I have spent most of 2024 traveling for work. It all started in the back half of 2023 but really exploded this year. Because of all that traveling, I've been slowly refining the gear I take with me on planes and the occasional train. Fortunately, as a writer, I can get away with not carrying a lot around with me. One thing I need to have is a writing machine.

A traditionalist would say I need a laptop. The problem with laptops on a plane is that I'm a bigger guy, and sadly, I'm usually relegated to economy seating. Those two things do not go together well, so a laptop is a non-starter for me. However, on a couple of recent trips to California and New York City, I discovered a great combination of technology that allows me to get some work done without having to pray that the person in front of me won't lean their seat back.

This setup revolves primarily around an iPad Mini (6th generation — I don't have the new one yet), but I had to pick up a few other accessories to make it work. What I like most about this setup is how versatile it is. It works just about anywhere, ample belly notwithstanding. So here's the setup I usually work with.

Quick links for everything you need

• iPad mini 6th Gen / iPad mini 7th Gen
• Logitech Keys to Go 2
• Non-slip rubber base computer mousepad
• Wreanu wireless mouse

Build-a-laptop

Of course, we've already discussed the iPad mini. I use Apple's small-but-mighty tablet daily, primarily for gaming. But when I’m traveling for work, I find the 8.3-inch screen in landscape orientation is just big enough for writing and reading, while remaining small enough to fit into a pocket in my bag. When I travel for work, it's usually for a press tour, which also tends to involve a lot of walking, so the 293 grams are barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things.

Of course, as a writer, I need to have a keyboard. For that, I use the Logitech Keys-to-go 2 portable keyboard. It includes a flip cover to keep it nice inside my bag and a coin cell battery that is rated to last up to three years. It connects to the iPad using Bluetooth LE. The keys are lovely, with 1mm of key travel and 18mm pitch (this distance between the keys). There's a power switch on the back for when the keyboard isn't in use and three buttons allowing you to switch between three connected devices.

One nice part about this keyboard is its ever-so-slight wedge shape, typically missing on portable keyboards. This shape gives the keyboard a nice angle and makes typing easier and more comfortable. It's also compatible with all operating systems, including iOS. At 222 grams, it is exceptionally lightweight. When paired with the iPad in my bag, the two add just over one pound to my bag. Good luck finding a laptop that light.

Pièce de résistance

Then, there's the rug that really ties the room together — the device that makes this whole setup work. The Apple smart cover on the iPad does the origami fold to stand the tablet up, but the angle is too steep when placed on a tray table on an airplane, so I turned to Amazon for one more piece to the puzzle. I found it in the WixGear Universal Airplane tablet mount. This tablet mount is similar to those cheap phone mounts that spring shut.

The difference is that this mount can expand wide enough to accommodate tablets up to 7.67 inches in width. The other end has a spring-closing clamp that can clamp to a tray table or sometimes even the pocket in the seat in front of you. You can twist the mount to put the tablet just about anywhere.

The key benefit is that I can separate the "monitor" and the keyboard, which provides much more flexibility. On a cramped airplane, that often means the iPad covers a bit of the keyboard, but I've been writing for so long that it doesn't really bother me.

I also carry a cheap, slim mouse and mousepad to complete the package, but I rarely use them on the plane when space is at a premium. They're nice for when I land and can spread out a bit. Most of the time, I just gorilla arm the tablet or use the arrow keys when necessary.

Some things to be aware of

Overall, when I need to work on the plane, this setup gets me through. However, it's not perfect. Given unlimited space I would rather use a laptop, but that’s not the reality of airline travel. My only real gripe about this setup is that depending on where I can clamp on the tablet holder, I might have the screen uncomfortably close to my face. The tablet holder has a very long base, so if I need to attach it so that it sticks horizontally out from the seat in front of me, there's not a lot of wiggle room.

Ideally, I can attach the clamp to the back of the tray table. Of course, different aircraft have different seats and trays, so your mileage may vary. But if you're a frequent traveler, this is a great setup that can accommodate almost any sized space and any sized writer.

The iPad mini finally got a refresh last month, after a years-long wait. You don't have to wait to save on a new iPad mini, though. The new model is already on sale for Black Friday, along with the iPad mini 6 and the Apple Pencil!

Right now Amazon is offering a $40 discount on the new iPad mini 7 for Black Friday. The new version features a major processor upgrade, double the base storage, compatibility with Apple Intelligence, and compatibility with the new Apple Pencil Pro.

If you don't need the latest upgrades and just want a compact iPad for entertainment, check out the iPad mini 6 for $150 off at Amazon! We gave this model a glowing Editor's Choice award and it's still a great buy at this sale price.

If you want to use your iPad for notetaking or drawing, remember to pick up a new Apple Pencil, too! All three of the main models are on sale right now, including the new Apple Pencil Pro.

See also: Top MacBook Black Friday deals: Save up to $500 on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac accessories

After a three-year wait, the iPad mini 7 is finally here, and it impressed me more than I expected.

Last week, Apple quietly announced a long-awaited refresh to the iPad mini 6, which launched in October 2021. Our lab testing team put it through the paces, so we can now see how the iPad mini 7 compares to the Air and the base iPad.

Three years is a long time in the tech world, and the new mini got some major upgrades, but even given that, I was still blown away by just how well it performed. Our sister site Tom's Guide gave the iPad mini 7 a shining 4.5 out of 5 stars, so I'm not alone in my admiration for the new mini.

If you're considering trading in your old iPad or buying a new one, you should look at these test results to see just how well the iPad mini 7 compares to its rivals.

iPad Mini 7 overall performance

The iPad mini 7 boasts an A17 Pro CPU, a six-core integrated GPU, an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with support for P3 wide color, a 12MP rear camera with 4K video, and a 12MP portrait-mode front-facing camera.

This is the first Apple device featuring an A17 chip since the iPhone 16 line-up skipped an entire generation and went straight to the A18 chips. So, we're finally getting a look at how the A17 generation compares to the M-series chips, specifically the M2 chip in the iPad Air 6.

Surprisingly, the iPad mini 7 outscored the iPad Air 6 by 283 points in the Geekbench 6 single-core test. The Air has the lead in the multi-core and Crossmark tests, but it's still impressive to see the A17 Pro chip come so close to the M2 chip's performance.

While the iPad mini 7 and iPad Air 6 scored similarly, the base iPad lagged behind in the Crossmark test. (It's a few years old at this point and was tested with an older version of Geekbench, so we can't directly compare its single-core or multi-core scores.)

Since the iPad Mini finally got an update, the base iPad is now several generations behind with the old A14 Bionic chip, which has a significantly lower overall performance score, as one might expect. Hopefully, the base iPad will get a refresh in Apple's next update cycle.

iPad mini 7 graphics and gaming

With the A17 Pro chip, the iPad mini is uniquely well-suited for gaming, especially with cloud gaming getting more popular. The display is bigger than a phone's but not as bulky as a full-size iPad, let alone a MacBook, making the mini perfect for mobile entertainment. Plus, the iPad Mini 7 is small enough to pop into a handheld controller like the Razer Kishi Ultra and carry around like a handheld gaming console.

Apple claims the iPad mini 7 can run AAA games, although only a few are available natively on iPadOS right now. However, cloud gaming platforms like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now can run on any mobile device through a browser, significantly expanding the number of desktop-level games you can play on an iPad.

More mainstream titles have also been getting ported over to iPadOS recently. For example, Netflix Games brought hits like Hades, Death's Door, and Oxenfree to the iPad. Similarly, Apple Arcade includes a port of Disney Dreamlight Valley along with expanded mobile versions of Dead Cells and Stardew Valley.

I love gaming on my iPad, so I was excited to see how the new iPad mini 7 performed in this category. It didn't disappoint, but I was surprised at just how well it scored. The iPad mini 7 not only maxed out the 3DMark Wild Life benchmark test, but it also achieved an average of 59.9 frames per second, nearly identical to the iPad Air 6's average of 60 fps.

Considering the iPad Air 6 has an M-series chip, I was expecting it to have a noticeable edge over the mini 7 in gaming, but it looks like the two perform virtually identically.

The base iPad fell significantly behind with an average of just 46 fps, so if you're looking for a tablet for gaming and entertainment, the iPad Air 6 or iPad mini 7 are your best options.

Should you upgrade to the iPad mini 7?

If you have a 6th-generation iPad mini, the 7th-generation model is definitely worth the upgrade. The long wait for a refresh means a significant leap in chip technology. The iPad mini 7's benchmark results show that the A17 Pro chip performs on par with the M2 chip in the iPad Air 6, so you can expect fantastic overall and gaming performance, despite the smaller form factor.

It may also be worth upgrading to the iPad mini 7 if you have a base iPad 10 or an older iPad Air, particularly if you are an avid mobile gamer. The iPad mini 7 and iPad Air 6 are significantly more powerful than the iPad 10, although the Gen 10 is still a strong, affordable tablet.

The main differences between the iPad mini 7 and the iPad Air 6 are accessories and screen size. If you want to use your tablet as a laptop replacement with the Magic Keyboard, you'll need to opt for the Air. On the other hand, if you mainly want a tablet for travel and entertainment, the new-and-improved mini is the way to go. The new mini and Air are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro for artists or note-takers.

It's also worth noting the mini costs $100 less than the Air but includes the same amount of base storage, so it's a good option for anyone in between the $600 Air and the $350 base iPad.

More from Laptop Mag

• Apple quietly releases iPad Mini with major chip upgrade and double the storage
• iOS 18.1 releases next week, bringing Apple Intelligence to iPhone 15 and 16
• Is the Apple Pencil Pro worth buying? A singular new feature could propel it to the mainstream

Apple quietly launched the iPad mini this week and it is currently available for pre-order, but if you’re thinking about using it for gaming, I’d think twice.

Odd marketing strategy aside, Apple claims that the iPad mini can “play demanding, graphics-intensive AAA games.” However, it was also confirmed that the iPad mini would be outfitted with the A17 Pro.

Now, we know that the A17 Pro can technically play AAA games, but that doesn’t mean that you should.

We learned that with the iPhone 15 Pro and it may be even worse with the iPad mini. Why? Let me explain.

How did the A17 Pro run AAA games?

We couldn’t get some serious gaming in during our iPhone 15 Pro review because the hyped-up titles, like Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Death Stranding, hadn’t launched yet. But since then, we got a good look at what the A17 Pro is capable of.

Digital Foundry showcased the performance of Resident Evil Village on the iPhone 15 Pro, and while it was playable, it didn’t seem like the best gaming experience. I’m not expecting marvelous graphics; at max settings, the game crashes within 30 seconds. However, even lower graphics doesn’t stop the performance itself from lacking.

According to Digital Foundry, the A17 Pro struggled with inconsistent frame times and stuttering when the frame rate was set to variable. When it’s capped at 30 fps, it performs better, but it still suffers from fps drops and low frame times depending on the area you’re in. For context, frame times determine how long it takes the GPU to render a single frame (calculated in milliseconds).

Digital Foundry also took on Assassin's Creed Mirage on the iPhone 15 Pro. Similar to Resident Evil, the High preset dropped below 30 fps with inconsistent frame times, and that’s with the 30-fps frame cap. At the Low preset, the game is at 30 fps more often, but high-density areas still drop the performance down to 20 to 25 fps.

An incredibly odd performance issue is that Assassin's Creed Mirage pauses when it autosaves. Considering this is an open-world game, you'll encounter autosaves often, which will get frustrating.

With Death Stranding, Digital Foundry found that the A17 Pro was capable of running the game at a smooth 30 fps, but navigating around built structures and vehicle traversal would tank the fps and frame time.

The issues with the aforementioned AAA games are rough. It’s one thing to tear up a game’s visuals to make it playable on a weaker device, but if the performance of that device can’t even withstand 30 fps, what’s the point?

Will the iPad mini be any different?

Unfortunately, it may be worse. The iPhone 15 Pro featured a 6.1-inch, 2556 x 1179 (460 pixels per inch) display whereas the iPad mini is outfitted with an 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 (326 ppi) display. So not only does the iPad mini sport a larger screen but also a lower ppi. Let’s get into why that’s an issue.

AAA games like Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Death Stranding take some serious hits in terms of fidelity. It’s not necessarily a con; it’s the only way these games would be able to run. However, since the iPad mini’s display is larger, you’ll see more of the visual downgrade.

Again, those visual downgrades would be more acceptable if the performance was better. While I cannot speak to how the new iPad mini will run these games, the world’s experience with the A17 Pro doesn’t tell the best tale.

To be fair, while Apple did make a wild claim about AAA games, the example it provided was Zenless Zone Zero, an ARPG developed by miHoYo. Now that game may run incredibly well, but the issue with this comparison is that miHoYo develops its games with mobile in mind.

The same goes for the rest of the miHoYo titles on iPhone. Meanwhile, the aforementioned titles were quite literally an afterthought. So a broad statement like the iPad mini can “play demanding, graphics-intensive AAA games” doesn’t seem legit.

We need to wait to get the iPad mini in for testing to give you a proper criticism, but right now it isn’t looking good for Apple’s latest iPad.

Apple finally did it. After three long years, a new iPad Mini is here.

If you missed the announcement, that's probably because it didn't get much fanfare, just a humble press release posted on Apple's website on Tuesday morning. While the new iPad Mini didn't receive the same hype the iPad Pro got earlier this year, it's still a big announcement you might want to get excited about.

Here's a look at all the updates in the new iPad Mini, including one feature it's missing and one surprisingly good use for it.

Apple finally announces a new iPad Mini after 3 year wait

On Tuesday, Apple announced the 7th-generation iPad Mini, featuring a new processor with support for Apple Intelligence and double the base storage of the previous model.

The design remained effectively the same, but inside the new Mini has the A17 Pro chip. This is an interesting choice since the new iPhones skipped the A17 generation entirely and all feature A18 processors. So, it's surprising to see the A17 finally make an appearance. Since the new Mini has the A17 Pro, we could see the base A17 in the upcoming 4th-generation iPhone SE.

The A17 Pro chip offers 30 percent more performance than the A15 Bionic chip in the 6th-gen iPad Mini along with 25 percent stronger graphics performance. That means the new iPad Mini is significantly better for gaming than the previous version. The iPad Mini might not be the first thing that jumps to mind when you think of gaming, but that could change as cloud gaming becomes more popular. The iPad Mini is the perfect size to use as a portable gaming device, particularly with a snap-on controller like the Razer Kishi Ultra.

The new chip also makes the iPad Mini 7 better for tasks like photo or video editing. It's capable of running Apple Intelligence, as well, which is expected to start rolling out this fall. Plus, it's compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro, which offers some exciting new features for artists.

Unfortunately, one feature I was hoping to see on the new iPad Mini didn't make the cut: OLED. The iPad Mini 7 features the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display as the previous model. That's a real letdown considering it has so much going for it otherwise, particularly for people who would really appreciate OLED, like gamers and artists.

On the upside, Apple did give the Mini a valuable storage spec bump. Now the base storage is 128GB, double the 64GB offered on the 6th-generation model. You can increase the storage to 256GB or 512GB if you want even more space.

How to pre-order the iPad Mini 7

The iPad Mini 7 will be available in stores starting October 23, but you can pre-order one right now if you're too excited to wait. Pre-orders are live on the Apple website with the base model starting at $499. If you're a student, you can use education pricing (with a valid education email address) to get the Mini for $449.

If you're trading in your old iPad, don't forget you may need to get a new Apple Pencil with your new Mini. It's only compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil USB-C, not the first or second-generation Pencils. Luckily, you can get the Apple Pencil Pro for just $90 on Amazon right now, a 30 percent discount off the regular price. The Apple Pencil USB-C is down to just $65, making it a serious bargain.

Laptop Mag will be keeping an eye out for early deals on the new iPad Mini, too, so keep an eye out if you want to save some money on yours. We'll also be sharing more details on the latest from Apple, so stay tuned for more info.

More from Laptop Mag

The iPad Mini might be Apple's smallest tablet, but it could have huge potential, especially with a stunning OLED display. Apple recently unveiled the iPad Pro M4 with an OLED display at a May 7 event ahead of WWDC 2024. So, Apple is ready to dive into its OLED era. 

The iPad Pro may be the first Apple product with OLED, but it certainly won't be the last. The iPad Mini could soon get this major display upgrade and an exciting design update. 

Here's everything we know about the OLED iPad Mini, including its potential release date, price, design, and more. 

OLED iPad Mini: Release date

The OLED iPad Mini is on the horizon, but it's still unclear whether it will be the iPad Mini 7 or the iPad Mini 8. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the next iPad Mini will enter mass production in the second half of 2024. That model, the iPad Mini 7, will be the first iPad Mini released since the Mini 6 launched in 2021. 

Considering that three-year gap, it's possible Apple could give the iPad Mini 7 a significant design update with an OLED display to help justify the long wait. However, a May 23 report from ZDNet Korea hints that the OLED iPad Mini might not launch until 2026 alongside an OLED iPad Air. This lines up with a report from research firm Omdia, which indicates that most of Apple's products won't get OLED until closer to 2026. 

So, Apple might save OLED for the iPad Mini 8 rather than the Mini 7. Apple's release date history for the iPad Mini has been a bit inconsistent, but it still gives us hints of potential windows for an OLED iPad Mini release date: 

Based on this data, Apple prefers fall release dates, except for the iPad Mini 5. It looks like Apple is also leaning toward September releases. So, mid- to late September is the most likely time frame for an OLED iPad Mini release, regardless of the year. If Apple plans to give both the Mini and Air OLED upgrades in 2026, they will likely launch on the same day. 

OLED iPad Mini: Price

Pricing for the iPad Mini has always been a bit odd compared to the rest of the iPad line-up. One would think it would be the most affordable iPad due to its small screen. However, the base iPad (10th generation) is currently $150 cheaper than the iPad Mini (6th generation). So, Apple is positioning the Mini as a premium device on par with the larger iPad Air. 

An OLED display would be a great way to justify the higher price of the iPad Mini. However, it's still possible Apple could bump up its price. The iPad Mini currently starts at $499, just $100 less than the 11-inch iPad Air M2. Apple will likely aim to maintain that price gap. So, if it does increase the price of the OLED iPad Mini (compared to the current iPad Mini 6), it likely won't go above the $599 price tag on the current iPad Air. 

OLED iPad Mini: Design

The design will be the OLED iPad Mini's show-stopper feature. I've made the case that the iPad Mini deserves an OLED display. Considering the Mini is the ideal iPad for media consumption, an OLED display would make it a phenomenal handheld device for watching movies, especially in cramped quarters like airplanes. 

A recent leak from ZDNet Korea indicates that Apple is indeed planning to upgrade the iPad Mini to OLED. The screen size will likely remain roughly the same, at just over 8 inches. However, the rest of the OLED iPad Mini could look noticeably different. 

Several recent leaks from trusted sources report that Apple's entire product line-up is getting thinner in upcoming design refreshes. The ultra-thin chassis on the iPad Pro M4 was one of the highlights of Apple's May 2024 iPad event and appears to be the start of this new thin devices trend. Since the iPad Mini is already considered a premium device, there's no reason to assume Apple would leave it out. 

So, it's possible we could see Apple give it a refresh similar to the iPad Pro M4 by adding an OLED display and a thinner, lighter design simultaneously. That means the Mini will be even more comfortable to hold in a single hand. It would be especially impressive if it were even lighter than an iPhone, but we'll have to wait and see.

OLED iPad Mini: Features

The OLED iPad Mini could include several key features, although some will depend on the software updates Apple releases over the next year or two. For instance, since the Mini is getting an OLED display, it could also get ProMotion. Apple may want to keep this feature exclusive to the iPad Pro, but it would still be nice to see. 

Likewise, we can expect the OLED iPad Mini to resolve some persistent display flukes on the current iPad Mini 6. For example, MacRumors recently reported that Apple is working to fix the "jelly scrolling" issue seen on the iPad Mini 6's LCD. 

"Jelly scrolling," also known as screen tearing, occurs when different areas of a display lag during scrolling, resulting in mismatched frames. While this issue will hopefully be less prominent in the iPad Mini 7, thanks to the OLED display, it should be completely gone with the OLED iPad Mini. 

The OLED iPad Mini could also include support for the Apple Pencil Pro, which was announced in May. This stunning refresh to the Pencil is currently only compatible with the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2.

This is partly because Apple had to relocate the placement of the magnetic charger to accommodate landscape mode selfie cameras in these two new iPads. If Apple doesn't add the same camera update to the iPad Mini 7, it will certainly be in the iPad Mini 8 (the most likely model to feature the OLED display). So, we can expect the OLED iPad Mini to be compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro.

The OLED iPad Mini will likely also feature a much more powerful processor than the current iPad Mini 6, which includes an A15 Bionic chip. At WWDC 2024, Apple announced Apple Intelligence, its new AI platform. Apple Intelligence is designed to mainly run on-device, which requires quite a bit of processing power.

So, Apple will likely give its upcoming iPads major processor upgrades to accommodate those new AI features. An M-series chip might be a bit overpowered for the iPad Mini, but it's not out of the question. Apple could also potentially give it an A18 chip like the upcoming iPhone 16 line-up. Either way, we can expect the OLED iPad Mini to be more than capable of running Apple Intelligence features locally.

OLED iPad Mini: What's next?

The OLED iPad Mini could launch anywhere in 2025 or even 2026, although a fall release date is the most likely. Of course, Apple could also unveil it at a surprise event as it did with the iPad Pro M4 in May 2024. So, we're watching closely for the latest news, leaks, and rumors surrounding this exciting update to one of Apple's most underrated products. 

As we wait for an official OLED iPad Mini announcement, there's still a lot to look forward to from Apple. There are several major OS updates coming later this year, including iPadOS 18, which will bring the first wave of Apple Intelligence features to the iPad. Laptop Mag will be covering the latest updates on the iPad line-up and all things Apple, so stay tuned for more insights, rumors, and details. 

More from Laptop Mag

• Did Apple forget about the iPad Mini?
• OLED MacBook rumors: Release date, price, and design update
• Is the Apple Pencil Pro worth buying? A singular new feature could propel it to the mainstream

Apple announced two new iPads at its "Let Loose" event in May: The iPad Pro M4 and the iPad Air 6 M2, which come in two sizes. The company even advertised a price cut for the base 10.9-inch iPad. The one tablet that wasn't mentioned at all? The iPad mini 7.

The tiny 8.3-inch iPad mini 6 is a favorite among many because of its ideal size for streaming video and reading print. It was released almost three years ago, in September 2021, yet Apple has seemingly forgotten about the iPad mini.

While we haven't heard much about the next-gen iPad mini, reliable analysts—including Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman—seem to think it does indeed exist, and even better, it could be launching as soon as the end of 2024.

It may not be much, but here's what we know about Apple's fan-favorite tiny tablet: the iPad mini 7.

iPad mini 7: Expected release date

In November 2023, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that “mass production of the new iPad mini is delayed to 2H24, vs. the previous prediction of 1Q24.” 

If this estimate is true and Apple starts mass production in the second half of 2024, the iPad mini 7 could launch in late 2024 or early 2025.

In April, Gurman reported that Apple "is working on new versions of the low-end iPad and iPad mini, but those won't be coming before the end of the year at the earliest." 

iPad mini 7: Expected pricing

Right now, the iPad mini 6 starts at $499. That's $100 more expensive than its predecessor, the iPad mini 5, which started at just $399.

Although Apple hasn't confirmed the price (or existence) of the iPad mini 7, it's unlikely that it'll be lower than the iPad mini 6's starting price of $499.

It's possible that Apple could even drop the price of the iPad mini 7 to match that of the iPad mini 5 at $399.

At Apple's  "Let Loose" event in May, the iPad 10's new suggested retail price was announced: $349. That's $100 less than its previous suggested retail price.

As Laptop observed a year ago, it's strange that the smaller iPad mini was more expensive than the 10th-generation iPad when there was only a $50 difference between them. Now, it'd be a $150 difference! 

Granted, the iPad mini 7 could boast a more powerful chip and possibly a better display. However, those two upgrades would have to be significant enough to justify buying a smaller tablet for an extra $150.

iPad mini 7: Specs

The next-gen iPad mini likely won't improve much in terms of specs.

In response to a reader question about Apple's iPad mini 7, Gurman reported that "[Apple] isn’t likely to do another major overhaul of the product, so I’d expect the next model to offer little more than a processor upgrade."

What might that chip upgrade look like? Well, rumors are circulating that it could be an A16 Bionic chip, an A17 Pro Bionic chip, or even an M1 chip, but the truth is, we just don't know yet.

The current-gen iPad mini 6 features an A15 Bionic chip. Jumping to an M1 chip seems unlikely and simply upgrading to an A16 Bionic chip doesn't seem like it'd justify the $150 price difference between the iPad mini 7 and the 10.9-inch iPad. That leaves the A17 Pro chip as our best guess right now.

Regardless of which chip upgrade Apple goes with for its iPad mini 7, a stronger, more efficient processor will result in better battery life. In our iPad mini 6 review, we squeezed out 10 hours and 59 minutes on a single charge, so even more battery life than that in the iPad mini 7 would be fantastic.

The iPad mini 7 might not see much in terms of increased RAM, but we're hoping to see increased storage. The current iPad mini 6 offers two storage options: 64GB and 256GB. Apple finally bumped up its iPad Air line to start with a minimum 128GB of storage, and we're hoping the company does the same with the iPad mini 7.

iPad mini 7: Design

As of right now, the iPad mini 7 isn't expected to offer anything new design-wise compared to the iPad mini 6.

We'll likely have the same color options to choose from — Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, and Purple — but of course, we'd love to see more colorways. More pastel colors, like Blue or Yellow, would be great, and an iPad mini in Space Black sounds like a sleek dream.

iPad mini 7: Display

The iPad mini 7 is bound to boast display upgrades. Nothing official has been announced yet from Apple, but with about three years separating the iPad mini 6 and the iPad mini 7, it'd be wild to not see an improvement to the mini tablet's display.

The iPad mini 6 features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with IPS technology that's LED-backlit and offers a 2266 x 1488-pixel resolution, 500 nits brightness, and True Tone.

Previous rumors suggested that the iPad mini 7 could gain an OLED panel or a 120Hz ProMotion display, which would help justify the current price difference between the iPad mini and the base iPad model, but most analysts seem to think that these display upgrades are reserved for Apple's higher-end Pro models, including Ross Young.

One major upgrade likely coming to the iPad mini 7 is a fix for the infamous jelly-scrolling issue. If you're unfamiliar, jelly scrolling is essentially screen tearing due to refresh rate differences across the screen, and it makes images and text on one side of the screen appear tilted downward, which is incredibly annoying when you're trying to read. Check out jelly scrolling on the iPad mini 6 in action below.

In response to an Ars Technica article on jelly scrolling, Apple said the issue was "normal behavior for LCD screens." Ars Technica updated the article a second time two days after Apple's response to include this info: "An iFixit teardown suggests that the iPad mini's more noticeable scrolling issue is a byproduct of how the display controller is mounted."

According to a leaker on Chinese social network Weibo (via Tom's Guide), Apple will change the way the screen is assembled to "[improve]" the jelly scrolling phenomenon. It's not clear yet how Apple intends to tweak the display, but the jelly-scrolling issue should be much less of a problem on the iPad mini 7.

iPad mini 7: Outlook

The iPad mini 7 is three years overdue, and we can't wait for Apple to announce it officially. 

It may not boast incredibly impressive upgrades, but even small improvements to its processor (and therefore battery life) and display would be much appreciated. Because the $499 iPad mini 6 is already overpriced compared to the now $349 iPad 10, we're hoping the iPad mini 7 stays at the same price.

Apple has been silent about the iPad mini 7, and we haven't heard many rumors from frequent leakers and analysts. However, we're still hopeful that a late 2024 launch could be in the cards. Apple does tend to have an event in September and October, so perhaps we'll hear more concrete details then.

In May, Apple announced the long-awaited OLED iPad Pro with the incredibly powerful M4 chip. The iPad Air got a refresh, too, and the base iPad got a price cut.

The one thing missing was the iPad Mini, which hadn't received an update since September 2021, some 966 days earlier—not that we were counting.

Apple seemed to have forgotten the little iPad Mini, but that would've been a huge mistake.

In May, we argued that the Mini deserved an upgrade — not just a spec bump. Was it too bold to suggest an OLED display? Some might've thought only the iPad Pro was worthy of such a slick display, but the unique uses of the iPad Mini make it the perfect fit for OLED. The Mini isn't only for restaurants and business uses. It's for movies and gaming, too.

It seemed earlier this year that the iPad Mini had fallen through the cracks.

Did Apple forget about the iPad Mini? 

The story below was originally published on May 7, 2024:

The current iPad line-up after Tuesday’s “Let Loose” event includes the iPad Pro in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, the iPad Air in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, the base 10.9-inch iPad, and the 8.3-inch iPad Mini.

The Mini is in an awkward spot in the line-up. It’s priced at $499 for a meager 64GB of storage, which is baffling side-by-side with the $349 base iPad that includes the same amount of storage with a larger display. The main reason for this is likely that the Mini has a newer processor, the A15 Bionic. Still, one might think the smaller screen would earn the Mini a price cut.

This highlights the unique position of the iPad Mini. It’s not the cheapest iPad or the largest or the most powerful. It’s not intended to replace your laptop, either.

So... what exactly is the iPad Mini?

The iPad Mini is a luxury entertainment device. The 8.3-inch display creates a Goldilocks zone between an iPhone screen and the 10.9-inch iPad screen. It's just the right size to hold in one hand, but still roomier than your phone's display.

The Mini is also the perfect size for travel since it's far less bulky than a full-size iPad, let alone a Macbook. It's also a fantastic alternative to e-readers, offering a full-color display perfect for reading magazines, textbooks, PDFs, and graphic novels.

Sure, you can do all of that on any of the other iPads, but if entertainment is the main thing you want a tablet for, the iPad Mini is perfect for you. It's small enough to be light and versatile but large enough to be worth swapping your phone out for.

An OLED display is the ultimate upgrade for the iPad Mini

When you start thinking of the iPad Mini as a premium entertainment device rather than just a small iPad, the display becomes the top spec. While the iPad Pro needs the most powerful processor available, the iPad Mini needs a phenomenal display and that means OLED.

This would clearly indicate that the iPad Mini is the one you buy for a great entertainment experience. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro is for power users, the base iPad is for students or budget users, and the iPad Air is a more affordable alternative to the Pro.

An OLED display on the Mini would make it even better at its most popular uses: watching movies and TV shows. You could sit back on a flight with the Mini in hand and watch Dune: Part Two in crispy HDR. (Lisan al Gaib!)

OLED would also improve the reading and web browsing experience with brighter colors and higher peak brightness. The Mini could even become a mobile gaming powerhouse thanks to the high refresh rates and improved power efficiency OLED offers.

While it's great that the iPad Pro can now seriously compete with the Macbook, not everyone needs their tablet to replace their laptop. Some simply want a premium companion device for relaxation and entertainment. The iPad Mini already has the potential to be a must-have device for that type of user. Giving an OLED display would be the perfect way to bring it up to the same level as the rest of the iPad line-up and justify its $500+ price.

Apple clearly wanted the iPad Pro to be the first model with OLED, which makes sense given it's the most expensive, but there's still hope for the Mini.

While it was a bummer we didn't get a new iPad Mini today, I'm actually glad it got left out. Maybe it means Apple is saving it for later so the Mini can get the stunning display upgrade it deserves.

We'll have to wait and see so stay tuned for more of the latest news and updates on Apple and the iPad line-up, including iPadOS 18 and WWDC 2024.

More from Laptop Mag

• Is the Apple Pencil worth buying? A singular new feature could propel it to the mainstream
• iPad Pro M4 vs. iPad Air 6: Which new iPad will be right for you?
• Apple iPad mini 6 review (2021)

MacBook fans looking for an M3 Apple Silicon upgrade might be out of luck for the remainder of 2023, but iPad stans could have plenty to cheer for – and soon! 

Apple’s plans for the remainder of the year may have just been revealed thanks to a fresh tip out of China – from a well known tipster with a knack for delivering accurate information in advance. Let's get the bad news out of the way first.

Wake M3 up when 2023 ends

Regardless of how plentiful the rumors have been, it looks like Apple’s first MacBooks to feature the M3 chip won’t be arriving in 2023.

According to a notebook shipments forecast made by DigiTimes, the share of notebooks built using Arm-based processors (like Apple Silicon) will likely decline throughout the rest of 2023 as Apple holds off on its performance upgrades until 2024.

The announcement of Apple’s M3 chip and its inclusion in future MacBooks has been an on-again-off-again affair throughout the year – with analysts and experts flip-flopping on the issue so hard you’d assume Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo were challenging one another for Olympic gold at Floor Gymnastics.

However, this recent report would seem pretty final and, unless Apple intend to deliver us a Christmas miracle, I’d say we all need to turn our attention to 2024 when it comes to a major MacBook refresh.

Still slated for release

According to a recent leak on Chinese microblogging site Weibo by reputable tipster Setsuna Digital, by the end of October we’re likely to see Apple finally unveil its iPad mini 7.

Reportedly outfitted with an A16 Bionic chipset, the iPad mini 7 was widely expected to appear during Apple’s recent Wonderlust showcase. However, with Apple’s event coming and going without a hint of the small-scale slate escaping a Cupertino cakehole, many were left ‘Wonderlusting’ if the tiny tablet was in trouble – much like the Apple’s last-minute canning of the 14-inch iPad.

Thankfully, that doesn’t appear to be the case this time. In fact, not only is it reportedly on its way, but it will also improve on one of the key complaints about its predecessor – its dreaded jelly scrolling.

In the post, Setsuna Digital reveals that the iPad mini 7 has “changed the screen assembly direction, and the jelly screen phenomenon has been improved; the front camera seems to have been upgraded, but the details are not clear.”

Also mentioned is the iPad 11 and M2-equipped iPad Air 6. Both of which are listed as uncertain possibilities to arrive alongside the iPad mini 7 – and there’s even mention of a first-gen Apple Pencil refresh featuring USB-C making an appearance too.

Outlook

The twists, the turns, the drama! But enough about Gurman and Kuo’s acrobatics. If this leak turns out to be true, it rounds off a rather successful year for Apple that has seen a slew of new devices make it to market, most of which not nearly as disastrous as the iPhone 15 is turning out to be.

As a fan of the iPad myself, I hope we can welcome these new additions to the Apple ecosystem with open arms – though don’t hate me if I have to rip them away from you again on Monday morning when the narrative changes all over again.

The iPad Mini 7 is expected to be the next of Apple’s slates for release, but everyone from Apple analysts to industry insiders can’t stop butting heads on just when we can expect this travel-friendly tablet to make its appearance. 

The great iPad mini 7 release day debate 

Word of the iPad mini 7’s impending arrival came early in the year as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported toward the end of January that “There may be no new iPad releases in the next 9-12 months,” further stating in a tweet that “the iPad mini refresh is more likely to begin mass production in 1Q24.”

A quiet year for the iPad was seemingly confirmed fairly early on, and we all went about our business as usual. Until Apple leaker and adorably named ShrimpApplePro unleashed a series of Apple Watch leaks with further word about the iPad Mini 7 tagged on at the end, that is.

According to ShrimpApplePro, 2023 will indeed feature an iPad release – “Probably the iPad mini 7.” Since then, the iPad mini 7 has been on everyone’s radar as a possible surprise release from Apple before the year draws to a close – even Bloomberg’s Apple auteur Mark Gurman didn’t rule out the possibility.

However, Apple’s Wonderlust event came and went without a peep from the Cupertino crew about its small-scale slate, and many lost hope. Including Mark Gurman who seemed to move on entirely, as he predicted that an iPad Air 6 could actually be in the works for a “soonish” release instead.

However, this didn’t last long as Ming-Chi Kuo would once again emerge from the shadows to tell us all in a post on X (neé Twitter) that “New iPad models are unlikely before the year's end.” Party pooper.

A last minute twist?

However, while that should have been the end of it, a new report by DigiTimes Asia seems to have reinvigorated rumors of an iPad mini 7 release in 2023.

The article, obtaining its information from suppliers and manufacturers of other Apple products, highlights a stagnation in tablet demand during the first half of 2023, but goes on to predict a rebound of sorts in the remaining quarters by saying:

“However, the share will gradually pick up during the second half because of Apple's inventory replenishment needs in the third quarter and orders for a new small-size iPad in the fourth quarter…”

This puts production much earlier than Kuo’s early 2024 suggestion, and could, once again, put the iPad mini 7 back on track for a late 2023 release. If that’s the case, we should still only expect a minor refresh when it comes to specifications – most likely an upgrade to an A16 Bionic, with an outside chance of an A17 Bionic processor.

However, most people will be keeping their fingers crossed for a display upgrade above all else, hoping to see the iPad mini 7 cured of its predecessor’s jelly scroll issues.

Outlook

The rigmarole surrounding the release of the iPad mini 7 continues, and it’ll no doubt be a matter of days or even hours before an opposing expert weighs in the dispute the likelihood of a release this year.

However, while insider information could point to an earlier date, there’s no guarantee that Apple isn't simply building up stock to avoid any potential shortages on release.

Though, for now we’ll have to wait and see what Apple have in store during October and if they’ve anything left to reveal for the rest of the year when it comes to the iPad.

I'm sitting here anxiously awaiting the fruit symboled overlords at Cupertino to launch the new iPhones, but that’s not even the product I’m most excited to see, that honor belongs to the rumored iPad mini 7. Besides my undeniable addiction to the 7 and 8-inch smaller form factor tablets, which are easier to carry and hold in order to devour boatloads of books. I know pilots who use aviation apps on the iPad mini while enjoying the size and potency of the device. 

When our team reviewed the current iPad mini 6 back in 2021, we fell in love with its powerful A15 Bionic CPU, size, and USB-C charging. However, we were disappointed by its inability to take advantage of the Magic Keyboard. According to leakers and analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and ShrimpApplePro, we could see a new iPad Mini anytime in the next 2 weeks to 18 months. ShrimpApplePro estimated the release to be later this year, back on August 1, 2023, and to me, September is later in the year, hence my anxiety and hope. 

However, Kuo and Gurman feel the timeline will be closer to mid-2024. It wouldn’t be the first time Apple made us wait; it was four years between the iPad mini 4 and 5, so I may have to deal with it. The issue I’m having isn't with the possible specs.  On the contrary, they excite me. But, if the pricing remains the same, it will be ridiculous compared to other tablets of the same size. This is where, once again, I take umbrage with the nibbled-upon Apple from Cupertino. 

How much is too much?

In my opinion,  $500 for a 7 to 8-inch tablet is a stretch. Although Apple will pack it with either an A17 Bionic or possibly an M2 CPU, I need help to justify the expense. When you're a dad, spending money on things you fancy takes a backseat to your kid needing stuff so that they’re not social pariahs. Also, none of my kids fit into my 1980s hand-me-downs. 

Currently, $500 only gets you an iPad Mini with 64GB of storage, which is nothing, especially when you can buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 with 128GB of storage for just $269. If you want 128GB of storage on your iPad Mini, it will cost you $650, which, oh well, kids, guess who isn’t getting anything for Christmas. Now, imagine if Apple decides to increase the display size to the rumored 8.3 inches; that will almost certainly bump up the price, and if they start with 128GB of storage because it’s 2023, as you can imagine, it will add up. 

Although our super-talented editor, Jason England, beautifully expressed how ridiculous it is that the iPad Mini is more expensive than the iPad Gen 10. He's hoping for a $399 starting price, which might make the Pope of Cupertino giggle. Jason is right; $399 would be a far more rational starting price for the mini. Apple's defense is that the newest Mini will be loaded with high-end specs and can run DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro while helping pilots find their way in the sky. Meanwhile, I will be left to read books on my 8-inch Amazon Fire HD, and 99% of iPad mini users will be making use of 1/20th of its horsepower.

Final thoughts

The bottom line is that Android tablets are far more affordable but less capable from a software standpoint. The Google Play Store remains a morass of malware, and despite Google’s best efforts, the Android tablet app ecosystem is only showing feeble signs of life. I'm left with the same dilemma I started with. I want and could use an Apple iPad Mini, but I can’t justify the expense while also having to look my daughter in the face while she does her best Tiny Tim "A Christmas Carol" impression and asks me for things like shoes and food. 

Seriously, Apple, let $399 roll around in your heads a bit before you launch the next iPad Mini. Heck, consider a base price of $299.99; it would be greatly appreciated. 

We know that Apple’s September event will give us the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. But we could be in for another surprise, and it’s a long overdue update.

According to leaker ShrimpApplePro, we could finally see an updated iPad Mini. Not much is known yet about it, but that’s not going to stop us from making a bit of a wish list.

Mini in size, but max in specs?

The leaker doesn’t expect big changes to the iPad Mini, so we're likely set for a minor spec bump. What does that mean exactly? Nobody really knows yet, but let’s make some bets:

• Chipset upgrade: This one is obvious, and I’d put my money on the A15 or A16 Bionic. I think it would be a wild gamble to say the likes of A17 Bionic or M2 make it into here.
• A potential cheaper price: Realistically, Apple could get away with keeping this at the same price, and that seems more likely. But with the 10th generation iPad at $449, it always seemed a little weird that the smaller version is more expensive. Give me a $399 iPad Mini.

With these updates, the new iPad Mini could be a huge holiday purchase! And if Apple could have a go at making a keyboard cover, that would be swell.

Outlook

The iPad Mini has been long overdue an update since 2021, so to see it maybe get some love is great news to those who want the iPadOS experience on a smaller device.

Apple’s September event is turning out to be a big one with a redesigned iPhone and updated Apple Watches, and the new iPad Mini will be the cherry on top. But let’s keep our expectations in check, as this is looking more likely to be a minor spec bump rather than a ground up redesign.

Amazon Prime Day 2023 arrives early with $160 off the iPad mini 6. Amazon currently offers the 256GB cellular model iPad mini 6 $629. It normally costs $799 so you're saving $170 with this deal. This is the lowest price we've seen for this configuration and one of the best early Prime Day iPad deals you can get.

Amazon also offers the entry model 64GB iPad mini for $399 and 256GB iPad mini 6 for $539 ($110 off) via Amazon's on-page coupon at checkout.

These are among the best early Prime Day deals we recommend.

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the brand's compact tablet series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

As we praise in our iPad mini 6 review, this tablet is compact, has a sharp, bright display and delivers snappy performance. Its battery life was also impressive for an iPad, lasting 11 hour real world testing. We loved the iPad mini so much that we gave it an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award.

In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites on the iPad mini. Not once did its performance waver. In terms of connectivity, the iPad mini is outfitted with a USB-C port with data transfer speeds up to 5GBps. Built in Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable speeds for wireless connections.

If you were hoping for a price break on the iPad mini, your patience has paid off.

Amazon's 48-hour Prime Day sale starts July 11 at 3:00 a.m. ET. See our Prime Day 2023 hub for this week's best online deals at Amazon and other retailers.

Apple's excellent iPad mini 6 is priced to move just days before WWDC 2023. That said, you don't have to wait for the next Prime Day sale to get the best price on a new iPad.

Amazon currently offers the 64GB model Apple iPad mini for $399. It usually costs $399, so that's $100 in savings and the 6th generation iPad mini's lowest price ever at Amazon. If you need more storage, the256GB iPad mini 6 is on sale for $549 ($110 off). 

This is one of the best iPad deals of the season. 

iPad mini 6 deal

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the brand's compact tablet series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

As we praise in our iPad mini 6 review, this tablet is compact, has a sharp, bright display and delivers snappy performance. Its battery life was also impressive for an iPad, lasting 11 hour real world testing. We loved the iPad mini so much that we gave it an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites on the iPad mini. Not once did its performance waver. In terms of connectivity, the iPad mini is outfitted with a USB-C port with data transfer speeds up to 5GBps. Built in Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable speeds for wireless connections. 

With a weight of 0.7 pounds and measuring 0.3-inches thin, the iPad mini 6 is one of the more portable tablets out there. It's small enough to tuck carry in a purse, tuck away in a glove box or hold in one hand. By comparison, it's much lighter albeit just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 0.2 inches).

Whether you're looking for dads & grads gift ideas or treating yourself, you can go wrong with the iPad mini.

Amazon is slashing up to $170 off several iPad mini 6 configurations ahead of Mother's Day. If you plan to treat mom or yourself to a new tablet, here's a deal you might like. For a limited time, the 64GB Apple iPad mini 6 is now $399 at Amazon. That's $100 off its usual price of $499 and the lowest price we've seen for this particu;ar model at Amazon. 

If 64GB of storage seems paltry and you don't mind spending more, you can get the 256GB iPad mini 6 for $539 ($109 off). Be sure to check Amazon's on-page coupon to secure this deal price at checkout. The biggest discount goes to the 256GB iPad mini 6 with cellular support — it's now $629 ($170 off). 

These are the best iPad deals you can get outside of the holidays. 

iPad mini deal

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the brand's compact tablet series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

As we praise in our iPad mini 6 review, this tablet is compact, has a sharp, bright display and delivers snappy performance. Its battery life was also impressive for an iPad, lasting 11 hour real world testing. We loved the iPad mini so much that we gave it an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites on the iPad mini. Not once did its performance waver. In terms of connectivity, the iPad mini is outfitted with a USB-C port with data transfer speeds up to 5GBps. Built in Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable speeds for wireless connections. 

With a weight of 0.7 pounds and measuring 0.3-inches thin, the iPad mini 6 is one of the more portable tablets out there. It's small enough to tuck carry in a purse, tuck away in a glove box or hold in one hand. By comparison, it's much lighter albeit just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 0.2 inches).

Whether you're Mother's Day gift shopping or buying a tablet for yourself, the iPad mini 6 is a wise choice. 

More iPad mini deals

Apple's iPad mini 6 is one of the best tablets around. If you're in the market for an ultra-portable tablet that you can use with one hand, here's a deal you'll like. 

Right now, you can buy the iPad mini 6 for $399 at Amazon. That's $100 off the tablet's usual price of $499. This is the lowest price we've ever seen for the iPad mini 6 via Amazon. It's also one of the best iPad deals available at the moment.  

Apple's 2021 generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

In our iPad mini 6 review, we praise the tablet's compact size, speedy performance and sharp, bright display. We also found its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. We gave the iPad mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 5 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

In a nutshell, the iPad mini 6 is a solid choice if you're shopping around for a tablet that you can take everywhere. 

One retailer's iPad mini deal beats Apple's refurbished iPad mini 6  offer which prices the 256GB model at $549. However, you can get yourself a factory fresh brand spanking new iPad mini 6 for the same price. Best Buy's top Apple deals continue to offer the iPad mini 6 for $549 . It normally costs $649, so that's $100 off and just $10 shy of the iPad mini 6's lowest price ever. If you're on a smaller budget, you can get the 64GB iPad mini 6 for $399 ($100 off) at Amazon.

If you're in the market for a new Apple tablet, this is one of the iPad deals you can get. As an alternative, you can get the latest 64GB model iPad with cellular support for $549 ($50 off) at Amazon. Although it offers less storage, you're getting a bigger display, upgraded processor and more connectivity options.

Apple's 6th generation improves upon its predecessor with a host of new upgrades. It features a revamped design, larger display, faster processor, and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 256GB of storage.

In our iPad mini 6 review, we praise the tablet's compact size, speedy performance and sharp, bright display. We also found its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. We gave the iPad mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

In a nutshell, the iPad mini 6 is worth considering if you want a small, premium tablet with blazing fast performance.  

Black Friday is just around the corner, and with it, we're welcoming in a slew of epic deals for Apple products. In particular, you can get the Apple iPad Mini 6 for $399 at Amazon. You can pay an additional $68 for two years of AppleCare+ as well.

This means you'll be saving $100 on the 2021 iPad mini with this rare Apple deal. The Apple iPad Mini 6 is absolutely worth it for those in need of a modern iPad Mini, and as long as you're not a notorious hater who believes that iPads are useless and redundant, this is definitely worth considering.

Black Friday 2022 falls on Nov. 25 and we expect to see tons of excellent holiday deals on Apple products. Be sure to bookmark our Black Friday Apple deals hub for the best discounts.

Yes, you can get the Apple iPad Mini 6 for $100 off. If you've been on the lookout for this, you're in luck, as Apple's 6th gen compact tablet packs an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, Apple's A15 Bionic chip, Wi-Fi 6 and 5G support. There's a 12MP wide angle back camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera on the front. Touch ID and Apple Pay offer secure login and payment.

You can also spend a little extra to get two years of AppleCare+, but that depends on whether or not it seems worth it to you, as it can provide plenty of additional coverage in the case of accidents or theft. You can also visit the company's official website to get a deeper break down of what AppleCare+ offers.

The latest iPad Mini is a fantastic small tablet with a gorgeous screen, powerful internals and now, thanks to a huge $100 discount, a very attractive price point.

At first, we thought Amazon had accidentally just set a Black Friday deal live early, as you can get up to 25% off both the 64GB and 256GB models of the iPad Mini 6. But since it has been extended, there must be a lot of stock to clear, so don't miss out!

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

In our iPad mini 6 review, we praise its compact size, fast performance, and sharp display. We also found its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. We gave the iPad mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

The iPad mini is a solid pick up if you're looking for a small yet mighty tablet PC. 

Apple's iPad mini just hit its lowest price ever ahead of Amazon's Prime October sale. The early holiday deal let you snap up our favorite compact tablet for less. 

Amazon currently offers the Apple iPad mini 6 to $399 — just days ahead of its Prime Early Access Sale. Usually it retails for $499, so that's $100 in savings and its biggest discount to date. This is one of the best Prime Early Access Sale iPad deals previews you can get today. 

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini is one of the best tablets around. It features an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

As we detail in our iPad mini 6 review, we love its compact size, speedy performance and sharp, bright display. We also find its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. The iPad mini earned an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars from us alongside our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

The iPad mini is a wise choice if you're shopping around for a new tablet for holiday gift for someone special. 

The iPad mini 6 with Wi-Fi and cellular support lets you stay connected from anywhere. Among today's generous back-to-school deals Apple's versatile, compact tablet is deeply discounted. 

Amazon currently offers the iPad mini 6 Wi-Fi/LTE tablet for $549.99.. It typically retails for $649, so that's $99 in savings. It's this Apple tablet's lowest price to date and one of the best iPad deals we've tracked this year. Best Buy mirrors this deal. 

• Browse: Amazon's entire sale 

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

In our iPad mini 6 review, we praise its compact size, fast performance, and sharp display. We also found its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. We gave the iPad mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

The iPad mini is a solid pick up if you're looking for a small yet mighty tablet PC. 

The iPad mini is a wise choice if you're shopping around for a Father's Day gift. And for a limited time, you can nab our favorite compact tablet for its best price yet. 

Best Buy currently offers the Apple iPad mini 6 for $399. Usually it retails for $499, so that's $100 off and the iPad mini 6's lowest price ever. This is one of the best iPad deals of the season. 

Apple's 2021 generation iPad mini brings tons of upgrades to the series. It features an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras. The tablet in this deal packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU, 5-core graphics and 64GB of storage.

In our iPad mini 6 review, we praise the tablet's compact size, speedy performance and sharp, bright display. We also found its battery life impressive — it lasted around 11 hours in the real world. We gave the iPad mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5-stars and our Editor's Choice award. 

During multitasking tests, the iPad mini 6's performance never wavered. In one test, we launched 16 Google Chrome tabs, a YouTube video and navigated to multiple sites. Not once did the iPad mini 6 stutter or lag.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 0.7 pounds and 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

Whether you want to treat dad or yourself to a new tablet, the iPad mini is worth considering. 

The iPad Mini 6 just made its debut, starting at just $499, but how does that compare to the slightly older and more expensive iPad Air 4? It’s actually not as cut and dry as you might think.

There are a few things to think about apart from price, namely the performance and display. And if you’re someone who likes to take photos on their iPad, then you’ll want to know what the new iPad Mini 6 has to offer.

• Here's how to check battery health on Android
• Here's how to turn off the iPhone 12
• Want a free phone? Get a free iPhone 13 from T-Mobile — here's how

At $599, the iPad Air 4 has plenty under the hood, but it might not be enough to justify spending an extra $100 over the iPad Mini 6 depending on your needs. Based on what you want, each device will be more beneficial to you, but there’s an overall winner here no matter how you slice it.

Here’s how the iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4 compare.

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Price and value

If you’re thinking about getting an iPad Mini 6 over the iPad Air 4, you’ve already saved $100. For $499, you’d get an Apple A15 Bionic CPU, 64GB of storage, a front and rear 12MP camera and a 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 display packed in a thin and light design. The most expensive model costs $799, which comes with 256GB of storage and WiFi + Cellular.

Let’s see what you get if you toss in an extra $100. For $599, you can get the iPad Air 4, which comes with an Apple A14 Bionic CPU, 64GB of storage, a rear 12MP camera, a front 7MP camera and a 10.9-inch, 2360 x 1640 display stuffed in a larger and heavier chassis. The most expensive model costs $879, which comes with 256GB of storage and WiFi + Cellular.

Unfortunately, you’re actually losing out on some stuff when you spend more money, and the only thing you’re really gaining is a larger screen. As long as you don’t mind a slightly smaller screen, the iPad Mini 6 100% has better value.

Winner: iPad Mini 6

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Design

Since these are both sleek, aluminum iPads, they're going to look pretty identical in their core design, but there are some things to consider when you’re making your final choice.

First thing is the colors. The iPad Mini 6 features Space Gray, Pink, Purple and Starlight, while the iPad Air 4 lets you choose between Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green and Sky Blue. Technically, the iPad Air 4 has more colors, but the iPad Mini 6 sports colors that aren’t available on the Air. However, as far as the overall quality of colors, I have to give it to the iPad Air. It not only covers the basics (Silver and Space Gray), but it sort of covers three primary colors: Red (Rose Gold), Green, and Blue (Sky Blue). Also, my favorite color is blue.

However, in terms of size and weight, I have to give it to the iPad Mini 6. The iPad Mini 6 comes in at 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches and 10.3 ounces, knocking out the iPad Air 4, which clocks in at 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 16 ounces. The smaller it is, the more portable it is, and that’s what matters the most if you’re travelling.

Overall, size is king, and I don’t mind that sleek Purple, so the iPad Mini 6 wins.

Winner: iPad Mini 6

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Display

You might be thinking, “the iPad Air 4 has a bigger screen, so its display should be better.” Well, it gets a little iffy there, as there are a number of factors to consider.

First, let's look at the size. Yes, the iPad Air 4 has more viewing space thanks to its 10.9-inch display, and the iPad Mini 6 is shrunk down to 8.3 inches, sacrificing its display for an elite portable size.

However, in terms of resolution, the difference is negligible. The iPad Air 4 sports a 2360 x 1640 display, while the iPad Mini 6 rocks a 2266 x 1488 panel. Does losing 100 to 200 pixels make much of a difference? Maybe. But what’s more important here is looking at the pixels per inch on the display. The iPad Mini 6’s screen has 326ppi, whereas the iPas Air 4 has only 264ppi. 

So why does that matter? Well, have you ever stretched out a 1080p image before? It gets really blurry. The same concept is applied here. Therefore, the iPad Mini 6 will technically look sharper than the iPad Air 4 despite the Air boasting superior resolution. Additionally, while both displays boast 500 nits of brightness, the iPad Mini 6 will naturally have a more uniform brightness thanks to its smaller size.

The real decision here is where you prefer a wider viewing space or a sharper display. Regardless, the content is going to look great, but I know that I prefer more pixels packed into smaller space.

Winner: iPad Mini 6

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Performance

While we haven’t tested the iPad Mini 6, it’s more than likely going to surpass the iPad Air 4 in performance, as the former rocks an Apple A15 Bionic CPU and the latter still has a Apple A14 Bionic CPU. Additionally, you’ll get 5G connectivity with the iPad Mini 6, whereas you’re stuck with 4G in the Air 4.

The A14 Bionic CPU scored 4,262 on the Geekbench 5 overall performance test. We don’t anticipate the A15 Bionic CPU to blow the A14 out of the sky, but there will be an incremental improvement at the very least. We’ll find out more when we’re able to benchmark it.

The iPad Air 4 needed only 27 seconds to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution after applying a color filter and transition in the Adobe Rush app. We likely won’t see a drastic difference on the A15. It’ll maybe save you a couple of seconds, but on big projects, the difference could be significant.

However, the biggest advantage of the A15 Bionic chip is its 16-core neural engine, which enhances on-device artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. What does that even mean? Well, it essentially makes the machine smarter, capable of increasing workloads and identifying information, like faces in photos or Face ID. We don’t know the full extent of how this’ll increase (if it does) raw performance, but we’re excited to find out.

Winner: iPad Mini 6

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Battery life

According to Apple, both the iPad Mini 6 and iPad Air 4 are rated for the same battery life.

The iPad Air 4 lasted 10 hours and 29 minutes on our battery test. It’s possible that the iPad Mini 6 might last a little longer thanks to its smaller display, but we won’t really know until we get it into our lab, so for now we’ll call it a tie.

Winner: Tie

iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Cameras

If you’re thinking about using an iPad as your main driver for photography, then this’ll be an easy choice.

The iPad Mini 6 sports a 12MP ƒ/1.8 (Wide-angle) rear camera and a 12MP ƒ/2.4 (ultra-wide) front camera. It can shoot in 4K, recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, and features slow motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps. It also supports 720p HD video recording at 30 fps and Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p). The Mini also has a Quad-LED True Tone flash.

Meanwhile, the iPad Air 4 rocks a 12MP ƒ/1.8 (Wide-angle) rear camera and a 7MP ƒ/2.2 front camera. It can shoot in 4K, recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, and features slow motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps. It also supports Cinematic video stabilization, but only for 1080p and 720p.

In specs alone, the iPad Mini 6 easily takes the win when it comes to cameras. And that’s not counting all of the extra work that the A15 will be doing for the iPad Mini 6.

Winner: iPad Mini 6

Overall winner: iPad Mini 6

You can talk about how the iPad Air 4 has a bigger display all day, but regardless, the iPad Mini 6 wins in nearly every facet when you compare the two. The iPad Mini 6 has the better design thanks to its light and portable chassis, faster performance from its next-gen chipset, and higher-res cameras.

Even when you look at the display, sure the Air 4 is bigger, but the Mini 6 has a sharper display due to its higher pixels per inch, creating a more pleasurable viewing experience despite its smaller screen.

Unless you desperately want a bigger display, do yourself a favor: save $100 and go with the iPad Mini 6.

Right now, the 6th generation iPad mini is available for an unbelievably low price after a huge £155 price cut!

Interestingly, this is available only in one colour, as it looks as if Apple is having a really tough time selling the pink. No matter, though, because the company's struggle is your gain with this amazing tablet for just £464 — down from £619.

Plus, if you want to cover that back up, you could just always get something like a DBrand skin or a case. In the long run, you'll still be saving a tonne of money!

Today’s best deals: TL;DR

• Apple iPad mini 6 (pink WiFi + Cellular): was £619 now £464 @ Amazon
• Apple M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14: was £1,899 now £1,709 @ Apple (Refurbished)
• Asus TUF Dash F15 (RTX 3070): was £1,399 now £999 @ Box.co.uk
• OnePlus 9 5G SIM-Free: was £629 now £429 @ Amazon
• Nintendo Switch Sports: was £35 now £30 @ Currys with code SWITCHSPORTS
• Xbox Series X: was £449 now £419 @ Microsoft
• Bowers & Wilkins Beoplay EQ Wireless earbuds: was £349 now £249 @ Amazon
• Asus VivoBook 15: was £699 now £549 @ Amazon
• Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga (PS4): was £49 now £38 @ Base.com
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (RTX 3080): was £2,343 now £1,799 @ Laptops Direct

Today’s best deals: In more detail

Looking for more deals?

Every day, we scour the internet for the best bargains for your buck. Check out these lists for the most up-to-date curated selection of savings worth every penny.

• Best laptop deals
• Best MacBook deals
• Best gaming laptop deals
• Best iPad deals
• Best headphone deals
• Best monitor deals

Right now, you can snag the latest iPad Mini for over £100 off in a shock deal at Costco!

ICYMI, Apple had a pretty significant event earlier this week, in which they announced an updated iPad Air 5, iPhone SE and the new Mac Studio. To many, this just means new stuff to pre-order, but to the deals hive mind that you're a part of by clicking this article, that means new discounts on Apple tech like this one!

But that's not all, as we found yesterday, you can already get Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet pre-orders for a discounted price, alongside a low-cost Xbox Series S bundle and cheap Nothing ear (1) earbuds.

Today’s best deals: TL;DR

• Apple iPad mini 6 (64GB WiFi + Cellular): was £619 now £515 @ Costco
• Nothing ear (1) (white): was £99 now £84 @ Amazon
• Nothing ear (1) (black): was £99 now £84 @ Amazon
• Microsoft Xbox Series S + Xbox wired gaming headset: was £304, now £249 @ Argos
• Pokémon Scarlet: was £49 now £42 @ Shopto.net
• Pokémon Violet: was £49 now £42 @ Shopto.net
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G15: was £2,286 now £1,899 @ eBuyer

Today’s best deals: In more detail

Looking for more deals?

Every day, we scour the internet for the best bargains for your buck. Check out these lists for the most up-to-date curated selection of savings worth every penny.

• Best laptop deals
• Best MacBook deals
• Best gaming laptop deals
• Best iPad deals
• Best headphone deals
• Best monitor deals

Back from its slumber, the iPad mini received the overhaul it desperately needed. This year, Apple's smallest tablet adopted features from the iPad Air and iPad Pro, making it a genuinely premium slate. But the draw here remains the same — a tiny, portable tablet you can operate with one hand. If that's what you're looking for, then the iPad mini is as good as it gets. 

That's because Apple improved every aspect of this pint-sized slate. The 8.3-inch screen is larger than before, and yet, slim bezels have reduced its overall footprint. The iPad mini's outstanding performance via the A15 Bionic chip is more than anyone will need, and the addition of optional 5G support cements its place as the best tablet for using outside of your home. 

There are some downsides to going with the iPad mini beyond its small screen (which is an advantage for some people). At $499, the iPad mini is expensive, and while compatibility with the $139 Apple Pencil Gen 2 is welcome, the accessory costs extra. Also, there is no support for a docked keyboard, and 64GB of storage is an insult at this price. 

iPad mini 6 price and configuration options

Small doesn't mean cheap. The iPad mini is available for purchase at Apple and other retailers starting at $499 for 64GB of storage, or $100 more than the previous model. You can spend another $150 for an upgrade to 256GB, bringing the total cost to $649. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't believe in a 128GB middle ground. If it were up to us, we'd ditch the 64GB model altogether and start with 128GB.

The iPad mini now supports 5G cellular, a feature that costs another $150 on top of the price of your preferred config. All told, our 256GB iPad mini review unit with 5G support costs $799.

These prices don't include the optional Apple Pencil (2nd Gen), which will run you another $139. 

iPad mini 6 design

I didn't think I'd ever say this about a tech product, but the iPad mini is downright adorable. It's so small! So much smaller than I was expecting. I was befuddled when I laid my eyes on the box — there's no way a tablet could fit in that! Enough of my blabbering though, let's see how small it really is. 

Measuring 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches and weighing 0.66 pounds, the iPad mini is tiny enough to stash in a glovebox or carry in a purse. I can even grip the slate on both sides with one hand. For comparison, the iPad (9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29 inches, 1.1 pounds), iPad Air (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, 1 pound) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE (11.21 x 7.28 x 0.25 inches, 1.34 pounds) are all considerably larger.   

I've spent so much time writing about the size of the iPad mini for a reason. If it doesn't work for you, then don't let this mostly glowing review (and the many others online) persuade you. The iPad mini is for people who are looking specifically for a miniature tablet. If you can, go to your nearby Best Buy or Apple Store for some hands-on time with this tablet. You might be surprised by how much you do or don't like the form factor.

If the size is to your liking then I suspect the rest of the design will be, too. Not that there are any surprises; the iPad mini's look and feel are exactly what we've come to expect from an Apple tablet. It's a thin sheet of precision-cut aluminum with a chrome Apple logo centered on the rear along with some antenna bands and a single circular lens in the top-left corner.

On the top edge in portrait orientation is a volume rocker next to the power button, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor for the ever-reliable Touch ID (Face ID is not supported). Magnets on the right side securely hold and charge the optional Apple Pencil Gen 2. On the bottom edge is a USB-C port for charging the tablet, connecting to accessories, displays or external storage, and transferring data at up to 5GBps.

I'm happy to see Apple expanding its color pallet. For the iPad mini, you have the choice of Space Gray, Starlight (Champagne-ish), Pink and Purple. Shoutout to Apple for sending us the Laptop Mag purple model. I say "purple" but it looks more sky blue or silver under most lighting conditions. If you were expecting eggplant or lavender, this isn't it. 

iPad mini 6 display

"Klein aber fein." 

This German rhyme perfectly sums up the iPad mini's 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488-pixel Liquid Retina display: small, but excellent.

While this isn't the first device I'd choose for watching movies or shows, the iPad mini gives you more screen real estate than any smartphone on the market (for now, at least). If you do find yourself streaming content on the mini, you'll enjoy accurate colors and sharp details. I enjoyed watching the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick. The white balance was spot-on — the frigid mountains were covered in crisp white snow. Details were also excellent, as I could read the writing on the side of a fighter jet as it darted through the air. If I have one criticism, it's that iOS 15 can feel crowded on such a small canvas.

Before I move on to the benchmarks, I want to talk about the "jelly scroll" issue that has some customers fearing something is wrong with their screen. When scrolling up or down a website, the left side of the iPad mini's screen moves a fraction faster than the right. The right side then jumps up or down to catch up, creating a distracting waviness to the text or images on the page. You only notice it when scrolling very slowly and it never bothered me during my testing. That's a very good thing, too, because Apple considers it "normal behavior for LCD screens" and has no plans to release a fix.

We put a colorimeter up to the iPad mini's display and found that it covers 73% of the DCI-P3 color range, making it less vivid than the panels on the standard iPad (76%) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE (103%). As you'd expect, the mini matches the iPad Air (73%).

The iPad mini compensates for middling colors with excellent display brightness, reaching 520 nits. This makes it one of the brightest tablets we've tested after it outshone the iPad Air (440 nits), iPad 9 (472 nits) and the Galaxy Tab S7 FE (517 nits). The iPad mini even passed the most rigorous of tests by shining bright enough for me to comfortably use it outdoors on a sunny Texas day.

iPad mini 6 Apple Pencil (Gen 2)

The Apple Pencil (Gen 2) is among the best stylii on the market, and one of the most expensive. If you can spare another $129, this stylus is a great accessory for students, artists or designers who want to draw or write notes on the tablet.

The size and weight of the stark-white pen are nicely balanced, and the flat edge gives me flashbacks to using Lamy's famous Safari fountain pen in school. Also, the double-tap feature for changing tools or turning on the eraser works as advertised. 

What earns the Pencil Gen 2 its lofty price is that it magnetically attaches to the right edge of the iPad mini and begins charging. Held firmly by a magnet, I was alerted by a satisfying snap when the stylus was positioned properly. Hooray! No more awkwardly plugging the pen directly into the port. 

The iPad mini, however, does not have a connector for Apple's keyboard accessories; e.g. the Magic Keyboard. It supports Bluetooth keyboards, so you can purchase a wireless one to up your productivity game.

iPad mini 6 audio

The dual speakers on the iPad mini punch above their weight class. The sound coming from these dual drivers is balanced, clear and there is even some punch (or maybe more of a tap) on the low end. When I listened to Circa Survive's "Imposter Syndrome," Anthony Green's soaring falsetto was bright and detailed above the hard drum hits. The tablet filled my medium-sized room at maximum volume, but cranking the sound up introduced some grittiness to the vocals and caused the treble to sound strained.

With that said, audio performance is good for such a small tablet but you shouldn't expect the iPad mini to replace your Bluetooth speakers or wireless headphones. 

Personal listening can only be experienced wirelessly because the iPad mini lacks a headphone jack. This is an unfortunate omission for people like myself who use wired headphones (Sennheiser HD650s in this case) as their daily drivers. Apple wants to force you to buy its AirPods earbuds and it's going to strip its tablets naked if that's what's required.

iPad mini 6 performance and graphics

Powered by an A15 Bionic chip with a six-core CPU and five-core graphics, the iPad mini packs a serious wallop. And I don't just mean for its size; the iPad mini is among the most powerful tablets on the market, falling behind only the M1-powered iPad Pro. I opened 16 Google Chrome tabs and didn't experience even a hint of lag. There wasn't so much as a stutter as I read Metroid Prime interviews, watched a YouTube review of the Lexus NX450+, and flipped between my favorite tech news sites. 

To test the graphics, I fired up Mario Kart Tour and raced around the world as Toadette, my go-to karting character. The app loaded almost instantly, animations were fluid, and my red turtle shells slid smoothly across the screen until they hit my foes. 

On the Geekbench 5 overall performance benchmark, the iPad mini scored a 4,450, edging out the iPad Air 4 (4,262, A14 Bionic) and proving the A15 to be only a minor upgrade over its predecessor. Either way, the iPad mini is much more powerful than the iPad 9 (3,387, A13 Bionic) and on a different planet than the Galaxy Tab S7 FE (1,965, Qualcomm 750G). 

For our graphics benchmarks, we ran the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited test. The iPad mini scored 10,193 and reached 61 frames per second. This was an improvement over the iPad (48 fps) and the iPad Air (52 fps).

iPad mini 6 battery life

Our biggest complaint with the iPhone mini over the past generations is its less-than-stellar battery life. Fortunately, the tablet version doesn't suffer the same fate. The iPad mini lasted for 10 hours and 56 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits.

That great result means the mini lasts longer on a charge than the iPad Air 4 (10:29). However, it powered down before the Galaxy Tab S7 FE (13:07) and the cheaper and larger iPad 9 (11:59). 

The iPad mini charges via a USB-C cable which you'll find in the box with a 20W adapter. 

iPad mini 6 camera

On the rear of the iPad mini is a lonely 12-megapixel, f/1.8 camera. It takes decent photos so long as you aren't expecting smartphone quality. More importantly, I didn't feel silly snapping them because I could do so with one hand.

As for picture quality, a photo I took in my dimly lit office looked good at first glance. The lens did a nice job of capturing the ink colors and the details are sharp (look at the stitching in the orange fish). However, zooming in reveals some visual noise and the white balance is too warm.

Photos taken in better lighting conditions, like this shot taken at Barton Creek in Austin, don't suffer from those problems, but again, this won't compete with your iPhone.

Magic lies in the front-facing camera. It has the same Center Stage feature as the iPad Pro, which uses face tracking to ensure you stay centered within the frame during video calls. You can see me having fun with it on the iPad Pro in the below GIF and it works just as well on the iPad mini, smoothly shifting the frame from side to side as my head moved away from the center. It really feels like a videographer is behind your tablet operating the camera on a gimbal.

It works in tandem with the 12MP, f/2.4 FaceTime HD front-facing camera, which shoots sharp 1080p video at 60 fps and takes decent selfies. A mugshot I snapped outside looked fine. 

There was enough sharpness to see individual strands of hair in my beard and the colors in both the foreground and background were punchy without being oversaturated. However, some of the sun-hit areas were blown out and zooming in revealed smudging. 

Bottom line

The iPad mini 6 is a return to form. Apple could have abandoned its miniature iPad, but instead, it gave the mini the update it desperately needed. This Gen 6 model is better than the 2019 model in every measurable way. A larger display with thinner bezels, significantly faster performance, USB-C charging, Touch ID, Apple Pencil Gen 2 support, and optional 5G connectivity highlight a complete redesign of the petite slate.   

Now let's talk about who should buy the iPad mini because, as good as this tablet is, the answer isn't everyone. Most people eyeing the iPad mini are probably deciding between it and the iPad or iPad Air. My recommendation is simple: Your decision should largely come down to pricing and display size. 

If you want an ultra-compact slate that you can legitimately use with one hand, then the iPad mini is the way to go. If the size doesn't matter so much, and you're buying a tablet for streaming movies or TV shows, then save some cash and get the $329 iPad. If you're going to do a mix of both content consumption and multitasking, then spend a bit extra for the iPad Air. That's not to say the iPad mini can't satisfy your streaming, gaming or remote work needs — it's just that this tablet should only be considered if you need the most portable solution. 

In the end, Apple did exactly what it needed to do to breathe new life into the iPad mini, an excellent all-around tablet whose pint-sized chassis makes it a joy to have at home or on the go.

Update on Sept 29, 2021: Apple told Ars Technica that the jelly scroll effect on the iPad's display is "normal behavior for LCD screens." Ars says the issue occurs because lines on one side of the screen are refreshed a split second before those on the other. Interestingly, the effect is noticeable on the iPad mini but not on other LCD panels, like those on the iPad Air or iPad. Because Apple believes this to be normal, it will not attempt any hardware or software fixes. 

The iPad mini received a long-awaited overhaul, but not everything is going according to plan for the new tablet. Owners of the now available iPad mini 6 have noticed a strange effect on the display while scrolling in portrait mode.

Disgruntled iPad mini users are calling the issue "jelly scroll" because the screen appears to jiggle when you scroll down a page with the tablet positioned vertically. We don't know for sure what's causing the problem, but it appears as if one side of the display is responding faster than the other.

• iPad Mini 6 vs. iPad Air 4: Which should you buy?
• Best tablets of 2021

When scrolling up or down a website, the left side of the screen moves a fraction faster than the right. The right side then jumps up or down to catch up, creating a distracting waviness to the text or images on the page. 

It's not clear how many units the issue impacts or if this is a problem with every iPad mini. Several media outlets replicated the problem and folks speaking to 9to5Mac say it occurs on Apple Store demo units, suggesting the problem isn't limited to a bad batch of slates. The Verge's Dieter Bohn captured the issue in a slo-mo video (see below tweet).

In real-time, the effect is so subtle most people won't notice it, but if you do (apologies if this article is the reason), it's the sort of thing you can't unsee. 

According to Ars Technica, the "jelly scroll" is also seen in landscape mode with the tablet positioned horizontally, however, it is much less noticeable in this position. All iPad mini 6 owners can do now is hope the problem isn't hardware-related and can be resolved in a software update. Otherwise, the line to see Apple's repair team will be as long as it is to buy the new iPhone 13. 

With the latest iPadOS, Apple brings a number of customization options so you can personalize your Home Screen with unique widgets and app placement. But one of the most frequently asked questions is "how to enlarge icons on my iPad?"

Fortunately, it only requires a simple trip to settings. Not only does it make finding apps on your iPad's Home Screen easier, but using larger app icons can better suit your iPad's display; especially when compared to a significantly smaller iPhone display. 

• Best tablets in 2021
• iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review
• Best cheap tablet deals in 2021

How to enlarge app icons on iPad 

When making apps bigger on iPad, you will still see the same number of apps being displayed on one Home Screen page. This means you won't have to reorganize all your apps or widgets. Read on to find out how to enlarge icons on your iPad.

• On your iPad, open the Settings app. 
• Scroll down to "Home Screen & Dock" and tap on it. 

• Switch on "Use Large App Icons."
• When you head back to the Home Screen, the app icons will appear larger. 

Speaking of apps, you can completely change app icons on your iPhone and iPad that allows users to find an image or take a picture that can replace the default icon image on any app. For plenty more ways to customize your iPhone or iPad, check out these 5 apps and tips to customize your iOS device. 

Update 2:15 p.m. ET: This deal was so popular that it is sold out — keep an eye on the link below for a restock

The new iPad mini 6 is now available for purchase at Apple.com starting from $499. However, if you're short on cash, one retailer currently offers a modest discount on iPad mini 6 pre-orders. 

For a limited time, you can get the iPhone mini 6 for $459 from Walmart. That's $40 off this newly announced Apple tablet's list price. It's the iPad mini 6's first discount and one of the best iPad deals you can get. 

• Shop: Walmart's entire iPad sale
• More: Best Apple deals
• Best tablets of 2021

iPad mini 6 pre-order deals

Apple's 6th generation iPad mini replaces the 2019 iPad mini 5, which is one of the fastest mobile devices around. The iPad mini 6 brings tons of upgrades to the series — an all new-design, larger display, faster processor and enhanced cameras.

The base model iPad mini 6 packs an 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488) display with True Tone, 500 nits of brightness and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support. Its sleek aluminum exterior houses Apple's A15 Bionic 6-core CPU and 5-core graphics. 

On the front of the iPad mini 6, there's a 12MP ultra wide front camera with Center Stage automatic panning. This lens function keeps users in view as they move around and zooms out when others join in. The iPad mini6's 12MP back camera features Focus Pixels and True Tone flash to capture sharp vivid images in low light.  

For your connectivity needs, its USB-C port delivers data transferring speeds up to 5GBps. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 6 ensures fast and reliable over-the-air connection speeds. 

At 10 ounces and 7.6 x 5.6 x 0.2-inches, the iPad mini 6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the iPad mini 6 (11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches). It's much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

In a nutshell, the new iPad mini is worth considering if you want a small, premium tablet with blazing fast performance.  

Apple may be breaking away from its traditional launch timeline after all, as a new report claims the tech giant will host multiple events this September. The next iPhone 13, iPad mini, MacBook Pro models, and more could be released in the same month.

According to a report from Digitimes (via iMore), Apple is planning to host multiple product launch conferences all in September. What's more, the report states one of the events will highlight an updated baseline iPad, which is expected to receive a redesign along with a chip upgrade. 

• Best MacBook in 2021: Which Apple laptop is best?
• iPad Air 5 release date, display, features and more
• Best phone deals in 2021

Last year, Apple has a number of product launch events spaced out throughout the fall, starting with the reveal of the Apple Watch 6, the iPad Air (2020), and the latest baseline iPad in September. October saw the release of the iPhone 12, while the M1 MacBook lineup was unveiled in November. This year, launch dates could be more compact.

This isn't the first we've heard about multiple events. Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stated he believes the Cupertino-based tech giant is gearing up for a jam-packed series of announcements this fall, with the iPhone 13 (or iPhone 12S) set to arrive this September and the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models said to launch by November.

Digitimes, a Taiwan-based business analysis outlet, has a bumpy track record when it comes to rumors and leaks. However, Apple does have a number of rumored products expected to arrive this fall; enough for multiple events in September and later this year.

As previously noted by Gurman, Apple will refresh the Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3, iPad mini, iPhone 13 and Macbook Pro models. As a result of high demand, the tech giant is set to increase iPhone 13 production by 20%. 

Whatever the case, prepare for multiple Apple events this fall. Each of the events are expected to be virtual, which can be easily viewed on Apple's official website and on YouTube much like the preview WWDC 2021 event. While we wait for each big announcement, check out why you might want to hold off buying this year's MacBook Pros. 

The 2019 Apple iPad mini may be showing its age, however, it's remains one of the best small tablets around. And for a limited time, the compact and powerful iPad mini 5 is at its lowest price yet. 

Currently, Walmart has the Apple iPad mini 5 on sale for $299. Traditionally priced at $399, the iPad mini is now $100 cheaper. It's the lowest price we've ever seen for the 5th generation iPad mini and one of the best iPad deals of the season. In fact, it's one of the best Apple deals we've spotted all year. 

• Shop: Walmart's entire sale
• More: Best tablet deals
• Best tablets of 2021

iPad mini deal

Hands down, the 2019 iPad mini is one of the fastest and mobile devices for the money. The tablet in this deal sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we liked its bright, colorful display and great performance. We were also impressed by its long battery life which lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We also liked the iPad mini's Apple Pencil support (sold separately) and gave it an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Apple Pencil makes it easy for artists and note-takers to sketch and jot things down in the Notes app.      

In real-world tests, the iPad mini 5's mighty A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid. In our lab, the iPad mini 5 notched 11,515 on the Geekbench 4 overall performance test. It beat the iPad Air (11,471). Weighing in at 11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

If you're looking for a small yet powerful tablet, the iPad mini is worth considering. Especially at this price!

Apple's upcoming 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are on the tech giant's long list of rumored product launches due this fall. Instead of cramming every announcement into one big virtual affair, expect multiple Apple events.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is gearing up for a jam-packed series of announcements this fall, with the iPhone 13 (or iPhone 12S) set to arrive this September and the new M1X MacBook Pro models said to launch by November, according to Bloomberg's Power On newsletter. But there are more anticipated products to keep an eye out for. 

• Best MacBook in 2021: Which Apple laptop is best?
• iPad Air 5 release date, display, features and more
• Best phone deals in 2021

The newsletter, written by industry expert Mark Gurman, notes that Apple will refresh the Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3, iPad mini, and launch the hugely anticipated next-generation iPhone 13 and Macbook Pro models. As a result of high demand, the tech giant is set to increase iPhone 13 production by 20%. 

Multiple Apple events 

Last year, we saw the release of the iPhone 12 and M1 MacBook models over the course of the fall, and Apple is set to bring a similar formula in 2021. While the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the announcement of last year's flagship iPhone lineup to October, the tech giant is set to return to its traditional September iPhone reveal this year.

The iPhone 13 announcement will likely be accompanied by revamped AirPods, along with an updated Apple Watch. The event is tipped to take place sometime around September 21. As for the M1X MacBook Pro models and new iPad mini, we could see separate announcements or an event for both in November. Gurman suggests Apple's next MacBook Pros should arrive during the two-year anniversary (November 13) of the current 2019 MacBook Pro.

Gurman believes the iPhone 13 will have ProMotion, bringing a 120Hz refresh rate to the Pro models, along with an A15 chip and an always-on display. This supports previous reports of the new updates expected, along with a host of new camera features.

The next M1X chip (or M2 chip) was rumored to have already entered mass production earlier this year, with benchmarks leaks showcasing its power; the chip is set to feature 12 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores. However, Bloomberg stated there would be two variants called Jade C-Chip and Jade C-Die with a 10 CPU core design and 16 GPU cores in the former and 32 GPU cores in the latter. 

Of course, only time will tell if these rumors come to light. While the upcoming MacBook Pro models are expected to be fitted with the next Apple Silicon chip, there are already murmurings of 2022 MacBook Pro models. Here's why you might want to hold off buying this year's MacBook Pros. 

The forthcoming iPad mini, rumored to launch in the second half of 2021, is reportedly getting a slew of upgrades we've all been asking for. The next-generation iPad mini, according to an exclusive report from 9to5Mac, is getting a powerful processor, a new port and a magnetic Smart Connector.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is also giving the iPad mini 6 a much-needed makeover with slimmer bezels and a new design that mimics the current-gen iPad Air.

• Apple iPad mini review
• Best tablets of 2021

The iPad mini 2021 gets significant upgrades

The iPad mini is long overdue for an upgrade. When we reviewed it two years ago, we were slightly disappointed that it didn't have a USB Type-C port and the thick bezels were an eye sore. 

Fortunately, Apple is reportedly adding USB-C connectivity to the tiny tablet, which opens it up to a wider array of accessories and peripherals beyond the Lightning connector featured on the current-gen iPad mini.

The iPad mini is also waving goodbye to thick bezels and saying farewell to the Home button. As mentioned, the iPad mini will purportedly get a design that's reminiscent of the current iPad Air, and it may feature a magnetic Smart Connector, too. If this is true, Apple may launch Smart Connector-compatible accessories for the upcoming iPad mini.

According to 9to5Mac's sources, the iPad mini will be packed with the same chip that will power the iPhone 13: the A15 processor. This chip uses the same 5-nanometer manufacturing technology as the A14 processor. And here's another fascinating rumor: Apple is reportedly working on a beastly A15X variant, but this will be for other iPads in the far future.

Lastly, the report revealed that Apple is working on revamping its entry-level 10.2-inch iPad. The new model will sport an A13 chip, which will give Apple's most affordable tablet a significant boost in performance.

Keep your grain of salt handy; we don't know if these claims are true until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

Apple is expected to announce its next-gen iPad mini in fall 2021, with rumors indicating the tech giant's smallest tablet will be getting a significant redesign with a bigger display and upgraded performance.

The iPad mini 2021 had originally been predicted to launch in March during Apple's WWDC 2021 event, but it is now slated to be released as soon as this September, according to Bloomberg (via MacRumors). This further supports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's claim that fans should expect the updated tablet in the second half of this year. 

• Best Apple deals on all the top products
• iPad Pro 2022: Price, release date, specs, and more
• iPad Buying Guide: iPad Air vs. iPad Pro vs. iPad mini

The 6th-generation iPad mini is expected to be getting a major design overhaul, too. According to Japanese site Mac Otakara, the tablet may boast an 8.4-inch display with thin bezels, which will supplant the current 7.9-inch panel.

While there's the possibility of it being equipped with a mini-LED display panel, OLED displays are rumored to be coming to Apple's line of smaller tablets. the hugely-favored display panels are cheaper than mini-LED panels, so it appears Apple will stick to using OLED to keep the price down on the iPad mini, iPad Air, and original iPad.

Apple's upcoming miniature tablet may come installed with a more capable processor. Predicted by the Chinese site MyDrivers.com, the iPad mini 6 will run on at least an A13 chip.

The A13 seems like a good candidate considering the 2020 iPad has an A12 SoC while the hugely popular iPad Air 2020 runs on the A14. Being priced between those two models, it would make sense for Apple to opt for the A13. It may also rely on a Lightning connector instead of a USB-C port. 

All eyes on Apple this September

There is a slew of Apple products anticipated to be announced during Apple's rumored event this fall, which is expected to take place on September 21.

Along with the iPad mini, Apple's latest line of iPhone 13 models is expected to drop, as well as the redesigned 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The AirPods 3 and Apple Watch 7 are in the mix, too.

Apple doesn't usually put all of its eggs in one basket, which means some of these devices may instead be announced in a blog post sometime before or after the event. Still, it looks like we're in for a busy year of Apple products.  

Apple is reportedly planning to launch its next iPad Pro with new wireless charging technology by 2022, along with a completely refreshed iPad mini later in 2021.

According to insiders speaking to Bloomberg, the tech giant's upcoming tablet is set to feature a glass back instead of the current iPad Pro's aluminium frame. This will enable wireless charging, similar to how Apple's MagSafe charger works with its latest iPhone 12. 

• The best cheap tablet deals in June 2021
• iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review
• iPad vs. iPad Air vs. iPad Pro vs. iPad mini: iPad Buying Guide

The report also claims Apple is working on a new charging feature for the iPad Pro named "reverse wireless charging." Using the back of the iPad Pro, users would be able to place other Apple devices, such as an iPhone or AirPods Pro, on the glass surface and charge the devices.

This isn't the first we've heard of the new charging tech. An Apple patent filed last year gave us a first hint of the tech giant adopting reverse wireless charging, with rumors indicating the iPhone would be the first to adopt the new method. Perhaps this is something we can expect the iPhone 13 to feature.

Apple is also reportedly exploring other wireless charging methods, including being able to charge a device from a distance — much like Xiaomi's Mi Air Charge Technology that can charge a smartphone from across a room. As Bloomberg claims, this wireless charging method is still years away. 

Apple to redesign its iPad 

The Cupertino-based company isn't just planning to update its iPad Pro, as it's also working on giving the iPad mini 2021 a revamp.

According to insiders, Apple's smallest tablet may get narrower screen borders, and it may even ditch the home button to bring it up to speed with the more modern iPad design. We expect to see the next iPad mini in the second half of 2021.

That's not all, as the tech giant is also working on a thinner entry-level iPad built for students, possibly similar to the iPad Air 2020. This refreshed iPad is also expected to launch by the end of 2021 around the same time as the new iPad mini.

Apple has yet to officially announce any upcoming tablet, and since the new iPad Pro and iPad mini are still in development, the new wireless charging technology and redesigns could change. We won't know until we get our hands of them as soon as the end of 2021.

In the meantime, we may see plenty more big announcements at its upcoming WWDC 2021 event taking place this June. 

The latest Apple event revealed plenty of long-rumored Apple devices, from the new M1 iPad Pro to AirTags. Sadly, there was no sign on the tech giant's other rumored tablet, the iPad mini 6, but that doesn't mean it won't launch in 2021.

According to a research note from respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPad mini should now be expected in the second half of 2021. 

• The best cheap tablet deals in May 2021
• iPad mini 2021: Release date, price, specs and more
• Best tablets in 2021

As reported by 9to5Mac, Kuo said a touch-panel supplier would benefit from a new iPad mini launching in the second half of 2021. The report specifically states the fall, which is when we might also expect the iPhone 13.

Originally, Kuo predicted the iPad mini 6 would release in the first half of 2021, but now that Apple's Spring event has come and gone, that prediction isn't looking too good. That said, there's still time left, and Apple could do a silent release by announcing a refreshed version in a blog post rather than staging yet another event. 

The 6th-generation iPad mini may boast an 8.4-inch display according to Japanese site Mac Otakara, with the possibility of it being equipped with mini LED panels. If this is the case, the second half of 2021 is looking more likely as Apple has reportedly been hit by display shortages.  

Regardless, it's looking like Apple's new iPad mini will drop this year. With component shortages not getting any easier. However, the mini tablet's release window could get pushed back even further.

In the same note, Kuo predicts there's an eight-inch foldable iPhone set to launch in 2023, with Apple hoping to ship up to 20 million of these rumored devices. Although, according to five phone experts, foldable phones aren't catching on. Is 2023 too late to ship a foldable iPhone? We'll have to wait a couple of years to find out. 

The next-gen iPad mini 6 could tote an LED display for the first time. However, the latest iPad mini 5 with a Retina display is still one of the best tablets to buy. 

In a rare deal, the iPad mini with 256GB of storage is on sale for $479.99 at Amazon. That's $69 off this iPad mini's $549 list price and just $30 shy of its lowest price ever. As far as iPad deals go, it's among the best available right now.  

• Shop: Amazon's entire iPad sale
• More: Best tablet deals
• Best tablets in 202

iPad mini 5 deal

Apple's 5th generation iPad mini remains one of the fastest mobile devices around. Despite its compact size, it's as powerful as the iPad Air. The iPad mini 5 in this deal sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 256GB of storage, Apple Touch ID and Apple Pencil support (sold separately). Apple Pencil makes it easy for artists and note-takers to sketch and jot down ideas in the Notes app.      

As we state in our iPad Mini 5 review, it flaunts a bright, colorful display and delivers solid performance. Its battery life is also impressive — hitting 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We gave the iPad mini 5 an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 

During one test, the iPad mini 5's mighty A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. The gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid. In our lab, the iPad mini 5 notched 11,515 on the Geekbench 4 overall performance test. It beat the iPad Air (11,471). With a weight of 11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

Simply put, the iPad mini is a solid choice if you want a small tablet that's good on performance. As with all Apple deals, this one won't last long, so be sure to catch it while you can. 

While an Apple spring event is a common enough occurrence, it isn't the complete lock that is the annual iPhone event in the fall. 

After rumors of a March 16 Apple event were thoroughly quashed by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, it now appears the prediction was just a week off with DuanRui relaying a new March 23 event date from a Chinese leaker known as Kang, who has a solid recent history with Apple leaks (via PhoneArena).

• iPad vs. iPad Air vs. iPad Pro vs. iPad mini: iPad Buying Guide
• Best tablets in 2021
• The best cheap iPad deals for March 2021

Jon Prosser has also thrown his support behind the new event date. While many are eager to see what Apple has to show off, OnePlus won't be thrilled if this proves correct as it just announced its OnePlus 9 event for March 23.

The highlight of the event is believed to be the release of a new iPad Pro that could deliver performance on par with the M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and also serve as the debut for Apple's mini-LED displays. 

However, there are a number of other Apple products that are expected to debut at the event. While AirTags (Apple's answer to Tile) is beginning to have the almost mythical status that AirPower once enjoyed, repeated leaks suggest that they are at last ready for launch. 

Similarly, there have been rumors of third-generation AirPods coming soon but those predictions go well into last year. This month marks two years since the release of the current AirPods, so the rumored redesign is certainly due.

It's also been two years since the iPad mini was last refreshed and numerous rumors have suggested that it will also be getting an update, perhaps taking on more of the iPad Pro look like the iPad Air (2020). Going back to last March, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believed that the iPad mini would be one of the first Apple devices to include a mini-LED display, which would certainly be another convincing "Pro" upgrade for Apple's smallest tablet.

While Apple often doesn't give extensive notice regarding its events, this has been doubly true with its all-digital events, so even if the March 23 event date is accurate, we wouldn't expect to see Apple send out invites until around March 16. 

The Apple iPad mini 5 is one of the smallest tablets you can get — and it's just as powerful as the iPad Air. And for a limited time, the mighty iPad mini is at its best price yet. 

Currently, Amazon has the iPad mini 5 on sale for $334.99 . Usually, this tablet retails for $399, so that's $64 off its normal price. It's the lowest price we've ever seen for the 5th generation iPad mini and one of the best iPad deals you can get right now. It's also one of the best Apple deals we've seen this season. 

• More: Best tablet deals in February
• Best Apple deals in February
• Best tablets of 2021

Hands down, the 2019 iPad mini is one of the fastest and mobile devices for the money. 

The tablet in this deal sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we liked its bright, colorful display and great performance. We were also impressed by its long battery life which lasted12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We also liked the iPad mini's Apple Pencil support (sold separately) and gave it an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Apple Pencil makes it easy for artists and note-takers to sketch and jot things down in the Notes app.      

In real-world tests, the iPad mini 5's mighty A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid. In our lab, the iPad mini 5 notched 11,515 on the Geekbench 4 overall performance test. It beat the iPad Air (11,471). Weighing in at 11 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

If you're looking for a portable, but powerful tablet, the iPad mini is worth considering. 

Ever since Apple moved from Touch ID to Face ID in its recent iDevices, many have wondered if the fingerprint scanning tech could return down the road. Multiple rumors from the past few months suggest Apple is looking to do just that when it releases the iPad mini 6, which is said to be launching this March.

Although it's been rumored that the upcoming iPhone 13 would come with an in-display touch sensor, it now appears the iPad mini 6 will be the first Apple device to have the new, old technology that's remained popular in competing devices. 

• The best cheap iPad deals for January 2021
• iPad vs iPad Air vs iPad Pro vs iPad mini
• iPad mini 2021 release date window leaked

A recent tweet by well-regarded leaker xleaks7 appears to show renders of the possible iPad Mini 6 featuring the sensor. The render, posted to Italian site Cover Pigtou, shows a refreshed iPad and discusses the mini as having an increased screen size and a reduced bezel. 

In the past, Apple saved its latest tech improvements for flagship devices like the iPhone but it appears there may be a slight shift in when and where new tech shows up. It feels like Apple will test a new feature in a device, and if it sells well or if the change is well regarded, it will then include it on other upcoming devices. 

Update: As of Nov 30, 11pm EST only the iPad mini (256GB) in Silver is still available at a $50 discount. The other models have sold out but could be available for pickup at nearby stores. There are still plenty of other Cyber Monday tablet deals and Cyber Monday Apple deals available.

Apple's iPad mini (Gen 5) is the smallest iPad in the lineup, it packs all of the same features as the standard iPad into a more portable form factor. The price can be a sticking point, but thanks to this awesome Cyber Monday deal it's available for less than the standard iPad!

The iPad mini is now just $299 at Best Buy, or $100 off the normal retail price! You can pick any color you like (Silver, Space Gray, Gold) in the 64GB version with Wi-Fi only. 

If you need a little more storage, the iPad mini with 256GB is $449, which is also $100 off its regular $549 price. The iPad mini is the best iPad for a lot of users with its gorgeous 7.9" display, Apple Pencil support, excellent battery life and of course that easy to tote form factor.

This is easily one of the best Cyber Monday tablet deals we've seen throughout Cyber Monday weekend, so be sure to snatch it up before it sells out (which could happen soon!). 

• Best Cyber Monday tablet deals: Save on iPad, Galaxy Tab and more
• Best Cyber Monday 2020 deals at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart
• Best tablets in 2020

iPad mini Cyber Monday deal

iPad mini (64GB)

iPad mini (256GB)

Apple's iPad mini is the king of small tablets. It's the best tablet to buy if you're looking for a portable yet powerful slate. 

The iPad mini on sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB or 256GB of storage, Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. Artists and note-takers will be interested in knowing the 5th gen iPad mini supports the 1st Gen Apple Pencil. 

This optional iPad accessory makes it easy to sketch on the fly and jot things down in the Notes app. 

In our iPad mini review, we liked its bright, colorful display and long battery life of 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We gave the iPad mini a 4 out of 5-star rating for its overall great performance.

In real-world tests, the iPad mini's mighty A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid.

In our lab, the iPad mini 5's multi-core score of 11,515 on Geekbench 4 beat the last-gen iPad Air (11,471). Weighing a mere 0.7 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

Without a doubt, the iPad mini is one of the fastest and smallest tablets out there. So if you're looking for an ultraportable, speedy tablet that you can write on, the iPad mini is worth considering. 

Black Friday is just about here and we’re seeing tons of fantastic deals on today’s top mobile tech. Be sure to check our Black Friday 2020 deals hub for the best holiday discounts.

The Lenovo Smart Tab M8 is a solid budget Cyber Monday tablet deal, it may not be an iPad Mini, but it has some features even Apple's tablet can't touch and best of all it's over $300 less.

This Lenovo tablet features Google Assistant and a bundled charging dock that basically converts it into a smart display is only $89 at Walmart. It can make an excellent tablet for video calls, watching Netflix or YouTube or general web browsing. The Smart Tab M8 is a great bargain and scoring a tablet for under $100 means if you've got your eyes on other deals for Cyber Monday you should hopefully have a little more left in your budget.

• Best Cyber Monday tablet deals: Save on iPad, Galaxy Tab and more
• The Best Cyber Monday deals 2020: Everything we know so far

Cyber Monday tablet deal

This Cyber Monday tablet deal offers you the Lenovo Smart Tab M8 for only $89 at Walmart.

When we reviewed the Lenovo Smart Tab M8, there were a few features that really sold us on this affordable tablet, such as Google Lens, which allows you to take photos of virtually anything around you and Google taps into its massive search-engine database to find you similar images. It's a neat little trick if you spot an unknown object or animal — Google Lens will gladly help you figure it out. 

The Lenovo Smart Tab M8 also really highlights Google Assistant in its Ambient Mode setting, which allows this tablet to basically double as a smart display. With Ambient Mode, you can display a photo slideshow, manage smart home devices with Google Assistant, get email updates and more — all while it’s charging on its dock. And unlike other smart displays, you can then pick the Tab M8 up and take it with you.

The battery life on the Lenovo Smart Tab M8 is remarkable, it lasted up to 14 hours on a charge for us. Yes, you read correctly — 14 hours! In our review of the Lenovo Smart Tab M8, the bundled charging dock, colorful display, attractive design and affordability all made it an incredibly compelling package even at its full price.

The Smart Tab M8 runs on Android Pie (Android 9.0). It is lightweight and portable, sporting dimensions of 0.3 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches and a weight of 10.7 ounces. It has an 8-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel display, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core processor. The Lenovo Smart Tab M8 earned a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on Walmart, so we're not the only ones raving about this tablet.

Cyber Monday deals are still going, so check back often for the best laptop deals. (Helpful hint: bookmark that page, just to be safe.)

Amid early Amazon Prime Day deals, the online retailer has the iPad mini back on sale for hundreds of dollars off. If you don't want to wait for Prime Day tablet deals to roll in, you can get an iPad mini now for its best price yet.

Currently, the iPad mini is on sale for $349.99 at Amazon. Usually priced at $399, that's $50 off and the lowest price we've seen for this tablet. It's one of the best iPad deals you can get outside of the holidays. 

• More: Best tablet deals in September
• Best tablets of 2020
• 5 Reasons to buy the iPad mini 5

The iPad mini is Apple's smallest tablet, yet it's as powerful as the (older) iPad Air. It's the best tablet to buy if you're looking for a portable yet powerful slate. 

The iPad mini in this deal packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, an A12 Bionic chip, and 64GB of storage. There's also Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port on board. 

Artists and note-takers in particular will be thrilled to know the 5th gen iPad mini supports the Apple Pencil. This optional iPad accessory makes it easy to sketch and jot things down in the Notes app. 

As we noted in our Apple iPad Mini review, the Mini has a bright, colorful display and epic battery life of 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We gave the iPad mini a 4 out of 5-star rating for its great overall performance.

At 0.7 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

In one test, the iPad mini's brawny A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid. In our lab, the iPad mini 5's multi-core score of 11,515 on Geekbench 4 beat the iPad Air (11,471). 

In a nutshell, the iPad mini is the king of small tablets and one of the fastest and smallest tablets you can get. So if you're in the market for an ultraportable, speedy tablet with stylus support, the iPad mini is a solid pick. 

For more deals like this, be sure to bookmark our Prime Day 2020 hub for the best Amazon discounts this season. 

The iPad mini 5 may be small but it's just as powerful as the iPad Air. For a limited time, you can scoop up Apple's smallest tablet for its lowest price yet. 

Right now, the iPad mini 5 is back on sale for $349.99 at Amazon. This iPad normally retails for $399, so that's a $50 markdown. It's the lowest price we've ever seen for this Apple tablet and one of the best iPad deals you can get. 

• More: Best tablet deals in August
• Best tablets of 2020
• 5 Reasons to buy the iPad mini 5

Apple's iPad mini 5 is the king of small tablets. It's the best tablet to buy if you're looking for a portable yet powerful slate. 

The iPad mini on sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. Artists and note-takers will be interested in knowing the 5th gen iPad mini supports Apple Pencil. 

This optional iPad accessory makes it easy to sketch on the fly and jot things down in the Notes app. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we liked its bright, colorful display and long battery life of 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We gave the iPad mini a 4 out of 5-star rating for its overall great performance.

In real-world tests, the iPad mini 5's mighty A12 Bionic chip took on multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Gameplay on the tablet was also fast and fluid.

In our lab, the iPad mini 5's multi-core score of 11,515 on Geekbench 4 beat the iPad Air (11,471). Weighing a mere 0.7 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches, the iPad mini is much lighter and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

Hands down, the iPad mini is one of the fastest and smallest tablets out there. 

So if you're looking for an ultraportable, speedy tablet that you can write on, the iPad mini is worth considering. 

The iPad Mini 5 is just as powerful as the iPad Air which makes it the king of small tablets. Amazon is currently discounting many of Apple's best tablets, so you can snag one for a great price. 

For a limited time, you can get the iPad Mini 5 for $349.99 at Amazon. Usually, this tablet is priced at $399, so this deal saves you $50. 

It's the lowest price we've ever seen for this Wi-Fi only tablet and one of the best iPad deals of the season. 

• More: Best tablet deals in July
• Best tablets of 2020
• 5 Reasons to Buy the iPad Mini 5

If you're in the market for a small, but mighty tablet, the iPad mini 5 is one of the best tablets to buy.

It features 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage and Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we praised its bright, colorful display and long battery life, which lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. We gave the iPad mini a 4 out of 5 star rating for its overall great performance.

In one test, the iPad mini 5's powerful A12 Bionic chip juggled multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Meanwhile, Injustice 2 gameplay was fast and fluid.

In our lab, the iPad mini 5 notched a multi-core score of 11,515 on Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance. It beat the iPad Air (11,471). Simply put, the iPad mini is one of the fastest tablets, period.

At 0.7 ounces and 8 x 5.3 x .24 inches, the iPad mini is lighter than and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.2 inches).

More importantly, the iPad mini 5 includes Apple Pencil support which can change the way you work. This optional Apple accessory makes it easy to sketch on the fly or jot things down in the Notes app. 

The iPad mini is a solid choice if you're looking for a compact tablet that you can also to write and draw on. 

While rumors of an iPad Pro with 5G and a miniLED display are grabbing plenty of attention, for those that don't want to spend over $1,000 on a tablet, new rumors regarding the iPad and iPad mini might make them all the more appealing.

Ever reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated in a research note obtained by MacRumors that Apple is planning to release a new iPad with a 10.8-inch screen in the second half of 2020 and an 8.5-inch model in the first half of 2021 (via Mashable).

• Best tablets in 2020
• The best cheap iPad deals for June 2020
• Microsoft Surface Go 2 vs. Apple iPad: Which sub-$400 tablet Is best?

Now the smaller model is certainly an update to the iPad mini, which has never varied from its 7.9-inch screen, but the larger model could either be an update to the standard iPad or the iPad Air. 

It would be a much more significant leap for the standard iPad coming from its current 10.2-inch display, although that would mirror the 0.6-inch increase Kuo predicts for the iPad mini. The current iPad Air on the other hand features a 10.5-inch display and previous rumors have suggested it will be moving to an 11-inch panel with its next update.

Given the rest of the rumors surrounding the updates to the iPad Air, including a potential move to USB-C and the design of the current 11-inch iPad Pro, it's plausible that Apple wouldn't be too worried about cannibalizing sales of that tablet with this update to the standard iPad.

Kuo also indicated that both of these tablets would include a new 20W charger in the box, which will definitely let you get your tablet powered up a lot faster than the current 12W charger.

Kuo did not have any new information regarding the internals for these devices, previous rumors have suggested a move to the A13 Bionic found in the current iPhones for the iPad mini, but we have not seen similar claims for the standard iPad yet.

Apple's latest iPad Mini sits at the top of the totem pole among today's small tablets. Just as fast and powerful as the iPad Air, this compact Apple slate is back on sale for its best price ever. 

For a limited time, you can get the fifth-generation iPad Mini for $349.99 at Amazon. That's $50 off its $399 list price and the lowest price we've ever seen for this tablet. 

If you want a small tablet to add to your arsenal of gadgets, it's one of the best iPad deals you can get. 

• Shop June's dads and grads sales
• Best tablets of 2020
• 5 Reasons to Buy the iPad Mini 5

The beloved 2019 iPad mini is one of the best tablets to buy.

It features a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple's A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage and Apple Touch ID and a Lightning charging port. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we liked the tablet's bright, colorful display and long battery life, which lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. Although the iPad mini's bezel could be smaller, we rated it 4 out of 5 stars for its great performance.

In one test, the iPad mini 5's powerful A12 Bionic chip juggled multiple apps simultaneously with no lag. Meanwhile, Injustice 2 gameplay was fast and fluid.

In our lab, the iPad mini 5 notched a multi-core score of 11,515 on Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance. It beat the iPad Air (11,471). Simply put, the iPad mini is one of the fastest tablets, period.

With a weight of a mere 0.7 ounces and measuring 8 x 5.3 x .24 inches, the iPad mini is lighter than and just as thin as the iPad Air (16 ounces, 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.24 inches).

For the first time, the iPad mini supports the $99 Apple Pencil, which can really change the way you work. This accessory makes it easy to jot things down in the Notes app or in more-robust third-party apps like GoodNotes 5.

So if you want a small yet powerful tablet that you can write and draw on, the iPad mini is a wise choice.

Small, yet mighty, the iPad mini is one of the best small tablets you can get. It boasts a vibrant touch screen, speedy performance and now, a cheaper price. 

For a limited time, you can get the iPad mini 5 for $349.99 at Best Buy. Normally $399, that's $50 off and the second-lowest price we've seen for this Apple tablet. 

It's also one of the best iPad deals you can get at the moment.

• Save! Best tablet deals in April
• Best tablets in 2020
• More iPads at Best Buy
  

The iPad Mini in Best Buy's sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina Display, an A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, and Apple Touch ID. 

In our iPad Mini 5 review, we were impressed by the tablet's fast performance and bright, colorful display. Although we weren't too keen on the large bezels, we rated it 4 out of 5 stars for its power and versatility. 

Connectivity-wise, the iPad Mini features a Lightning port instead of the USB-C port as found on it's bigger sibling, the Apple iPad Pro. 

In real world tests, the iPad Mini's A12 Bionic chip juggled multiple apps at once and delivered fluid Injustice 2 gameplay. 

As for the iPad Mini 5's battery life, it lasted 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. It surpassed our expectations and of Apple's promise of up to 10 hours of runtime. Simply put, the iPad Mini 5 is the king of small tablets. 

Like most Apple deals, this iPad mini Best Buy deal won't last long, so act fast.

The Apple iPad Mini is the king of small tablets for a reason. It's just as fast and powerful as the iPad Air and is now on sale for its best price yet. 

For a limited time, you can snag the latest Apple iPad Mini for $349.99, shipped, at Amazon. That's $50 off the iPad Mini's $399 list price and the cheapest price we've ever seen for this Wi-Fi tablet. Select free no-rush sipping at checkout to see your savings. 

It's one of the best iPad deals you can get right now. 

• Best tablets of 2020
• Best laptop deals

Apple manufacturers some of today's best tablets and the iPad Mini is among them. 

The iPad Mini on sale packs a 7.9-inch Retina Display, an A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage and Apple Touch ID. The iPad Mini charges via a Lightning port. 

In our Apple iPad Mini review, we were impressed by the small tablet's fast performance, vibrant display support for Apple Pencil (sold separately). While we'd prefer less bezels and more screen, we gave the iPad Mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 

In real world tests, the iPad Mini's A12 Bionic chip juggled multiple apps simultaneously with no lag and Injustice 2 gameplay was fluid. As for battery life, the iPad Mini surpassed our expectations with a runtime of 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test. 

The iPad Mini is a nice pickup for anyone who wants a versatile, small tablet for every day carry. 

Great news if you're in the market for a small yet powerful tablet that does it all. Amazon is kicking off February with a killer iPad mini deal.  

The retail giant currently has the latest Apple iPad Mini 5 on sale for $349.99. Normally priced at $399, that's $49 off its regular price and the lowest price we've ever seen for this Apple tablet. It's one of the best iPad deals available right now. 

The iPad Mini is one of the best tablets around. It features a 7.9-inch Retina Display, an A12 Bionic chip, 64GB of storage, and Apple Touch ID. 

In our iPad Mini 5 review, we liked its fast performance, vibrant display, and Apple Pencil support. While we weren't too fond of its dated big-bezel design, it's the most powerful and versatile small tablet you can get. We gave the iPad Mini an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. 

In terms of connectivity, the iPad Mini is equipped with a Lightning port, instead of USB-C connectivity like the new iPad Pro. 

In our lab, the iPad Mini's A12 Bionic chip juggled multiple apps simultaneously. And in real world use, we also experienced fluid gameplay while playing Injustice 2. Battery-wise, the iPad Mini's built-in rechargeable battery surpassed our expectations. While Apple promises a up to 10 hours of runtime, the iPad mini 5 went the distance of 12 hours and 40 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. 

For its size, the iPad Mini 5 packs a punch and remains king among small tablets. 

• Best tablets of 2020
• Best laptop deals