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Tech · Apple · 2021

Apple iPad mini (6th generation)

The only small iPad with a modern design. Check the screen in person if you notice motion.

Used iPads on eBay: where M1 pays off and where it doesn't — #3

Overall

8.4

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Design (9.0), weakest on Value (8.0), a 1.0-point spread. The 8.4 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPad mini (6th generation) — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPad mini (6th generation): Performance 8.2, Value 8.0, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 8.4, Design 9.0.PerformanceApple iPad mini (6th generation) — Performance 8.2 out of 108.2ValueApple iPad mini (6th generation) — Value 8.0 out of 108.0DurabilityApple iPad mini (6th generation) — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Ease of useApple iPad mini (6th generation) — Ease of use 8.4 out of 108.4DesignApple iPad mini (6th generation) — Design 9.0 out of 109.0Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
8.3-inch Liquid Retina (LCD)
Chip
A15 Bionic
Unlock
Touch ID (top button)
Port
USB-C
Pencil
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Storage
64GB, 256GB

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • Reading, maps, and notes in one hand or a jacket pocket
  • Pilots, nurses, and field workers who need a tablet that fits a cargo pocket
  • You want the Pencil 2 without a full-size iPad

Skip it if

  • You're sensitive to the uneven refresh some reviewers call jelly scrolling
  • You want Apple Intelligence; the A15 doesn't run it

The 2021 redesign put the mini into the same flat-edge, USB-C, Pencil 2 family as the Air. Nothing else Apple makes is this size, and nothing on Android has matched it closely, so used prices hold up.

“Jelly scrolling” is the complaint you’ll find in every review thread. In portrait mode, one side of the screen refreshes slightly before the other, and fast text scrolling looks like it tilts. The Verge and others reproduced it; Apple called it normal behavior for LCDs. Most owners stop noticing it. A few return the tablet. If you can, buy from a seller who accepts returns.

The A15 is the same chip as in the iPhone 13 and is plenty for the jobs a small tablet does. It does not qualify for Apple Intelligence, which is the one software gap against the M1 iPads above it.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.