SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Apple

Apple iPad mini (6th gen) review: The 2021 redesign with an 8.3" Liquid Retina and A15 Bionic.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2021·$499
Overall
78/100
Class rank
#129 of 206
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

The first redesigned mini.

iPad mini 6 redesigned the compact slate with flat edges, USB-C, A15 Bionic and Pencil 2 support — the most significant mini update in years.

01Display

80/100

80/100 trails the 85-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2021.

TypeLiquid Retina IPS LCD
Size8.3 inches
Resolution2,266 × 1,488 px (326 ppi)

02Camera

70/100

70/100 is one of the weaker camera results among flagship phones of 2021 — 8 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Main12 MP, f/1.8
Selfie12 MP wide (Center Stage)

03Performance

84/100

84/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2021.

ChipsetApple A15 Bionic
RAM4 GB
Storage64 / 256 GB

04Battery

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2021.

Capacity5,124 mAh
WiredUSB-C

05Build

84/100

84/100 puts it above the 81-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

06Value

74/100

74/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2021.

What works
  • Full redesign with flat edges.
  • Apple Pencil 2 support.
  • A15 Bionic + USB-C + 5G.
  • Liquid Retina display.
What doesn't
  • "Jelly scroll" in portrait (controversial).
  • 60 Hz LCD.
  • 4 GB RAM.
  • No Magic Keyboard accessory.
Cross-shop it against
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
$1200 · score 89/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 206-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .