Ipad Mini 4 or the new 9.7 iPad

[freddisier]

My iPad 3 has been insanely slow recently. The only thing I do is just reading some magazines but it's just so slow and barely responsive so I'm thinking of getting a new one. I was going to get the mini 4 because of portability, and similar specs to ipad air 2 (maybe a bit slower). But now that the new ipad is coming out with supposedly more powerful specs (A9X, 4gb ram, etc...) which makes me hesitant.

I've been losing sleep over this. Should I buy now or should I wait? Literally a first world problem, I know .

mini 4:
pros: can buy now, cheaper, portability
cons: supposedly inferior specs so probably won't last as long, smaller screen so probably not as good for reading magazines and ebooks

and the opposite for the pro 9.7

if I get the mini 4, would it end up like my iPad 3? unusable after just 3 years? This is what I worry about the most.

 

[maflynn]

Sounds like you're making too many compromises with the Mini and you'll regret it as soon as March 21's rolls around. I think you'll be better off waiting, your patience will be rewarded

 

[sjleworthy]

go Pro

 

[Simche]

Do you really experience that much trouble with iPad mini 3? We have the iPad mini 2 and it flies compared to iPad 2... It seldom lags or hangs, it loads stuff so much quicker. I guess the new iPad 9.7 is the way to go for you buddy

 

[MagicHAM]

Ipad Minis are quite fast (except for the 1st Generation) , I'd say wait and decide whether the new iPad may be better, or you can always go Ho-Pro like the rest of us!

I was the same when I upgraded to the Pro from the iPad Air 2, (which evidently i got the month or before the pro came out) - Don't worry i sold the Air 2 for a decent price back to my surplus LOL. And the Pro is the best thing I ever bought.

However whatever turns you on and what you are feeling but I would wait if you can and see what the new iPad brings. Either way you are in a tough spot!

 

[txa1265]

I had an iPad Air 2 for a year but couldn't resist the siren song of the Pro and grabbed that with the keyboard when it came out. I actually regretted that in some ways - frankly just too big for my day to day use (loved it for watching movies, though!). Well, it got stolen out of my car in late January when we were visiting my son at college in NYC ... and I ended up getting an iPad Mini 4 (LTE) with a Zagg keyboard case.

And I love it - I was never happy with the 1st gen Mini, but the power of the Mini4 is really satisfying.

However, if I was buying NOW I would wait two weeks to see what is going to happen. I honestly feel that the 9.7" format is perfect for the iPad, and am hoping that the next iPad release also brings a smart keyboard cover similar to the one for the Pro (which I loved aside from the bizarre folding action).

Either way you get a great piece of hardware ... but if you are not in a serious rush - wait.

 

[The Game 161]

Depends on the size you want really. New iPad will likely have Apple pencil and for a lot is a big plus

 

[freddisier]

Do you really experience that much trouble with iPad mini 3? We have the iPad mini 2 and it flies compared to iPad 2... It seldom lags or hangs, it loads stuff so much quicker. I guess the new iPad 9.7 is the way to go for you buddy

I mainly just use it to read magazines now, on an app called Texture (yes I'm a mag addict). The responsiveness is just really pathetic, it lags and lags and takes forever to render a page. Well I might have exaggerated a bit but it's really annoying.
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I had an iPad Air 2 for a year but couldn't resist the siren song of the Pro and grabbed that with the keyboard when it came out. I actually regretted that in some ways - frankly just too big for my day to day use (loved it for watching movies, though!). Well, it got stolen out of my car in late January when we were visiting my son at college in NYC ... and I ended up getting an iPad Mini 4 (LTE) with a Zagg keyboard case.

And I love it - I was never happy with the 1st gen Mini, but the power of the Mini4 is really satisfying.

However, if I was buying NOW I would wait two weeks to see what is going to happen. I honestly feel that the 9.7" format is perfect for the iPad, and am hoping that the next iPad release also brings a smart keyboard cover similar to the one for the Pro (which I loved aside from the bizarre folding action).

Either way you get a great piece of hardware ... but if you are not in a serious rush - wait.

Thanks for the advice . I think I really should just suck it up and wait for another week.

 

[joeblow7777]

Do you really experience that much trouble with iPad mini 3? We have the iPad mini 2 and it flies compared to iPad 2... It seldom lags or hangs, it loads stuff so much quicker. I guess the new iPad 9.7 is the way to go for you buddy

If I'm not mistaken, he said he has an iPad 3, not an iPad MINI 3. World of difference, considering that the Mini 3 has the internals of an Air, which is a couple of generations ahead of the iPad 3.

Anyway, my advice to the OP would be to wait and see what the expected March 21st announcement brings. The next iPad may not be for you, but it's always better to know all your options.

I can tell you that the Mini 4 is quite a good tablet though, but I also think that getting 3 good years out of a tablet is not bad at all, so I personally wouldn't be disappointed by it feeling slow after "just" 3 years.

 

[Night Spring]

I mainly just use it to read magazines now, on an app called Texture (yes I'm a mag addict). The responsiveness is just really pathetic, it lags and lags and takes forever to render a page. Well I might have exaggerated a bit but it's really annoying.

Is that one of those apps that has magazines in jpg or PDF? I was wondering why you'd say iPad 3 lags badly, my partner's iPad 3 is still really fast and usable. I think it helps that he kept it on iOS 6.

If you like reading magazines in that format, then I'd stick with at least the 9.7 format, on a mini they may get too small to read comfortably. Also, if you plan to keep an iPad more than two years, don't upgrade the OS past the second year. So if you buy now, don't update past iOS 11.

 

[TrueBlou]

I say wait until the new Air, or Pro 9.7 is announced.

If you can afford it then the bigger screen is vastly superior for reading anything, or doing anything for that matter. I've been through every iPad released from the first to the Pro and I always prefer the bigger screen, hence moving to the Pro.

Of course it's also a very personal preference, my wife has an iPad Mini 4 and she wouldn't trade it for any other. She just doesn't like using the bigger ones at all.

 

[bevsb2]

Wait - it's not that long. I have the mini4 and air2 and while the mini is great, especially for portability, when I'm home I always use the Air. The larger screen is just so much better for everything in my opinion. I really don't notice any difference in speed or performance between the two, but then I'm not a gamer.

 

[Channan]

Depends on the size you want really.

Exactly this. The next 9.7" iPad is going to be better than the iPad mini 4, but that doesn't matter one bit if you want a mini iPad.

 

[iluvgadgets]

I say wait. I have an iPad 3 too, mine is ok, but it does shut down on apps quite often. I have an iPad mini, it's a good size for reading ebooks. Since the next new iPad is coming out in a few days, may as well wait and see what's coming, and older iPad may drop in price a little too .

 

[Badrottie]

Can you wait until October? Who knows Apple will release a Mini Pro?

 

[Simche]

Exactly this. The next 9.7" iPad is going to be better than the iPad mini 4, but that doesn't matter one bit if you want a mini iPad.

I miss-read sorry. iPad 3 is really slow and yes iPad mini 4/Air 3 (pro mini?) will be a significant update for him regardless.

 

[mrklaw]

performance on the mini 4 will be fine for a few years - your ipad 3 is a really bad example to use for ipads getting slow - it was slow when it was new (I know, I have the pain of upgrading to it and then the 4 coming out 6 months later...)

The mini 4 is roughly similar to the ipad air 2 and I think that spec will be a baseline for years, like the venerable ipad 2/ipad mini was. You'll be fine.

So first, pick the size you want - yes the mini will be more portable if you take it around everywhere with you. But the 9.7" will be much nicer to read magazines on, and if you have a bag its basically just as portable.

Next, choose your spec. If you go for the mini, thats easy - mini 4. If you go for the 9.7", then I'd choose purely on price. If you can afford to stretch to the new ipad 9.7" pro, then I'd get that just for a bit more futureproofing. If not, then get the ipad air 2, but when the new model comes out so it'll move down a price tier (hopefully). You can also look at the Apple refurb store as they often have the 'outgoing' model at a discount when they transition to a new one.