Apple iPad Mini 6: Specs, Price, and Competitors

Published on

February 29, 2024

Apple’s iPad Mini 6 is the latest entry in its long-running series of travel-friendly 8-inch tablets. Despite its size, the iPad Mini 6 packs high-end hardware and offers performance rivaling that of larger and more expensive tablets.

Apple iPad Mini 6 on* Amazon

Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple iPad Mini 6, including standout features, its specs, and pricing. We’ll also discuss its main competitor in the 8-inch tablet market.

Highlights

8.3-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD
3:2 aspect ratio
Apple A15 Bionic CPU
4GB of RAM with 64GB or 256GB of storage
Available in WiFi-only and WiFi + Cellular versions
Fingerprint unlock
USB Type-C 3.1
Supports Apple Pencil 2
~5100 mAh battery

Full Specifications

Tablet	Apple iPad Mini 6
Operating System	iPadOS 15
Display	8.3 inches, 2266 x 1488 Liquid Retina IPS LCD at 60Hz
Processor	Hexa-core Apple A15 Bionic (2x performance cores + 4x efficiency cores)
Graphics	Penta-core Apple GPU
Storage	64GB, 256GB
Expandable	No
Memory (RAM)	4GB
Main Camera	12 Megapixel
Front Camera	12 Megapixel
Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS + GLONASS (only on 5G model)
Ports and Connections	USB Type-C 3.1
Battery	Li-Po ~5100 mAh (19.3 watt hours)
Security	Fingerprint unlock
Dimensions	195 x 134 x 6mm
Weight	293g (WiFi), 297g (WiFi + Cellular)

Apple iPad Mini 6: The Overview

Apple iPad Mini 6 Lightroom

The Apple iPad Mini 6 offers great performance in a small package, with a flagship-tier 6-core Apple A15 Bionic CPU and 4GB of RAM powering its 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 Liquid Retina IPS display running at 60Hz. Unfortunately, the iPad Mini 6’s 3:2 aspect ratio display suffers greatly from jelly scrolling in portrait mode, which drags down an otherwise excellent experience. A roughly 5100mAh lithium-polymer battery lithium polymer battery powers the iPad Mini 6, which is good for 6 hours in our standardized battery life tests.

Apple sells WiFi-only and WiFi + cellular versions of the Apple iPad Mini 6. The cellular version supports 5G and LTE, with the only notable difference between the two models being a very slight weight increase on the cellular-equipped version (293g vs. 297g).

The iPad Mini 6 launched with iPadOS 15, but Apple’s famed extended software support means that it currently runs iPadOS 17.3.1 at the time of writing. We expect a few more years of updates from Apple, as is common for their tablets.

Apple iPad Mini 6 Notes

The Apple iPad Mini 6 supports Apple’s excellent Apple Pencil 2. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t sell first-party keyboard covers, but you can use Bluetooth keyboards with the iPad Mini 6.

Read: Apple iPad Mini 6 review

Pricing and Availability

Apple’s iPad Mini 6 is widely available. You can purchase it from most electronics retailers (or Apple itself). Prices for the 64GB WiFi-only version start at $499 in the US, around €650 in Europe, and £569 in the UK.

Apple iPad Mini 6 Alternatives

The only real alternative to the Apple iPad Mini 6 is the Lenovo Legion Tab Y700 2023. The Lenovo isn’t as performant as the iPad Mini 6, but its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU puts it in the upper echelon as far as Android tablets go. Lenovo’s tablet also has a higher refresh rate (144Hz) and packs more RAM and built-in storage than the Apple tablet. So, it’s certainly a viable contender.

Apple iPad Mini 6

Read now: Our Apple iPad Mini 6 Review

The Apple iPad Mini 6 is the best 8-inch tablet on the market today. It offers a premium design, is more powerful than every Android tablet, supports the Apple Pencil 2, and ships with up-to-date software. We get premium features like great speakers and a fingerprint scanner. Sadly, the otherwise excellent 8.3-inch screen has a jelly effect which is a bit of a bummer.

Positive