Is the beloved iPad mini the best iPad?

This week, the invitations went out1 for an Apple “experience” next Wednesday in Los Angeles, which indicates a major set of product announcements. One of those rumored products is a new iPad mini with an OLED screen, A20 chip, and improved speakers. The iPad mini is also in the zeitgeist more than ever right now, thanks to the release of the iPhone Duo, which numerous reviewers are comparing to an iPad mini when open. (The Duo is quite a bit smaller.) In thinking about the iPad mini a bit this week, a thought occurred to me: Is the iPad mini the best iPad? Obviously, if you’re talking pure specs, it’s not—those iPad Pro models are amazing, and I’m writing this post on one right now. The base iPad is a better value and the iPad Air packs a punch, too. But let’s think about this a little more broadly. Aren’t the best products the ones that know what they are, that have a purpose, that are well defined? One way to identify such a product is customer loyalty, and when I bring up the iPad mini, I frequently see hearts appear in the eyes of the people I’m talking to. People who like the iPad mini love it. That’s a sign. The larger iPads fall into that neither-fish-nor-fowl twilight zone too often. Should my iPad Pro really just be a Mac that can also run in a tablet mode? It’s got an M5 in it, so probably. Not the iPad mini. It’s powerful but small. The size means it’s less likely to be dragged into service as a productivity device, but it excels at lean-back tasks like reading and scrolling and even watching video. I love an E Ink reader, but so many people view the iPad mini as the perfect place to do their reading. And I get it. You can hold it in one hand. It’s so small, you can grip it in one hand. And yet, it will basically do everything an iPad does. There’s something to be said for a product that’s great at filling its niche, and in this case it feels like there’s a really good niche that’s just the size of the iPad mini. I don’t know what the new update will bring for fans of the iPad mini. They will undoubtedly be thrilled by getting an OLED screen and a faster processor. They will be less thrilled by the price, which might be as much as $799, according to Gurman. But what Apple product prices do thrill us these days, exactly? Still, when I do get the new iPad mini in my hands, I will need to keep in mind its special place in the iPad line-up. It’s not frequently updated and (unlike this week) rarely the subject of a lot of conversation, but it’s beloved—and that means something. If you appreciate articles like this one, support us by becoming a Six Colors subscriber. Subscribers get access to an exclusive podcast, members-only stories, and a special community.