Buzz
Of course, this is because it's truly a major improvement over the iPad mini5: new design, full screen, stereo speakers, USB-C interface, and other difficulties on the mini5 have been completely resolved on the mini6. In terms of performance, Apple also doesn't leave any ambiguity by directly using the A15 chip like the iPhone 13 series for the iPad mini6. Considering the tablet's much better heat dissipation capability compared to mobile phones, the iPad mini6 naturally also takes the title of 'most powerful gaming tablet.'
However, this tablet also has a downside: a 60Hz screen is certainly not enough for gaming, especially for genres like racing, shooting, and audio games. The price of 3799 RMB with a 64GB initial memory configuration has also faced criticism from netizens. So, compared to generally cheaper Android tablets, is the iPad mini6 still worth buying?
Here we take Huawei Mate Pad 11 and Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro as examples. First, let's consider performance and memory. Both Android tablets are equipped with Snapdragon 870 processors, while the A15 chip on the iPad mini6 is the low-clock version of the CPU. The single-core Geekbench 5 score was previously 950-1050 points, while the post-score could reach 1600 points, a difference of 60%. In terms of GPU, Snapdragon 870 is only about 70% as powerful as A14, while A15 is 50% faster than A14, an estimated double difference.
In terms of storage capacity, the two Android tablets have a significant advantage: Mate Pad 11 with 64GB costs just under 2,500 RMB; Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 at the same price comes with 128GB of storage. If you need to store a lot of content on your tablet, then Android tablets will definitely save you more money.
The screen is the complete letdown of iPad mini6, despite boasting about its screen quality, the tablet's 60Hz refresh rate can't compete with 120Hz products, whether for gaming or browsing. Even just watching videos, the screen quality of these Android tablets is equally impressive, not to mention their superior speakers compared to iPad mini6.
The final comparison lies in the pen experience. While iPad mini6 supports Apple Pencil 2 and professional drawing apps like Procreate, its 60Hz screen makes the writing experience inferior to iPad Pro. Mate Pad 11 offers a very good writing experience at 120Hz, and even for daily note-taking, it's sufficient. The writing experience of Mi Tablet is too inadequate for discussion.
In conclusion
If you value gaming performance, especially for large-scale 3D games like Yuanshen and Bright Mountain, then even though iPad mini6 is over 1,000 RMB more expensive, its double performance is worth it. Tablets running Snapdragon 870 chips currently basically cannot handle gaming at 60 frames per second, resulting in a significant experience gap.
If you prioritize daily app experience and multimedia consumption, an Android tablet priced over 1,000 RMB may offer a much better experience. The combination of high refresh rate screen + multiple speakers has brought a surprising reduction in size for iPad mini6. For instance, Weibo, Tieba, and Taobao have no software compatible with the iPad ecosystem. Android tablets also offer solutions like Parallel Vision.
If you prioritize speed and precision in drawing, both Mate Pad 11 and iPad mini6 have their own advantages. iPad mini6 wins with Procreate and Pencil for a handheld feel, while Mate Pad 11, being cheaper, Huawei has also optimized local note-taking software like WPS.
