Tag: iPad Mini

An iPad Mini is the lesser-known middle sibling that sits between a full-size tablet and a phone. The diminutive tablet is often skipped over in Apple’s upgrade cycles. Not this time though. The new Mini has been completely redesigned and the results are spectacular. 

First up on the long list of upgrades is the screen.  Apple reduced the size of the bezels and rounded their corners which drastically updates the look of the tablet. The 8.3-inch screen is larger but doesn’t consume any more physical space. HDR and 327 pixels per inch mean everything is bright and crisp. Gamers will be disappointed with the 60 FPS limit.

For the last year my spouse has needed to keep track of two Apple pencils. The iPad Mini line picked up support for the stylus a generation back, butter for the proverbial sliced bread. In true Apple, “milk it for all its worth” form, support was only for the first gen tool, even though the second gen stylus was available. This time around, you can use the new magnetic pencil and it sticks right on the side like it should. For writing on a screen, it is hard to beat the experience of a fast tablet that weighs just over half-a-pound.

Speaking of fast, the A15 chip is impressive. With Wi-Fi 6 and optional 5G LTE hoovering up the net’s charms at up to 1.2 gigabits per second, you need a CPU / GPU combo that can keep up. The A15 is more than up for the task. Even split screen multi-tasking with a game and a video doesn’t cause it to lag.  Only the screen’s slower refresh rate will keep the hardcore mobile gaming community from flocking to this system.

Add a ten-hour battery, Touch ID, a 12 MP camera, stereo speakers, almost every aspect of the Mini has been upgraded to the most modern technology available (except for that refresh rate). Out of the entire Apple line up, this Mini is my personal favorite. It delivers all of Apple’s magic in the largest visual, best sounding, comfortably handheld, experience possible.

We are a house divided, the females are all Apple everything. The males are Android and Windows. The newest edition of the iPad mini is almost good enough to change that balance. It’s everything a tech geek wants in a tablet. Light, powerful, thin, with stylus support, and an excellent display.

A lot of people dismiss the Mini with a ” same as my phone” shrug. They’re missing out. There are lots of times between working and being out that call for an in-between screen. Sitting on the couch surfing, writing with a stylus, and reading in bed are examples of times when an iPad is too big and a phone is too small.

The newest Mini is 8.0 inches (203.2 mm) tall, 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) wide, 0.24 inch (6.1 mm) thick, and weighs 0.68 pound (308.2 grams). There’s something about eight inch devices that makes them the perfect size to read on. Maybe its because they’re the same size as an average paperback book?

As a dedicated Windows user, I wish Microsoft’s OS would scale well on an eight inch system. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro and while the operating system and many Microsoft apps shrink to fit, most third-party software doesn’t. Apple has a leg up on Microsoft or even Google in this regard. Their tight control of the App Store means that they are able to ensure usability for all of their form factors. Every app that I have tried so far looks great on the 2048-by-1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch screen.

The fifth generation iPad Mini is fast, really fast. The A12 Bionic chip means pages load in the blink of an eye. Multitasking is a breeze. I like to play Netflix or YouTube on the side while I write or browse in the larger section. Even the most taxing games like Call of Duty Mobile run stutter free. At everyday tasks like checking email, or reading the news it is faster than an average laptop.

As always, my biggest gripe with the Apple tablets is that there is no native support for handwriting. At least now there are some really well done third party apps that fill the gap. See my review of Selvy PenScript for an excellent example. You can also pair a Bluetooth keyboard for input duties, Logitech makes one specifically for the Mini.

If you are in Apple’s ecosystem and spend much of your time in the digital world the new iPad Mini will be a welcome addition to your compute devices. It is just the right size for kicking back in your favorite chair and doing whatever on.