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The iPad mini 6 started my love affair with Apple's mini iPads and it is still a great tablet. If you don't mind not having the absolute latest and greatest hardware, the iPad mini 6 is excellent value for less than $300.
The Good
- So portable and light
- Pocket-rocket power does the job for light working
- Excellent note-taker with Apple Pencil
The Bad
- No Apple Pencil Pro support
- Chip is beginning to get a bit old
- Lower RAM than the iPad mini 7
Everyone is, understandably, talking about the M4 iPad Pro and iPad mini 7 at the moment. Today, I’m going to talk about something dear to my heart – the brilliant little iPad mini 6.
I’ve been using Apple’s smallest tablet for two years now, and as is customary, the time has arrived for me to give you my long-term thoughts.
How much am I using it after all this time? How has it held up, and, more importantly, is the iPad mini 6 worth it now the iPad mini 7 exists?
How I use the iPad mini 6
If you’re wondering whether or not my enthusiasm and use for the iPad mini dampened over the years of waiting for the iPad mini 7, I can confirm that it didn’t. If anything, it grew stronger. The iPad mini 6 held an incredibly important device within my studio for years and still does.
Full iPad mini 7 review
The iPad mini has four roles at Mark Ellis Reviews HQ. The first is the primary reason for which I bought it – note-taking.
It’s a role in which Apple’s smallest iPad excels – particularly when paired with the brilliant Paperlike screen protector. This adds both protection and – you guessed it – a paper-like feel to your iPad. The transformation is incredible if you want to use the tablet primarily as a writing or sketching device, and the 2.1 update raises the bar even further thanks to there being almost no impact on the display’s brightness and colour at all (it barely looks like the Paperlike is present!).
A lot of my note-taking happens in Apple Notes these days (thanks to its designated location for my second brain) but I still encounter plenty of instances where I need to jot things down. The combination of the iPad mini, Paperlike, and Notability is golden.
The second role for my iPad mini can be found during a-roll filming for my YouTube videos. While I’m talking to the camera, I work from bullet points to remain on track, and the iPad mini is the best device I have available for that task.
Thirdly, if I decide to catch up on my favourite YouTube channels during lunch, or fancy keeping an eye on what’s happening on the news, the iPad mini is still my content consumption device of choice.
Something more powerful? M4 iPad Pro review
Lastly, and thanks to the brilliant Pitaka Pitaflow charging case and magnetic stand, the iPad mini spends much of its time docked to the right of my Studio Display. This means it’s nearly always fully charged and perfectly glanceable if I need to keep an eye on social media mentions or activity on my bustling Discord server.
Put simply, I’d be a bit lost without the iPad mini. If the iPad mini 7 hadn’t been released in November 2024, the iPad mini 6 would still have been doing all of these tasks.
How it compares to the iPad mini 7
Here’s the stats for comparing the iPad mini 6 and iPad mini 7.
| Feature | iPad mini 7 (2024) | iPad mini 6 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | A17 Pro (30% faster, 6-core CPU) | A15 Bionic (6-core CPU) |
| GPU | 5-core GPU | 5-core GPU |
| CPU | 6-core CPU | 6-core CPU |
| RAM | 8GB | 4GB |
| Storage Options | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 256GB |
| Display | 8.3″ Liquid Retina (326 PPI, 60Hz) | 8.3″ Liquid Retina (326 PPI, 60Hz) |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Apple Pencil | Supports Apple Pencil Pro | Apple Pencil 2nd Gen only |
| USB-C Port | 10Gbps | 5Gbps |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Wide, Smart HDR 4, 4K video | 12MP Wide, Smart HDR 3, 4K video |
| Front Camera | 12MP Ultra-Wide, Center Stage | 12MP Ultra-Wide, Center Stage |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours (Wi-Fi usage) | Up to 10 hours (Wi-Fi usage) |
| Operating System | iPadOS 17 | iPadOS 15 (Upgradeable) |
| Weight | 293g (Wi-Fi model) | 293g (Wi-Fi model) |
| Colors | Space Gray, Blue, Purple, Starlight | Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Starlight |
| Price | Starts at $499 (128GB Wi-Fi model) | Buy for $328 on Amazon (64GB Wi-Fi model) |
As you can see, there isn’t a huge amount of difference between the two iPad mini generations. The main two are the amount of RAM and the chip.
The A17 Pro chip is a more recent version of the A15 Bionic chip and therefore more powerful. But you will hardly notice the difference in performance unless you are really putting your iPad mini through its paces.
More about the A17 Pro chip in my iPhone 15 Pro Max review
As for the RAM, well that’s probably the biggest boost for the iPad mini 7 in terms of value for money. For the same price on release as the iPad mini 6, you get double the RAM which again contributes to a power difference.
In reality, if I put both of these iPads in front of you and asked you to use them, you would struggle to tell them apart. I would personally spend the extra money to buy the iPad mini 7 just because it has that newer chip and is still excellent value at $499.
But if you do want to save money, then the iPad mini 6 is still a brilliant tablet. The only thing to consider is that it isn’t compatible with Apple Intelligence, but that is no great loss.
iPad Mini 6 vs iPad 10th generation: Main features and Specs
It’s worth noting the differences between the iPad mini 6 and iPad 10 10th generation. So to start, here’s a little comparison table for you:
Read my full iPad 10th Generation review
| Feature | iPad Mini 6 | iPad 10th Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | September 2021 | October 2022 |
| Display | 8.3-inch Liquid Retina (2266 x 1488, 326 PPI) | 10.9-inch Liquid Retina (2360 x 1640, 264 PPI) |
| Chipset | A15 Bionic | A14 Bionic |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage Options | 64GB, 256GB | 64GB, 256GB |
| Apple Pencil Support | Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) | Apple Pencil (1st Generation, requires adapter) |
| Keyboard Compatibility | No Smart Connector; Bluetooth keyboards only | Magic Keyboard Folio compatible |
| Front Camera | 12MP Ultra Wide (Center Stage) | 12MP Ultra Wide (Center Stage) |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Wide | 12MP Wide |
| Biometric Security | Touch ID (Top Button) | Touch ID (Top Button) |
| Operating System | iPadOS (launch: 15; supports current versions) | iPadOS (launch: 16; supports current versions) |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours (web surfing or video playback) | Up to 10 hours (web surfing or video playback) |
| Port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Optional 5G | Wi-Fi 6, Optional 5G |
| Dimensions | 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm | 248.6 x 179.5 x 7 mm |
| Weight | 293g (Wi-Fi), 297g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | 477g (Wi-Fi), 481g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) |
| Colors | Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Starlight | Blue, Pink, Yellow, Silver |
| Price (Starting) | $499/£499 | $349/£329 |
Key Differences:
- Size & Display: The iPad Mini 6 is smaller and more portable, with a sharper display due to higher pixel density. The iPad 10th Gen offers a larger screen, making it better for multitasking and more complex work.
- Chipset: The iPad Mini 6 has a newer and slightly more powerful A15 Bionic chip compared to the A14 Bionic in the iPad 10th Gen.
- Apple Pencil Support: The iPad Mini 6 supports the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, while the iPad 10th Generation supports Apple Pencil USB-C.
- Keyboard Compatibility: The iPad 10th Gen works with the Magic Keyboard Folio, making it a better choice for productivity. The iPad mini 6 has no Magic Keyboard compatibility, a third-party keyboard is needed.
- Portability: The iPad Mini 6 is lighter and more compact.
My full Magic Keyboard Folio review
The iPad mini 6 is about as powerful as the iPad 10. The only thing that differentiates between the two is size. So if you want a bigger screen and aren’t worried about portability, the iPad 10 is an option. Although, it is due an update soon.
Is the iPad mini 6 still worth it today?
I like simple conclusions, and this one is about as simple as it gets.
Yes – the iPad mini 6 is still a brilliant buy.
In fact, if you’re currently considering the 10th-generation iPad, I’d suggest buying the iPad mini 6, instead. Sure, you don’t get those cool colour options, but you do get a far more portable tablet, a better display, and, crucially, Apple Pencil 2 support.
All of our favourite Apple Pencil alternatives
It’s also a far more interesting iPad than the rest of the lineup and has a huge fan club. The iPad mini exudes that elusive ‘magic’ that is so often absent in today’s Apple products.
Put it this way – if I didn’t have the money to buy a new iPad mini 7, I’d happily buy the iPad mini 6 today. Especially if you can get it for less than $300/£300!
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1 Comment
I bought one. I love it. Thank you for your helpful insight.