iPad mini (sixth generation) evaluation: flaws are hidden in the details, but too small to ignore?

In the iPhone 13 event, the appearance of the iPad mini is not only a long absence, but the magnitude of the upgrade is too big to be ignored. Now this mini iPad is equipped with the A15 Bionic processor at the same level as the latest iPhone 13 Pro series. It also has features such as a new screen, a new interface, 5G, support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, etc., which is completely upgraded. The iPad mini we know. It’s just that under this beautiful specification sheet, there are many defects hidden in the details. Let’s share with you the experience of using it below to see how the actual performance will be and whether the use is affected by these problems.

shape

If you want to describe the iPad mini in 2021 in the simplest way, it is a reduced version of the iPad Air. This time, the sixth-generation iPad mini also uses a full-screen design. Although it has a certain frame area, it has a higher screen-to-body ratio than the old iPad mini design. Unfortunately, there is no white panel anymore. . Stack the new and old iPad minis together, and you will see that the new one is shorter, the same width, and the thickness and weight feel similar, but the specification sheet shows that it is 0.2mm thicker, but it is nearly 10g lighter (5G version) . So in general, the iPad mini 6 is packed into a smaller body with a larger screen.

It will be said to be a reduced version of the iPad Air, and because the iPad mini 6 uses a flat middle frame design, it supports the magnetic attraction function of the second-generation Apple Pencil. Friends who can use the iPad mini with a stylus will no longer need to worry about charging and storage; on the other hand, it is also attracting new users to buy more Apple Pencils. The world is just such a coincidence. The size of the iPad mini 6 is also just the same as the real notebook that Xiaobian is about to use, so it is logical to upgrade it (huh?).

Smart friends have already thought that the long sides of both sides of the iPad mini 6 are first occupied by Apple Pencil, and then reserved for the cover of the connection of the flip-type protective cover. So where does the volume button on the side of the phone go? The result was moved to the top of the machine. In order to enhance the audio and video immersion, the iPad mini 6 also introduces horizontal stereo speakers. The practice is to refer to the iPad Pro and iPad Air. There are multiple speaker openings on the top and bottom of the device. Next is to place the I/O, the upper part has the volume button and the power button that doubles as the Touch ID, and the lower part is the USB-C. Because the space on the small body of the iPad mini 6 was originally limited, now after the short-side middle frame is densely placed, it feels more crowded.

That is to say, this time Apple also has some ingenuity on the buttons of the iPad mini. In order to cater to the iPad mini being used in different directions, the volume button is no longer specified which is + or -. In short, the one “upper” or “right” will increase the volume; “lower” or ” The one on the “left” will reduce the volume. The usage is slightly different from the usual model, but after getting used to it, you will intuitively press it.

The back of the machine is very clean, there will only be a single 12MP camera, LED fill light, and the data connection version will have antenna openings. Huh? Is there something missing? That’s right, although the iPad mini 6 uses the new generation iPad design, it does not support the connection specifications of the smart connector, so there will be no original Apple keyboard protective cover. Apple also officially stated that the iPad mini is too small. If the keyboard protector is made, the keys will be too small, which is unfavorable to use, so it will not be done at all (I hope I won’t be beaten in the face after turning a corner). Then everyone has to look at third-party accessories or use it with other Bluetooth keyboards.

Screen

The screen of the iPad mini 6 is an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina with rounded corners, the pixel density is the same as 326ppi, and it also has a maximum brightness of 500 nits. The specifications are not much upgraded than the previous generation. But just because of the new design, the visual will be a bit different from the previous generation, and it is still better psychologically (?). However, because this panel is new, it was found to be quite incomplete after it came out.

The problem that most directly affects general users is that the iPad mini 6 has a “jelly screen.” To explain in words, when the iPad mini is in the vertical display direction, slide the screen up and down, the screen will appear that the left and right update rates are out of sync (video). In other words, the editor didn’t notice this problem, but after seeing other people’s disaster videos and then looking at my iPad mini, I can’t go back. But in fact, similar problems have also appeared on other tablets. It’s just that Apple’s products have this problem. Everyone will be more concerned about it.

Then there is the problem on the developer side. The screen size of the new iPad mini has become larger and the pixels have increased, but this does not mean that Apple is simply magnifying the screen of the iPad mini 6 in proportion. In terms of data, the past iPad mini 5 and iPad Pro are properly 4:3. Developers can easily scale the display effect of their app, and the content will not run away. But since the iPad Air began to skew, the new iPad mini has a longer screen resolution of 2,266 x 1,488, which completely deviates from the traditional screen ratio. The games that were originally full version on the iPhone and iPad will have more black bars on the iPad mini. In other words, developers need to re-adjust the display effect of the app on different screens, or simply fill in the black border to maintain the normal screen ratio.

Key features of iPadOS 15

iPad mini 6 also happens to be one of the first models pre-loaded with the new iPadOS 15 (the other is the ninth-generation iPad), so the editor will also introduce you to several useful new features. One of the most useful new features on iPadOS 15, I think it is “Quick Memo”, which allows users to swipe up from the corner with their finger and Apple Pencil in any app and screen to summon a quick memo. This feature greatly strengthens the iPad as a productivity tool, because users can write on the tablet at any time, just like holding a physical notebook. Of course, this function is not original, but the quick memo that can be used on large-screen models is still a rare good feature.

In the new version of the system, in addition to the traditional keyboard input, handwriting, Apple Pencil, iPadOS 15 also added “as-is text”, that is, text can be directly intercepted from the image, and can be automatically recognized as a phone, Email can also provide translation. So, instead of simply taking pictures of the lecture notes before, students can now digitize the text they need and use them directly in their homework. Students who are slow to type will also be more relaxed. In use, the original text function of the iPad and iPhone is a bit different. The iPad mini needs to take a photo to recognize the text, unlike the iPhone, which can directly activate the recognition tool in the viewfinder.

Specifications + performance

The biggest reason why the 6th generation iPad mini is so popular is that this cheap tablet is equipped with a high-end version of the A15 bionic chip at the same level as the Takamatsu iPhone 13 Pro series, and it is also powered by a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU. The high-end version of the composition, presumably its computing performance is also the highest in the iPad product line. The most direct way is to look at the report of the evaluation tool.

The first one is Geekbench 5 for CPU computing power. The tool recognizes that the iPad mini has a 4GB RAM configuration, which is slightly less than the 6GB of the iPhone 13 Pro series, but it is already good for Apple’s small tablets. In the single-core part, the score is 1,590; the multi-core score is 4,600, and the score is similar to that of the iPhone 13 Pro, which proves its computing power. Then there is the 3D Mark Wild Life for image processing performance. In the two tests based on 2K image rendering and 4K image rendering, they scored 9,412 and 2,586 respectively, which is a significant improvement compared to the previous generation of iPad mini using A12 (6,102). ; 1,553). Of course, the A15 Bionic is not a specially enhanced processor for image processing, so in the face of the iPad Pro 2020 with 8-core GPU A12Z or even the iPad Pro 2021 with M1 processor, the score is still one level worse, (3,453; 5,043) ), here is just a reference.

Because 3D Mark and Geekbench 5 both have Android and iOS versions, we can also take advantage of the cross-platform features to see how much Apple’s A15 Bionic differs from another flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. The result is that A15 Bionic will be slightly stronger than S888, and the most important thing is that it does not generate too much temperature! So are you looking forward to the evaluation of the iPhone 13 series? Almost, soon.

In terms of endurance, Apple, as always, has not handed over the actual battery capacity figures, only that it is the same 10-hour Wi-Fi and 9-hour data network use as the previous generation. After disassembling the iFixit, it was found to be 5,034 mAh, which is a bit smaller than the previous generation. Since the usage habits of the tablet are not as strict as the iPhone, I still use the iPad mini 6 to watch videos, write memos, play games, etc., so it can still be used for two or three days after a full charge. . If it really doesn’t work, it’s also very convenient to bring a laptop USB-C charger to continue your life.

Yes, iPad mini has also entered the era of USB-C, and it also has USB 3.1 specifications, with a transmission speed of up to 5Gb/s. Why not Thunderbolt? That’s because they are still using A series chips, so they still have to leave some advantages for M1. However, the iPad mini 6 can have 5G connectivity, which is strong enough. At present, only iPad Pro supports 5G in Apple’s home tablet computers. After that, it’s already the iPad mini. Mobile office and streaming video are all easy and relaxed.

Summarize

Under the beautiful specification table, it was found that many design flaws were hidden, which brought a lot of uncertainty to the debut of the sixth-generation iPad mini. Fortunately, in actual use, the problems that have been turned up so far have not had a great impact on the editor. At most, it feels not very beautiful and not very Apple; the application side part has to be hard-working developers. But from a practical point of view, the upgrade of iPad mini 6 is quite attractive.

In today’s iPad product line, the top-end is bound to be the iPad Pro, and the most introductory is the basic version of the iPad, which has increasingly attractive pricing. But how to sort the iPad mini and iPad Air in the middle? According to the latest brand, it is natural that the iPad mini with a stronger chipset has successfully advanced to the second place. This is also called the iPad Air in a rather awkward position, because the Air is clearly priced but has a weaker specification. .

According to the official new statement, the iPad Air is suitable for those who are accustomed to iPad, but are limited by their budget and only want to upgrade slightly; the new iPad mini is a supplement for iPad Pro users, allowing them to move with them. All have sufficiently powerful equipment without the burden of weight. If you don’t know this distinction, can you give you a clearer idea of ​​the current division of the iPad product line?

Anyway, as far as the sixth-generation iPad mini itself is concerned, its portable size can just meet the gap between Xiaobian’s current mobile phone and computer. Indeed, as Apple said, it can give a relatively large screen when commuting. The space is used for entertainment and work. If you happen to have this usage, the sixth-generation iPad mini may be what you need.