a lot of load on the processor. And that is understandable, too, because you can’t really fit a large battery in this small slip of a tablet in any case. Even then, this battery life is certainly an improvement over the battery timings of the iPad Air 4, which is considered to have been the inspiration behind the iPad Mini 6.

Price:

The base model of the iPad Mini 6 with 64GB of storage is priced at $499. The 256GB variant costs around $150 more and falls around $649.

What’s New Compared to iPad Mini 5?

Now that we’ve discussed all the features provided in the new iPad Mini 6, there arises a question: what exactly is different in the iPad Mini 6 as compared to its predecessor.

Display:

The iPad Mini 6 has an 8.3” LCD Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2266 x 1488. In comparison, the iPad Mini 5 had a 7.9” Retina Display, with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. The pixel density of both iPads turns out to be the same at 326ppi.

Design:

The iPad Mini 6 has the dimensions of 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches, weighing 293g. The iPad Mini 5, in comparison, has a larger footprint with dimensions being 8.00 x 5.31 x 0.24 inches, weighing a little more than the Mini 6 at 301g. Other than that, the iPad Mini 5 has its TouchID at the bottom of the screen, while the Mini 6 has it on the upper corner of the tablet.  

Cameras:

The next point of difference in both iPads is the cameras in these iPads. The iPad Mini 6 has a 12 MP rear and a 12MP front camera. The iPad Mini 5, on the other hand, is equipped with an 8MP rear camera and a 7MP front camera, making the Mini 6 better in this aspect too.

Processor and Hardware:

Speaking of the processor, the iPad Mini 6 has an A15 Bionic Chipset with either 64 or 256 GB of storage. The Mini 5, on the other hand, has an earlier A12 Chip with storage options being 64GB and 256GB. The Mini 6 also has a cellular version that supports 5G internet, while the Mini 5 is limited to 4G. Another point of difference is that the Mini 6 has a USB-C charging port while the Mini 5 still uses a Lightning cable to charge.

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Mini 5: Side by side

Who is the iPad Mini 6 For?

With its 8.3” display and Apple Pencil compatibility, we think that the iPad Mini 6 is great for note-taking and sketching, making it ideal for usage by students, artists, and even in the corporate sector. Its small size and ability to be held in one hand makes it an excellent option for charting flight paths. According to what we were told by lots of hobbyist pilots, they like to use the iPad Mini 6 to plot their flight charts for their small crafts while sitting in the cockpit. Similarly, the Mini 6 with its display and brightness, makes it a good option for watching YouTube videos for long periods. We also found out that due to its high-quality FaceTimeHD front camera, the iPad Mini 6 is great for kids taking online classes and business people to attend zoom calls and video conferences.

Alternatives to iPad Mini 6

It’s good to check some alternatives before making a decision. just to have a different perspective.

iPad Air 5 (2022):

The iPad Air 5 (2022) is a great alternative to the iPad Mini 6. Considering the fact that the Mini 6 is almost a scaled-down version of the Air 5 and Air 4, you will get pretty much the same tablet–just a bit bigger than the Mini. It runs on the Apple Silicon M1 chip instead of the A15 present in the Mini 6, which gives it a huge boost in power. So if you want a tablet that’s comparable in size but with better specs, the Air 5 is exactly what we would recommend. The Air 5 also has a USB-C port for fast data transfer. The battery timing in the iPad Air 5 is also better than in the Mini 6, but conversely, it also weighs much more than the Mini 6. It does have a larger screen at 10.9”, which can be a great thing depending on your usage, especially if you edit videos or photos on your iPad. Even the price of the iPad Air 5 is only about $100-$150 more than the iPad Mini 6, so this tablet can be something you can consider if you do not wish to buy a Mini 6.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8:

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8  is a good option for you if you want to use an Android tablet that can keep up with the functionality offered by the iPad Mini 6. Since many people try to avoid switching operating systems, it is an understandable situation, especially since the A8 is quite bigger than the Mini 6. This tablet comes up at 10.5” in size and 508g in weight, which is considerably more than the Mini 6. This tablet currently runs on Android 11 and also supports further updates in the OS. With a bigger battery and an Octa-core processor compared to the hexa-core one of the Mini 6, the A8 can be a great option for you to choose. You should keep in mind that the display quality and the cameras on the A8 are not as good as the ones in the iPad Mini 6. It also costs quite less than a Mini 6, being priced at around $250 as compared to the almost $500 price tag for the Mini 6.

Microsoft Surface Go 2:

Microsoft Surface Go 2 is one of the best alternatives to the latest Apple iPad Mini 6. It comes with lots of great features such as a larger display at 11”, 4 gigabytes of RAM, an external memory slot, a detachable keyboard etc. The Surface Go 2 has been made with high-quality damage-resistant glass which gives it quite a bit of resilience. Perhaps the biggest advantage of using the Surface Go as an alternative to the iPad Mini 6 is that it runs on Windows, so Windows and PC users don’t need to acclimate to a different OS when using this tablet. This tablet is priced at around $399, making it a great alternative to the Mini 6.

Other Aspects of the iPad Mini 6

	Yes	No
Does the iPad mini 6 have face ID?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have wireless charging?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have a headphone jack?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have a SIM card slot?	√
Does the iPad mini 6 have GPS?	√
Does the iPad mini 6 have 120hz?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have NFC?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have an M1 chip?		√
Does the iPad mini 6 have 5g?	√

Final Thoughts

The iPad Mini 6 is quite a versatile device. After trying this iPad, we can safely say that this tablet is a great device to own, especially if you tend to take lots of notes on your tablet. It’s also really great for watching videos and movies due to its dainty size, so you can flop on your couch on a lazy afternoon and watch movies on your iPad Mini 6 quite comfortably. Its brightness allows you to have a great visual experience, and you can even use this iPad to attend your Zoom meetings due to its awesome front camera and Centre Stage compatibility. If you’re a student, a corporate executive, or an artist, we recommend you grab one of these iPads at the earliest opportunity.

Overall we loved the device, there are some drawbacks that we mentioned, but it felt very up-to-date.

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