When Apple releases a new product that will be particularly useful for attorneys (and other professionals using the device to get work done), I often write a post called "Why lawyers will love...." Yesterday, for example, my post was titled Why lawyers will love the iPhone 13. But when I think of the new sixth generation of the iPad mini that Apple announced this week, part of me feels that a more appropriate title for this post would be "Why lawyers will lust after the iPad mini." I say that because I'm only partially convinced about how useful this device will be to get serious work done. But I am positive that this device is incredibly sexy and that many will want one, notwithstanding its limitations. This is a powerful iPad packed into a package so small and light that you can easily hold it in one hand and you can take it anywhere.
The size
The marquee feature of the iPad mini is its size, so let's start there. If you have never held an iPad mini before, I'm sure that you have come across a 5x7 photograph at some point in your life. That's a nice size for a photo because it is larger than the standard 4x6 size, but it is not so big that you have to get a huge frame for it. The iPad mini has always been close to 5 inches x 8 inches, so only slightly taller than that 5x7 photo — or wider if you are holding it in landscape mode. The first-generation iPad mini was 7.87" × 5.3" × 0.28". This latest version is 7.69" x 5.3" x .25". The first version weighed 0.68 pounds and this latest one weighs 0.65 pounds. In other words, this is the familiar iPad mini size that has been around since 2012.
When I reviewed the original iPad mini in 2012, I noted that this small size makes a "drastic impact on how you use the device" because it is so small and light that you find yourself wanting to carry it around much more frequently. And I noted that it weighs so little that you can hold it in your hand for a long time and your hand doesn't get tired and distract you from the content of the screen. Plus, you can fit it in many pockets, making it even easier to carry around.
The small size is a disadvantage if you are trying to read documents or other exhibits. Indeed, that is the reason that I love my iPad Pro with a 12.9" screen so much — everything is big and easy to read. But the iPad mini size is sufficient for many, many specific tasks. I can also see attorneys using an iPad mini next to a laptop computer where most of the work is on the laptop screen but one additional window appears on the iPad mini, such as email, a web page, a business app like Slack, etc.
Design
While the size and weight have not changed much over the last nine years, the latest iPad mini is much better than its predecessors because of the design. Much like Apple has done with other iPads and iPhones, Apple has reduced the size of the bezel so that more of the screen is usable. Every prior model of the iPad mini has had a 7.9" screen (measured diagonally). But this newest model has an 8.3" screen.
Also, this new iPad mini uses the same flat-side design used by the latest models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPhone. I find that this makes a device much easier to hold in your hand. It also provides a place to magnetically attach and charge the Apple Pencil 2. The prior model of the iPad mini worked with the first-generation Apple Pencil, but the Apple Pencil 2 is a big upgrade: it works better on the screen, it has a flat side so that it doesn't roll off of a desk, and by attaching to the side of the iPad it is always charged and always there when you are ready for it. Of course, the iPad mini is so small that it is almost the same size as the Apple Pencil 2.
This looks to be the best design yet for the iPad mini.
Power
Traditionally, the iPad mini was small and relatively inexpensive, but not very powerful. That is not true this year. This iPad mini can get real work done, as long as the screen is big enough for the task. The new iPad mini uses the brand new A15 Bionic chip, the same one used in the brand new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. It even uses the faster 5-core GPU used by the iPhone 13 Pro, not the 4-core GPU used by the iPhone 13. I suspect that this makes the new iPad mini faster than every iPad that has ever been introduced with the exception of the latest iPad Pro models (which use the M1 chip).
Screen
The new iPad mini uses the same Liquid Retina display with True Tone that is used by the iPad Air (4th generation) (which was introduced this time last year). That's a very nice screen. It's not as good as the one on the iPad Pro (especially the 12.9" version of the latest iPad Pro), but nobody would expect an iPad mini to match an iPad Pro's screen.
Other features
Like the newest iPad Air and iPad Pro models, the new iPad mini uses a USB-C connector instead of Lightning. That is a fantastic connector and it makes it easier to find compatible third-party accessories. It also uses Touch ID (integrated into the button), has stereo speakers, and has improved cameras on the front and back.
For connectivity, this new iPad mini uses WiFi 6, and can optionally have 5G.
The new iPad mini comes in Space Gray, Pink, Purple, and Starlight (a color that is sort of silver or almost white).
Price
In the past, one of the things that made the iPad mini attractive was its price. When I reviewed the original iPad mini, I noted that its $329 price made it easy to justify buying even if you were not going to use it all of the time. The 2019 version of the iPad mini (the 5th generation) cost $329 for 32GB or $429 for 128GB.
This 6th generation iPad mini is vastly more powerful than the prior generations, but it is also more expensive. The 64GB model is $499 and the 256GB model is $649.
Normally, I would never recommend that an attorney get an iPad with only 64GB. If you are going to use this iPad to store documents for work, you will easily fill up that much space with PDF files, exhibits, photos, videos, etc. The 256GB size is much more reasonable for getting work done.
Having said that, this might be the one device that I could justify buying with only 64GB, depending upon how you are going to use it. Because of the small screen, I can imagine many attorneys not using this iPad mini as the primary device for viewing documents. They may instead do that on a desktop computer, laptop, or even an iPad Pro. Thus, they might view this iPad mini as a mere accessory to those other devices, something that they would sometimes use when it is placed right next to a computer or some other device, even though other times they will just pick up the iPad mini and go sit in a chair or on a couch with it. That's the way that I often used the first-generation iPad mini when I used it about nine years ago, and that often worked rather well for me. If this is how you are going to use an iPad mini, then you probably can get by with only 64GB.
Another perfect use of this iPad mini is as a reading device, something small and light — albeit bigger than an iPhone — that you use for browsing the web, text messages, light email use, ebooks, etc. Or even watching movies or TV shows that you stream so they don't take up space on the device. (Yes, the screen is small for watching videos, but it is so light that you can easily just move the screen closer to your face whenever you need to see something better.) For this use as well, 64GB is enough space.
iPad (9th generation)
Speaking of price, I'll also mention briefly that Apple introduced another new iPad this week, the low-end model that is simply called the iPad. The big thing that it has going for it is the price: 64GB for only $329 or 256GB for $479. But I don't recommend this model for attorneys unless you simply cannot justify spending over $500 on an iPad. This new entry-level iPad uses the older A13 chip, and it only works with the first-generation Apple Pencil. For schools and others that want the cheapest possible iPad, this is a fine option. But I think that most any attorney would get more value out of the iPad Air (4th generation) I reviewed last year, which costs $599 for 64GB or $749 for 256GB. Or, if you are not in a rush to buy, consider waiting for a 5th generation iPad Air, which I could see Apple introducing in Spring 2022.
Conclusion
This is the first time that I've ever written about a version of the iPad mini when I've been impressed with how powerful it is. The small size is limiting for some tasks, but at the same time, the small size and weight makes this the best possible device to use for many other tasks. Sometimes, less is more. With a starting price of $499, the iPad mini is no longer cheap. But you get so much for that price, even if it is in a small package. If your workflow is such that you can see getting value out of using a device of this size, then I suspect that you will love the newest iPad mini because it is such a fantastic device. Because my 12.9" iPad Pro already has so much screen space, I don't think that I can justify purchasing an iPad mini to have even more screen space to get work done. But when I am relaxing with my iPad Pro on my couch on the weekends, I suspect that I will frequently find myself wondering how much more enjoyable it would be to use this powerful iPad mini instead.
Click here to get the iPad mini (6th generation) on Amazon ($499 / $649)
