iPad Mini 6 (8.5-inch): Release date, rumours specs and features

The Apple iPad Mini 6 is rumoured to be coming in the next year and it could offer big changes for the small tablet. Here is everything we know so far.

The smallest member of the iPad family was brought back in 2019 as the iPad Mini 5 after a number of years without an update and we couldn’t have been happier.

While the design remained familiar, the internal specs were modernised and it remains a strong member of the iPad range if you’re after something that can easily slip in a bag or offer a nice reading experience.

That’s not to say it was perfect though and there is plenty we want from the next model.

iPad Mini 6 (8.5-inches) release date and price

The best idea about when the iPad Mini 6 might launch comes from the usually very reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note (via MacRumors) Kuo states that the iPad Mini 6 would come out in the first half of 2021. Likely after the iPad Air 4 and new budget iPad, both of which are said to be arriving later this year.

If the iPad Mini 6 was to be released in March of 2021 this would be two years since the previous-gen version, which was announced in March 2019. This update brought Apple Pencil support (no keyboard, though) along with the faster A12 chip inside.

Related: iPhone 12: Everything worth knowing

You can bag the current iPad Mini for £399/$399 if you plump for the basic 64GB model. A 256GB version is available too, as is one with cellular connectivity. This price could rise for the new model if some of the below rumours do turn out to be true but we still think it’ll be a mid-price slate.

The iPad Mini 6 is going to come in a new size

The most exciting rumours we’ve heard so far about the next iPad Mini is that it might come in a new 8.5-inch size. That’s marginally larger than the 7.9-inch display you’ll find on the current model.

This info again comes from Ming-Chi Kuo (again via MacRumors) and the analyst has previously stated the display size will either be 8.5 or 9-inches.

Now, this is an interesting move that we think will pay off. Apple has previously upped the display sizes of its tablet without noticeably making the devices themselves bigger as it has ditched the chunky bezel. An iPad Mini with the design of the latest iPad Pros is a mouthwatering thought that should keep the overall dimensions of the current Mini just with a bigger screen.

The iPad Mini 6 might get Mini LED

Apple products have been rumoured to be getting a Mini LED makeover for a while now. These new displays would replace the LCDs in the products and would offer an experience more akin to OLED.

A rumour from March suggested Apple would be including the new screen tech in a future iPad Mini, however this also said it would be a 7.9-inch device which goes against what we know now. Still, that 8.5-inch display could now be Mini LED.

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iPad Mini 6 specs and other features

Little else is known about the iPad Mini 6 at this stage, even though it makes sense for it to follow previous iPads and use the same internal chip as the iPad and iPad Air.

Apple Pencil support was added for iPad Mini 5 and we expect it to stick around, possibly with support for the second-gen Apple Pencil. A keyboard folio accessory would be nice, though whether it would work as well on a far smaller tablet could be an issue.

Another rumour suggests the iPad Mini 6 might stick with the Lightning port, rather than jumping to the USB-C standard you’ll find across the iPad Pro range.

Related: How to download iOS 14

If the iPad Mini 6 does arrive in early 2021 then it’ll come running iOS 14, which is currently available as beta ahead of a full release coming this autumn.

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