Apple touted the iPad mini 6's 5G connectivity as a great perk for the ultra-portable tablet, but there is an asterisk that may sting those who expect a lot of speed from a 5G connection. That is the lack of mmWave 5G wireless connectivity, the 5G cellular service that currently offers the fastest 5G performance.

mmWav speeds outperform Sub-6 GHz 5G, which is an improvement over LTE, but not by much. sub-6 GHz happens to be the version of 5G on the iPad mini 6. And this may be frustrating, especially for those who have already pre-ordered the iPad mini 6. Currently, the iPad Pro is the only iPad with mmWave (although the iPhone 13 and 12 run on both mmWave and Sub-6 GHz).

AT&T has already demonstrated that its mmWave implementation, known as 5G Plus, will dominate its 4G LTE. It outperforms 4G by 12 times in download speeds (632 MBps vs. 52.8 MBps) and nearly 14 times in upload speeds (35.5 Mbps vs. 2.54 Mbps).

The iPad Pro, of course (as well as the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lines), is equipped with mmWave 5G.

Notably, mmWave 5G is not available everywhere. mmWave 5G signals require a line of sight to signal towers and do not reach as far as Sub-6 5G. Therefore, it may not even be possible to use mmWave 5G in densely populated areas or in large buildings where the signal would have to penetrate wall after wall.

Nevertheless, if mmWave 5G were available on the go or at outdoor events such as sports arenas or music festivals, everyone would want it.

For example, AT&T is still expanding its 5G Plus service; in July, AT&T ...... It announced that it will be deployed at 25 major U.S. airports (with plans to deploy at seven airports by the end of this year). Verizon is already ahead of rival carriers, having deployed 5G Ultra Wideband to 13 airports as of May 2021.