I have waited for this update for a long time now. While the world tries to figure out tablets and convertible laptops and the sort, I’ve felt for a long time that an iPad Pro with all its power and glory in a small package like the iPad mini is definitely a formula for success.

Well we might not have an iPad Pro Mini but we definitely have a powerful iPad mini with an all new design and I’m here for it!

Apple iPad Mini 2021

Design and everything with it

Like latest year’s iPad Air, the iPad Mini gets a full redesign with flat edges, smaller bezels and a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. The display comes with 500 nits of brightness, a P3 wide color gamut, anti-reflective screen coating, True Tone and full lamination.

The iPad Mini comes with stereo speakers but seems like they work in stereo mode only when the device is in a landscape orientation. The ‘all-screen’ look also brings Touch-ID to the power button which is much appreciated.

Mini size, Big power

As a person who uses an iPad Pro 12.9″ with an A12Z Bionic on the daily for everything from writing articles to editing 4K video, I can safely say that the iPad Mini is going to be a powerful tablet with the A15 Bionic.

Now the previous iPad Mini had the A12 chipset and this iPad with it’s 6-core CPU delivers a 40 percent jump in performance, and 5-core GPU delivers an 80 percent leap in graphics performance.

Center Stage

A feature I absolutely adored when I had the iPad Pro M1 for review was centre stage. It’s such an intuitive feature and just so ideal for the current needs of people living on video calls all day long. Well that too comes to the iPad Mini.

5G and USB-C

Considering that most people who are going to want to use the iPad Mini are going to want to use it on the run and gun, it’s great that the tablet will come equipped with 5G and USB-C.

With 5G, users should be able to reach peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. There’s also WiFi 6, Gigabit LTE and eSIM support.

USB-C support is welcome for a bunch of reasons. One, charging becomes easier if you’re an Android smartphone user or maybe just want to carry your MacBook charger. Two, 5Gbps data transfer. Lastly, type-C will bring connectivity to a range of devices and accessories.

Accessories

Speaking of accessories, the iPad Mini willl work with the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and will come with a new Smart Folio designed for the tablet. Colours will be black, white, dark cherry, English lavender, and electric orange.

Pricing and Availability

The new iPad mini is available to order beginning today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app with availability beginning Friday, September 24.

Wi-Fi models of iPad mini are available with a starting price of Dh2,129 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at Dh2,729.

I do wish there were higher storage configurations for the iPad Mini. It comes in 64GB and 256GB configurations and will come in pink, starlight, purple, and space gray finishes.

The new Smart Folio for iPad mini is available for Dh249 in black, white, dark cherry, English lavender, and electric orange.