The new iPad mini (2021) has showed up today (September 14) at Apple's iPhone 13 launch event.
What's new with the mini? A liquid retina 8.3-inch display up to 500 nits of brightness, Touch ID in the lock button, an A13 Bionic chipset, 40% better CPU and 80% GPU upgrade, and a USB-C port. And, of course, 5G connectivity, making the iPad mini look more like a tiny iPad Air.
Back camera has been upgraded to 12MP f/1.8 camera and can record in 4K, while the front-facing camera has been upgraded to the 12MP ultrawide (122 degree field of view) with Center Stage found on iPad Pro and new iPad.
Watch our September 14 launch live blog to read all the action as it unfolds, or check back later to see how it happened in real-time.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple's next tiny iPad
- When is it out? Announced September 14, out next week
- How much will it cost? Starts at $499
New iPad mini 2021 release date and price
The iPad mini 6 was revealed during the iPhone 13 reveal event on September 14, and it'll be on sale around the world of September 24.
We only know the price in the US for now, which starts at $499. We've yet to learn any details about how much larger storage variants will cost but will update this article when we do.
Design and display
The iPad mini is the smallest iPad in the company's range, but it does have a larger screen than previous iterations in this series. The screen is 8.3-inches, and it's a liquid retina display. It features 500 nits of brightness, too.
You'll have the option of a purple, a pink, space gray or a cream-like color that Apple is calling Starlight.
There's a Touch ID fingerprint sensor inside the top button of the device, a feature we first saw Apple use on the iPad Air 4.
The tablet uses a USB-C port, not Lightning like older iPad Minis, which shows Apple is starting to emerge from the stone age (as USB-C is the industry standard). This should ensure faster powering and data transfers.
Specs and performance
The iPad Mini 2021 uses the A15 Bionic chipset, which we also see on the iPhone 13 series phones. According to Apple, this will include a 40% faster CPU and an 80% faster GPU than previous iterations of the device.
The tablet will connect to 5G networks if you buy the cellular model, though if you opt for the Wi-Fi only model you'll only be able to get internet connection using Wi-Fi networks (as the name suggests).
There are stereo speakers on the tablet, which should be useful for people who play music or watch videos out loud.
We've yet to find out how big the battery is, but Apple says it'll offer "all-day battery life" which is laughably vague. It's unlikely we'll know much about what the battery can do until we try out the new tablet.
iPadOS 15 software will come running on the device, which is Apple's iPad-centric spin on iOS 15.
Apple has confirmed the Apple Pencil 2 will work with the tablet - this stylus also comes on Air and Pro tablets, and clips to the top to wireless charge from the slate.
Camera
The new iPad mini comes with a 12MP rear camera with an f/1.9 aperture, true tone flash and smart HDR features. According to Apple this shoots 4K video if, for whatever reason, you want to shoot this high-res video using a tablet.
The big upgrades come on the front, which is a 12MP ultra-wide camera with 122-degree field of view.
The Center Stage feature from iPad Pro 2021 - that's the camera that follows you around while you're on a video call - is also available here.
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