iOS 7.1.2 vs. iOS 8.1 performance on iPad Mini 2

[thedeejay]

A little background:

I had an iPad 2 since 2011 and sold it this August in hopes to pick up a new iPad. I got an Air 2 for myself and I'm loving the speed. Today I picked up a iPad mini 2 to determine which I like better (Air 2 or Mini 2). Mini 2 came with 7.1.2. For you folks with 8.1 on Mini 2, what do you suggest? Keep Mini 2 on 7.1.2 or upgrade to 8.1?

Much Appreciated!

 

[IrishVixen]

I picked up a Mini 2 a little over a week ago to replace a Mini 1. Mine was also on 7.1.2. When the new jailbreak was announced, I took it up to 8.1 in preparation for that (though right now I'm still running stock). So I've used it about 4 days on each.

In terms of speed & battery life, I see little difference between the two. Going to 8.1 did not kill my battery, nor has it dented the speed of the Mini 2 by anything perceptible. In terms of bugs...well, 8.1 definitely has a few more of those than 7.1.2 did. But none of them have been showstoppers, at least to me. Having widgets in the NC and being able to more easily use 1Password in Safari trumps any minor bugs.

I do generally recommend a clean install. Because I hadn't restored from backup and had loaded next to nothing on mine yet, I went ahead and updated via iTunes this time, and I haven't seen any of the major issues others have reported. Since your Mini is brand new, it's probably safe to do the same.