Apple iPad mini

iPad mini is the iPad to choose when size is the point. At 8.3 inches it fits a jacket pocket, a flight tray or one hand, which makes it the reader, the note-taker and the travel screen rather than a laptop replacement. The A17 Pro chip runs the same apps as the larger iPads, and it works with Apple Pencil Pro for handwritten notes and sketches. Touch ID sits in the top button, so you unlock and pay with a fingertip. If you want a bigger screen for drawing or split-screen work, iPad Air is the step up. Choose storage, colour and Wi-Fi or cellular below.

Who iPad mini is for

iPad mini is the iPad for people who want a tablet they can hold in one hand and carry without a bag. At 8.3 inches it is a reader, a notebook and a travel screen rather than a laptop replacement. Pilots and nurses use it for checklists and charts, students use it for handwritten notes with Apple Pencil Pro, and plenty of people simply want a bigger screen than a phone for reading and streaming on the train or in bed. The A17 Pro chip runs the same apps as the larger iPads, so nothing is off limits, it is only the screen that is smaller.

What to decide

Storage starts at 128GB, which suits reading, notes and streaming, and runs to 512GB if you keep films, textbooks or a large photo library on the device. Cellular models add a connection away from Wi-Fi, which is the configuration to choose if the iPad mini is going to live in a car, a cockpit or a ward. Colour changes nothing inside. Touch ID sits in the top button, so you unlock and pay with a fingertip, which suits a device that is often used one-handed.

Pencil and covers

iPad mini works with Apple Pencil Pro, which turns it into a pocket sketchbook and the best note-taking size in the range, and with Apple Pencil USB-C as the simpler option. Both are on the Apple accessories page, along with Smart Folio covers that protect the screen and prop it up for reading.

When a bigger iPad is the better buy

If you draw for a living or want to run two apps side by side, the 8.3-inch screen will feel tight, and iPad Air with M4 in 11 or 13-inch is the step up with the same Apple Pencil Pro. If the tablet is mainly for streaming and schoolwork at home and size is not the point, iPad with A16 gives you an 11-inch screen at the entry point. The full lineup is on the Apple iPad page, and iPad mini models with a Red Hot Deal appear on the Apple iPad deals page. Every iPad mini is available online and in store at JB Hi-Fi.

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