I've used an iPad 4 and an iPad mini extensively and I see a lot of people struggling with which to go for. Hopefully my post here will help you make that tough choice.
Display: There isn't a doubt in my mind that the iPad 4 has a superior display. However, while the Mini's screen is not as technically impressive that doesn't mean you should rule it out right away. The display on the Mini is not as crisp, but it is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I certainly don't feel like it's poor, I would call it "Good, but not great". The iPad 4 has an "excellent" display. The Anandtech Review has an fantastic comparison here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6472/ipad-4-late-2012-review/2
Weight: This is very significant and should be a major factor in your decision. The Mini is exactly 2.75x as heavy as the iPhone 5. It definitely feels very lightweight for a tablet.
The iPad 4 is significantly heavier, weighing just barely under 6 iPhone 5's. It definitely is more uncomfortable to hold for longer periods of time vs the Mini. My leg always seems to fall asleep after a while with the iPad 4 on it. It all depends on how you intend to use your iPad.... are you going to be sitting on the couch/bed using your iPad? Or is it going with you everywhere you go?
CPU: A6 vs A5 seems kind of a interesting debate right now. Some are claiming it's a negligible difference, others are saying its a big jump. Let me just say this at least, the A5 and A6 are very fast dual core CPU's. iOS is only going to get more demanding and the same with Apps/Games. The difference isn't that great right now, but in 1-2 years the gap will have definitely widened.
RAM: I'm a big advocate of "the more RAM the better". The Mini has 512MB (Same as iPhone 4/4s and iPad 2 and iPod Touch 5). To me, this is a bare minimum amount. For those of you with 512MB on their iOS device, check how many Low Memory errors show up in your Settings, there's probably tons. Apps and Safari pages reload fairly often as well.
The iPad 4 has 1GB (1024mb) which is much better, twice is amount! As iOS grows it's going to continue to demand more and 1GB is a pretty good amount to be at this point in time. iOS 6 already hogs a fairly large of chunk of RAM, and the more RAM for your apps/Safari, the better.
Closing Thoughts
Keep in mind that the Mini has the same internals as the iPad 2 (as far as SoC goes) released in early 2011. The iPad 4 internals are all new for late 2012.
And finally, this may be the most important tip of all. Please, please go check the devices out for yourselves at the store. Hold one in each hand and compare weight. Look very closely at the displays, compare websites/games/apps. You can read specs all day long but in the end sometimes you have to make the decision based on which one "feels" better for your usage.
Hopefully I've been able to help even a single person. I struggled with my decision for over 2 weeks. I ended up buying the 4 just for the added CPU/GPU/RAM power for future iOS updates and the beautiful display. Many thanks to my friend who let me borrow his Mini for a week so I could see for myself.
*If there are any questions you have for me, please feel free to ask. If I have made a mistake somewhere in this post please let me know as well!*
I know some of you may disagree with some things I've said but that's OK, it's just my personal opinion.
Display: There isn't a doubt in my mind that the iPad 4 has a superior display. However, while the Mini's screen is not as technically impressive that doesn't mean you should rule it out right away. The display on the Mini is not as crisp, but it is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I certainly don't feel like it's poor, I would call it "Good, but not great". The iPad 4 has an "excellent" display. The Anandtech Review has an fantastic comparison here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6472/ipad-4-late-2012-review/2
Weight: This is very significant and should be a major factor in your decision. The Mini is exactly 2.75x as heavy as the iPhone 5. It definitely feels very lightweight for a tablet.
The iPad 4 is significantly heavier, weighing just barely under 6 iPhone 5's. It definitely is more uncomfortable to hold for longer periods of time vs the Mini. My leg always seems to fall asleep after a while with the iPad 4 on it. It all depends on how you intend to use your iPad.... are you going to be sitting on the couch/bed using your iPad? Or is it going with you everywhere you go?
CPU: A6 vs A5 seems kind of a interesting debate right now. Some are claiming it's a negligible difference, others are saying its a big jump. Let me just say this at least, the A5 and A6 are very fast dual core CPU's. iOS is only going to get more demanding and the same with Apps/Games. The difference isn't that great right now, but in 1-2 years the gap will have definitely widened.
RAM: I'm a big advocate of "the more RAM the better". The Mini has 512MB (Same as iPhone 4/4s and iPad 2 and iPod Touch 5). To me, this is a bare minimum amount. For those of you with 512MB on their iOS device, check how many Low Memory errors show up in your Settings, there's probably tons. Apps and Safari pages reload fairly often as well.
The iPad 4 has 1GB (1024mb) which is much better, twice is amount! As iOS grows it's going to continue to demand more and 1GB is a pretty good amount to be at this point in time. iOS 6 already hogs a fairly large of chunk of RAM, and the more RAM for your apps/Safari, the better.
Closing Thoughts
Keep in mind that the Mini has the same internals as the iPad 2 (as far as SoC goes) released in early 2011. The iPad 4 internals are all new for late 2012.
And finally, this may be the most important tip of all. Please, please go check the devices out for yourselves at the store. Hold one in each hand and compare weight. Look very closely at the displays, compare websites/games/apps. You can read specs all day long but in the end sometimes you have to make the decision based on which one "feels" better for your usage.
Hopefully I've been able to help even a single person. I struggled with my decision for over 2 weeks. I ended up buying the 4 just for the added CPU/GPU/RAM power for future iOS updates and the beautiful display. Many thanks to my friend who let me borrow his Mini for a week so I could see for myself.
*If there are any questions you have for me, please feel free to ask. If I have made a mistake somewhere in this post please let me know as well!*
I know some of you may disagree with some things I've said but that's OK, it's just my personal opinion.
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