iPad mini Are iPad mini 4 worth buying?

[missbing]

For those of you using Mini 4, do any of you use alternate keyboard? I’m wondering if maybe the lag and hiccups I experienced with Gboard were one-off, maybe I need to wipe this thing clean and start over.

The keyboard lagged badly when first being brought up, voice dictation was terribly laggy (and refused to function in landscape mode), etc. Or maybe the app is just crap
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I can’t find any strings attached when I check the value of mine

Ok, I was confusing that with the get a minimum of a $150 gift card for trading in with the purchase of the new iPad Pro.

 

[rui no onna]

For those of you using Mini 4, do any of you use alternate keyboard? I’m wondering if maybe the lag and hiccups I experienced with Gboard were one-off, maybe I need to wipe this thing clean and start over.

The keyboard lagged badly when first being brought up, voice dictation was terribly laggy (and refused to function in landscape mode), etc. Or maybe the app is just crap

No lag with stock keyboard here.

 

[missbing]

I just received the mini 4 today and I love it. This is my first mini and I didn't realize what I was missing out on. It's great to use in bed, for reading, or to just throw in my purse on the go. I love Minecraft and I think I enjoy playing it more on the mini than the pro 12.9. I hope they don't discontinue the mini. If they add pencil support it would be the perfect companion to my 12.9 pro.

 

[onepoint]

No lag with stock keyboard here.

Same here. Things seem relatively snappy with the iOS 11 beta as well, surprisingly. It’s 3rd party keyboards that seem to slow things down for me.

 

[kevjen888]

finally decided to pull the trigger, bought a gold mini 4 from Best Buy for $330 including tax, now my household ipad fleet is consist of iPad Air 2, Pro 9.7 and now iPad mini 4. I think we are future proof for at least 3 more years lol.

 

[lyngo]

finally decided to pull the trigger, bought a gold mini 4 from Best Buy for $330 including tax, now my household ipad fleet is consist of iPad Air 2, Pro 9.7 and now iPad mini 4. I think we are future proof for at least 3 more years lol.

Just in time because as of today the sale is over. The price is back up to $400.

 

[tibas92013]

Just in time because as of today the sale is over. The price is back up to $400.

I decided to NOT "pull-the-trigger" as my Ipad2 and iPad Mini2 will hold-me-over for a couple of more months in which I will purchase the Cellular iPad(2017).

I was severely tempted last night to purchase the iPad Mini4 from Best Buy at $299 but the deal-breaker for me was that it does not have the A9 Chip although I do prefer the Form-Factor of the iPad Mini4.

 

[bearington]

I'd like to get one for the size, but at this point I don't know if it's better to wait till September to see if Apple will release a Mini 5 or Pro Mini.

 

[dantracht]

I'd like to get one for the size, but at this point I don't know if it's better to wait till September to see if Apple will release a Mini 5 or Pro Mini.

I could be wrong, but I doubt very highly we will see any more new iPads introduced this year. I'd just go for the mini 4. I picked one up last week and adore it.

 

[sracer]

I'd like to get one for the size, but at this point I don't know if it's better to wait till September to see if Apple will release a Mini 5 or Pro Mini.

I could be wrong, but I doubt very highly we will see any more new iPads introduced this year. I'd just go for the mini 4. I picked one up last week and adore it.

Obviously this is just speculation on my part, but I think that there is a decent possibility of Apple producing an update to the Mini form factor around the Oct/Nov timeframe. I don't know if it will be a "Pro" or an iPad 2017-style upgrade w/reduced price.

At this point in the Mini 4's lifecycle, it is not wise to pay the current MSRP for it. But a $100+ off sale is certainly incentive. $150-175 is a no-brainer buy.

 

[kevjen888]

Obviously this is just speculation on my part, but I think that there is a decent possibility of Apple producing an update to the Mini form factor around the Oct/Nov timeframe. I don't know if it will be a "Pro" or an iPad 2017-style upgrade w/reduced price.

At this point in the Mini 4's lifecycle, it is not wise to pay the current MSRP for it. But a $100+ off sale is certainly incentive. $150-175 is a no-brainer buy.

IPad mini 4's price has already gradually gone down since its introduction couple years ago. If I'm not mistaken(correct me if I'm wrong) at the initial launch the 128GB wifi version was priced at $599, so we are seeing a $300 discount right now, imo it's a good buy no matter what.

 

[sracer]

IPad mini 4's price has already gradually gone down since its introduction couple years ago. If I'm not mistaken(correct me if I'm wrong) at the initial launch the 128GB wifi version was priced at $599, so we are seeing a $300 discount right now, imo it's a good buy no matter what.

I understand. But I look at what the price is NOW, not what it sold for years ago... because one is not buying it years ago, but buying it now. It's effective lifespan is much shorter now, than it was then. Those facts are factored into the current price.
(P.S. your $300 discount is based on a $100 off sale that has since expired, that is NOT the new MSRP)

$400 today for a 128GB Mini 4 is very high IMO considering how much life is left in it.

$300 for a 128GB Mini 4 is attractive. $250 would be a no-brainer. I paid $275 for my 32GB Mini 4 back in Oct/Nov 2016 which was a good deal 8 months ago. But the more that time passes, the less time that Mini 4 will be usable. Someone getting a Mini 4 NOW, needs to take that into consideration of how much they pay.

 

[rui no onna]

IPad mini 4's price has already gradually gone down since its introduction couple years ago. If I'm not mistaken(correct me if I'm wrong) at the initial launch the 128GB wifi version was priced at $599, so we are seeing a $300 discount right now, imo it's a good buy no matter what.

Personally, I didn't find the iPad mini 4 with the year-old A8 iPhone SoC to be a particularly good value at $399/499/599 for 16/64/128GB back in 2015, either.

 

[rockyromero]

IPad mini 4's price has already gradually gone down since its introduction couple years ago. If I'm not mistaken(correct me if I'm wrong) at the initial launch the 128GB wifi version was priced at $599, so we are seeing a $300 discount right now, imo it's a good buy no matter what.

Yes, I have 3 iPad mini and I'm considering another one.

The flexibility and value is worth having multiple accessible mini's through out the house.

Essentially, they are what HomePod brings with a screen and all the apps.

➰

 

[Osty]

I too prefer the Mini. I bought mine last week to upgrade from a Mini 2 for the storage, better screen and as a hedge against apple discontinuing the line.

Love it. Perfect iPad for my needs.

 

[onepoint]

Obviously this is just speculation on my part, but I think that there is a decent possibility of Apple producing an update to the Mini form factor around the Oct/Nov timeframe. I don't know if it will be a "Pro" or an iPad 2017-style upgrade w/reduced price.

A large part of me agrees and I hope to see it happen. Match the 2017 iPad specs and take advantage of a mature supply chain/production line. I’d be all over it.

iPad Mini Pro I would buy, almost no matter what.
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I too prefer the Mini. I bought mine last week to upgrade from a Mini 2 for the storage, better screen and as a hedge against apple discontinuing the line.

Love it. Perfect iPad for my needs.

I currently have a Mini 4 that’s with me all the time, and a Mini 2 at home. You must really be enjoying the speed/experience upgrade

 

[OKLY]

A large part of me agrees and I hope to see it happen. Match the 2017 iPad specs and take advantage of a mature supply chain/production line. I’d be all over it.

iPad Mini Pro I would buy, almost no matter what.
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I currently have a Mini 4 that’s with me all the time, and a Mini 2 at home. You must really be enjoying the speed/experience upgrade

Would be happy if they even refresh the current Mini with the A9 processor.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Personally, I didn't find the iPad mini 4 with the year-old A8 iPhone SoC to be a particularly good value at $399/499/599 for 16/64/128GB back in 2015, either.

At the moment I'm really struggling to carry my iPad Air 2 on my daily commute. It's too big and cumbersome and a lot of the time I don't get it out because of that. The mini 4 hasn't been updated for a long time but it's the only small tablet Apple sell and it doesn't look like they will be updating it anytime soon.

I think I'll just have to settle for that as I'm really struggling at the moment and I don't want an android tablet. At least Apple dropped the price. It's about £50 cheaper for the 128GB model than it was before March.

 

[PBMB]

$400 today for a 128GB Mini 4 is very high IMO considering how much life is left in it.

You are very lucky in the U.S.A. with such prices. In the euro zone it is 489 euros for the wi-fi model. That is $548. The cellular model is $727. Of course this includes 21% tax.

 

[Osty]

I currently have a Mini 4 that’s with me all the time, and a Mini 2 at home. You must really be enjoying the speed/experience upgrade

Huge difference, mate! I love it.

 

[psac]

I thought that $150 gift card only is for if your purchasing a new iPad Pro?

No, you could use it for anything in store. I did the trade in of the mini 2 and bought the mini 4 on Saturday for the net $150 (+tax), and I'm definitely happy I did so. Compared to the mini 2, the mini 4 is noticeably faster.
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For those of you using Mini 4, do any of you use alternate keyboard? I’m wondering if maybe the lag and hiccups I experienced with Gboard were one-off, maybe I need to wipe this thing clean and start over.

The keyboard lagged badly when first being brought up, voice dictation was terribly laggy (and refused to function in landscape mode), etc. Or maybe the app is just crap
[doublepost=1498242598][/doublepost]
I can’t find any strings attached when I check the value of mine

I did a restore from my old device, so I could have pulled in some slow-downs, but it's not impacting me at all. I do NOT use an alternate keyboard, so I don't know if that is what's slowing you down. I'm really liking the 4 so far!

 

[Channan]

I'm not sure why people keep mentioning this wrong info.

The last three iOS releases have all been SoC limited.

iOS 9 = support for A5 and newer
iOS 10 = support for A6 and newer
iOS 11 = support for A7 and newer

Today, there's no way I would suggest anyone buy iPad mini 4 when support for A8 will obviously end with iOS 12. The 9.7" iPad (2017) and iPad Pro will be receiving more iOS updates for sure.

He said RAM is the biggest factor, not the only one.

You picked three years in a row where certain chips just happened to get cut off, but one of those is certainly a RAM issue. Let's break things down and look further back.

The iPhone and iPhone 3G got cut off at the same time, but they had the same processor and RAM, so there's no proof which was to blame. I'd still bet RAM though. 128MB isn't enough for multitasking at all.

The original iPad had the A4 chip, newer than the one found in the iPhone 3GS, but the 3GS made it to iOS 6 whereas iPad got stuck on iOS 5. The iPhone 4 also had the A4 chip, but it had twice the RAM and made it all the way to iOS 7. RAM was very obviously the limiting factor.

iOS 10 supports A6 and newer but that's most likely because of RAM. A5 devices had 512 GB of RAM (with the exception of the iPad 3's A5X, which couldn't handle the high resolution display) and A6 devices had 1GB.

iOS 11 is definitely an update limited by the processor, but not necessarily because A6 can't handle it. Apple is strictly 64-bit now.

 

[rui no onna]

He said RAM is the biggest factor, not the only one.

You picked three years in a row where certain chips just happened to get cut off, but one of those is certainly a RAM issue. Let's break things down and look further back.

The iPhone and iPhone 3G got cut off at the same time, but they had the same processor and RAM, so there's no proof which was to blame. I'd still bet RAM though. 128MB isn't enough for multitasking at all.

The original iPad had the A4 chip, newer than the one found in the iPhone 3GS, but the 3GS made it to iOS 6 whereas iPad got stuck on iOS 5. The iPhone 4 also had the A4 chip, but it had twice the RAM and made it all the way to iOS 7. RAM was very obviously the limiting factor.

iOS 10 supports A6 and newer but that's most likely because of RAM. A5 devices had 512 GB of RAM (with the exception of the iPad 3's A5X, which couldn't handle the high resolution display) and A6 devices had 1GB.

iOS 11 is definitely an update limited by the processor, but not necessarily because A6 can't handle it. Apple is strictly 64-bit now.

iPhone 3G got supported up to iOS 4, iirc. The original iPhone was cut off at iOS 3. Same amount of RAM, practically same CPU. Reckon this was a marketing decision rather than technical. Iirc, earlier iOS versions didn't support multitasking.

iPhone 3GS and 3rd gen iPod Touch have the same CPU, same 256MB RAM and same 320*240 (less than 0.1MP) resolution. 3GS got updated to iOS 6 while 3rd gen iPT only received up to iOS 5 so obviously marketing.

The original iPad had A4 chip and 256MB RAM driving a 1024*768 (0.8MP) display compared to the iPhone 4 with A4, 512MB RAM and 640*480 (0.3MP). The 4th gen iPod Touch was A4, 256MB RAM and 640*480. iPad got up to iOS 5, 4th gen iPT iOS 6 and iPhone 4 iOS 7. This, probably RAM. 256MB is just way too low particularly at the iPad's higher resolution.

For iOS 7 onwards, it seems to me graphics performance has been one of the major bottlenecks. Way too much eye candy. For retina iPads, 1GB is tight but workable since there's no split view anyway. The amount doesn't quite affect speed (except if the RAM coincides with going from single channel to dual channel). It mostly features that are dropped and it's sufficient for handling basic requirements, just prone to frequent app and Safari refreshes.

 

[MiniMe77]

I wish they would let us know if there will be a mini 5 or not. I really want one but would kick myself if I bought the 4 now and a 5 comes out at the end of the year or early next.

 

[joeblow7777]

I wish they would let us know if there will be a mini 5 or not. I really want one but would kick myself if I bought the 4 now and a 5 comes out at the end of the year or early next.

That's why companies very rarely talk about future releases before they are imminent. It kills sales of current models. Even though anyone who pays any attention knows that new iPhones are coming in the fall, Apple won't actually say so until the launch in September. It's all part of business.

So if there's going to be a Mini 5, you better hope that something leaks, because Apple will not come out and say that one is or isn't coming.