iPad Air 2 vs iPad Mini 4?

[Cakefish]

iPad Air 2 128GB Gold (refurbished) = £479

iPad Air 2 64GB Space Grey (brand new) = £479

iPad Mini 4 64GB Space Grey (brand new) = £399

Prefer to have black bezels to white bezels, so Space Grey is my preferred colour over Gold. Not completely dismissing the refurbished deal though as 128GB is a lot!

Mini has a much higher PPI (324 vs 264). I'm used to high PPI, the device I currently have with the lowest PPI is my 15.6" laptop at 282PPI. The Air has lower pixel density despite the smaller display. The Air has a much more powerful SOC though (A8X vs A8). I'm noticing that the A7 on my brother's iPad Air has trouble running some of iOS 9's animations smoothly. Is the A8 sufficiently powerful for iOS 9 or is the A8X required for the truly smooth iOS experience?

TLDR -> Concerns about big iPad; additional £80 price tag and lower PPI. Concerns about little iPad; SOC power in relation to running the OS animations and screen real estate.

I plan to use it primarily for videos, web browsing, music, photos and maybe the odd game or two (though my NVIDIA GTX 980M powered laptop is more suited to gaming).

I'd be grateful if you could share any of your experiences with Air vs Mini form factor

 

[ACG12]

I have an Air 2 and and iPhone 6 plus. Get the Air 2 if you're looking for a long term tablet. The a8x is a beast and handles anything you throw at it.

 

[Ffosse]

I went with the 4 as it's a year newer.

 

[CEmajr]

I would get the mini 4

 

[BenTrovato]

They are totally different tablets IMO. The Air 2 is light enough to browse with... powerful processor, lets you watch video and browse in split screen. I would get the mini if you're looking for the smaller size for a particular reason. For what you described, I would probably go with Air 2 - 64gb new - unless you need the 128.

 

[Cakefish]

Well I've just spent half hour fiddling around with both in the store. Still undecided. I'm hopeless!

I love the big display on the Air 2, however I find the Mini 4 more comfortable to actually hold in the hand.

The Air 2 does seem to be a bit more smooth with the animations but even it bogs down here and there (I guess the generally accepted common knowledge that iOS is butter smooth 60fps all the time is a load of nonsense after all).

Damn, I haven't had a decision this though in a long while.

 

[iSheep5S]

I have multiple devices including a Surface 3 for size and variation i'm sorted. Also have a laptop... sig right there.

My advice without the variation for a tablet it would be the Air 2 no thoughts.

Your over thinking the PPI IMO. They are all MORE than acceptable.

 

[newellj]

Well I've just spent half hour fiddling around with both in the store. Still undecided. I'm hopeless!

I love the big display on the Air 2, however I find the Mini 4 more comfortable to actually hold in the hand.

The Air 2 does seem to be a bit more smooth with the animations but even it bogs down here and there (I guess the generally accepted common knowledge that iOS is butter smooth 60fps all the time is a load of nonsense after all).

Damn, I haven't had a decision this though in a long while.

It's hard to make that call (I have both), but given your priorities in your OP I'd guess you'll be a little happier with the Air 2. The Mini line is definitely easier to hold, but the hardware is distinctly slower than the Air 2.

 

[newellj]

I went with the 4 as it's a year newer.

You're aware that the hardware in the Mini 4 is slower than the Air 2, right? You bought a newer but slower product.

 

[ron7624]

I went with the Mini 4. It just fits my hands better, not to mention in my back pocket! And it's cheaper than the Air 2. I've got the 64gb data version and am connected, period. I love that.

 

[ron7624]

You're aware that the hardware in the Mini 4 is slower than the Air 2, right? You bought a newer but slower product.

It ain't that much slower and is certainly fast enough for use. You have to put them side by side to see it, and what does it matter if it's a fraction slower? It is very usable imo.

 

[asleep]

I plan to use it primarily for videos, web browsing, music, photos and maybe the odd game or two

Bigger is better for the above tasks, especially when sharing with others.

I plan to use it primarily for videos, web browsing, music, photos and maybe the odd game or two

Some people find the vibration transmitted throughout the body/screen on the Air 2 a deal-breaker. If you're resting your fingertips on the screen in a noisy game, for instance, it may make them tingle. Be sure to test for that yourself before buying.

Well I've just spent half hour fiddling around with both in the store. Still undecided. I'm hopeless!

Without the vibration issue I would be a happy Air 2 owner, never having experienced a Mini.

But I'm a new Mini 4 owner and it's really growing on me. The screen is fabulous. I'm not really a gamer, but I've recently been playing RR3 and it's perfect on the M4. Not sure if the standard size would feel a bit big for same, to me.

I'm not sure what I'll do when Air 3 arrives.

 

[Cakefish]

Cheers.

Refurbished are like brand new? Exactly like brand new?

 

[newellj]

It ain't that much slower and is certainly fast enough for use. You have to put them side by side to see it, and what does it matter if it's a fraction slower? It is very usable imo.

No quibble, just want to point out the idiocy of criticizing the Air 2 as "year old" or "outdated" when it is in fact slower hardware than "this year's" product intro. I have a Mini 4 and love it (see sig).

 

[newellj]

Cheers.

Refurbished are like brand new? Exactly like brand new?

No dents, dings, scratches, full return and warranty privileges, yes, assuming that's what you mean? The only slight PITA is that you have to order it and have it shipped, rather than getting it from the local Apple store. BTW, I would *not* buy an Apple refurb from anyone other than Apple - you have no idea what "refurbish" means to third parties.

 

[Ffosse]

No quibble, just want to point out the idiocy of criticizing the Air 2 as "year old" or "outdated" when it is in fact slower hardware than "this year's" product intro. I have a Mini 4 and love it (see sig).

Scarecly idiocy: the iPad Air 2 is indeed a year older. I wanted a smaller device which wasn't a year old (and the real possibility of having a year-old battery inside). Specs didn't come into it.

Loving my 64GB in Gold:

Here it is next to the crappy Nexus 9 (which I have now sold):

 

[newellj]

Scarecly idiocy: the iPad Air 2 is indeed a year older. I wanted a smaller device which wasn't a year old (and the real possibility of having a year-old battery inside). Specs didn't come into it.

Loving my 64GB in Gold:

Explain please how it's better to buy a product that although introduced later has slower hardware? Specs certainly come into it, unless you're excluding anything physically bigger than the Mini (in which case you're back to specs, but external rather than internal specs).

 

[Spankey]

I've been pondering this as I type in my Air 2. It's redundant but part of me loves the mini. The better ppi does make the screen a bit sexier. The form factor is sometimes more appealing as a reader and for traveling with. Seriously considering getting one.

 

[ron7624]

No quibble, just want to point out the idiocy of criticizing the Air 2 as "year old" or "outdated" when it is in fact slower hardware than "this year's" product intro. I have a Mini 4 and love it (see sig).

Well, the Air 2 was updated almost a full year before the Mini form factor was updated, so you could say it was a year old, but outdated is hogwash.
This is Macrumors. Some folks are here to enjoy the Apple content and others are here to nitpick and try to stir up emotions.
Just because the Air 2 got skipped over like the Mini did last year....
I don't know what could have been done. The iPad Pro has been in development since forever and now that it is finally being released, both of the little brothers are being held back a bit.
I can see myself buying an Air next year when it comes out with the Pro's guts but will keep using my Mini 4 as my daily driver because it just fits me.

 

[The Game 161]

just hope the next air gets 3D touch

 

[ron7624]

Yeah, me too. I cant imagine it being left off of the future releases.

 

[Cakefish]

It won't come to the Air lineup before the Pro.

 

[The Game 161]

It won't come to the Air lineup before the Pro.

don't know about that

the next air will be more new than the pro. If they don't add it then people will have no reason to upgrade

 

[ron7624]

That's what he's sayin. The next iPad Air imo is a year away and the Pro will be one year old then.

 

[Cakefish]

don't know about that

the next air will be more new than the pro. If they don't add it then people will have no reason to upgrade

And a feature like that would take the shininess away from the Pro line.

Name a time that the Mini line has got a feature before the Air line. OK, there was the revised design, but that's literally all there has been. Everything else has gone to the bigger iPad first.

Apple has to create a reason for people to bother spending more on the bigger, much more expensive Pro. It's in their interest to ensure that it stays the most advanced and fully featured of all the iPads.

So while it's entirely possible that Air 3 could recieve 3D Touch at the same time as Pro 2, I really doubt that it'd get that headline feature well in advance of the Pro lineup.