Apple's iPad and iPad mini get a few upgrades this year

Wed, 15th Sep 2021

FYI, this story is more than a year old

Apple is once again stealing the limelight with its 2021 range of iPads, iPhones, and the Apple Watch. We take a look at the iPad and iPad mini.

The iPad

Designed with 100% recycled aluminium in its enclosure, The iPad is up to its 9th generation, featuring a 10.2" display and the A13 Bionic chip, which delivers a 20% performance boost. It includes a 12MP ultra wide front camera and runs iPadOS 15. It only supports the first generation Apple Pencil though.

According to Apple, iPadOS 15 offers:

Easier Split View and Slide Over
New widget layouts for the Home Screen and App Library offer simple ways to personalise the iPad experience and organise apps.
Notes goes systemwide with Quick Note, and offers new ways to collaborate and organise, whether typing or writing with Apple Pencil.
The Translate app comes to iPad with new features that make conversations easier and more natural, including Auto Translate and face-to-face view.
Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognise text in a photo and allow users to take action. For example, a snapshot of a shopfront may reveal a phone number and the option to place a call.
Focus lets users automatically filter notifications based on what they're currently doing, such as working, reading, exercising, playing games, or sleeping.
FaceTime calls feel more natural with spatial audio and a new Portrait mode. And now, Group FaceTime provides the option to display participants in same-size tiles in a new grid view.

The iPad Mini

Also designed with 100% recycled aluminium in its enclosure, The iPad mini has a larger 8.3" display and kitted out with Apple's A15 Bionic chip, which helps to make it 80% faster (graphically) and 40% faster (GPU) than its predecessor.

It also features a USB-C port and supports the second generation Apple Pencil. Cellular models also support 5G. Touch ID has also shifted to the iPad mini's top button. The back camera has been upgraded to 12MP.

iPad pricing:

WiFi models start at RRP NZ$569 inc. GST
Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at RRP NZ$789 inc. GST

The new iPad starts with 64GB of storage. A 256GB option is also available. It comes in silver and space grey finishes.

iPad mini pricing:

WiFi models: RRP NZ$849 inc. GST
Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at RRP NZ$1,099 inc. GST.

The iPad mini is available in 64GB and 256GB configurations, and comes in pink, starlight, purple, and space grey finishes.

The iPad and iPad mini are available to preorder from today. They will be generally available from 24 September.

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