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How do the displays differ (other than in size)?

They don't differ that much at all actually. I have both in front of me right now (I just picked up a air 2 at staples, $100 off). A2's is brighter with maybe slightly better contrast. But I think Apple did a good job with this mini's display.

Im going to return it though. I just prefer the Air 2.
 
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Having been going through these very decisions, we have a couple of observations that maybe will help some others.

1. Some suggested the Air instead of the Mini if one already has an iPhone 6+. OTOH, keep in mind that the Mini's screen is more than double the size of that of the iPhone 6+! Roughly 30 sq. in. vs. about 13. That's 2.3x as big!

2. The Air 2 vibration is a minor issue to us (YMMV). Key is that the Air 2's sound is clear and loud. (We found it impressively loud and clear even over the usual din at a Best Buy store!)

3. We skipped the Air 2 last year; too high a cost for too little gain!

a. Yes, better camera in the Air 2, but we don't use the iPad Air for photography.

b. Yes, fingerprint scanner, but the Air stays at home and the instant on/off of a Smart Cover type case is even faster than Touch ID.

c. Yes, faster CPU, but the Air is plenty fast. Even our original iPad is going strong and handles streaming and most apps fine, with one exception.

d. One big negative to the Air 2-- no screen rotation side switch on its side.​

4. This year, though, the upgrade decision became a no-brainer when Staples offered the Air 2 with 64gb for only $449! The key, performance-wise, is that Safari reportedly doesn't keep reloading tabs all the time. [Confirmed in use-- it's incredible to see and experience. Return to Safari and there could be a momentary delay on the first tab, but every other tab displays instantly!] (OTOH, for users who view only 1 web page at a time, that's not a big deal!). Plus, we figure it will handle iOS 9 and 10 better.

5. Not sure we understand the one-handed use thing being a factor at all! Ours (whether Minis or Airs) are either in stands, or resting in our laps or on our chests. Typically, when free-holding, we still use two hands--more secure grip and easier to use (type, tap, etc.)

6. The Mini color gamut thing matters to many; but was inconsequential to us. We have no problem with the screen on the 2-- in fact, it shows the colors of Google links as blue not purple as the Air does! A couple of other apps also show blues *better* on the Mini.

7. Now, for us, whether to upgrade a Mini 2 to a 4 rests with the camera upgrade (purportedly substantial improvement) vs. the cost. (Otherwise, the other upgrades and decisions are similar as to going from Air 1 to 2). [Update: we found that the Mini 2 camera and that of the Air 2 showed marginal differences; expect the same to be true of Mini 2 and 4 camera. Here's a great comparison of Air 1 and 2--they tout differences, but most are only apparent on blowing up the photos greatly--and, in several cases, Air 1 looks better! http://www.imore.com/ipad-air-2-vs-ipad-air-camera-comparison

Similarly, little apparent difference between iPad Air 2 and the iPhone 6! http://www.imore.com/ipad-air-2-vs-iphone-6-camera-comparison ]

We find 16gb getting a big cramped... But if we had no Mini, the new price of $320 for a 32gb would be appealing!

8. In general, forget the specs; the key between the Mini and the Air is which size iPad you want!


If you have the $, get both the Mini and the Air! We have both and find them useful for different things-- and, it's nice to have another iPad in the house for other family members to use.

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I decided my next iPhone will be a plus (currently rocking a 6), and my 13 inch rMBP just made sense to go with an Air. With phones getting bigger and computers getting smaller, it made the mini seem redundant. So I just picked up an Air 2 to replace my Mini 2. Big difference, to me at least.
 
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I bought a mini last week and I'm still undecided whether the iPad Air 2 might be a better choice. I came from the iPad 2, so I'm used to the bigger screen. However, I like the mini better when reading articles and books.

Only the multitasking feature is a bit of a let down. A lot of websites still aren't adjusted to fit smaller screens. So I was left with text of a couple of millimeters. And that was on apples own support forum. Yes, you can zoom. However you need to scroll horizontically in addition to vertically.

Anyone else feel like they should pick an iPad Air 2 over the mini 4 after using the mini?
 
I bought a mini last week and I'm still undecided whether the iPad Air 2 might be a better choice. I came from the iPad 2, so I'm used to the bigger screen. However, I like the mini better when reading articles and books.

Only the multitasking feature is a bit of a let down. A lot of websites still aren't adjusted to fit smaller screens. So I was left with text of a couple of millimeters. And that was on apples own support forum. Yes, you can zoom. However you need to scroll horizontically in addition to vertically.

Anyone else feel like they should pick an iPad Air 2 over the mini 4 after using the mini?
 
i have air 2 .. sony z3 compact tablet haha.... now i got mini 4 .... i had mini 2 and 3 but i just dont like the colors so i sold it and bought air 2..... i really want smaller tablet for travel... before i use bring my air 2.. but it just really dont fit the portable size for me.... then i bought sony z3 tablet compact... colors is very nice... i told myself if apple will release a mini with same colors as air 2 ... i will sell my sony for it....... but i still cant decide if i still want to sell the sony...
but i cant stop my self from getting the mini 4.... since color gamut is already same with air 2 ....

what a love affair lol
 
I own an aerial photography company and the iPad Air 2 performance-wise has been fantastic as a monitor. The issue in my case is the size. It's too big for the controller (balance feels off and overall weight is a factor). I picked up a Mini 4 today to test it but am concerned it won't perform like I need it to perform. I have used my iPhone 6 before and there was some slight lag (albeit not frequently) so is it safe to assume the Mini 4 will perform identically to the iPhone 6 in my case?
 
The A8 is clocked a bit higher in the iPad mini 4 compared to the iPhone 6.
And a lot has to do with RAM, too. The iPhone 6 has only 1 GB of Ram. The iPad mini 4 has 2 GB.

I'm typing on a mini 4 right now. No lag as far as I can tell. You could buy the mini 4 at Apple and try it for 14 days.

I was unsure whether I would want the iPad Air 2 instead. The mini is just so portable and light weight, I won't part with it now. I love it.
 
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The A8 is clocked a bit higher in the iPad mini 4 compared to the iPhone 6.
And a lot has to do with RAM, too. The iPhone 6 has only 1 GB of Ram. The iPad mini 4 has 2 GB.

I'm typing on a mini 4 right now. No lag as far as I can tell. You could buy the mini 4 at Apple and try it for 14 days.

I was unsure whether I would want the iPad Air 2 instead. The mini is just so portable and light weight, I won't part with it now. I love it.


I did just that...the problem is that it has rained here for the last five days with no end in sight until Monday so no flying for me. Will just have to use it to see how it performs. I completely forgot about the RAM bump...that alone could very well make it worthwhile.
 
I am, too. The Mini 4 (which just replaced a Mini 2) is for work/commuting (by train, not car). The Air 2 stays home for video/movies/TV.
Fair enough

Been tempted by mini 4 but due to having the 6S plus I could of thought wasn't worth it

So I use air 2 at home and take my air out with me to work when I can.
 
Had a mini 4 for a few days and returned it. Decided to keep the air2. I've always liked faster electronics and the gap between the a2 and mini4 was very noticeable to me. The speed the mini switches apps, scrolls, loading apps was slower than air 2 and reminded me of my 6 plus but without the safari tab reloading. My 6s plus feels just as fast as my air 2. The A9 really is what Apple should've put in the mini4. I guess they're just supply constrained or just being cheap and wants to continue milking us by putting the a9 in the mini5 and slapping the a10x in air 3.

PS I bolded the above as I realize not everyone is as sensitive to lag as much as me. In fact my wife 'downgraded' from a rMBP 13 to a base rMB for the form factor and she thinks it feels the 'same' as her previous Haswell rMBP 13 and to me the rMBP kills the rMB in performance.
 
Fair enough

Been tempted by mini 4 but due to having the 6S plus I could of thought wasn't worth it

So I use air 2 at home and take my air out with me to work when I can.

I think that's a fair point - the 6/6S Plus size seems fairly close to the Mini. Part of the reason I like using the Mini is that unlike the iPhone 6 I can manage my inbox in landscape format.
 
I am, too. The Mini 4 (which just replaced a Mini 2) is for work/commuting (by train, not car). The Air 2 stays home for video/movies/TV.

My usage too although I occasionally use the mini at home too just for convenience.
 
magbarn, "The speed the mini switches apps, scrolls, loading apps was slower than air 2"

Yours is the first report I've read of such a difference!

Were they set up the same way? Had spotlight finished its indexing? Had you closed out all background apps and done a hard restart before comparing?

We have an iPad Mini *2* and it launches apps and scrolls as quickly as our Air 2 does. Like you, I'm one of those sensitive to minor speed differences.

Appreciate your bolding "me" ("was very noticeable to me"), but I wonder if you've shortchanged yourself by skipping the Mini 4!

Truly, in deciding between a Mini and an Air (i.e. Mini 4 and Air 2) (or the Mini 2 vs Air 1), the key factor is size, not speed.
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Note: For sure, Apple's own discussion forums are NOT iPad friendly at all. As someone noted earlier, the font is too small and, while pinch-zooming resizes it, it scrolls the text off the screen. Rotate your i-device, and it can be bigger somewhat, but still not acceptable.

Bizarrely, ironically, and weirdly; why, oh, why, Apple, do you not ensure that your own support forum is perfectly suited to the iPads?!
 
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I have both the Air 2 and mini 4 and they both appear to be equally responsive to me. The mini 4 flies and apps open up quickly as does switching between them. There is no discernible difference between the two in this regard for me.
 
Bizarrely, ironically, and weirdly; why, oh, why, Apple, do you not ensure that your own support forum is perfectly suited to the iPads?!

My thoughts exactly!

Incidentally, I like smaller font for reading. Also. The Mini 4 has the upper hand in terms of pixel density.
Apple just needs to add the ability to increase and decrease font size within safari. The text size argument would become moot then.
 
magbarn, "The speed the mini switches apps, scrolls, loading apps was slower than air 2"

Yours is the first report I've read of such a difference!

Were they set up the same way? Had spotlight finished its indexing? Had you closed out all background apps and done a hard restart before comparing?

Yes, I've gave it several days to do this

We have an iPad Mini *2* and it launches apps and scrolls as quickly as our Air 2 does. Like you, I'm one of those sensitive to minor speed differences.

Did you upgrade your Mini 2 to 9.0.2? It's been a dog since I did that. If the Air 2 feels the same as a Mini 2 in iOS 9 to you then we'll just have to agree to disagree as the difference is huge

Appreciate your bolding "me" ("was very noticeable to me"), but I wonder if you've shortchanged yourself by skipping the Mini 4!

Truly, in deciding between a Mini and an Air (i.e. Mini 4 and Air 2) (or the Mini 2 vs Air 1), the key factor is size, not speed.

Yes, I agree, but since I already have a 6S Plus, the Mini 4 would've been just an extra device around the house. I'll just wait for BF for the upcoming crazy Air 2 deals...
----------------------------

Note: For sure, Apple's own discussion forums are NOT iPad friendly at all. As someone noted earlier, the font is too small and, while pinch-zooming resizes it, it scrolls the text off the screen. Rotate your i-device, and it can be bigger somewhat, but still not acceptable.

Bizarrely, ironically, and weirdly; why, oh, why, Apple, do you not ensure that your own support forum is perfectly suited to the iPads?!
 
Mini 2 vs. Air 2 are both using iOS 8.4.x. They won't be seeing iOS 9 until 9.1!

I wouldn't judge the speed of the Mini 4 vs. the Air 2 on the basis on how they're handling a very early release of iOS 9. They could be all sorts of reasons why the Mini 4 was being affected or even handles some part of the code base differently--plus, you didn't indicate whether you had

"1. closed out all background apps AND

2. done a hard restart before comparing"

You waited some days, that could take care of Spotlight, but doesn't take care of the other two!

Also, if a noticeable difference persisted, then a back up and restore on the Mini 4 would have been in order.

If there's no difference in app launching, scrolling, etc. between an A7 (Mini 2) and an A8X (Air 2) in speed, there shouldn't be any difference, once the dust settles, between the Mini 4 (A8) and Air 2 (A8X) as their CPU is even closer in specs and speed!
 
Mini 2 vs. Air 2 are both using iOS 8.4.x. They won't be seeing iOS 9 until 9.1!

I wouldn't judge the speed of the Mini 4 vs. the Air 2 on the basis on how they're handling a very early release of iOS 9. They could be all sorts of reasons why the Mini 4 was being affected or even handles some part of the code base differently--plus, you didn't indicate whether you had

"1. closed out all background apps AND

2. done a hard restart before comparing"

You waited some days, that could take care of Spotlight, but doesn't take care of the other two!

Also, if a noticeable difference persisted, then a back up and restore on the Mini 4 would have been in order.

If there's no difference in app launching, scrolling, etc. between an A7 (Mini 2) and an A8X (Air 2) in speed, there shouldn't be any difference, once the dust settles, between the Mini 4 (A8) and Air 2 (A8X) as their CPU is even closer in specs and speed!

You're making some serious assumptions there. If ios9 was so beta, then why is it only the Air2, out of the iOS devices sold last year, the only iOS device that doesn't take a serious hit in performance? My iPhone 6 plus along with Mini2/Air1 took serious hits compared to the tricore A8x on the Air 2. Before you comment further, take an Air 2 and mini 4, both running iOS 9 at the apple store and compare opening apps, the speed the keyboard pops up, screen redraws etc... The slide over speed between the two devices is also a bit noticeable. I noticed the differences in the Apple store and took home the Mini 4 to fully test drive it and see if I could see the difference too after all my apps were installed.
One could reason that the A7/A8 had just enough CPU/GPU power for iOS 8.4.1, but not enough for iOS 9.x and certainly the gap will be worse with iOS 10.

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but seeing how my 6S plus is basically on par with the Air 2 let's me know that in order for Apple's statements of performance on the release of the Mini 4 during the keynote in order to not be a lie would mean they should've used the A9 in the mini 4.

This has been Apple's MO for years with each IOS release. iOS devices that were previously fast suddenly become slower with the latest iteration. x.1 releases don't magically become faster either. Since the Mini 4 is starting with a slower CPU/GPU and iOS 9 is more complex than 8, the difference will become more noticeable as time goes by.
 
I own an aerial photography company and the iPad Air 2 performance-wise has been fantastic as a monitor. The issue in my case is the size. It's too big for the controller (balance feels off and overall weight is a factor). I picked up a Mini 4 today to test it but am concerned it won't perform like I need it to perform. I have used my iPhone 6 before and there was some slight lag (albeit not frequently) so is it safe to assume the Mini 4 will perform identically to the iPhone 6 in my case?
The mini 4 is more powerful than the iPhone 6 and has 2gb ram , iPhone 6 only 1gb
 
magbarn, you are the only person I've seen across the entire wild, wild web reporting that *only* the Air 2 can handle iOS 9 without taking a major performance hit. If that were really true, gobs of tech reviewers and users would be reporting it. We even have posters here reporting that their Mini 4’s handle iOS 9 as well as their Air 2’s do. OTOH, I’m willing to be proven wrong if you can link to leading reviewers who have concluded that!

You reported that you reached the conclusion based upon using an iOS 9 beta! But that’s hardly the proper comparison. While you didn’t respond, I assume you closed out background apps and restarted. Or, even better, that you tested your assertion on *fresh* installs of iOS 9, with none of your apps added back in. How do you know that there wasn’t something in your settings on the Mini 4 or an app you restored to it that hadn’t been upgraded properly and was crippling performance?

I like your idea, though, of comparing the Mini 4’s and Air 2’s performance with iOS 9 in the store! I will do that as I have been in the market for a 4. However, there are problems with such store comparisons, too. Lots of junk gets added; lots of apps get opened and not closed; different i-devices get different stuff put on them, even in store demo devices! Plus, certain settings get turned off by customers, including animations, etc. and those can make a difference.

So, one has to depend upon the reviewers and user reports. If you don't have links to reviewers who say it, perhaps you have links to threads where gobs of Mini 4 users are reporting gross slowdowns with iOS 9... that would be helpful to those of us considering the Mini 4.
 
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