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iPad mini Any iPad Pro user switching to the mini?

T

TinaBelcher

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 23, 2017
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My plan all along was to upgrade my pro 11-inch (2018) to the latest 11-inch pro, but I just went into the store playing with the mini and completely felt in love with it! Its so small but so adorable and a joy. I was surprised that it even had 50% split view for this small size.

other than promotion and no physical keyboard, what else am I loosing, if buying the mini? I thought at first, “why not have both?” But then I looked at the prize. It’s actually really expensive for a 64 gb, and you might as well buy the pro if you want the 256 gb.

please, can anyone share if they are in similar situation as an iPad Pro user
 
There was a thread here about downsizing recently, maybe that provides you some more feedback.
 
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I’ve had two 12.9 Pro’s and currently am using my 11” Pro. I’m definitely buying a new mini 6 as the redesign looks great. I’ll probably keep my 11” Pro unless the Mini makes it redundant. I doubt it will…but never say never o_O
 
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F-Stop said:
I’ve had two 12.9 Pro’s and currently am using my 11” Pro. I’m definitely buying a new mini 6 as the redesign looks great. I’ll probably keep my 11” Pro unless the Mini makes it redundant. I doubt it will…but never say never o_O
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How do you feel about no physical keyboard? I feel like this might be the only model where it’s ok, because you can comfortably type on the on-screen keyboard and mostly use it vertical, right? Btw, what storage you planning on?
 
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TinaBelcher said:
How do you feel about no physical keyboard? I feel like this might be the only model where it’s ok, because you can comfortably type on the on-screen keyboard and mostly use it vertical, right?
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I've made the switch from a 12.9 iPad Pro to the iPad Mini 5. Although Apple doesn't make a physical keyboard for any Mini, the usual suspects like Zagg and Logitech most certainly will.

For knocking out short messages and emails, the onscreen keyboard in portrait mode is fine. But I'm getting more into the habit of taking the Logitech Keys-to-Go keyboard with me when I take my Mini.
 
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Maybe. I have an 11” Pro 2018 and I’m waiting on my mini (should be here today). Will be keeping both but we’ll see which one gets more use.

I’m betting the mini…
 
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Delivered. 256GB cellular Space Gray with black folio.

Love it.

Feels smaller than I expected for some reason, even though I also have a mini 4. Makes the 11” iPad Pro look downright huge.
 
I switched from the 2018 iPad Pro 11”. I had the mini 5 before it. I missed having the smaller size so it was a no brainer with the new design I longed for the mini.
 
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iPad Pro 11 inch user. I see the mini six as a complement not a replacement. I still want the larger 11 inch screen for productivity related work. The mini six is more of a consumption device. Having said that, I am loving the mini six.
 
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TinaBelcher said:
How do you feel about no physical keyboard? I feel like this might be the only model where it’s ok, because you can comfortably type on the on-screen keyboard and mostly use it vertical, right? Btw, what storage you planning on?
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Hello again, having no physical keyboard is not an issue for me at all. I use the on-screen keyboard of my 11” Pro 100% of the time and have no desire to use a physical keyboard. I did buy the magic keyboard to see what all the hype was about for myself. And, although I found it to be a great little device, I still found myself using the on-screen keyboard for the vast majority of my typing! So much so, in fact, that I sold the keyboard…and don’t miss it at all. I should add that I use my iPad in landscape mode for about 98% of the time.

Storage wise, for my new mini, I’m thinking about going for the larger 256Gb option. My 11” Pro is 256Gb and I currently have 230Gb free space! o_O . However, I’m planning on using my new mini as a screen with the controller for my drone. I shoot my drone footage in 4k and the files can be quite big and don’t want to be caught out with insufficient storage space whilst out in the field (literally lol). If it wasn’t for my planned drone usage I think I would be tempted to go with the smaller 64Gb and see how I got on with it. If 64Gb proved insufficient I’d simply sell it and buy the larger storage option.

Hope this helps

Andy 👍
 
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Having previously owned (and loved) the iPad Mini, I ordered a 6 to replace my 2018 iPad Pro 11. The plan was to give the Pro to my wife to use, but having used the Mini for 24 hours I think I might stick with the Pro. I originally moved from the Mini to the Pro due to a lack of hardware updates, and at first it felt massive but I guess I must have got used to the form factor as now the mini, despite having a larger screen than my last Mini, just feels too small. I used the Readly quite a bit and this morning it involved quite a bit of pinch/zoom to read the papers. It's a shame because it's a great device and the form factor is fantastic, especially for when I am out and about.
 
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So after 12 hours with my mini 6, I can see myself using it in place of my 11” Pro quite a lot. Slick, portable and fast (faster than my 2018 Pro). However, at least for my 52 year old eyes, I’ll probably use the 11” Pro for a lot of PDF article reading & mark up in GoodNotes. I can foresee the smaller text on the mini sometimes being a problem.

If anything, the new mini makes me want to replace my old 11” Pro with a new 12.9” Pro and have best of both worlds.

Interestingly, I’ve noticed a few apps not fully utilizing the new screen resolution/aspect ratio as compared to the older mini form-factor, leaving a bit of black space at the top/bottom or sides (depending on iPad orientation). I guess they’re hard coded for certain screen sizes. 🤷
 
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there is a thread about this already

sold my 2020 11” Pro and bought the Mini 6 in cellular.
 
Am typing this on my mini 6 having decided to stop carrying pro 12.9 around. I either take a MacBook Pro everywhere or my pro was supposed to be a smaller more portable option. The mini 6 fits in a coat pocket and does everything I need. I’ve just disabled my teamviewer licence on the pro and enabled it on mini and it’s fine for emergency remote access to client machines. The onscreen keyboard is fine for typing this post too.
 
Cosmo M3 said:
there is a thread about this already

sold my 2020 11” Pro and bought the Mini 6 in cellular.
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There will always be another thread similar to others, I’m allowed to make my own.

and thank you for sharing about your transition from pro to mini.
 
I recently went from the iPad Pro 2018 to iPad Mini 2021, personally I've always thought the 11 inch was a little too big, and I love how I can hold the mini with one hand. I feel like I will be using this more than the pro.
 
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I’m seriously considering it. I think I’ll keep my 11” Pro, but I expect to find the mini more convenient for most things I currently use the Pro for.
 
What do you mean, No physical Keyboard? It works with all iPads.

tempImagePGCJN7.png
 
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I’m tempted to get one as a companion to my 12.9” iPP. Reading was so much more comfortable on my iPad Mini 1 compared to the Pro. I don‘t think it’d ever completely replace the 12.9” for me though.
 
BallparkDreamer said:
I’m tempted to get one as a companion to my 12.9” iPP. Reading was so much more comfortable on my iPad Mini 1 compared to the Pro. I don‘t think it’d ever completely replace the 12.9” for me though.
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Yeah, If I get the mini, I think I'm gonna put my 11-inch pro in my drawer for a rainy day.
 
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