Apple has announced the Apple iPad (9th Gen) and the Apple iPad mini (6th Gen) at its September 2021 event which also saw the introduction of the iPhone 13 series and the Apple Watch Series 7. The new iPad features a 10.2-inch Retina Display, iPadOS 15, A13 Bionic chip, and a 12MP front-facing ultra-wide camera. On the other hand, the iPad mini (6th Gen) features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, iPadOS 15, A15 Bionic chip, and 12MP ultra-wide camera.
Apple iPad (9th Gen)
The iPad (9th Gen) features a 10.2-inch Retina Display with 2160 × 1620 pixel resolution and 500 nits brightness. It also comes with an upgraded ambient light sensor that enables True Tone, which adjusts screen content to the color temperature of a room.
It is powered by the new A13 Bionic chip which offers 20% faster performance in CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. According to Apple, the iPad (9th Gen) is 3x faster than the top-selling Chromebook and 6x faster than the top-selling Android tablets.
The iPad comes in two storage variants; 64GB and 256GB. It runs on iPadOS 15 which still supports Apple Pencil (1st gen), smart keyboard, and Touch ID which is embedded into the home button.
In the camera department, it features an 8MP camera with a 5P lens on its rear and a 12MP 122° ultra-wide front-facing camera with Retina Flash.
The iPad offers 4G LTE (optional), Wi‑Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO, and Bluetooth 4.2.
It packs a 32.4Wh battery with up to 10 hours of typical usage on Wi-Fi-only models and up to 9 hours of typical usage on Wi-Fi + Cellular models.
The new iPad is available in Space Gray and Silver colors at a retail price of Rs. 30,900 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model and Rs. 42,900 for the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 256GB Wi-Fi model has a retail price of Rs. 44,900 while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model has a retail price of Rs. 56,900.
The Apple Pencil (1st Gen) goes for Rs. 8,500 and the Smart Keyboard for iPad is available for Rs. 13,900.
The iPad (9th Gen) can be ordered now on the Apple store and will be available from September 24.
iPad Mini (6th Gen)
The iPad mini features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display with 2266 × 1488 Pixel resolution, P3 Color Gamut, 500 nits brightness, and True Tone display.
Unlike the iPad, the iPad mini is powered by the A15 Bionic chip, the same chip that powers the iPhone 13 series. The chip promises a 40% increase in CPU performance and an 80% increase in graphics performance compared to the A12 Bionic chip the last generation of the iPad mini was launched with.
The iPad mini comes in two storage variants; 64GB and 256GB. It runs on iPadOS 15 and now supports Apple Pencil (2nd gen), and Touch ID which has been moved to the top button.
In the camera department, it features an updated 12MP camera with a 5P lens on its rear and a 12MP 122° ultra-wide front-facing camera with Retina Flash.
The iPad offers 5G (sub‑6 GHz), Gigabit-class LTE, 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with GLONASS, and USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps).
It packs a 19.3Wh battery with up to 10 hours of typical usage.
The new Apple iPad mini is available in Pink, Starlight, Purple, and Space Grey colors at a retail price of Rs. 46900, for the 64GB Wi-Fi version while the 256GB Wi-Fi version costs Rs. 60900.
The 64GB Wi-Fi+Cellular version has a retail price of Rs. 60900 while the 256GB Wi-Fi+Cellular version costs Rs.74,900.
The Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) costs Rs.10,900.
The new iPad mini can be ordered now on the Apple Store and will be available from September 24.
Apple iPad (9th Gen) & iPad mini (6th Gen) Specifications
Specs | Apple iPad (9th Gen) | Apple iPad mini (6th Gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 10.2-inch (2160 x 1620pixels) Retina display with 500 nits brightness, 264 PPI | 8.3-inch (2266 x 1488 pixels) Retina display with P3 Color Gamut, 500 nits brightness, 326 PPI, True Tone display |
| Processor | Six-core A13 Bionic 64-bit processor, 8-core Neural Engine | Six-Core A15 (2 performance and 4 efficiency cores) Bionic 5nm chip with 64-bit architecture, 5‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine |
| Storage | 64GB/256GB variants | 64GB/256GB variants |
| Operating System | iPadOS 15 | iPadOS 15 |
| Rear Camera | 8MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, 5P lens | 12MP camera with f/1.8 aperture, 5P lens, Quad-LED True Tone flash |
| Front Camera | 12MP 122° ultra-wide front camera with f/2.4 aperture, Retina Flash | 12MP 122° ultra-wide front camera with f/2.4 aperture, Retina Flash |
| Audio | Dual microphones for calls, Stereo speakers | Dual microphones for calls, Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE (optional), Wi‑Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 | 5G (sub‑6 GHz), Gigabit-class LTE, 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with GLONASS, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps) |
| Dimensions | 250.6x 174.1x 7.5mm; Weight: 483g (WiFi) / 498g (4G) | 195.4x 134.8×6.3mm; Weight: 293g (WiFi) / 297g (5G) |
| Battery | 32.4-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching a video, or listening to music, Wi-Fi + Cellular models up to 9 hours of surfing the web using a cellular data network | 19.3-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery with Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching a video, or listening to music |
| Other | Touch ID, stereo speakers | Touch ID |