iPad Mini 2 or Mini 4?

[OW22]

Hey all, I'm currently an Android user, thought I was Apple from a long time back with the iPhone 1, 3GS and then 4S and also the 1st Gen iPad. I use an iMac 27in as my main pc.

I went across to Android about 4 years ago as I felt iPhones had just got stale. But now, I'm coming back. I have a Samsung Note 3 and I want to move from the Phablet and go with the iPhone 6S and an iPad mini.

To get to the point, is there a real benefit of the Mini 4 over the Mini 2? I want a small tablet as I travel a lot and the mini will come with me on flights etc to watch movies, read books and browse. The Mini 2 is currently €100 cheaper than the Mini 4 and I could get a higher capacity Mini 2 and still end up a lot cheaper than the Mini 4.

The thing putting me off the Mini 2 is that it's getting old now and the Mini 4 has the extra RAM with a better display and Touch ID.

 

[sonicrobby]

With the new iPads getting more and more ram, and improved processors, developers will start upgrading their apps to utilize more of the hardware. If you're looking for something to last you a good few years, I'd highly recommend getting the mini 4.

 

[OW22]

With the new iPads getting more and more ram, and improved processors, developers will start upgrading their apps to utilize more of the hardware. If you're looking for something to last you a good few years, I'd highly recommend getting the mini 4.

That's the answer I was fearing!

 

[Capt T]

If you can afford it get the mini 4. Then you can utilize the latest features in OS9.

 

[sonicrobby]

That's the answer I was fearing!

I'm very hesitant buying old devices for this reason. They will last! But may not perform as well as the new ones. But my mentality is also one of having the newer technologies, so it bothers me when things don't perform as I expect. Some people don't mind it though.

 

[ZBoater]

Mini 4 FTW.

 

[joeblow7777]

I think that the Mini 2 is still a very capable tablet, but I think it's a better investment to spend a bit more on the device that will remain up to date longer. Also, in addition to the faster processor and double the RAM, the Mini 4 is thinner, lighter, and has a better display.

 

[OW22]

Thanks guys, I think it all makes sense. Mini 4 it will be!

 

[dazz87]

199 for the 2 and only 100 bucks more for the 4...with a better screen extra GB of Ram and touch id....No brainer.

 

[Channan]

Definitely go for the iPad mini 4 if you can. The RAM alone makes the iPad mini 4 a better buy, but you also get a faster processor, a thinner and lighter tablet, better cameras with burst mode and slo-mo, Touch ID, ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and a barometer. I know a few of those things don't really matter. I was just listing all of the differences I could find.

 

[joeblow7777]

Definitely go for the iPad mini 4 if you can. The RAM alone makes the iPad mini 4 a better buy, but you also get a faster processor, a thinner a lighter tablet, better cameras with burst mode and slo-mo, Touch ID, ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and a barometer. I know a few of those things don't really matter. I was just listing all of the differences I could find.

That's right, I forgot about the better camera too. Although taking pics and recording video on a tablet is a bit taboo, it's a nice feature to have in a pinch.

 

[Channan]

That's right, I forgot about the better camera too. Although taking pics and recording video on a tablet is a bit taboo, it's a nice feature to have in a pinch.

IDGAF about what other people think. If I'm using my iPad and I need to take a picture, I'm not going to set my iPad down and pull my phone out to take the pic, especially if I want the picture on my iPad. When I see other people taking pictures with an iPad, I don't judge them.

Also, it's less of an issue on the iPad mini, because it's much smaller than the other iPads.

 

[masotime]

especially if I want the picture on my iPad.

Photos taken on the iPhone will be visible on the photo stream on your iPad. In addition, if you want to see it immediately, you can just AirDrop it over, it's pretty fast and painless.

If your iPhone is newer than your iPad, it'll generally take much better photos. Use whatever is most convenient at the point of time of course, but e.g. When I have my mirrorless with me I'll opt to use it over my iPhone 6S if it's not significantly more inconvenient.

 

[joeblow7777]

IDGAF about what other people think. If I'm using my iPad and I need to take a picture, I'm not going to set my iPad down and pull my phone out to take the pic, especially if I want the picture on my iPad. When I see other people taking pictures with an iPad, I don't judge them.

Also, it's less of an issue on the iPad mini, because it's much smaller than the other iPads.

It's not just about what others think so much as the fact that taking pictures of events on a tablet often hinders other people's view, but you're right that this is less of an issue with small tablets like the Mini. Also, photostream makes it so that any picture taken on your iPhone will be immediately available on your iPad and vice versa. It's actually one of my favourite perks of having switched from an Android tablet to an iPad.

 

[Channan]

Photos taken on the iPhone will be visible on the photo stream on your iPad. In addition, if you want to see it immediately, you can just AirDrop it over, it's pretty fast and painless.

If your iPhone is newer than your iPad, it'll generally take much better photos. Use whatever is most convenient at the point of time of course, but e.g. When I have my mirrorless with me I'll opt to use it over my iPhone 6S if it's not significantly more inconvenient.

I have Photo Stream turned off. That also uses data if you're on a limited plan, whereas taking the pics directly on the iPad uses none. I already addressed sending the pictures to myself. It's an additional, unnecessary step just to not look stupid around a bunch of strangers.

None of that even matters though, because I have an Android phone. But even if I had an iPhone (technically I do; I just use it on Wi-Fi at home) I still wouldn't put my iPad down to pull out my phone and take a picture unless I absolutely needed the best quality possible.

It's not just about what others think so much as the fact that taking pictures of events on a tablet often hinders other people's view, but you're right that this is less of an issue with small tablets like the Mini. Also, photostream makes it so that any picture taken on your iPhone will be immediately available on your iPad and vice versa. It's actually one of my favourite perks of having switched from an Android tablet to an iPad.

If I'm so close to a group of people that my tablet is entirely blocking their view, I probably won't even have my iPad on me. Someone who brings a tablet to a concert to take videos is an ***hole. But if I partially block someone's view for two seconds while I take a quick picture of something, they'll get over it. My phone would block some of their view as well, and no one complains about that.

And like I said above, I don't have Photo Stream turned on and I have an Android phone, so it wouldn't benefit me anyway.

 

[masotime]

I have Photo Stream turned off. That also uses data if you're on a limited plan, whereas taking the pics directly on the iPad uses none. I already addressed sending the pictures to myself. It's an additional, unnecessary step just to not look stupid around a bunch of strangers.

It has nothing to do with looking stupid, but with taking photos with the best possible quality. Still, convenience is the most important factor (unless you're a professional) since you use an Android phone the inconvenience of interoperability is considerable so it makes sense.

EDIT: It also looks like Photo Stream only works when Wifi is on, so cellular data use is not an issue.

What Android phone do you use?

 

[Channan]

It has nothing to do with looking stupid, but with taking photos with the best possible quality. Still, convenience is the most important factor (unless you're a professional) since you use an Android phone the inconvenience of interoperability is considerable so it makes sense.

EDIT: It also looks like Photo Stream only works when Wifi is on, so cellular data use is not an issue.

What Android phone do you use?

Any time someone talks about using an iPad for taking pictures, they say you look stupid taking pictures with a tablet.

As far as photo quality is concerned, the majority of the time the iPad will take pictures that are either as good as the iPhone could take in the same conditions, or at least good enough for what you need the picture for. If I need the best possible quality, especially if I need to zoom into the picture a lot, then yeah I'll put my iPad down and take a picture with my phone. Otherwise, my iPad's camera is still really good and takes good enough pictures 99% of the time.

And I have the Moto X 2015.

 

[joeblow7777]

I have Photo Stream turned off. That also uses data if you're on a limited plan, whereas taking the pics directly on the iPad uses none. I already addressed sending the pictures to myself. It's an additional, unnecessary step just to not look stupid around a bunch of strangers.

None of that even matters though, because I have an Android phone. But even if I had an iPhone (technically I do; I just use it on Wi-Fi at home) I still wouldn't put my iPad down to pull out my phone and take a picture unless I absolutely needed the best quality possible.


If I'm so close to a group of people that my tablet is entirely blocking their view, I probably won't even have my iPad on me. Someone who brings a tablet to a concert to take videos is an ***hole. But if I partially block someone's view for two seconds while I take a quick picture of something, they'll get over it. My phone would block some of their view as well, and no one complains about that.

And like I said above, I don't have Photo Stream turned on and I have an Android phone, so it wouldn't benefit me anyway.

Actually, photostream only shares when the devices are both connected to the same wifi network so it won't use up data. You may be thinking of iCloud photo sharing. But you're right that photostream won't do you any good with an Android phone.

 

[MPclk2006]

Hey all, I'm currently an Android user, thought I was Apple from a long time back with the iPhone 1, 3GS and then 4S and also the 1st Gen iPad. I use an iMac 27in as my main pc.

I went across to Android about 4 years ago as I felt iPhones had just got stale. But now, I'm coming back. I have a Samsung Note 3 and I want to move from the Phablet and go with the iPhone 6S and an iPad mini.

To get to the point, is there a real benefit of the Mini 4 over the Mini 2? I want a small tablet as I travel a lot and the mini will come with me on flights etc to watch movies, read books and browse. The Mini 2 is currently €100 cheaper than the Mini 4 and I could get a higher capacity Mini 2 and still end up a lot cheaper than the Mini 4.

The thing putting me off the Mini 2 is that it's getting old now and the Mini 4 has the extra RAM with a better display and Touch ID.

I just upgraded from an Ipad mini to the Ipad mini 3, I usually do a lot of research but this was a Bestbuy Flash sale so I just jumped on it. After, I researched and found the 3 was not liked much due to the fact that it was not much of an upgrade from 2 to 3, but to me it has been. I went from an Ipad mini 16GB to an Ipad mini 3 128GB ($375 with tax)...I say go for the 4.

 

[Channan]

Actually, photostream only shares when the devices are both connected to the same wifi network so it won't use up data. You may be thinking of iCloud photo sharing. But you're right that photostream won't do you any good with an Android phone.

No, I'm thinking of Photo Stream. I just haven't used it in so long that I don't remember the limitations. But having to be on Wi-Fi makes it an even less worse option, because you can't use it everywhere.

 

[OW22]

I'm assuming the baseline 16GB is no good and you have to get the 64GB?

 

[NavySEAL6]

Hey all, I'm currently an Android user, thought I was Apple from a long time back with the iPhone 1, 3GS and then 4S and also the 1st Gen iPad. I use an iMac 27in as my main pc.

I went across to Android about 4 years ago as I felt iPhones had just got stale. But now, I'm coming back. I have a Samsung Note 3 and I want to move from the Phablet and go with the iPhone 6S and an iPad mini.

To get to the point, is there a real benefit of the Mini 4 over the Mini 2? I want a small tablet as I travel a lot and the mini will come with me on flights etc to watch movies, read books and browse. The Mini 2 is currently €100 cheaper than the Mini 4 and I could get a higher capacity Mini 2 and still end up a lot cheaper than the Mini 4.

The thing putting me off the Mini 2 is that it's getting old now and the Mini 4 has the extra RAM with a better display and Touch ID.

I'm assuming the baseline 16GB is no good and you have to get the 64GB?

You should get the mini 4, unless you can get the 2 super cheap, then upgrade to the 5 when it comes out. For longevity, definitely the 4.

Definitely get more than 16GB on an iPad. If you want to watch movies, some downloads are 2-4GB for HD.

 

[joeblow7777]

I'm assuming the baseline 16GB is no good and you have to get the 64GB?

It's up to you how much storage you need, but be aware that the 16GB model actually comes with about 12GB of available storage, and some larger apps can be over 1GB each, and a single movie could be 4-5GB, so no, 16 GB isn't sufficient for most people unless you don't plan to store anything locally.

 

[caoimhin]

I'm assuming the baseline 16GB is no good and you have to get the 64GB?

Not necessarily. Consider how much of your content is streamed. I have the 16GB Mini 4. I stream most of the non-text content through Spotify, Podcasts, or Netflix. My iPhone houses the offline content (audiobooks, and the like).

I was in a similar position to you a few weeks ago (also live in Dublin). The CompuB shop at Dundrum was selling the Mini 4 16GB for €409, and the Mini 2 32GB for €359. For the reasons the others have pointed out, I went for the 4. TouchID is a nice convenience. The laminated screen looks a bit nicer. And I "feel" better with he spec bumps in processor speed and RAM.

 

[OW22]

Not necessarily. Consider how much of your content is streamed. I have the 16GB Mini 4. I stream most of the non-text content through Spotify, Podcasts, or Netflix. My iPhone houses the offline content (audiobooks, and the like).

I was in a similar position to you a few weeks ago (also live in Dublin). The CompuB shop at Dundrum was selling the Mini 4 16GB for €409, and the Mini 2 32GB for €359. For the reasons the others have pointed out, I went for the 4. TouchID is a nice convenience. The laminated screen looks a bit nicer. And I "feel" better with he spec bumps in processor speed and RAM.

Problem for me is this will be a real travel device. For the hours spent in the airports and aircraft trying not to go stir crazy. So I have a lot of Spotify playlists set to offline and I'll want to download a good few movies.

I wonder how many of the non-Irish folks here could pronounce your name properly?!