iPad mini (2021)

Apple’s most portable iPad gets a complete redesign and a pro feel

- HOLLIN JONES

From $499 ($799 model tested) From apple.com

Features 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, 2266 x 1488 resolution at 326ppi, A15 Bionic chip with 6–core CPU, 5–core GPU and 16–core Neural Engine, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 256GB storage, 12MP wide camera with 4K video recording at up to 60fps, 12MP front camera with Centre Stage, 802.11ax WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Touch ID, USB–C, nano-SIM and e–SIM on cellular models, up to 10–hour battery.

The iPad mini’s design had barely changed in its lifetime and some wondered if it had a future in Apple’s lineup, especially as the largest iPhones kept expanding in size. Any doubt has been dispelled with the new 2021 model, a total redesign that takes its cues from the iPad Pro and leaves the entry-level iPad as the only model with significant bezels.

This flatter–edged design that debuted with the 2018 iPad Pro feels like the perfect form factor, and the mini sits comfortably in one hand while the other uses the screen. While you’ve no chance of holding and navigating the whole screen with a single hand, by floating the keyboard you can type with your thumb, the swipe keyboard becoming active in this mode.

TOUCH BUT DON’T LOOK