iPad Mini review: we put the popular kids' tablet through its paces

 iPads (and most Apple devices for that matter) tend to divide opinion on Mumsnet - some love them for their high quality features, durability and reliability. Others think they’re tricky to navigate and just not worth their higher price point. But how does the iPad - specifically the iPad Mini 6, which despite being over two years old will still set you back the princely sum of £530 - bear up when compared with tablets costing a fraction of its price?

How we tested

Our parent-tester Charlotte bought the iPad Mini 6 for her 15-year-old for Christmas 2022 and it has been used 'most days' since then. We caught up with Charlotte after one year to find out what she thought of the iPad Mini's ease of use, reliability, durability and cost-effectiveness. As two of her children, including the iPad Mini's main user, have Special Educational Needs (SEN) we also wanted to know if she would recommend the iPad to other parents in a similar position.

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iPad Mini: is it worth the extra cost?

iPad Mini: what are the benefits?

According to Charlotte, the iPad functions very similarly to an iPhone, allowing for FaceTime and messaging but with parental controls she, as the parent, finds easier to implement via the settings menu, which is password protected.

"We have used iPads for the last 7-8 years as a family. The iPad [my daughter, 15] was using before this one was used for about four years but then experienced an issue with charging and then new apps were no longer supported on that version of iPad, due to an update put out by Apple."

How easy is the iPad Mini to use?

The iPad Mini is pretty easy to navigate for anyone who is used to using Apple systems. While Charlotte's iPad Mini is primarily used by her 15-year-old with SEN, her two-year-old is also able to easily handle and navigate the tablet to find recognisable apps such as YouTube and Talking Tom.

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Is this the best tablet for children with SEN?

Although often marketed as one of the best kids' tablets for younger children due to its small size, its testing by a family of children with SEN casts the iPad Mini in a new light for its suitability for children with special educational needs. Charlotte's ten and fifteen-year-old have Coffin-Lowry syndrome, a rare genetic disorder causing intellectual disability and delayed development as well as several physical symptoms.

Her 15-year-old struggles in particular with decoding instructions, can become overwhelmed by sensory overload, particularly noise, and struggles with understanding cause and effect.

Charlotte's ten-year-old (who uses an iPad 10.2 for speech therapy) also has a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Charlotte finds that the features of her iPad "really help her focus and stay on target."

With their particular disability, neither of Charlotte's children are a stranger to lengthy medical appointments. She said that the iPad Mini in particular has made life enormously easier in that respect.

How is the battery and storage on the iPad Mini?

According to Charlotte, the 64GB storage on the Mini is more than sufficient for its main uses (a 256GB Mini is also available, priced from £690). Its battery life can last for "about a day or two," depending on the heaviness of use.

iPad Mini: are there any downsides?

According to Charlotte, the only downside to the iPad other than price is that the type-C charger can be a little flimsy. "My daughter can be hard on chargers," she explains. "So we've had to replace it a few times. It's not expensive though."

iPad Mini: final verdict

• Ease of use: 4.5/5

• Variety of features: 4/5

• Cost effectiveness: 4/5

• Durability: 5/5

We all know that too much screen-time can be a worry for many parents, but at the same time, a good kids' tablet can be a godsend, even if you aren't contending with additional needs.

In terms of its prowess as one of the best tablets for kids, it scores highly for durability, reliability, parental controls and high-performance apps and games. As our parent-tester pointed out, it's incredibly durable and long-lasting, with many an iPad user reporting its performance outlasting its compatibility with Apple iOS releases. (As an owner of an iPad Air purchased ten years ago which still works perfectly well but no longer supports updated versions of apps, I can attest to this too!)

However, with rival models from Samsung and Amazon coming in at a far more affordable price point, it does lose a point for lack of affordability. However, with rumours of a new iPad Mini 7th Generation in the works, it's possible that the iPad Mini 6 will come down in price once a newer version is available.

Overall rating: 4/5

About the author

Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising content pages on a variety of subjects relating to pregnancy, baby and children. As a mum to three primary school aged children, she is passionate about researching, testing and reviewing items that make life easier for parents, from kids' tablets to tumble dryers and board games.

Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after weeks of extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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