“The iPad Mini has definitely been in need of a significant upgrade for a while, with last year’s iPad Mini 3 essentially just being the iPad Mini 2 with Touch ID,” Brandon Chester writes for AnandTech. “When looking at the iPad Mini 4 on paper it looks very similar to Apple’s iPad Air 2. There’s a 2048×1536 IPS display, an 8MP rear-facing camera, 2×2 802.11ac WiFi, and 2GB of DRAM packed into a 6.1mm thick chassis. Of course, there is one major difference that can be seen from the specs, and that’s the SoC. While the iPad Air 2 has Apple’s A8X SoC, the iPad Mini 4 only has their A8 chip. This version of A8 does have bumps to the CPU and GPU frequency compared to the version that shipped in the iPhone 6, but it’s missing the additional core of A8X and the GPU is Imagination Technologies’ GX6450 rather than Apple’s custom 8 core GXA6850.”
“Apple described the iPad Mini 4 as a shrunken down iPad Air 2, and as far as the design goes they really weren’t kidding. If you were to shrink down the Air 2 and scale the mass appropriately you would get this chassis,” Chester writes. “Compared to the iPad Mini 3 it’s 3.2mm taller, 0.1mm wider, and 1.4mm thinner. The difference in thickness is definitely noticeable, especially when holding it in one hand. The mass has also been reduced, dropping from 331 grams to 298.9 grams. 30 grams doesn’t sound like a ton, but when you’re holding a tablet in one hand it’s definitely noticeable and helps to reduce fatigue when holding the Mini 4 for long periods of time.”
“The iPad Mini 4 represents an update on the same scale as the Air to Air 2 transition, and it’s both highly appreciated and arguably overdue,” Chester writes. “The build quality of the iPad Mini 4 is as good as the iPad has always been. It’s a solid feeling aluminum unibody and there’s no flex or creakiness to be found… when you consider design on top of the materials and construction the Mini 4 is definitely the best you’ll find in a mini tablet. Performance on the Mini 4 is right where it needs to be as a mini tablet… For the users who lean more toward content consumption and activities like light browsing, reading news, checking social media, and playing games, the iPad Mini 4 will prove to be a great device.”
TOns more in the full review – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: It certainly was overdue, but iPad mini 4 is here now
for anyone who wants the best mini tablet available!
iPad mini 3’s lacklustre update was one thing that prompted me to get the iPad Air 2. I still hold on that the mini is the perfect sized iPad.
My aging eyes told me to go back to the regular size. I moved the mini 2’s to my kids, and got Air 2’s for me and my wife.
I’m a little torn between getting a mini 4 or an iPad Pro.🤔😱🔚