Where Apple’s new iPad mini (2019) really shines is when you want to get creative, as it transforms from a machine that’s slightly compromised to one you’ll really love.
The iPad mini has been in an awkward spot for the last few years. As the likes of the iPhone XS Max encroached ever closer to its 7.9-inch size, while at the same time the 9.7-inch iPad pushed it out as the lower-priced option, it was getting squeezed from both sides.
But now there’s a new iPad mini in town, and Apple’s smallest tablet smartly finds a new identity by packing in the same powerful internals and excellent screen tech (including Apple Pencil support) as the new iPad Air, but making that power even more portable and lightweight.
It makes for a great machine that’s a lot of fun, but what’s going on inside can’t overcome that the small screen isn’t as versatile as the Air’s.
The iPad mini now starts at £399 with 64GB of storage, or you can jump to 256GB of storage for £549, though that’s the limit.
That compares to £479 or £629 for the iPad Air at the same storage sizes, so you’ll basically pay an £80 premium to jump to the 10.5-inch screen if you decided to go for the iPad Air instead.
MacDailyNews Take:
Bought a 128gb iPad Mini 4 for $275 last Christmas. It’s a great device but plays third fiddle to my iPhone X and Macbook Air. Had Apple not hobbled the new mini with last-gen pencil support and the old home button paradigm they’d crush all of the other models.