iPad mini Ipad Mini 3 vs Iphone 6

[rangers12]

We are looking to replace our kids Ipad minis gen 1, which are no longer able to play a number of the games they like. Have been thinking of getting unlocked Iphone 6's instead of the Ipad Mini 3, since they didn't bump the processor of the third generation. Still thinking of Ipad Air 2's, but they tend to like a smaller form factor for gaming. Has anyone else held off buying the third gen mini's due to the lack of processor upgrade?

(Side benefit is we could add phone service in a couple of years, when they actually need phones)

In short, curious what other people think the useful life of the Ipad mini 3gen is for playing the latest ios games.

 

[RossMak]

My son has the mini second gen, his seems fine, however he does not do anything that intensive on it if I am honest, but everything he does use runs really well on it.

The iPhone 6 is a potentially really expensive way of doing this £539 (UK prices sorry if your not UK based) for the 16gb vs £319 for the 16gb Mini, you could almost buy a Mini now and another when they release it for the price of the iPhone.

 

[Mivo]

(Side benefit is we could add phone service in a couple of years, when they actually need phones)

In a couple of years they might want a newer device, though, depending on their ages.

For high-end gaming on iOS devices, it's pretty much either the Air 2 or the iPhone 6 (Plus), but I feel it is a bit of an overkill to go with the phone. I'd definitely rule out the Mini 3 and only consider the 2, if you go that route (still plays a lot of games, except some of the latest and most power-hungry ones)

 

[deaglecat]

screen size difference is pretty big. mini has way more area than even the 6plus... the two devices are meant for different use cases

 

[Ledgem]

For high-end gaming on iOS devices, it's pretty much either the Air 2 or the iPhone 6 (Plus), but I feel it is a bit of an overkill to go with the phone.

If you had to choose an iPhone, the iPhone 6 is better than the iPhone 6 Plus. Benchmarks have shown that the 6 Plus has inferior performance in graphical tests not only to the iPhone 6, but to the iPhone 5S (reference, scroll down to the GFXBench test). The test results indicate that this is because the higher resolution on the iPhone 6 Plus puts a greater demand on the graphics which, while improved over the iPhone 5S, aren't so vastly improved that they still provide better performance.

rangers12, my advice would depend on how long "a couple of years" is in terms of adding phone service. If it's going to be more than two or three years, then save money and get the iPads. My guess is that you'll find yourself needing to upgrade again after that period of time regardless of which devices you choose. I'd also suggest getting the iPad mini 2 over the iPad mini 3, unless the storage size you wanted makes the prices minimal (it costs $200 extra to get a 64 GB Mini 2, but $100 extra to get a 64 GB Mini 3) and/or there's some pressing need for TouchID.

For what it's worth, I have a Mini 2 and held off on getting a Mini 3 due to the lack of a processor upgrade. It's a work device and I really wanted TouchID, but couldn't justify it over that alone. It's obviously not as "future proof" as the iPad Air 2, but it's still a strong performer.

 

[ventuss]

You should buy the iPad Air 2 that has a GPU up to 2.5x faster than Air and Mini 2/3, actually it's pretty on par with the iPhone 6 with the huge resolution bump. The Mini 2/3 is good enough and will run anything with great performance, but the Air 2 would save you money two years from now if gaming is the main reason you are after a new iPad.

I play all kind of games and what I do like the mini is its size when it comes to games like Modern Combat 5 and X-men. Buttons on Air are too big, so it gets unconfortable when playing some games.

I think if your kids are going to use the iPad as a main devide for browing the web or playing strategy or adventure games like Civilization, XCOM and broken Sword 5, the Air is the way to go. if action and plataform games are their focus, the Mini 2/3 is going to offer more confort and grip.

 

[CEmajr]

Get the iPad Mini 2 for them instead of the 3. The only difference between them is the Touch ID. They have the same processor.