With a powerful A12 Bionic chip, the new iPad mini (2019) is still the best small tablet yet, and will likely remain so in the coming years.

While I obsess over smartphones and often find myself switching SIM cards daily, I tend to try only Apple iPads on an annual basis and then just for a few months before moving on. I passed my 2015 iPad Mini 4 to my youngest daughter and then my 2017 iPad Pro 10.5 inch tablet to my oldest daughter as...

Diminutive size for a tablet, Solid construction and simple design, Lightning fast performance, Apple Pencil support, Long battery life, 3.5mm headset jack

Large top and bottom bezels, $130 cellular premium

A mini tablet is great for books, and even movies.

It feels a little cramped to use the pencil with.

The new 5th-generation iPad mini, then, is pretty much the definition of a mixed bag; on the one hand, the performance improvements are absolutely staggering compared to the previous generation, and the addition of Apple Pencil support will please note-takers, sketchers and digital artists alike.

Outstanding speed Portable and convenient size Apple Pencil support Beautiful display

Few added features over the mini 4 Reduced battery life

The looks haven't changed, but under-the-skin improvements make the latest iPad Mini even better than before

Bright, punchy and vibrant, Lots of dark detail, Crisp sound

Blacks could be deeper, Speaker placement

Apple decided to leave the 5th generation iPad mini’s design untouched, thereby targeting all those interested in refreshing their aging devices with brand-new hardware. And that is exactly what the iPad mini 5 has to offer.

very fast system performance, support for Apple Pencil, 3.5-mm audio port, decent speakers, robust case

high premium for LTE and higher storage tiers, memory not expandable, no GPS

It had been a while. The last time Apple had refreshed the smallest iPad in its line-up, it seemed like a different era. The year 2015, to be precise. That was when the fourth generation iPad Mini was still rocking the charts.

Though Apple has done the bare minimum to update the iPad mini, it remains a lovely device and perhaps the last hurrah for small tablets before foldable phones iron out their display wrinkles and potentially render such tablets redundant.

Powerful A12 Bionic chip, improved display, excellent app ecosystem.

Lack of design innovation, no fast charging out of the box, no new features.

The iPad mini 2019 is Apple’s most totable iPad, and it’s deceptively powerful for its small size. It has a bright 7.9-inch display that works with the Apple Pencil and a chipset that smokes the small tablet competition. Its price is equally deceptive, costing more than the larger iPad 9.7.

Perfect size to tote around, Works with the Apple Pencil, Surprisingly powerful specs

Unchanged, bezel-heavy design, Uses the older Apple Pencil, Costs more than the iPad 9.7

The iPad mini is without doubt the best small tablet you can buy, but unlike most rivals at this size it is not a cheap machine. The screen is excellent and big enough to be usable for most things despite the tablet’s almost-pocketable size.

Pros: compact design, great performance, 10-hour battery life, great screen, USB-C, iPadOS, plenty of apps, great speakers, great mics, brilliant video-call camera, very long software support, recycled aluminium.

Cons: expensive, small size is cramped for some applications, no smart keyboard support, relatively small storage on the starting model with no way to add more.