Apple’s new iPads are now official. But does the iPad 9 and the iPad mini 6 come with a charger?


Apple famously stopped providing chargers with its iPhones back when the iPhone 12 launched. This move caused quite a stir. But Apple was adamant it was the right thing to do – it’s all about environmental issues.

Since then, the iPhone 13 range has launched and, as expected, none of the iPhone 13 models ship with chargers. But what about the iPad? Do Apple’s iPads still come with chargers? What about its 2021 models, the iPad 9 and the iPad mini 6? Let’s find out…

Does The iPad 9 and iPad mini 6 Come With A Charger?

Apple’s new iPads – the iPad 9 and the iPad mini 6 – both come with a charger in the box. All of Apple’s iPads come with chargers, unlike the company’s iPhones. Why is this? Probably because Apple sells A LOT more iPhones than iPads.

The other reason is that plenty of people that buy iPads do not have iPhones, so they need a charger. With iPhone, most of Apple’s user base are existing iPhone users, so they have a charger and do not require a new one.

If you’ve never used an iPhone, and you buy one, and the phone arrives without a charger, what do you do? Well, you have two options: the first is to buy a charger from Apple for $19. The second option is to buy one from Amazon – it does an Amazon Basics charger that is cheaper.

I’d get the one from Amazon; it’s cheaper and is available in a range of different lengths which is handy if you’ve ever had to try and stretch Apple’s official charger.

The iPad 9 isn’t a major update, as you can see below, and neither is the iPad mini 6. You get tweaks here and there but nothing significant. Neither uses Apple’s latest A15 CPU, for instance; instead, both rely on Apple’s older A13X chip.

Here’s how the iPad 9 compares to the iPad 8 – as you can see, there’s not much in it. As always, my advice would be to get an older iPad model – like the 7th generation model – as they’re way more affordable and just as good with respect to features and usability.

SPECSiPad 8iPad 9 (2021)
Launch price$329$329
Capacities32GB, 128GB64GB, 256GB
Screen size10.2-inch10.2-inch
Screen resolution (pixels)2160×1620 at 264 ppi2160×1620 at 264 ppi
Screen max brightness (nits)500500
DisplayRetinaRetina
True Tone
ProcessorA12 BionicA13 Bionic
Apple Pencil SupportYes, First GenerationYes, First Generation
Smart ConnectorYesYes
Dimensions (inches)9.8 x 6.8 x 0.299.8 x 6.8 x 0.29
Weight (lbs)1.081.07
Battery (hours)Up to 10Up to 10
Rear Camera8MP8MP
Front Camera1.2MP12MP
Center Stage
Video1080p at 30 fps (rear)
720p (front)
1080p at 25 or 30 fps (rear)
1080p at 25, 30, or 60 fps (front)
BiometricTouch IDTouch ID
The iPad 8 vs The iPad 9

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And check out Does The iPhone 13 Have USB-C? Also, check out Does Apple Pencil Work With iPhone?