iPad · mini

2021

iPad mini (6th generation)

Reinvents the iPad mini with an all-screen 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, Top Button Touch ID, USB-C, Apple Pencil 2 magnetic charging, 5G, and A15 Bionic.

Announced
2021-09-14
Family
iPad
Branch
mini
Historical weight
Major evolution

Key specifications

Apple verification ↗
Display
8.3" Liquid Retina, 2266×1488
Chip / CPU
Apple A15 Bionic · 2.93 GHz
Memory
4 GB
Base storage
64 GB
Ports & charging
USB-C
Weight
293 g
Dimensions
195.4×134.8×6.3 mm
Original OS
iPadOS 15
Launch price
$499
Released
September 24, 2021
Discontinued
October 2024
Graphics
Apple 5-core GPU
CPU cores
6

Generation delta

What changed?

Introduced

12
  • All-screen industrial design

    Flat-edge aluminum unibody with narrow uniform bezels; display expands from 7.9 inches to 8.3 inches while the overall device length actually decreases by 7.8 mm (195.4 mm vs 203.2 mm).

    Display
  • 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display

    2266 x 1488 resolution at 326 ppi with rounded display corners, True Tone, P3 wide color, full lamination, anti-reflective coating, and 500 nits brightness.

    Display
  • Top Button Touch ID

    Fingerprint sensor embedded into top power button, preserving biometric authentication without bezels or Face ID.

    Power
  • Relocated volume buttons

    Moved to the top edge of the enclosure to accommodate the Apple Pencil 2 magnetic charging dock on the right side; buttons dynamically switch volume-up/down mapping based on device orientation.

    Power
  • USB-C connector on iPad mini

    Replaces Lightning with USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 1, up to 5Gbps), enabling connections to cameras, external drives, and 4K displays.

    Display
  • Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support

    Magnetic attachment and wireless inductive charging on the side.

    Connectivity
  • A15 Bionic chip

    6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine; 40% jump in CPU and 80% leap in graphics over A12 Bionic.

    Silicon
  • 5G cellular networking

    Up to 3.5Gbps peak cellular speeds with Gigabit LTE and eSIM.

    Connectivity
  • Center Stage camera system

    12MP Ultra Wide front camera (122-degree field of view) with machine-learning automatic framing.

    Camera
  • Rear camera overhaul

    12MP Wide camera (f/1.8 aperture, Focus Pixels) with Quad-LED True Tone flash and 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60 fps.

    Camera
  • Landscape stereo speakers

    Dual speaker system providing stereo separation in landscape mode.

    Audio
  • Finishes

    Space gray, pink, purple, and starlight.

    Product

Changed

3
  • Footprint

    Height reduced from 203.2 mm to 195.4 mm while screen increased from 7.9" to 8.3".

    Display
  • Weight

    Reduced from 300.5 g to 293 g (Wi-Fi) / 297 g (Cellular).

    Connectivity
  • Starting price

    Increased from $399 to $499 (US).

    Product

Retired

4
  • Physical Home button and chin/forehead bezels on iPad mini line

    .

    Input
  • Lightning connector on iPad mini

    .

    Ports
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack on iPad mini line

    .

    Product
  • Apple Pencil (1st generation) compatibility on iPad mini

    .

    Input

Retained

4
  • Ultra-compact, one-handed portability

    .

    Ports
  • 326 ppi pixel density

    .

    Product
  • 10-hour battery life

    Powered by a 19.3-watt-hour battery.

    Power
  • 64GB and 256GB storage capacities

    .

    Storage

Technology DNA

Ideas carried by this generation.

Canonical predecessor

iPad mini (5th generation) iPad mini (6th generation)

Other lineage references