iPad mini Preview
Apple has officially announced the brand new iPad mini with a beautiful modern design similar to the current iPad Pro and iPad Air models. In fact, the iPad mini could easily be called the 8.3” iPad Air 4. Uniform thinner bezels around the new display with P3 color gamut, flat aluminium housing, TouchID on the power button, support for the Apple Pencil Gen 2, new stereo speakers, USB-C and the A15 Bionic Chip. In fact, it is the only iPad with this chip making it even more powerful than last year’s iPad Air.
Cameras
The new iPad mini is also using new cameras on the back and front. The rear camera The latter supports center stage which was introduced back in Spring for the M1 iPad Pro. Center Stage is a new camera feature that makes the front facing camera of the iPad follow the presenter during a FaceTime or another supported video call application. It’s like having your own personal camera man filming you. Unlike the iPad Air, the iPad mini is also equipped with a True Tone flash that enhances the iPad mini’s low light performance.
Design
Touch ID makes its return in a new position though. The front bezels are now much thinner. Consequently, placing the power button on the front was impossible. This time the power button has moved on the top of the iPad mini and it comes with embedded Touch ID across all models. Just like the iPad Air. Moreover, the smaller size of the iPad mini compared to the iPad Air makes using the power button on top much more comfortable.
Connectivity
Apple, unsurprisingly, releases the iPad mini in both WiFi only and cellular versions at either 64GB or 256GB storage. Cellular versions have been upgraded from LTE to 5G for faster download speeds of up to 3.5GB per second in ideal conditions. Connectivity options have also been improved: WiFi 6 and USB-C connector on the bottom finally make the iPad mini a more versatile and faster device than ever before.
The iPad mini is charged through the provided USB-C cable and 20W charger that can be also used to fast charge your iPhone.
Performance
The iPad Air is powered by Apple’s latest A15 Bionic SoC with a 5-Core GPU which makes the iPad mini the fastest iPad available in the current lineup, apart from the M1 iPad Pro which is on another level. The iPad mini is a true powerhouse, capable to perform any demanding task like video or photo editing, gaming or music production. Furthermore, the A15 Bionic is using Apple’s brand new neural engine and machine learning accelerators which “enable apps to deliver next-level experiences, such as image recognition and natural language learning” as Apple states in it iPad mini press release. A15’s neural engine in combination with the camera hardware, make the iPad mini produce better photos and videos.
Accessories
New iPad means new accessories and the iPad mini is no exception to this rule. A new Smart Folio for the iPad mini is available at $59. However, due to the small size of the iPad mini, Apple hasn’t released a Magic Keyboard or another similar solution for the smaller iPad. Practically, you have to connect a wireless keyboard to your iPad mini if you do not want to type on the on-screen keyboard.
As already mentioned, the iPad mini is compatible with the latest version of the Apple Pencil for improved interaction with the iPad. Apple Pencil Gen 2 can be charged by attaching it magnetically on the side of the iPad mini.
Colors, Pricing & Availability
The iPad mini will be available in stores on September 24 in four beautiful colors: pink, starlight, purple, and the classic space gray. Apple also released new wallpapers for each new iPad mini finish (download here).
Pricing starts from $499 for the base 64GB WiFi-Only version and can go up to $799 for the top tier 256GB cellular model.
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