Apple iPad Mini 2021 review: what you need to know about the big makeover for Apple’s small tablet

Apple’s smallest tablet scored one of the biggest changes this year. Is it time to downsize your next iPad? And what is it missing?

Apple chief executive Tim Cook launched a major makeover for the iPad Mini in September 2021. Picture: Brooks Kraft / Apple Inc. / AFP

The baby of Apple’s iPad family is finally growing up.

Sure, millions of people tuned into Apple’s big announcement to hear about phones, but many ended up talking about the iPad Mini.

With its release this week, the smallest iPad will feature a bigger screen, more power, better features, and its first major makeover since its 2012 debut.

And all of this comes in the same year that rumours circulated about its possible demise.

So can the iPad Mini pull off a 2021 comeback? We’ve been testing the miniature gadget since last week to find out.

NEW LOOK, WHO DIS

The iPad Mini arrived almost a decade ago with a curious birth story.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs reportedly didn’t want a miniature tablet, arguing the 9.7-inch model was the ideal size, but the smaller model was the first new product released by successor Tim Cook.

Apple revealed updates to two of its iPad models during its September 2021 event, including the Mini.

It has now survived and thrived to make a sixth release.

The iPad Mini has been almost overlooked for big hardware upgrades in recent years, however, languishing alongside the standard iPad and sparking rumours that it may not reappear.

That’s what makes this release so unexpected.

In 2021, the $749 iPad Mini will get an iPad Air-style makeover, with metal edges, rounded corners and the removal of its big chin and old-school Touch ID button.

In its place, the Mini boasts a larger screen inside a similarly sized body while the on button doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

This iPad even gains a USB-C connection like its Pro brothers, beating the iPhone to it, and pink, purple and ‘starlight’ options to underline its new look.

In short, the refreshed iPad Mini looks like a shrunken iPad Air, which is no bad thing.

SMALL FORM, BIG POWER

Admittedly, there’s no Apple Silicon hiding in this miniature iPad but the new model gets more power than you might expect.

The sixth iPad Mini gets a speed boost from the A15 Bionic chip — the same processor used in iPhone 13 handsets and more powerful than chips powering the current iPad Air or standard iPad.

Apple announced a major update for its iPad Mini during its September 2021 event.

But what does this addition mean for real-world use? We challenged this mini iPad to import and edit a group of 47-megapixel RAW images in Adobe Lightroom. It passed the test smoothly, while an older generation iPad Pro struggled.

The new Mini is also capable of handling demands of graphics-intensive games and multi-tasking without delay.

It doesn’t get the benefit of a new ProMotion display with a faster refresh rate, like iPhone 13s or iPad Pro models, and its storage tops out at 256GB, but the Mini should be powerful enough to impress most users.

This is also aided with a new 5G connection and compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil.

WHY GO MINI?

If you have a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a large tablet and a smartphone, it might be hard to see why you’d need to add a new screen to that mix.

But, with an 8.3-inch screen and 297g body, the iPad Mini can fill a different role to those devices.

Its light weight makes it the perfect size for reading e-books, digital magazines and newspapers, catching up on all your bookmarked articles and streaming some TV shows.

Apple announced a major update for its iPad Mini during its September 2021 event.

And, yes, doomscrolling social media is easier on this device as it offers more screen than your smartphone and more comfort than a full-sized tablet or laptop.

Its compatibility with the newer Pencil is also smart as scribbling on this screen like a notepad makes a lot of sense, particularly for to-do lists and reminders.

And its form and connectivity will make it well suited for travel, once that returns to popularity.

This year’s Mini, like the standard iPad, also receives better cameras with the most important boost made to its front-facing lens for video calls. It not only features more megapixels, at 12, but adds a Centre Stage feature to keep you in the frame if you move around in front of the device.

WHAT’S MISSING?

The iPad Mini is much more powerful and capable than the previous model but it won’t suit all tablet users.

You can edit photos and video on this device, write messages or pursue the inbox zero dream, but it’s not designed to stand in for an office workhorse or help you create extended missives.

Apple’s new iPad Mini will support the newer Pencil but won’t support a Smart Keyboard.

Apple does not sell a Smart Keyboard for this iPad, nor does it feature a connection for one. You can connect a Bluetooth keyboard to it but that’s clearly not its intended purpose.

Some users might find the on-screen icons too small for comfort, and there are also only two speakers inside its form rather than four as in the Pros.

APPLE IPAD MINI 2021 VERDICT

Overlooked no more, this year’s iPad Mini is in comeback mode.

It’s still light enough to comfortably deliver reading, streaming and scrolling entertainment, but is now powerful enough to let users edit videos, photos, scribble notes, and boot up serious games.

The bigger screen is an impressive addition, while moving the fingerprint scanner doesn’t hurt its appeal.

The new Mini still won’t suit all tablet buyers, or steal the most-popular iPad crown, but its makeover should secure its position in the iPad family and excite those looking for a bit of digital light reading.

Originally published as Apple iPad Mini 2021 review: what you need to know about the big makeover for Apple’s small tablet