The iPad mini 6 was announced at Apple’s September 2021 event, as you can read in our blow-by-blow Apple event live blog and recap. This new 2021 iPad mini sports a slimmer design, upgraded performance, a new edge-to-edge screen, and Touch ID support like that found in the iPad Air.
The new iPad mini 6 is available for pre-order right now via Apple’s website at a starting price of $499, and it’s expected to ship the week of September 21st. It’s available in an array of new colors with matching new Smart Folio cover accessories, and though Apple was tight-lipped about what processor powers it, it’s pretty clear that the iPad mini 6 is shaping up to be one of the best tablets on the market for most people.
So with those upgrades in mind, here’s everything we know so far about what to expect from the iPad mini 6.
iPad mini 6 latest news (updated September 14)
iPad mini 6 release date and price
At its September 2021 Apple announced that the iPad mini 6 is available for pre-order right now via Apple’s website, and it’s expected to ship the week of September 21st.
The iPad mini 6 has a starting price of $499, so it starts about a hundred bucks more expensive than its predecessor, the $399 iPad mini 5. You can order the iPad mini 6 in one of four colors: purple, pink, starlight, and space grey.
Plus, the iPad mini 6 now supports 5G, so you can order either the base Wi-Fi model or the more expensive version with 5G connectivity. If you like to splurge on accessories, Apple is releasing a new series of Smart Covers for the iPad mini 6 that complement its new color options.
iPad mini 6 display
While the iPad mini 6 is tipped to be roughly the same size as its predecessor, on rumor claims that the next iPad mini could have an 8.4-inch screen. That would be a decent increase over the fifth-generation iPad mini’s 7.9-inch screen.
Furthermore, a supply chain report has the iPad min 6 tipped to use a mini-LED display as seen in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021. By using a mini-LED display over a traditional LCD panel, the iPad mini 6 could deliver better brightness, contrast and colors over the rather nice Retinal display on the current compact Cupertino slate.
Though unfortunately, this appears to have been shut down by one of the latest leaks posted on Chinese social network Weibo. The source of the alleged leak, Bored Panda, expects Apple’s new compact tablet to feature a Liquid Retina Display instead.
iPad mini 6 specs
FrontPageTech’s Jon Prosser says that the new iPad mini 6 will be powered by the A14 Bionic chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 12 lineup. In addition, the Lightning port could be replaced by USB-C, and the iPad mini 6 may offer optional 5G.
A previous post at the Chinese tech site MyDrivers.com (when passed through Google Translate) suggests that the iPad mini 6 will feature an A13 processor, which makes sense as an upgrade from the A12 Bionic chips in the iPad mini 5.
iPad mini 6 design
A series of renders put together by leaker Jon Prosser and RendersbyIan show an iPad mini 6 with smaller bezels and no more home button. The 7.9-inch display grows to 8.5 inches in these renders, and the power button on the top right side is said to double as a Touch ID button.
Prosser’s sources suggest that at 206.3mm x 137.8mm x 6.1mm, the iPad mini 6 will be just 3mm taller and wider than its diminutive predecessor.
Those renders are further backed up by a video of what is purported to be an aluminum mold of the iPad mini 6. The video, shared by Technordo, indicates a big redesign for Apple’s smallest tablet.
Newer but very much unofficial renders of the iPad mini 6 have hinted that the compact tablet could come in a suite of new colors, adding a pastel green, blue and pink to the classic Spacy Gray and Silver colors of previous iPad minis; there’s not hint of a Rose Gold model however.
The renders also give us a good look at what design the iPad mini 6 could sport going off the rumors so far. It effectively looks like a smaller version of the latest iPad Air 2020, with slimmer bezels than the iPad mini 5 and no home button.
iPad mini 6 outlook
The iPad mini 6 leaks and rumors suggest that Apple is set to unleash one of the best small tablets yet. We’re all for smaller bezels, a bigger display and more power, and having Touch ID support would be welcome. And we will not be said to see Lightning go.
We’ve said before that the iPad mini is in desperate need of a redesign and the iPad mini 6 could deliver just that. With the next Apple event seemingly fast approaching, we may not have long before we find out more about the next compact Apple tablet.
Jessica spends 12 hours a day on the internet managing security for web assets and loves her macha tea
