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iPad Mini 2 - Worth it in 2016?

Best Buy currently has the 32GB iPad Mini 2 on sale for $219.

I've been looking to get a Mini to supplement my 128GB 12.9 iPP. I was hoping that Apple would've announced a Mini Pro in Oct (which obviously didn't happen). That left me with the Mini 4. But the Mini 4 is $399. That's a bit too much, IMO for a "supplemental" device.

My purpose for getting a Mini would be for reading, surfing, and leisurely games like Candy Crush for those times when the 12.9 iPP is unfeasible to use because of its size (like on a plane).

I don't need the fast, buttery smooth, performance like the Mini 4, Air 2, or 12.9 iPP... just something that works well enough to not be a stuttering mess.

For those who still use a Mini 2 with the latest iOS, how well does it perform?
 
sracer said:
Best Buy currently has the 32GB iPad Mini 2 on sale for $219.

I've been looking to get a Mini to supplement my 128GB 12.9 iPP. I was hoping that Apple would've announced a Mini Pro in Oct (which obviously didn't happen). That left me with the Mini 4. But the Mini 4 is $399. That's a bit too much, IMO for a "supplemental" device.

My purpose for getting a Mini would be for reading, surfing, and leisurely games like Candy Crush for those times when the 12.9 iPP is unfeasible to use because of its size (like on a plane).

I don't need the fast, buttery smooth, performance like the Mini 4, Air 2, or 12.9 iPP... just something that works well enough to not be a stuttering mess.

For those who still use a Mini 2 with the latest iOS, how well does it perform?
Click to expand...
I find it disappointingly sluggish under ios10, especially browsing, and occasional freezes on some apps. In fact, am looking to get refurb mini4 but still not quite sure due to cost.

The mini2 works well enough for reading, not sure about games though. It was much much faster under iOS 7 and 8, but is still a good iPad if not the pro we would like (with optional mini pencil) ;)
 
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sracer said:
Best Buy currently has the 32GB iPad Mini 2 on sale for $219.

I've been looking to get a Mini to supplement my 128GB 12.9 iPP. I was hoping that Apple would've announced a Mini Pro in Oct (which obviously didn't happen). That left me with the Mini 4. But the Mini 4 is $399. That's a bit too much, IMO for a "supplemental" device.

My purpose for getting a Mini would be for reading, surfing, and leisurely games like Candy Crush for those times when the 12.9 iPP is unfeasible to use because of its size (like on a plane).

I don't need the fast, buttery smooth, performance like the Mini 4, Air 2, or 12.9 iPP... just something that works well enough to not be a stuttering mess.

For those who still use a Mini 2 with the latest iOS, how well does it perform?
Click to expand...
Wait for a sale on the iPad mini 4. I would strongly advise against buying any iOS device with less than 2GB of RAM at the moment.

neteng101 said:
That's disappointing - I thought the mini 2 benchmarked not that far behind the mini 4. The 4 does have 2GB so there should be less swapping/restarting of apps but if the mini 2 is feeling sluggish, I wonder how much life is left in the 4. Its 1 core down from an Air 2.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/0...ce-preview-a-1-5ghz-apple-a8-with-2gb-of-ram/
Click to expand...
The iPad mini 4 is fine. The iPad mini 2's bottleneck is the RAM. Even though the iPad mini 4's processor isn't significantly faster than the iPad mini 2's, that extra GB of RAM makes an extraordinary difference in performance.
 
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For what it's worth I have an iPad Mini 2 that I bought around the time it came out. Going from iOS 8 to 9 you could tell that it was having performance issues. Slight lag here and there that wasn't noticeable before. For that reason I haven't upgraded to iOS 10 yet, because I know it will do the same.

I'd spring for a newer model if I were you. As mentioned by others, the RAM is a real bottle neck in the performance.
 
Channan said:
Wait for a sale on the iPad mini 4. I would strongly advise against buying any iOS device with less than 2GB of RAM at the moment.


The iPad mini 4 is fine. The iPad mini 2's bottleneck is the RAM. Even though the iPad mini 4's processor isn't significantly faster than the iPad mini 2's, that extra GB of RAM makes an extraordinary difference in performance.
Click to expand...
That is the conclusion that I've come to as well. (it's always good to take one's own advice. :))

I'm in no rush for a Mini (but definitely need to get one before the next flight I take)... I can wait for a sale on the 4.
 
It's no secret that by now, w/the exception of the most strapped for cash buyers...you should be buying a 2gb RAM device to get the most out of your dollars.

With periodic sales (at least here in the US), it just requires a little bit of waiting. Heading into the holidays now...it won't be long to wait.
 
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