2021 Apple iPad Mini 6th Gen (8.3 inch, Wi-Fi + Ce (Open Box)

As much as I hate to say it, Apple pretty much knocked it out the park with this generation of iPad Mini. A little background: I have used iPhones since the iPhone 3g (with a brief departure in 2020-2022). I have owned a couple of iPads and iPad Minis, a Samsung Galaxy Tab and several iterations of the Kindle Fire tablets. I am by no means an Apple fanboy, and prefer the Windows ecosystem to Mac. Having said all of that, I cannot help but give this tablet a glowing review. Lets start with quality: Apple's retooling of the case with this generation was perfection. By eliminating the sloped back around the edges, it made this device more comfortable to hold. Thickness-wise it is comparable to a Fire 7 of the same era, however the flat rather than rounded edges and the extra heft of the metal body make this iPad feel much more substantial. The retina display provides a crisp and clear picture no matter what applications you are putting it to. The color depth is great and the contrast is incredible, though I would have liked it to have a little more truer depth in the black end of the spectrum. The screen is the current generation of high quality glass at time of manufacture and the durability of the screen is great. I have had mine take a tumble a few times and exit these events unscathed, despite not having a case or screen protector on the iPad Mini. However, it is the performance that really impresses. Keeping complete control of the product line has allowed Apple to engineer a device with the speed needed for higher end uses, very few crashes/freezes, and a software front end that gives the easiest user experience out there. It is definitely snappier than many other budget tablets on the market. Interestingly, the iPad Mini's place in the Apple ecosystem is an odd one. As powerful as a full-size iPad/iPad Air, but the Mini costs ... more? One would think that as a "smaller" product it would cost less (less materials), but economies of scale push the price of the Mini above that of the regular iPad or iPad Air. It is a great little device, and depending on what you plan to do with it, I think it is worth it.