iPad mini Mini 6 should I have opted for cellular

[Hallstar]

Has anyone with a Mini 6 WIFI found themselves wishing they opted for a cellular model?

I didn’t choose to from the outset, believing I would mostly use the Mini 6 at home, but I am finding it is with me more and more now, especially on long car journeys for work.

Automatic tethering works well, but having run speedtests from iPhone and then Mini 6 tethered through iPhone (ensuring the same test server) I am confident the data connection/speeds are throttled.

I’m tempted now to sell my base model and purchase a cellular (with 256gb over my current 64gb).

Aside from GPS and direct connection, are there any other benefits to cellular model?

Has anyone found themselves in same or similar position?

 

[Shirasaki]

If the "always connected" nature of having a cellular model isn't appealing enough for you, nothing else of the cellular model will. There is virtually no feature differences between cellular and wifi model aside from the difference you mention in the OP.

 

[Chaparral02]

The only thing that really puts me off buying the cellular model is that i would then need to pay between £25 (50GB) to £32 (100GB) per month for a data sim

Both my 2021 12.9 pro & 2021 11" pro ipads are the cellular models but i no have a sim for either of them

 

[rovex]

The only thing that really puts me off buying the cellular model is that i would then need to pay between £25 (50GB) to £32 (100GB) per month for a data sim

Both my 2021 12.9 pro & 2021 11" pro ipads are the cellular models but i no have a sim for either of them

Which is why the Cellular Mini comes into its own when travelling. Data plans in Eastern Europe are dirt cheap, I can run two sims for the phone and tablet and still cost less than a single contract with a UK provider.

 

[ericwn]

Has anyone with a Mini 6 WIFI found themselves wishing they opted for a cellular model?

I didn’t choose to from the outset, believing I would mostly use the Mini 6 at home, but I am finding it is with me more and more now, especially on long car journeys for work.

Automatic tethering works well, but having run speedtests from iPhone and then Mini 6 tethered through iPhone (ensuring the same test server) I am confident the data connection/speeds are throttled.

I’m tempted now to sell my base model and purchase a cellular (with 256gb over my current 64gb).

Aside from GPS and direct connection, are there any other benefits to cellular model?

Has anyone found themselves in same or similar position?

If you feel you need it, by all means go for it.
As you’re probably aware, the topic has been discussed a lot and browsing the iPad board will reconfirm the pros and cons of the cellular option.

Life is short, get the stuff you like.

 

[beerseagulls]

Has anyone with a Mini 6 WIFI found themselves wishing they opted for a cellular model?

I didn’t choose to from the outset, believing I would mostly use the Mini 6 at home, but I am finding it is with me more and more now, especially on long car journeys for work.

Automatic tethering works well, but having run speedtests from iPhone and then Mini 6 tethered through iPhone (ensuring the same test server) I am confident the data connection/speeds are throttled.

I’m tempted now to sell my base model and purchase a cellular (with 256gb over my current 64gb).

Aside from GPS and direct connection, are there any other benefits to cellular model?

Has anyone found themselves in same or similar position?

interesting... just 2 minutes ago, I literally just started a post asking a somewhat similar question:

just realized that I ordered the wrong iPad Mini 6(64gb instead of 256gb)... but to change my order now means I won't get one until January 2022... :(

A few weeks ago, I placed an order on Apple's website for the iPad Mini 6 with cellular data. It was totally my fault for ordering the wrong storage capacity that I actually wanted. I didn't noticed until this morning that my order was for the iPad Mini 6 64gb wifi & cellular data. Expected...

forums.macrumors.com

as for having cellular data on the ipad Mini 6, I highly recommend it. So much easier than using phones or portable hotspots.(or looking for public wifi while out and about)

I'm waiting for mine to arrive next week. However, I already tried one last month. I used my Google Fi data-only SIM card in the iPad Mini 6. With Google Fi, there's no monthly fee. They only charge based on the amount of data used. (somewhat steep at $10 per GB, but my usage is extremely light and only use it whenever the need arises)

If you can still exchange it, I say go for it.

 

[Frankras]

I always buy WiFi iPads but with my mini 5 I really wish I got the cellular version instead of WiFi only.

 

[Hallstar]

The only thing that really puts me off buying the cellular model is that i would then need to pay between £25 (50GB) to £32 (100GB) per month for a data sim

Both my 2021 12.9 pro & 2021 11" pro ipads are the cellular models but i no have a sim for either of them

I currently have 3x SIMS with EE.

The primary one is for my mobile router for office internet, this has unlimited data for £30/month, of which I can gift upto 100gb per month to my other SIMS.

The other SIMs are cheaper, one at £10/month with 10gb and the other is £7.20/month with 250mb. I gift 25gb data to each SIM every month.

So I could just get a fourth SIM for whatever the cheapest offering is and gift data each month.

 

[Hallstar]

If you can still exchange it, I say go for it.

Sadly, I am outside of return window, so would have to sell via Ebay or Marketplace

 

[Chaparral02]

Sadly, I am outside of return window, so would have to sell via Ebay or Marketplace

Should be a great time to sell with it being so close to christmas and the mini 6 being out of stock a lot of the time

 

[ericwn]

Should be a great time to sell with it being so close to christmas and the mini 6 being out of stock a lot of the time

Very good point this could be an easy sale.

 

[jdb8167]

I always get the cellular model for my iPads. Having connectivity without draining my phone battery is worth the extra cost. With the 5G radio, the speed is also a huge plus. I use T-Mobile and get 5G almost everywhere. If I connect to an increasingly common mid-band tower (T-Mobile calls this “ultra-capacity” and uses a small vertical UC icon on the 5G logo) the speed is better than my home WiFi.

For cost, T-Mobile has a $10 for 5GB for 5 month pass that works great for my usage. Many times I don’t manage to use all 5GB before it expires but the plan is cheap enough that I’m not concerned. Other times I use all 5GB in a month or so but there is no restriction on just getting another $10 pass.

I’m not sure of the value of GPS but I guess it is a nice bonus. For me though the cellular radio makes the iPad a true go anywhere device. With the ultra-portable size of the mini I carry it almost as often as my iPhone. The mini 6 is my first mini but it is a winner.

 

[jongriff]

I’ve got the cellular mini and it’s an essential for me so I can use it anywhere. My main phone is on Vodafone and they offered me 100GB/month on a second sim for £10/month. Might be worth asking you carrier if they’ve got similar offers?

 

[BurgDog]

Also the GPS on the cellular model is better than the non-existent one on the non-cellular model. I wanted GPS so had no choice. Don't need to activate a data plan if you don't need one but I have the cheap $10 for 150 day plan on T-Mobile.

 

[vddobrev]

I always get iPads with cellular. I have a SIM with a dirt cheap plan (in Eastern Europe) that gives me 25GB for $10 USD. Never nave to worry about Wi-Fi or tether to my phone.