Along with 9th Gen iPad, Apple has also announced its new iPad Mini (6th Generation). It comes in Pink, starlight, Purple and Space Gray colors.
New iPad Mini (6th Gen) features and specs
The new iPad Mini 6th Gen comes with 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display. It has narrow borders, compact design and anti-reflective screen coating. Its screen delivers P3 wide color gamut and up to 500nits of brightness.
Its all screen design has enabled a new Touch ID placement at top button of iPad Mini. It offers secure authentication and can be used to log in to apps or use Apple Pay. The iPad Mini brings support for Apple Pencil (2nd Generation), which attaches magnetically and allows wireless charging.
New iPad Mini 6th Gen feature in new A15 Bionic Chip which is a 6-core CPU. It offers 40% performance boost over its predecessor. Coupled with it is a 5-core GPU that Apple claims to offer 80% graphics performance leap.
Along with it is Advanced Machine Learning (ML) functions powered by 16-core Neural Engine and new ML accelerators. the Neural Engine enables apps to deliver next-level experiences, such as image recognition and natural language learning.
The device boots with iPadOS 15 which includes powerful ML features including Live Text. The iPad Mini houses 12MP ultra-wide front camera with larger FOV to enable Center Stage. Apple has placed 12MP sensor at back with Focus Pixels and Large Aperture. The A15 chip has new IPS which allows taking natural-looking photos with Smart HDR.
The 6th Gen iPad Mini 2021 comes in Wi-Fi only and 5G Cellular models. With 5G, it can deliver peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. It has eSIM and supports Gigabit LTE. Regardless of model, Wi-Fi 6 is supported.
New iPad Mini comes with USB-C port that offers up to 5Gbps data transfer speed (10x faster than previous generation). It also supports vast USB-C ecosystem of accessories including cameras, external storage and displays up to 4K.
Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation) specifications
- Dimensions: 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm
- Weight: 293 grams (Wi-Fi) / 297 grams (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- Display: 8.3-inch LED-Backlit multi-touch IPS display with 2266 x 1488 pixels resolution, 326ppi pixel density, True Tone, Wide P3 colors, 1.8% reflectivity, 500nits brightness, Fully Laminated, Fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating, Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) support
- Chipset: A15 Bionic 64-bit Chip with 6-Core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
- Front camera: 12MP FaceTime HD ultra-wide camera with 122-degree FOV, F/2.4 Aperture, Smart HDR 3, 1080p at up to 60fps, Lens correction, Auto Image stabilization, Retina Flash, Extended dynamic range video up to 30fps, Cinematic video stabilization
- Rear camera: 12MP wide camera with F/1.8 Aperture, 5-element Lens, Quad-LED true-tone flash, Auto Focus with Focus pixels, Panorama (up to 63MP), Smart HDR 3, Wide color capture, Advanced red-eye correction, Auto Image stabilization, 4K video at up to 60fps, 1080p at up to 60fps, slo-mo video 1080p at up to 240fps, Time-lapse video with stabilization, extended dynamic range video up to 30fps, cinematic video stabilization (4K/1080p/720p), Continuous AF
- Audio: Stereo speakers (landscape), Dual Microphones
- Connectivity: 5G (Wi-Fi + Cellular via eSIM), Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax, Dual Band (2.4/5GHz), HT80 with MIMO, Bluetooth V5.0, Digital Compass, iBeam Microlocation, GPS/GNSS (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- Sensors: Touch ID, 3-axis Gyro, Accelerometer, Barometer, Ambient Light
- Charging and Expansion: USB-C pro for Charging, DisplayPort, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5Gbps)
- Battery: 19.3Wh rechargeable Lithium-polymer batter. Up to 10 hours of Web surfing of video (Wi-Fi model) / up to 9 hours of web with cellular data (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
- Operating System: iPadOS 15
Price, availability
- The new iPad mini is available to order beginning today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning Friday, September 24.
- Wi-Fi models of iPad mini are available with a starting price of $499 (US) and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $649 (US). The new iPad mini, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, comes in pink, starlight, purple, and space gray finishes.
- iPadOS 15, the powerful operating system designed specifically for iPad, is available beginning Monday, September 20, and ships for free with the new iPad mini. iPadOS 15 will be available as a free software update for iPad mini 4 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and all iPad Pro models.
- Apple Pencil (2nd generation), available for purchase separately, is compatible with iPad mini for $129 (US).
- The new Smart Folio for iPad mini is available for $59 (US) in black, white, dark cherry, English lavender, and electric orange.
- Customers can buy any Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad model directly from apple.com/store or at an Apple Store and get up to $200 (US) back from T-Mobile/Sprint or Verizon with activation. Terms apply. For eligibility requirements and more details see apple.com/shop/buy-ipad. Customers can also trade in their current iPad and get credit toward a new one.
- Price in India:
- new iPad Mini 64GB Wi-Fi: Rs. 46,900
- new iPad Mini 256GB Wi-Fi: Rs. 60,900
- new iPad Mini 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: Rs. 60,900
- new iPad Mini 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: Rs. 74,900
- Apple Pencil (2nd Generation): Rs. 10,900
- new Smart Folio for iPad mini: Rs. 5500