Apple's recently announced update to the iPad mini makes it a better buy for many consumers than the 2020 iPad Air which stood out as a great bargain when it first launched. Some amount of performance upgrades are to be expected with technology each year. That's what makes buying new gadgets so much fun, with the option to pay the same but get more. In some cases, the extra value stands out as something special and that's what has happened with the new sixth-generation iPad mini.
Apple's iPad mini has had a checkered history, being a favorite early on before falling behind the other iPad models in more recent years. It all began in 2012 when Apple created its first small tablet, excluding the Apple Newton which was more of a PDA. The original iPad mini was very much a smaller version of the iPad 3. The iPad mini kept pace with the larger model for only one more year before its specifications began to fall behind. The iPad mini 4 launched with a year-old processor and remained the only small tablet option for the next four years. In 2019, it finally caught its larger sibling again, only to sit on the shelf unchanged for 2 years.
Finally, it seems that Apple decided to give the sixth-generation iPad mini an opportunity to shine. Looking like a tiny iPad Air 4, the iPad mini 6 has no home button, features flat edges, and Touch ID is located in the power button just like the larger tablet. This cute little powerhouse packs a punch though, charged up with a newer A15 chip it will outperform the more expensive tablet while costing $100 less at $499. The price difference drops to $80 when choosing the cellular model. However, that's not bad news because the latest iPad mini blows away the iPad Air 4 with its much faster 5G support. It's fairly easy to make the case that the new iPad mini offers much better value than last year's iPad Air.
iPad mini's Productivity Features
It's counterintuitive to think of a little iPad mini as the better productivity machine, yet that might be the case. Clearly, the 10.9-inch display of the fourth-generation iPad Air is much larger than the iPad mini's 8.3-inch display. On the other hand, larger isn't always better. If using a tablet on the go, something that can be stuffed in a bag, a binder, or a backpack and without taking up all of the space is going to be more convenient. Being smaller and lighter, the iPad mini is much easier to hold in the hand, and both tablets use Apple's second-generation Pencil that can attach to the side and charge magnetically.
The iPad mini 6 would certainly be easier to handle for hand-written notes and it can be used with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if preferred. USB-C connectivity makes it just as compatible as the iPad Air 4 and the higher resolution 12-megapixel selfie camera features the same Center Stage software as the iPad Pro to pan and center the user during video calls, as if a full-time camera operator was helping shoot the video. Matching or exceeding all of the iPad Air 4's most impressive features, a compact design that's easier to handle and super portable, and all for $100 less means the iPad mini 6 is now the best buy for a mid-range tablet from Apple.
Source: Apple