The Apple iPad Mini has arrived, and it's a game-changer. With its sleek new design, improved performance, and exciting features, this tiny tablet is sure to delight users of all ages.
One of the standout features of the new iPad Mini is its incredible display. Measuring 7.9 inches diagonally, the screen is perfectly proportioned for one-handed use, making it easy to navigate and interact with the device. And with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, the image is crisp and clear, making it ideal for reading, browsing, and gaming.
But what really sets the iPad Mini apart from its predecessors is its performance. Powered by Apple's A15 Bionic chip, this tiny tablet is significantly faster than ever before. The A15 chip provides a huge boost in processing power and memory, making it perfect for demanding tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming.
The iPad Mini also boasts an impressive battery life, with up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge. This makes it the perfect companion for long trips, outdoor adventures, or just lounging around the house. And with fast charging capabilities, you can quickly top off your battery when you're on the go.
Another exciting feature of the iPad Mini is its connectivity options. With Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, you'll be able to stay connected to the world while on the move. You'll also get improved cellular connectivity, making it easy to stay in touch with friends and family from anywhere.
But what's really special about the new iPad Mini is its portability. Weighing just 1 pound and measuring only 7.9 inches diagonally, this tiny tablet is incredibly lightweight and compact. It's perfect for slipping into a bag or purse, making it easy to take on the go without weighing you down.
When it comes to accessories, there are some disappointments. Unfortunately, Apple has abandoned its trusty Magic Keyboard Mini, which means no dockable third-party alternatives are available. However, Bluetooth keyboards will still work, and the iPad Mini is compatible with a wide range of accessories from other manufacturers.
One accessory that's definitely worth noting is the Apple Pencil 2. This stylus is a major upgrade over its predecessor, with a sleek new design and impressive performance. It attaches magnetically to the side of the device, charges inductively, and features a capacitive button on the side for switching between tools like drawing, writing, and erasing.
The Apple Pencil 2 makes it just that much better than the original Apple Pencil, which was a major upgrade over its predecessor. Putting the pencil on the side means moving the volume buttons to the top, which is weird at first but becomes second nature after a few uses. And if you spin the iPad Mini 180 degrees, the up and down buttons reverse, so they're always in the correct orientation.
Apple has also made some other improvements with the new iPad Mini, including advanced touch ID and power button integration. During setup, Apple prompts you to register both left and right fingers as part of the authentication process, ensuring that your device remains secure even when using multiple users or profiles.
So should you upgrade from a previous iPad Mini or shrink-grade from an older, regular iPad or Air? The answer depends on how compelling any or all of the new features really are for you. From the redesign to the Apple Pencil 2 to the A15 chip, which provides faster performance and improved handling of iPadOS and app updates for years to come.
Ultimately, my advice is always to wait as long as possible to upgrade, get the best you can afford at the time, and enjoy the hell out of it with zero regrets. Because there will always be something new and something next. And that's why I recommend checking out Nebula, where I post all of my videos with no ads, no sponsors, and often with bonus and extended content.
Like my iPhone 13 review, where I had a bunch of random extraneous thoughts that really didn't fit in the flow of the YouTube video but fit perfectly for people who love that kind of stuff the most. Same with my original iPad keynote reactions, all of my interviews, and it's not just me. It's MKBHD, iPhonedo, Georgia Dow, Jordan Harrod, LowSpecGamer, Real Science, Ali Abdaal, EposVox, and so many more.
All ad-free, sponsor-free, and with original and bonus content exclusive to Nebula and bundled in for free when you sign up with today's sponsor CuriosityStream.com/reneritchie. Or click the link below. And right now, because you're watching this video, you can get CuriosityStream for 26% off less than $15 a day, less than the price of a bistro burger for a whole entire year.
And that includes their thousands of amazing documentaries and series like [insert popular documentary series].
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- The newly redesigned iPadMini isn't an iPad Pro Mini.It's an iPad Air Mini.It's like, it's like a foldablephone that doesn't fold,but can still fit in the back pocketof your non-hipster, non-skinny jeansor the palm of many larger sized hands.Bigger edge-to-edge display,candy-colored shells,touch ID in the powerbutton, USB-C in the base,stereo landscape speakers, Apple Pencil 2,if no magic keyboard mini,sub-6 5g, if no millimeter wave,but also it's rocking that A15 chipsetand Center Stage capable front camera.But in addition to losing the home button,it's also lost the headphone jack.And while it's the mostfeature -packed iPad Mini ever,it's also the mostexpensive iPad Mini ever,starting at the same 64 gigabytes,but newly priced at $499.So is Apple's biggest Mini ever worth it?I'm Rene Ritchie.Thanks to CuriosityStreamwith Nebula for sponsoring.I've been using it for a weekand this is my iPad Mini review.And yes,I'll still be doing aton of nerdy deep divesthroughout the week.So hit the subscribe button and bellSo you don't miss any of them.First, the iPhone 10got a modern redesign.Then the Apple Watch.Then no, not you, iPad Mini.Then the iPad Pro.Then, nope, still not you,awkward, the iPad Air.Then, I don't know, maybe the HomePod.But now, finally, it'sthe iPad Mini's turn.The way Apple is implemented,the new design language isboth incredibly familiar,similar to what they didlast year with the iPad Air,but in a way that's also uniqueto the Mini, because Mini.The home button is gone, of course,and about a quarter of the bezel with it.What's left is rounded now at the cornersand stretched from the original 7.9 inchesto a new 8.3 inches.It doesn't have quite as manypixels as the Air anymorebecause of the bezel-to-screen size ratio,but it's still got the highestdensity of any iPad display.So text and graphics aresuper sharp and crisp,and it just feelsremarkably roomy for a Mini,especially for watchingTV shows and movies.It's like a YouTube video machine.And for AR experienceswhere the light weightalso makes it way, way easier to usefor longer periods oftime for work and for fun,and for a price, whichI'll get to in a minute.Now, because there's no home button,you navigate with gestureslike swiping up to go home.Same as the recent iPad Pro, iPad Air,and the last severalgenerations of iPhone.It takes about an hour toa day to get used to it,and then you're flying,especially with the newmultitasking multi-window buttonand app library that comeas part of iPadOS 15.Because there's no headphone jack,you have to use USB-C headphonesor go wireless with AirPodsor something similar.But for me, at least,wireless really seems to fitthe on-the-go nature of the iPad Mini.Where the iPad pro feelslike a big professional rig,the iPad mini reallyfeels like run-n'-gun,run-n'-gun for computing,for people who need somethingbigger than a phone,but not as big as a traditional tablet.And why the Mini has proven so popularwith people who want orneed to take their work,take their play into thefield, on rounds, into the lab,on site or into the sky.But there are a few thingsI am semi-salty about.The Mini's gotten oneless color than the Air.Space gray, because yes,good old space gray.But starlight instead of silver,which has just a dash of gold in it.Pink instead of rose gold.And a new purple, which I straight up loveand the Air doesn't have,but then the Air has sky blueand mint green.And if you want to compare for yourself,I'll leave my iPad Airreview in the descriptionright below the like button.Now, the Mini does have something elsethe Air does not, 5g NR.At least frequency range 1 5g,sub-6, the low and mid bands,no FR2 high band millimeter wave.I get sub-6 in my areaand it gives me roughlytwice the speed of LTEbetween 250 and 300 down,which isn't millimeter wave speeds,but also doesn't getblocked by leaves and rainand turning a corner.It also has wi-fi 6, if not wi-fi 6E,which is the latest six gigahertz version.All that to say, the new Minihas among the fastestwireless networking available,just not the absolute fastest.And how much that matters to you,depends on what your home router isand what your local cellphone carriers provide.It also has USB-C,which just continues toreplace lightning or USB-Aon every single Appleproduct not named iPhone.It's pure USB-C like the iPadAir, not Thunderbolt as well,like the iPad Pro or like the Max.But it's compatiblewith a wide, wide rangeof popular modern computer peripherals,which is the whole entire point.And it's also powered by the A15 Bionic,Apple's latest generation chipset,the same one powering the iPhone 13 Pro,specifically the Pro becauseit's the 5 GPU core version,like the Pro.And that extra graphics firepower,and the new video encodeand decode blocks,as well as the rest of thegenerational improvementsin the Silicon IP willhelp you with everythingfrom heavy hardcore gamingto multistream video editingwith effects, just layers of effects.But just like I did a deep diveon the A14 and the M1 last year,I'm going to be doing a deepdive on the A15 this year,and potentially the M2,if we get that this year.So seriously, make sure you hit subscribe.Now, the image signalprocessor or ISP on the A15,also brings Smart HDR3 to the iPad Mini.That's the same computationalphotography systemas the iPhone 12, not the iPhone 13.The difference is mainly that Smart HDR 4,aside from the justgenerational improvements,can separately and specificallyprocess individual facesin a group shot, especiallybecause the camerashave gotten just a reallybig boost this year.The back wide angle is now12 megapixels and f/1.8with a true tone flash, if you need it.The front wide angle, well,it's now an ultra wide angle.This is the iPad Mini front-facingcamera and microphone.This is the previous iPadMini front-facing cameraand microphone.This is the iPad Air front-facingcamera and microphone.This is the 11 inch iPadPro front-facing cameraand microphone.It's also Center Stage enabled.That's what Apple calls thistechnology that they debutedwith the new iPad Pro back in April.It basically crops down andthen pans and scans around youto keep you in theframe as you walk aroundand then zooms in or out, if,and when more people join youor leave you in the frame.And it's super fun if you have a familyor a group of friends or, you know,or hosting a YouTube cooking channel,or just like standing and pacing at work.But all of this does come at a price,specifically $100 more thanthe previous iPad Mini.$499 for 32 gigabytes,$649 for 256 gigabytes,and add $150 on top ofthat, if you want 5g,which will be a lot, legitimatelya lot for some people,especially because the bigger,simultaneously updated,but still on the older design,10.2 inch iPad ninthgeneration still starts at $329for that exact same 64 gigs.But apple has just neverpositioned the Minias an entry-level product.It's always been a premium productwhere the size isn't abug, it isn't a discount,it is absolutely a feature,and one that a lot ofpeople really appreciate.So with 64 gigabytes,that could work for youif you stream and cloudstore all of the thingsand work primarily in frontends and with web apps.But if not, you'll have to goall the way to 256 gigabytesbecause there's just no128 gigabytes sweet spotin the middle.And even if that's not enough for you,then you'll have toabandon the Mini entirelyand go pure on full-on Prowhere you can get up to 2 terabytes.But either way, anyway,here's hoping thatApple pays down the techin the new Mini andAir as fast as they canso we can see prices go backdown as fast as they can.Now, when it comes to accessories,there's no tiny Magic Keyboard Mini,which isn't at allsurprising, because Mini.But it is just a tiny bit disappointingin so far as I would love,I would all caps love to seewhat Apple could come up with,what kind of big solution they could havefor that small problem.There's also no smart connector though,which means no dockablethird party alternativeswould even be possible, but of course,any Bluetooth keyboard will still work.What there is, is the Apple Pencil 2,which after the new designis absolutely my favoritepart of this new upgrade.I've been using it since2018 on the iPad Proand since last year on theiPad Air, and I love it.I absolutely adore it.It attaches magnetically,charges inductively,and I basically forget iteven has a battery in itbecause it's just always there.It's just always instantly available.And it's also got acapacitive button on the sidethat you can use for switching toolslike from drawing or writing to erasing.Now, the last Mini gotthe original Apple Pencilin the last update, back in 2019,and it made it into theultimate traveling sketchpad.The Apple Pencil 2 makes itjust that much more better,which is not grammatically correct,but is exactly how I feel.Now, putting the pencil on the sidemeans moving the volumebuttons to the top,which is weird at first,but, and this is cool,they're orientation-aware,so if you spin the iPad Mini 180 degrees,the up and down buttons reverse,they just end up whereyou expect them to be.And I didn't notice that at first,because they were whereI expected them to be.Similar, if not the same fortouch ID and the power button.Apple prompts you to registerboth left and right fingersas part of the setup process.And that way, whether you'reholding it in portraitor landscape, left orright, top or bottom,you'll always have a fingerin very close proximityto authenticate with.Now, if I'm soundingjust way too many shades ofenthusiastic about the new Mini,it's because I am.It's terrific.It's the ultimate comic book reader, fine,all kinds of book reader,portable gaming system,digital field notes, on-locationportfolio, flight manual,chart, research, prettymuch on-the-go everything.And that just makes itso incredibly convenient,especially with this shave and haircut,which makes maximum useof this minimal space.So should you upgradefrom a previous iPad Minior shrink-grade from anolder, regular iPad or Air?And it depends on how compellingany or all of the newfeatures really are for you,from the redesign to the Apple Pencil 2,to the A15, not just for being faster now,but being able to handleiPadOS and app updatesfor the next five ormore years going forward.And that's why my adviceis always wait as long asyou possibly can to upgrade,upgrade when you really need to,get the best you can afford at the timeand then enjoy the hell outof it with zero regrets,because there'll always besomething new and something next.Just like on Nebula,where I post all of my videos with no ads,no sponsors and often withbonus and extended content.Like my iPhone 13 review,where I had a bunch ofrandom extraneous thoughtsthat really didn't fit in theflow of the YouTube video,but fit perfectly for peoplewho love that kind ofstuff the most on Nebula.Same with my originaliPad keynote reactions,all of my interviews.And it's not just me.It's MKBHD, iPhonedo, Georgia Dow,Jordan Harrod, LowSpecGamer,Real Science, Ali Abdaal,EposVox and so many more.All ad-free, sponsor-freeand with original and bonus content,exclusive content on Nebulaand bundled in for freewhen you sign up with today's sponsorcuriositystream.com/reneritchie,or click the link below.And right now, becauseyou're watching this video,you can get CuriosityStream for 26% off,less than $15 a day, less thanthe price of a bistro burgerfor a whole entire year.And that includes their thousandsof amazing documentariesand series like \"TheSecrets of Civilization\",where modern science revealsthe environmental forcesthat shaped human history.It's the best way to supporteducational creators directlyand the best damn deal in streaming today.For over 26% off curiosity stream,less than $15 a year andNebula bundled in for free,just click that button on the screenor go to curiositystream.com/reneritchie.Clicking that button reallyhelps out the channeland so it is hitting the playlist above.For more on the iPad Mini 6and all of Apple's 2021 products,announced and stillupcoming, hit that playlist.And I'll see you in the next video.\n"
