iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 4

[Saturn007]

Oh, and x.1 releases have been, almost consistently, better, faster, and more efficient than x.0 releases! So, let's see what happens when 9.1 comes out, too.

 

[magbarn]

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.

Not saying the Mini 4 was a dog, but it does not feel as fast as my 6S+ or my Air 2. Which to me is still deceptive as Apple claims the Mini 4 is just as good as the Air 2 (which many of us assumed would be same as the Mini2/Air1 when they were both released), that the Mini 4 is missing a CPU core and a couple of GPU cores compared to the Air 2 whilst powering the SAME amount of pixels as the Air2. Considering that Apple has restricted 4K editing on their iOS iMovie to the 6S,Air 2, and iPad Pro ONLY (and has left out curiously the brand new A8 powered Mini 4) let's me know Apple knows this too.

 

[AppleMan2015]

So I gave my ipad air away a while back in place for an iphone 6 plus and i want to get back in the ipad game. Now that the mini 4 is finally on par with the regular air, which should I get? My two concerns are:

1. Is the ipad mini 4 too small?
2. Do apps that run on the ipad mini run exactly the same as the iPad Air? Or do they have sizing issues?

I've owned both and I prefer my iPad Air 2 for the performance, which is slightly better than the mini 4. BUT the mini 4 is amazing and really portable. The cover in the mini 4 is also annoying compared to the Air 2.

 

[kazmac]

Color gamut....something almost no one cares about when they by an iPad. if they are close, its good to go.

Now that the gamut has been corrected, you're right. Prior to the Mini 4 though, it was awful.

And to answer the OP's question, that call is really up to you. I enjoy the portability of the Mini and am using it all around the house and on my commute.

 

[zamboni52]

I bought the Air 2 during the Staples sale (128gb wifi for $549 - 5% redcard)...Target price matched; to go with my iPhone 6s Plus and 2015 MacBook Air. I feel this combination works for almost all of my use cases. I thought about the Mini4 but the size is just slightly bigger than my iPhone. I figured the Air 2 would bridge the gap between my MacBook Air and iPhone. Just wish the MacBook Air was retina. I usually end up carrying both my iPhone and Air 2 around the house.

 

[JerTheGeek]

I bought the Air 2 during the Staples sale (128gb wifi for $549 - 5% redcard)...Target price matched; to go with my iPhone 6s Plus and 2015 MacBook Air. I feel this combination works for almost all of my use cases. I thought about the Mini4 but the size is just slightly bigger than my iPhone. I figured the Air 2 would bridge the gap between my MacBook Air and iPhone. Just wish the MacBook Air was retina. I usually end up carrying both my iPhone and Air 2 around the house.

I have the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 1; I'm thinking of getting the mini 4 cause of the smaller weight.

 

[magbarn]

Anandtech's Mini 4 review is up! http://www.anandtech.com/show/9724/the-apple-ipad-mini-4-review/2

Looks like I wasn't imagining the differences in speed (seems to be more of a lack of GPU on the Mini4 vs Air2)

In single core tests it's pretty even with the Air 2 - which is to be expected
In multi core and in GPU tests, the Air 2 is definitely a class above the Mini 4 and should be more 'future proof' - kinda sad that it's a year older too...

 

[Wackery]

I never did end up buying either