The central question for potential tablet buyers in 2025 is not whether it’s a good tablet, but whether its strengths are still relevant enough to justify a purchase over more recent options. The short answer, for many, is a confident “yes.”
This device, which was launched in 2021, might seem like a relic by 2025. Yet, the 6th Gen iPad Mini, a device now facing competition from its own successor, the iPad Mini 7, continues to hold a unique and cherished position in the gadget zone. While it may lack the cutting-edge silicon and advanced AI features of its newer siblings, the iPad Mini 6’s enduring design and surprising performance make it a compelling consideration for a specific, and still very large, audience. This iPad Mini 6 review is going to break down every concern for this tablet.
iPad Mini 6: Design and Display
The iPad Mini 6’s most significant selling point has always been its portability. The all-screen design, a major leap forward from its predecessor, allowed Apple to fit a spacious 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display into a chassis that remains incredibly easy to hold in one hand. In a market dominated by larger 11-inch and 13-inch tablets, the Mini’s size is its superpower. It is the ideal pick for reading books, consuming media on a commute, or jotting down notes on the fly.
The design is modern and premium, featuring the flat-edged aluminium frame and a versatile USB-C port that unlocks connectivity to a wide array of accessories, from external drives to monitors. In 2025, this design holds up perfectly, and its pocketability has yet to be matched by any serious competitor.
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iPad Mini 6: Chip Details
The iPad Mini 6 houses the A15 Bionic chip. While the iPad Mini 7 has since been upgraded to the A17 Pro, a chip that brings the device in line with the latest iPhones and enables Apple Intelligence (AI) features, the A15 Bionic remains an absolute powerhouse in its own right. For the vast majority of tasks, from browsing the web and social media to editing photos in Adobe Lightroom and playing graphically demanding games like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile, the A15 performs with impressive speed and efficiency.
iPad Mini 6: RAM
The device’s 4GB of RAM can be a limiting factor for heavy multitasking with multiple apps open in Split View, but given the compact screen, most users will not find this to be a major obstacle. The fact that a 3-year-old chip can still handle everything thrown at it is a testament to Apple’s silicon engineering and ensures the Mini 6 will be a viable device for years to come.
iPad Mini 6: Software
Software is another critical pillar of the iPad Mini 6’s long-term value. In 2025, it continues to receive the latest iPadOS updates, including new features introduced in iPadOS 18 and beyond. This ongoing software support is a huge advantage over competing tablets and guarantees access to the latest security patches, performance improvements, and app features.
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iPad Mini 6: Additional Features
The seamless integration with the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil is a standout feature, transforming the mini tablet into a powerful digital notepad and sketchpad. For students and artists, the ability to magnetically attach and charge the Pencil 2 on such a small device is invaluable.
Additionally, the Center Stage feature for video calls, which automatically keeps the user centred in the frame, remains a fantastic utility for both personal and professional communication.
However, the iPad Mini 6 is not without its compromises, particularly when viewed through a 2025 lens. The lack of a high refresh rate display means that the "jelly scrolling" effect, a slight wobble when scrolling quickly in portrait orientation, is still present.
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The most significant omission, however, is the lack of support for Apple Intelligence. While the iPad Mini 7’s A17 Pro chip can handle these advanced on-device AI tasks, the Mini 6 cannot. For users who prioritise having the absolute latest features, this could be a great purchase.
