iPad Mini 6 | Best choice for Students

There is no doubt that Apple makes the best tablets in the market right now. Apart from Samsung, no other company can rival the iPad lineup. During the September Apple event, many devices were refreshed. But there is one device in particular which caught many people’s attention. That is the iPad Mini 6. They updated almost every aspect of this device making it my favorite go-to iPad.

One of the most anticipated updates by far was the edge-to-edge display. It was about time Apple, ditched the home button for a bigger display. There are many updates that they brought to this device from the Pro devices, some subtle while others major. In this article, we are going to discuss the new and exciting updates, the areas where Apple needs to polish up and I will finally give you my final verdict.

Specs

• 8.3 “Liquid Retina IPS LCD
• 500 nits of max brightness
• Comes in Ipad OS 15
• Uses the Apple A15 bionic Chip
• Comes in Two storage options; 64GB OR 256GB
• Only one RAM Option; 4GB
• No Headphone Jack
• 12MP Rear camera (f/1.8, (wide), AF)
• 12MP Ultra-wide selfie camera (f/2.4, 122˚)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
• Fingerprint (Side mounted)
• USB Type-C 3.1
• Supports 2^nd Gen Apple pencil
• 5123mAh Battery
• Supports 20W fast charging.
• Comes in a Wi-Fi only variant or both Cellular and Wi-Fi variant
• Glass Front, Aluminum back, Aluminum Frame
• Released on September 24^th
• Comes in Space Gray, Pink, Purple, Starlight
• Starts from $499

Design Language

Nothing feels more premium than Aluminum on a high-end device and Apple clearly understood the assignment. Both the back and the frame are Aluminum coated giving it a more elegant feeling. The front is covered in an 8.3” 60Hz Liquid Retina display. There are many advantages and disadvantages to the overall display which we will discuss later in this article. But one thing worth mentioning is that we need that 120Hz panel especially in 2022. Most devices from laptops to phones and even TVs of all devices now feature a 120Hz display. Apple needs to rectify this in the next generation of the iPad mini.

Some people keep on wondering what’s the fuss with 120Hz displays. Well, let me explain. Refresh rate simply means the number of times per second that the screen is displaying information. The higher the better. For example, a 120Hz display means that the screen refreshes 120 times per second. This simply translates to a smoother user experience.

The back end of this device features a single 12MP camera which is more than enough for a device of this caliber. Although an addition of an Ultra-wide lens would be much appreciated. At the front end, we have a 12MP Ultra-wide selfie camera. Make no mistake. This is not any other selfie camera. It features Centre stage which was recently announced by Apple. This feature alone makes it my go-to facetime and zoom device. More on this feature later in the article.

Apple chose a very weird spot for both the Volume buttons and the power button. At first it seems absurd, but when you get a hold of the device, it makes sense in every possible way. Both of these buttons are at the top of the device. The main reason why Apple couldn’t place the Volume buttons on the sides is due to the Apple pencil. The Apple pencil covers the whole side area when magnetically attached hence there was need for the buttons to be placed at the top of the device. That is the only logical reason that I could find for this placement.

Camera and Battery life

This device features a single 12MP wide camera lens on the rear and a 12MP ultra-wide selfie camera. Let’s talk about the rear camera first, Shall we?

The single camera at the back of this device is more than enough for a device of this price range and most of all a tablet. There is a lot of controversy on whether a tablet should feature premium grade cameras or average cameras. This boils down to the consumer’s needs. Personally, I don’t think they should feature premium grade camera systems. Average ones are just fine for scanning documents and light camera usage.

The rear camera is capable of shooting 4K at 24/30/60 FPS or 1080P at 25/30/60/120/240 FPS which is quite impressive. Just to clear out the air, higher FPS is better for one main purpose; Slow motion footages. Since there are more frames per second, Slow-mo videos appear smoother and crisper. Props to Apple for the 240FPS option.

At the selfie camera is where things start getting a bit interesting. The 12MP ultra-wide camera is more than enough for daily photography. But there is one feature that puts this camera ahead of the competition. That is Centre Stage. If you have never heard of this feature, here is a simple to understand explanation.

Centre stage simply tracks the subject in motion in order to keep it in frame. For example, let’s say you are on a zoom call or facetime. When you move, say to pick something at the edge of the table, the camera tracks your movement and keeps you at the centre of camera. It ensures that you are always in frame giving you some form of authority. This was an ingenious move by Apple and more companies should embrace this feature.

The iPad Mini 6 comes with a 5123mAh battery. Apple rates it at 10Hrs of usage. The battery life mainly depends on the user. With heavy usage you can expect as low as 7Hrs. For a tablet of this size, I feel Apple should increase the battery capacity to about 7000mAh. Don’t expect to get 2 days out of this device. Anyway, 10Hrs of battery life will suffice for most people.

RAM and Storage

The iPad Mini 6 comes with only 4GB of RAM in both trim options. Some people complain that 4GB is too low. But there is a reason why Apple devices are often fitted with seemingly “low” RAM yet they still manage to beat most Android devices. It all boils down to integration, something that most Android devices will never manage to pull off. You see, Apple manufactures most of the components in their devices right from their Custom chips to the storage and RAM that they use. With all this power, it becomes easier for Apple to optimize their devices to run fast while utilizing low RAM. In contrast, most Android devices source their components from different manufactures hence making optimization harder. It is no surprise seeing some Android devices with up to 18GB RAM like the Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate.

As for the storage options, this device is optioned with either 64GB or 256GB. If we are being honest, 64GB is a bit too low for any device in 2022. To make matters worse, Apple didn’t make a 128GB version which I feel is the sweet spot for this device. So, if you want more storage, you have no choice but to upgrade to the 256GB version which starts from $649. With that kind of money, you can get the refreshed 2018 Ipad Pro 11” or even the Samsung Galaxy Tan S7+. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal preferences and how deep your pockets are.

Things Apple need to polish up

There is no doubt that this is a great tablet, but Apple needs polish up on some features to make it the ultimate iPad for the everyday user.

• For starters, the 64GB RAM is not a viable option for most users. 128GB would be the sweet spot for a device of this caliber. The higher 256GB is a good choice but it comes at the expense of $649.
• Secondly, the display needs some bit of an upgrade. 60Hz will suffice but 120Hz would be the ideal option for most users. In addition to this, it is about time Apple upgrades the display to a mini-led for that sharp and crispy image quality.
• Thirdly, the battery capacity needs to be increased to at least 7000mAh. It would be great if the Ipad Mini 6 lasted for about 3 days of usage. With the current 5143mAh, you can expect about a day or less of battery life from normal usage.

Final thoughts

There is no denying that this refresh has attracted a lot of users. With its smaller footprint, it makes it easier to travel with. But the big question is, who should buy this device? Well, anyone who fancies a small portable Apple tablet would be very happy with this one. Another group of people who fit the category are students. With the addition of the Apple pencil, this device is the best in note taking and may be doing some illustrations. At the end of the day, It all boils down to your work flow. If you are stuck between buying this or an iPad Air, I highly suggest you read our article on the same.