One of the great things about being outside the all-encompassing sphere of Apple's ecosystem is appreciating individual parts of the puzzle, rather than accepting the whole.

The new iPad mini feels like one of those pieces to appreciate. It's fair to say that the new iPad mini is a radical redesign, a redesign that's long overdue. While many versions of the iPad have paraded past, it feels like the mini has been left in the wings, a bit part in the great iPad show.

The Apple iPad doesn't excite me. It's always been too big, too slabby, too much like holding a piece of plate glass, waiting for it to break.

Oh people love them, for sure. Barely a weekend passes where a family member or friend doesn't have jubilant words to say about how they were freed by the iPad, how it's changed the working world, the sense of liberty that the iPad's slabness has delivered to them.

(The adulation is almost matched by reports of some child sitting, stepping or dropping said iPad, resulting in cases - oh the cases! - so little Timmy doesn't smash it again.)

The iPad mini, however - or the iPad mini (6th generation) to give it its regal title - is something to behold. Just look back across the previous models, with their unsightly, unchanging, bezels. The last major change to the iPad mini was the introduction of Touch ID in the 3rd gen model. In 2014.

The new iPad mini has me excited about the iPad again photo 2

That was just a button, while the iPad Pro has seen, let's see, 10 different models, across four different sizes, not to mention the iPad Air getting in on the action too in recent years.

So you can perhaps understand, to someone non-plussed about these large iPads, how pivotal this new model is. There's a slick new design, with flattened edges and Touch ID in the power button - because the bezels have been shrunk, casting aside the design from the last decade.

There's something beautiful about the proportionality of small tablets, that makes the new iPad mini 6 pop. It's a great looking tablet, where the previous model(s) just looked so incredibly tired and the larger models are just, well, slabby.

The new power, the boosted display, the enhanced front camera, and the fact that it's lighter than the older models all appeal, but it's hard to ignore that the price is being moved upwards too - but at least it feels like you get something for your money in iPad mini 6, whereas you didn't before.

Then there's the other change, the addition of USB Type-C. Apple highlighted this as being great for using with other devices like cameras or portable ultrasound equipment (niche, no?), but in reality, it means you can charge it with the charger from your Android phone.

And what's not to love about that?

Apple iPad Mini on gradient background
Apple iPad Mini (2021)
$399.99 $499 Save $99.01

The Apple iPad mini (2021) is basically a mini version of the iPad Air (2022) - whilst also adding a number of upgrades when it comes to hardware, including processor and front camera. It is compatible with the second generation of Apple Pencil, like the iPad Air (2022) and it's fantastic for portability. A great option if you're in the market for a small form factor tablet.