When Apple refreshed the iPad mini in September 2021, I said the iPad mini 6 was essentially an iPhone 13 Pro that’s begging to be folded. The device featured a big redesign, with Apple announcing it alongside the iPhone 13 series. At the time, the iPad mini 6 was the second most powerful iPad in Apple’s lineup, rocking the same A15 Bionic chip that Apple used for the iPhone 13 phones.
At the time, Samsung had already launched the Galaxy Z Fold 3, a device that would be about as big as an iPad mini. And sporadic rumors detailed Apple’s growing interest in foldables.