My previous iPad was the 11-inch Pro and that is the baseline to what I'm comparing this 6th Gen iPad Mini. I'll spare you all the nitty gritty details that can be found elsewhere online and just summarize by saying that the newest Mini is everything I like about having a tablet and there is nothing about my Pro that I miss. Since the Mini 6 has a full speed, full function USB-C port, I'm able to plug in external SSD drives whenever I need to copy things to/from the iPad. It supports Apple Pencil 2 for those rare times I actually use the pencil. It is fast, small, lightweight and has excellent battery life. I mainly use this Mini for viewing schematics or watching streaming video content. I do some light web work on it and even less office productivity - I use a Mac for that stuff, which brings me to my final point:

My iPad Pro with all the accessories I had for it (Magic Keyboard/Trackpad case, Pencil 2, etc) was so close to being a laptop but at the end of the day it just wasn't. Brilliant as iPad OS is, it is no replacement for a full on laptop/desktop OS. So here I am lugging around this big heavy iPad and my MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with the only redeeming benefit of the iPad being that I could write on the screen - which, again, I rarely did. What I really wanted was not a laptop replacement tablet but rather a sidekick companion that was light-hearted and easy take along. For me, the Mini is the Robin to my Batman Laptop. They're not fighting over who gets to do what, instead they play well together. My Macbook is the workhorse and the main productivity tool. When I need to go out and fix a system, I Airdrop the schematic to my iPad mini and go do thing I need to do, leaving the big Macbook at my desk. When I get back from doing the thing, I Airdrop back to my Mac any photos I may have taken, sync some notes, and redlines to schematics and then I resume my work from there. That is how I imagine Apple originally envisioned all of this working and it does work brilliantly. The iPad Pro does have a place in some people's workflow but I think in all honesty most people are those "some people". Just get the Mini and enjoy not spending as much while still getting 99% of the same features.

Up-traded as CEX prices were keen to do so. Over the mini 5 the screen is noticeably and larger which is welcome and makes use of the whole area now. A faster CPU comes in handy where the mini 5 may have stuttered. Having 5G meant it's now usable for me in locations where there wasn't 4G. Also supports e-SIM. USB type C so easy charging these days from many sources, easier to use memory cards, pen drives, ethernet adaptors, HDMI, keyboards and mice. TouchID is now on a thinner side wake button but works well. Volume buttons on short side feel a bit cramped and more awkward than before. Supports pencil but not my ball game. Squared off side, many cases around. Wish I had upgraded sooner. Other than that extremely easy migration from the 5 thanks to the apple migration ecosystem.

I was among the very first to purchase the very first iPad and have bought a new iPad every 2-4 years since inception. This is the very first Mini I have bought and couldn't be happier. I bought this specifically for using as a remote control to use with two specific music apps for my audio system. Previously I was using an iPad Air which (with case) I found to heavy and cumbersome.

The iPad mini is just perfect as I can hold it in one hand. It is about as light as my iPhone Max which doesn't;t offer quote enough real estate. This is a perfect device and Best Buy actually exceeded my expectations in delivering it sooner than I expected - and at a good price on sale. I absolutely recommend this device.

If you're like me, you did some research and read opinions, etc etc on how bad 64GB storage is. You'll read how ppl say 64GB is enough. It is not. 64GB in 2024 is an absolute JOKE. personally, I thought 64GB was a joke in 2021.. but apple needs to buff their profit margins, I guess.

Let me say, the display is okay when it comes to colors and sharpness. However, you can tell apple cheaped out on the display, or cut corners, because it has that very indicative quality of water under the display when you press on it. I've had many cheap android tablets, and they also do this. it's a sign of going with lower quality. ALL IPS displays do this to some degree... but the lower quality they are.. the more it happens. i.g. my ipad mini 5 display NEVER did this with touches. the ipad mini 6 does this with very light touches... so apple cut corners on the storage and the display... I LOVE the MINI line of ipads. but the 256GB model is insanely overpriced.. (as is the 64GB but it's the only other option; apple wants to up-sell the more overpriced 256gb model so they didn't make a 128GB model like every other company does.)

anyways.. I digress from my main frustration. 64GB is absolute TR**H. I installed the main apps that so many ppl will install.. the classic social media apps, snap, insta, twitter, bluesky, discord, etc etc etc etc. the main streaming apps, netflix, hulu, disney+, prime, twitch, kick, etc etc etc. the classic productivity apps like goodnotes, notion, procreate, etc etc etc. I EVEN UNINSTALLED all the appl bloatware like TIPS, BOOKS, STOCKS, etc etc etc. I installed a few small games and genshin impact....

guess how much space I have left? 4.34GB of free space !
WOW ! so much space !

I consider myself a light/casual user... I don't do video editing... I don't take/store tons of videos/photos. and that's a good thing.. bc you can't store Jack on this 64GB model..... I don't even think I'll be able to install any iOS patches/updates without uninstalling a ton of my apps.....

I'll never be able to use features like, offline video watching that netflix, hulu, prime offer if I wanna watch shows/movies offline.. bc there isn't any storage left...

I can't store videos or photos.. bc 64GB is, or rather should be, a crime. I honestly think selling something like this that isn't 128GB base, or 256GB base, should be illegal.

last, the battery isn't good at all. this thing drains so fast. I'm almost inclined to believe this has a faulty battery, but I wouldn't be able to get solid evidence.

There isn't actually anything physically wrong (not counting the cheap IPS panel and illegally low battery screen-on time, but ig apple considers this a feature), so I don't think I can return it.

Like I said, I absolutely love the mini line. but 64GB of storage... at this price... how is this legal? if I can't even install the patch/ios updates without uninstalling all my stuff... how is this a premium experience?

it's absolutely insane that apple still sells 64GB models on their website, still, in 2024. ... the 9th gen 64GB.. the newly 10th gen has a 64GB... and the mini has the 64GB... this amount of storage is border-line useless. anyone who disagrees prob doesn't even actually use their tablet...