Apple today announced the 6th generation iPad mini, its first new tiny tablet since 2019. The new iPad mini takes the majority of its cues from last year's iPad Air and recent iPad Pros, eschewing a home button for a larger display in the same form-factor and a squared-off design.
To start, the new iPad mini now features an 8.3-inch display, up from 7.9-inch in the previous model. The display supports TrueTone, which optimises colour for your environment and lighting. Inside you'll find the same A15 processor the powers the iPhone 13, and as with the new iPad Air, you'll find a Touch ID fingerprint reader in the power button.
You'll get a single 12MP camera on the back, and a 12MP selfie camera with Centre Stage on the front. Centre Stage was first introduced with this year's iPad Pro, and automatically reframes your shot based on your position and the number of people in frame.
In terms of connectivity, the iPad mini now charges over USB C rather than Lightning, and even features 5G in cellular models. It supports the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, but no official Apple keyboard accessories.
The new iPad mini is available to pre-order from today ahead of a September 24 release in a choice of purple, pink, starlight, and space grey. Pricing starts at $749 for a 64GB WiFi-only model or $979 for a 5G-ready device. 256GB models are also available.
In addition, Apple announced a new entry-level iPad. The 9th generation iPad, simply referred to iPad, makes a few key improvements over its predecessor. These include an A13 processor - last seen in the iPhone 11 -, a TrueTone display, 64GB of based storage, and an improved 12MP selfie camera featuring Centre Stage.
The design hasn't changed from last year, making it very much a classic iPad with the same Touch ID home button and 10.2-inch screen. As such, the new iPad still only supports Apple's earlier tablet accessories: the Smart Keyboard and the 1st generation Apple Pencil.
The new iPad is available to order from today ahead of a September 20 release. You can get in a choice of space grey or silver, starting at $499 for a WiFi-only model or $699 for a 4G model. 256GB models are also available.
Alex Choros
