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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom the Tech Chap, and Apple have just launched these two.
00:03We've got the new iPad, and also its little brother, the new iPad Mini.
00:07And it's made what was probably my least favourite iPad, or at least the hardest to
00:11recommend into what I think will be the most popular iPad ever, and it fits in your pocket.
00:17Well, just.
00:18You might get a few looks walking down the street like this.
00:22In fact, here's a list of everything that's new, from the refreshed design and bigger
00:26screen to a faster A15 chip with an extra gig of RAM, so all in, it's roughly twice
00:31as fast.
00:32We get this new ultra-wide selfie camera with centre stage, just like the iPad Pros, as
00:37well as support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.
00:40It's USB-C now, rather than lightning.
00:42We get optional 5G, better speakers, and of course there's these four very snazzy new
00:47colours, including this purple one, which I have here.
00:50The purple apple, if you will.
00:52Purple is a fruit.
00:54These are a pretty major upgrade, although there are a couple of compromises with this
00:57new version.
00:58For instance, we've lost that 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a bit disappointing, and also
01:03the screen, while lovely, is still a 60Hz IPS.
01:07There's no OLED, AMOLED, Mini-LED, or high-refresh ProMotion in sight.
01:13Don't get me wrong, this rest in the screen still looks great, and viewing angles are
01:17noticeably improved, but you're not getting those inky blacks that you'd see on a recent
01:21OLED iPhone or Android tablet, and 60Hz does, well, in 2021, feel a bit slow, especially
01:27considering the fact that this is packing the A15 chip, which is the same one used in
01:31the new iPhone 13s.
01:33It is kind of surprising that they didn't mention the A15 at the Apple event, because
01:37that makes this the most powerful iPad outside of the Pro models with the M1 chip, and is
01:42actually slightly faster than the iPad Air, which historically would have been a sort
01:46of higher-end tablet.
01:48In fact, side-by-side with the outgoing Mini with its A12 Bionic chip and 3GB of RAM, we're
01:54looking at an average 80% boost in performance across the board, so this thing is nearly
01:58twice as fast.
02:01But while that 60Hz screen means that swiping between home screens and general stuff doesn't
02:06necessarily feel that much smoother, when it comes to launching games, video editing,
02:11more demanding tasks are significantly faster with this.
02:16But without a doubt, the most obvious change here is this new updated design, with its
02:19flat edges, thinner bezels, bigger camera module, and USB-C port, which brings the Mini
02:25in line with the other iPad Air and Pros.
02:28So now, only the basic iPad still retains that older design, although I will be reviewing
02:32that in a separate video, so make sure you have subscribed.
02:36So because we no longer have space for a home button with Touch ID, they've moved it up
02:40here into the power button at the top of the iPad, and they've also moved the volume buttons,
02:45which Apple say makes it easier to reach when using in landscape mode like this, although
02:49to be fair it's small enough that it never really felt out of reach, but I do find myself
02:52running my finger all the way around to find where they are, as aside from the camera bump
02:56on the back, it's kind of hard to tell which way is up with this thing.
03:01So not only have Apple squeezed in a bigger 8.3-inch screen, up from 7.9, while maintaining
03:06a similar overall size, but actually the aspect ratio is a little bit taller, it's less square,
03:12so when you're watching videos or movies, that ugly black letterboxing is actually a
03:15little bit smaller, which is a nice bonus.
03:19I've got to be honest, I really do love the size of this thing.
03:22For anyone from, you know, kids, students, professionals in the office or at a shop,
03:27or maybe using it as a properly good e-reader with the Kindle app, anyone who wants a good
03:31portable tablet that can be held and actually even used one-handed, this is perfect.
03:37But at the same time, it does raise the age-old argument of, aren't iPads just big iPhones?
03:43And so if you do have one of the Pro Max iPhones from the last couple of years, you'd probably
03:47be better off with an Air or Pro and the bigger screens.
03:50Although having said that, this iPad mini is still bigger, and it's also about half
03:54the price.
03:56But it is kind of funny when you put this next to its biggest brother, the iPad Pro
04:0012.9.
04:01That is definitely a different iPad experience.
04:04And also the Pro, with its mini LED 120Hz screen, which I wish the mini had, we also
04:09get the M1 chip, which itself is actually between 50 and 100% faster than the A15 in the mini.
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05:10I've got to say, it is still quite frustrating for me that Apple, yet again on the iPhone
05:1413s, are still sticking with the Lightning port.
05:17Because as one of the features of the new iPad mini, we've had this transition to USB-C
05:22coming from Lightning on the older one.
05:25And actually now every Apple product, bar the cheapest iPad and the iPhones, now use
05:31USB-C.
05:32Which is about a million times more convenient for plugging in hard drives, maybe SD cards
05:37via adapters, and of course charging.
05:39Any USB-C laptop or Android phone charger will top this up, although we do get a reasonably
05:45fast-for-Apple 20-watt charger in the box with this thing.
05:49Now despite its petite size, battery life is actually very good on the mini.
05:53And after 3 hours of gaming, YouTube, and using social media apps, I still had 71% of
05:58my battery left.
06:00Of course it all depends on how you use it, but I've only charged this once in the past
06:04week.
06:05Now the mini also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which isn't actually any more
06:10responsive or lower latency than the first gen, but it's a bit more comfortable because
06:14we've got this hard edge to it so it doesn't fall off your table.
06:18Although it does if you throw it on the floor like that.
06:20But crucially, it has this magnetic attachment where it also wirelessly charges.
06:25So it is, just like USB-C, about a million times more convenient than the first gen Apple
06:30Pencil.
06:31So that is a really good upgrade, although of course it does cost you an extra ÂŁ120
06:34or $130 or so.
06:37Although while this is great for note-taking, e-signing, or bits of doodling, the bigger
06:41screen on the Air or the Pros is still probably a better idea if you are going to really invest
06:45in the Apple Pencil.
06:47Also, while the mini is too small to have the option for a smart keyboard case from
06:51Apple, although separate Bluetooth keyboards will work, the Apple Pencil 2, along with
06:55one of the smart folio cases which protects it and also acts as a stand, it just feels
07:00like a really well-put-together setup.
07:03And if you want the ultimate portable experience, you can pay another ÂŁ140 if you want to for
07:07the cellular option, which now supports 5G.
07:11Although most of the time I just hotspot from my phone or use public Wi-Fi if I'm out and
07:14about, but it is good to have the option.
07:17Now just a quick word on these cameras, because while you still may be judged a little bit
07:22for using your tablet's camera out in public, the smaller size does make it less obvious.
07:27And to be fair, with the quality of the cameras on these iPads, with this 12 megapixel f1.8
07:32wide lens and also Apple's smart HDR 3 tech for photos, although of course there's no
07:37ultra-wide, telephoto, or LiDAR.
07:43But really it's this front camera you'll be using most, and we get the same 12 megapixel
07:47ultra-wide that you get on the flagship iPad Pro, well minus the true depth face unlocking,
07:53you only have the Touch ID option with this, but we do get center stage, which adjusts
07:57to keep you in frame and then pulls out if it detects other people.
08:00It is very clever and actually works with all major video calling apps.
08:04And for me, as someone who does a ton of web calls, this is a really big reason to upgrade.
08:09I love this thing.
08:11It's not very often I say I love a tech product, but I genuinely do.
08:14I don't think anyone needs an iPad, but if you want a really good portable travel companion
08:21tablet, then this is the one to go for.
08:23It kind of reminds me of how good the Google Nexus 7 was back in the day, a good all-round
08:28handheld tablet.
08:30This feels like the new one of those, but obviously from Apple and running iPadOS.
08:34I do just wish Apple didn't do their usual upsell technique on storage, as the base model
08:39of the mini gets 64 gigs, which is okay, but really 128 will be what you want.
08:45But Apple being Apple, that's not an option.
08:47You have to pay 140 more to get 256 gigs, which is probably more than you need.
08:52It's the exact same situation with the iPad Air as well, and it is a bit frustrating.
08:58So for the new 6th gen iPad mini, it's an easy recommendation from me, but stay tuned
09:02for my base iPad review.
09:04And also I'm working on a big buying guide with all of them to figure out which iPad
09:08is best.
09:09But what do you reckon?
09:10Would you be tempted to buy this, or do you think it's just a bit too small?
09:13Let me know what you think of the mini in the comments below.
09:15And if you did enjoy this video, then a cheeky like and subscribe would be lovely.
09:19Thank you so much for watching guys, and I'll see you next time right here on the Tech Chap.
09:23Oh, and don't forget to check out Surfshark VPN and use that code Tech Chap to get 83%
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