iPad Mini 6 Reviews: Impressive Upgrade Brings iPad Air Features to Smaller Size

[code-m]

Adding ProMotion display would actually improve battery life since the display has an adaptive refresh rate.

That would depend on what is being viewed/used majority of the time. If it’s gaming the battery li free will drop as it will engage a higher refresh rate. ProMotion usually just balances out 60 Hz in general usage.

I found similar battery life between my iPad Pro and iPad mini for my usage.

I ended up using the mini more and pro less due to portability hence I sold off the Pro. It was not comfortable to hold in one hand for a prolonged period of time and once the KB case was attached it was desk bound plus I found I was resting it more due to fatigue.

 

[blairh]

Then you don’t understand some peoples need for an extremely portable tablet which the 10.2” is not.

I really don’t think the 10.2” is much less portable than an iPad Mini.

 

[Oohara]

I'm still on the fence, even though I ordered a 256gb cellular one. iOS is still just too limiting, in particular I still have issues with refreshing/backgrounded apps and the lack of user accounts, plus from a hardware POV I continue to think a tablet without a kickstand is already inferior out of the gate. I think I was spoiled by having the Galaxy Fold 2 for the past year (as well as always having a surface pro device in my stable), which IMO is a much better tablet functionally, especially when it comes to multi tasking Samsung just really went all out. Still they both pale in comparison to Windows, but no one makes 7-8" Windows tablets anymore. I'm curious to see what Microsoft presents later on today.

Just to be clear I still think the ipad mini 6 is really incredibly nice, especially as a consumption device, I'm sure it will be a huge hit. I'm just not convinced that it checks off all the boxes for what I personally need, certainly not at its price range.

Valid points, I'm fine without a built in kickstand but both app refresh and the lack of multiple user accounts really drive me nuts. And thanks for the heads up about a Microsoft announcement, I had totally missed that! Fingers crossed for more competitor tablets in this size category. If someone else brings one with AMOLED, it's probably a done deal for me even if I practically live in iCloud.

 

[tpfang56]

Just an oddball review tbh.

I’ve noticed that a lot of the reviewers don’t seem to fall into the target audience of the mini. Most of them prefer a bigger screen either for drawing or doing work with the magic keyboard. The people who prefer the 11” ipads vs the 12.9” probably feel its too close in size. The ipad enthusiastics seem to like it though!

 

[code-m]

I really don’t think the 10.2” is much less portable than an iPad Mini.

Then I suggest you try it in-person. Go ahead put a 10.2” iPad in your pocket or even a purse.

 

[code-m]

I’ve noticed that a lot of the reviewers don’t seem to fall into the target audience of the mini. Most of them prefer a bigger screen either for drawing or doing work with the magic keyboard. The people who prefer the 11” ipads vs the 12.9” probably feel its too close in size. The ipad enthusiastics seem to like it though!

Some of these people even suggest why an iPad mini when there is the iPhone Pro Max. It’s like yeah everyone is the same body size, wears the same clothes or style and nothing else matters.

In the real world there are petite, average and tall people, why not phones and tablets to resemble these types.

 

[dgdosen]

I've always liked the "mini" form factor dating back to my Franklin Planner (Compact) days and then through my Arc notebook (8.5x5.5) days.

I have boxes of those calendar and refill papers - unfortunately, it's all kind of an unusable mess.

Now with handwritten notes on an iPad mini, that whole process is infinitely easier to manage. Especially when used in coordination with the "Smart Note" way of thinking.

 

[klasma]

From the pictures, the bezel looks wider than the left/right bezels from the old mini. Anyone got one in hand to compare?

Since the body width has remained exactly the same, but the new mini is 48 pixels narrower at the same DPI, yes of course the long bezels are wider. Based on the specs, it’s
an additional 1.87 mm on both sides, from 7.56 mm on the old mini to 9.43 mm on the new mini, which is a 24.7 % increase.

 

[tpfang56]

Some of these people even suggest why an iPad mini when there is the iPhone Pro Max. It’s like yeah everyone is the same body size, wears the same clothes or style and nothing else matters.

In the real world there are petite, average and tall people, why not phones and tablets to resemble these types.

Those who say the pro max can substitute an ipad mini have never put them side by side lol.

People just need better imaginations. The amount of traditionally productive (ie. creative or office) work you can get done on an ipad mini probably isn’t much outside of a few niche cases, but some of us don’t want and can’t use an ipad for productivity. Some of us want just want a premium lightweight consumption device for reading, gaming, and light note taking that also fits into a petite messenger bag.

 

[blairh]

Then I suggest you try it in-person. Go ahead put a 10.2” iPad in your pocket or even a purse.

I don't know of any pockets that would fit an iPad Mini.

Purses come in all sizes. Plenty will fit an iPad. And the iPad isn't even that much bigger than the Mini. It's 2" taller and 1.5" wider.

 

[ddtmm]

Lol, battery life is why I decided to ditch my 5 and upgrade to the 6. Welp.

The guy didn’t mention anything about his brightness settings. My experience has been that dimming the screen a bit (or more) is a big factor in battery life. Could be that battery life is just fine.

 

[smulji]

I ended up using the mini more and pro less due to portability hence I sold off the Pro. It was not comfortable to hold in one hand for a prolonged period of time and once the KB case was attached it was desk bound plus I found I was resting it more due to fatigue.

100% agree. Anything bigger than 10" and you may as well get a laptop. Which is why I'm really intrigued by the new Surface Book Studio announced today. It has the potential to be a huge influence on the design of future laptops

 

[thejoshuabradshaw]

Still on the fence. I hate touch ID is the sticking point for me right now. I have a Mini 5 and may just have to wait it out until faceID comes around. I love it for media and such. 12.9 for my heavy lifting. I would spend the extra money for this feature to problem.

 

[555gallardo]

Concerning the battery life - it’s hard to get the portability and long battery life together, so people need to decide what’s more important for them. Unless you literally move all the time, it can be plugged into a socket too and will charge quite quickly with its 20W charger. 🖐

Seems like you didn’t have much experience with previous iPad mini models. 5-6hrs as mentioned in a review, is too short for this device. I still remember how I used to charge my 1st gen iPad mini every 1.5-2 days, and back when iOS still tracked time spent on battery, I managed to get 12 hours of passive work, such as browsing on Safari, watching YouTube videos, being on Facebook, writing stuff in Word/Pages, and even playing a couple of games such as Draw Something.

 

[code-m]

I don't know of any pockets that would fit an iPad Mini.

Purses come in all sizes. Plenty will fit an iPad. And the iPad isn't even that much bigger than the Mini. It's 2" taller and 1.5" wider.

Go ahead try putting that 10.2” into a pant cargo pocket, I am waiting or even a deep vest pocket. Granted pockets also come in many sizes that may not fit an iPhone Pro Max but that is besides the point.

Also granted that purses come in all shapes and sizes but most prefer something portable in a tablet format hence “handheld” gaming units are not 10.2” display size.

Plus that design is over a decade old.

 

[Rafterman]

Rumors say that the iPhone 14 will introduce a more affordable iPhone max size. While I know people are saying that the iPhone and iPad are totally different products, I still consider that the phablet market has cannibalized the small tablet market. As a result, you might be right in the next 3 - 5 years.

I hope I'm wrong, because I love the Mini. But considering how little love Apple has given the Mini over the years, I won't hold my breath.

 

[blairh]

Go ahead try putting that 10.2” into a pant cargo pocket, I am waiting or even a deep vest pocket. Granted pockets also come in many sizes that may not fit an iPhone Pro Max but that is besides the point.

Also granted that purses come in all shapes and sizes but most prefer something portable in a tablet format hence “handheld” gaming units are not 10.2” display size.

Plus that design is over a decade old.

I don’t believe your points are valid regarding transport at all. And I don’t think the dated design matters honestly. The only reasons to opt for the Mini is if you want something smaller and lighter in your hands. Otherwise I think most people are better off with the larger and cheaper iPad that will do everything just as well and be $200 cheaper.

 

[macagain]

Since the body width has remained exactly the same, but the new mini is 48 pixels narrower at the same DPI, yes of course the long bezels are wider. Based on the specs, it’s
an additional 1.87 mm on both sides, from 7.56 mm on the old mini to 9.43 mm on the new mini, which is a 24.7 % increase.

Interesting... and thanks for the analysis. Is it also wider than the ipad pros'? it looks like it from the pics, but again might be optical illusion based on proportion of bezel to case size...

I'm as big of an apple fanboy as anyone, but sometimes the hyperbole and bs in their marketing just irritates the sh*t out of me... "edge-to-edge screen" is definitely taking some (a lot of) artistic license... sure, the glass is e-2-e, but with the wide bezel, who gives a sh*t.

Ranting aside, I still ordered one to use as a remote for my hifi system.

 

[Tagbert]

Seems like you didn’t have much experience with previous iPad mini models. 5-6hrs as mentioned in a review, is too short for this device. I still remember how I used to charge my 1st gen iPad mini every 1.5-2 days, and back when iOS still tracked time spent on battery, I managed to get 12 hours of passive work, such as browsing on Safari, watching YouTube videos, being on Facebook, writing stuff in Word/Pages, and even playing a couple of games such as Draw Something.

It is not clear that this battery life is less than the previous model. It sounds like the review was really pushing it. Doing Zoom calls can really draw a lot of power. Running the iPad as a screen likewise. In most cases you would probably have that plugged in to power to trickle charge anyway. if you are on the go, you are unlikely to need to use it for high intensity processing like that for such an extended period in one go without taking a break to charge it.

 

[spinedoc77]

FYI - iOS 15 adds browser extension support

Interesting, I didn't know that. I'll have to research and see, I wonder if eventually there will be as many as Chrome (and by default MS Edge), and Firefox have, or if Apple will neuter them with its guidelines.

 

[spinedoc77]

Valid points, I'm fine without a built in kickstand but both app refresh and the lack of multiple user accounts really drive me nuts. And thanks for the heads up about a Microsoft announcement, I had totally missed that! Fingers crossed for more competitor tablets in this size category. If someone else brings one with AMOLED, it's probably a done deal for me even if I practically live in iCloud.

Unfortunately nothing great on the small tablet front, the Go is still the Go. The Surface Pro 8, on the other hand, is incredible and MS looks like they have really taken the lead here (in innovation at least, sadly probably not in sales). But I'll save it for the inevitable thread MR puts up.

 

[macrumorsuser10]

Why doesn't this thing have Magsafe charging? I want to keep it on 100% of the time on my desk without a power cable sticking out.

 

[macrumorsuser10]

What's the best desktop stand for the new iPad Mini? I want to use it for HomeKit Security Camera monitoring and notifications in general.

 

[tpfang56]

I don’t believe your points are valid regarding transport at all. And I don’t think the dated design matters honestly. The only reasons to opt for the Mini is if you want something smaller and lighter in your hands. Otherwise I think most people are better off with the larger and cheaper iPad that will do everything just as well and be $200 cheaper.

Y'know, I think the difference between the mini and bigger ipads shouldn't be too understated. It's the difference between being able to use a small messenger bag/purse versus having to use a full on backpack/tote bag/big-ass purse.

I'll demonstrate using my own daily driver bag. My old mini (currently case less) fits perfectly in the front pocket with room to spare for a case--even a bulkier case with a pencil holder will fit. I believe the dimensions of the new mini are almost the same, so it should fit as well. Then there's my dad's 10.2" ipad. Even case less, it's far too long and wide to fit.

The ipad mini shouldn't be in consideration with the budget ipad or the ipad pros because they all cover different price ranges. It exists in the midrange with the ipad air, and the average consumer should be considering whether they prefer the larger or the smaller size.

 

[klasma]

Why doesn't this thing have Magsafe charging? I want to keep it on 100% of the time on my desk without a power cable sticking out.

Magsafe charging would take much longer for an iPad due to the larger battery size. It probably wouldn’t be very practical with the existing Magsafe interface. Otherwise I’d want that feature as well.