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iPad mini Phablet Owners: Would You Ever Consider Owning an iPad mini?

Would you ever own both a phablet (iPhone 6/s Plus, Galaxy Note 5, Nexus 6P, etc.) and an iPad mini

  • I own an iPad mini and have no interest in getting a phablet.

    Votes: 7 18.4%

  • I own a phablet and have no interest in getting an iPad mini or other mini tablet for that reason.

    Votes: 16 42.1%

  • I own (or will own) both a phablet and an iPad mini and I don't see why the similar size matters.

    Votes: 14 36.8%

  • I don't care for either phablets or iPad minis (Prefer:Smaller phones and/or larger iPads/tablets).

    Votes: 1 2.6%
  • Total voters
    38
Yebubbleman

Yebubbleman

macrumors 603
Original poster
May 20, 2010
6,031
2,617
Los Angeles, CA
This has been something that has long had me curious: for those of you with a phablet (a phone with the screen size of 5.3 or more inches), would you ever consider owning an iPad mini? Similarly, iPad mini owners, how do you feel about buying a phablet as your next phone? Or, do you already own the combination of an iPad mini and a phablet and rock the hell out of it?

The sense that I routinely get from the population at large is that those with phablets either don't buy tablets period or buy full-sized tablets (tablets with a screen size of 8.9 or more inches) and that a vast majority of customers don't typically buy the combination of phablets and mini-sized tablets (tablets with a screen size of 7.0 to 8.4 inches). But, to be fair, I have never conducted a formal poll to see what kind of data I get.

What say you of the combination of a phablet and an iPad mini?
 
My use history is a bit more nuanced than the choices in this poll. When the iPad mini first came out, I bought it and carried it around alongside a 4-inch iPhone, the 5s. When I upgraded to the iPhone 6, I found that the 5 inch screen was good enough for on the go use, while at home I preferred the 9.7 inch iPad. I ended up giving away the mini and used the iPhone 6 and an iPad Air. Then the mini 4 came out, and it had gotten just light enough that I seriously considered ditching the iPhone 6 and using the mini 4 as my on the go device, and the only reason I didn't try that was because I have the Apple Watch, which needs an iPhone to pair with. Now that I have the iPad Pro, my ideal device combination would be the Pro and mini 4, if only the watch paired with an iPad. Since it doesn't, I'm stuck with the iPhone 6 and the iPad Pro.
 
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Night Spring said:
My use history is a bit more nuanced than the choices in this poll. When the iPad mini first came out, I bought it and carried it around alongside a 4-inch iPhone, the 5s. When I upgraded to the iPhone 6, I found that the 5 inch screen was good enough for on the go use, while at home I preferred the 9.7 inch iPad. I ended up giving away the mini and used the iPhone 6 and an iPad Air. Then the mini 4 came out, and it had gotten just light enough that I seriously considered ditching the iPhone 6 and using the mini 4 as my on the go device, and the only reason I didn't try that was because I have the Apple Watch, which needs an iPhone to pair with. Now that I have the iPad Pro, my ideal device combination would be the Pro and mini 4, if only the watch paired with an iPad. Since it doesn't, I'm stuck with the iPhone 6 and the iPad Pro.
Click to expand...

My use case is more nuanced as well. I'm on the verge of switching from the Galaxy S5 to the iPhone 6s Plus, and this is all while owning a cellular mini 4 that serves as my back-up cellular device/dedicated car device (as GPS is a joke on smartphones). I also have the Air 2 and a 6th Gen iPod touch. I figure there will be some nuanced case scenarios. I'm more trying to get a sense of the people who aren't that way as they will be the ones that ultimately dictate marketing.
 
An iPad mini is a completely different device to a phablet. A phablet is still a phone. The mini is still a good deal bigger than the iPhone 6S plus/Note 5 and the aspect ratio also differentiates the two devices. I'd much rather watch a video on the mini than on a phablet or web browse or read.

I currently have the iPhone 6S plus and the iPad mini 3. I've pretty much always used a mini alongside my phablets going back to when I had the original iPad mini and the original Galaxy note.
 
I have had big iPads up till the Mini came out, then I had the first gen of that and the Mini 2 as well as the OG iPad Retina and went from the 5S to the 6+ and now the 6S+... I still found the Mini to be significantly better for browsing and all of that, even with the screen size on the 6+. I have the iPP now with the Plus, and don't see going back to something smaller.
 
I carry my iPhone in my pockets, my iPad in my backpack. I own the iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Pro because they get me the most screen real estate which for me means the best experience. As long as they can be carried around like I want to, they are perfect. Why go smaller? (of course it's a personal preference)
 
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Seeing as I could never bring myself to buy two different iPads, I wouldn't buy an iPad mini even with owning a large phone.

That said, I do own a 5.7" phone, an iPad mini 2 (gift), and an iPad Air 2, and the iPad mini is still substantially bigger than my phone. I wouldn't mind playing on my iPad mini for hours, while that would be impractical on my phone.
 
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I hate the term "phablet." I have a phone. It is an iPhone 6 Plus. It is not a tablet. It is nowhere near a tablet. It is a mobile phone.

Somehow my pocket is capacious enough for the iPhone 6 Plus, and I'm able to clean-and-jerk the iPad Pro over my head while reading in bed. And my tired old eyes thank me.
 
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Yes! I have an iPhone 6+ and an iPad mini 4. And I do not like using my phone for much else other than taking pictures, listening to music, or streaming the occasional video on the go. The bigger screen is nice, but it's nowhere nearly big enough that I'd want to use it as a tablet full-time. 16:9 is a horrible aspect ratio for a tablet anyway; there's a reason why 4:3 and 3:2 aspect ratios have made a resurgence in recent years.

The iPad Mini fills a sweet spot - it's big enough to give you a satisfying tablet experience while being small enough to pack under your arm or in a purse or lie back in bed with no arm strain whatsoever. That, and I find that thumb-typing while holding the device is a breeze in landscape mode.

Different strokes for different folks. While some people might be happy with a phablet, I personally find that the tablet experience of a phablet is subpar compared to what you can get on a more dedicated mini tablet.
 
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I think it will depend on each person. I have an iPhone 6S Plus as phone and an iPad Air 2 as a tablet and each offers a different experience. I suppose it would be same if I had a Mini, it is all about the form factor that hits your sweet spot. For me it is 9.7" but for you it might be 7.9" regardless of which phone you have.
 
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nightcap965 said:
I hate the term "phablet." I have a phone. It is an iPhone 6 Plus. It is not a tablet. It is nowhere near a tablet. It is a mobile phone.
Click to expand...
As I'm sure you're well aware, "phablet" is a mix between "phone" and "tablet", so obviously your "phablet" is a phone.

For you, it might not, but for some people, a 5.5" phone can replace a small tablet. You have to realize that back when the word "phablet" became a thing, companies were still making 4-4.5" phones and 7" tablets, which meant 5.5-6" phones were in the middle, hence the combination of the words. Now that the normal size for phones is 5" or more, 5.5" phones aren't really the mid point between phones and tablets, but the word stuck for some people. It's not a big deal; it's just a word. Don't get so upset about it.
 
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I've got a 6s+ and an air 2. It works for me so I personally would not consider it. With that being said, I sometimes use my daughter's mini 3 when my iPad is not in reach and while not ideal, it is more than serviceable.
 
I've stated before that I think there is indeed a notable difference between a big phone and a small tablet. Neither one fully takes the place of the other, even if there is some overlap. 7.9" still offers significantly more screen real estate than 5.5", and allows for split screen multitasking and tablet optimized apps. On the other hand, it's too large to fit in most pockets, and therefore, my iPad Mini is not the device that I grab every time I leave the house. For me, the best solution is the Mini and a 4.7" iPhone rather than a plus, but if someone where to give me a plus I doubt that it would make me use or value my Mini any less.
 
My IPad mini goes everywhere with me in my suit jacket pocket, and as a result I don't feel a need for a larger phone. I only use my phone for phone calls and music; applications where screen size is unimportant. An iPhone 6s+ would not be a satisfactory replacement for reading PDFs, a major use for my mini.
 
joeblow7777 said:
I've stated before that I think there is indeed a notable difference between a big phone and a small tablet. Neither one fully takes the place of the other, even if there is some overlap. 7.9" still offers significantly more screen real estate than 5.5", and allows for split screen multitasking and tablet optimized apps. On the other hand, it's too large to fit in most pockets, and therefore, my iPad Mini is not the device that I grab every time I leave the house. For me, the best solution is the Mini and a 4.7" iPhone rather than a plus, but if someone where to give me a plus I doubt that it would make me use or value my Mini any less.
Click to expand...
I agree. If I didn't like the iPad Air 2 so much, I'd probably own my Moto X 2015 and an iPad mini 4. The Moto X, with a 5.7" display, is still too small to replace even a mini iPad.

You can't look at the iPad mini as only 2.4" bigger than the Plus iPhones. That's a diagonal measurement, which means it's about 2" bigger in each direction. That's pretty significant. Not to mention the iPad mini's battery life is twice the iPhone's, and you can be using the iPad mini when you get a chance to save your iPhone's battery life.
 
Having owned several tablets and smartphones, I have tried every combination to see what works best for me.
  • Work = Notebook/Laptop
  • Consumptive = Tablet
  • Portable on the go = Smartphone
  • For smartphones I have found the larger screen devices work best for me.
  • For tablets I have found the Mini works best for my use.
  • For work I have found a pc works best. I have tried ti use a tablet as a laptop replacement and found the apps and lack of pointer device (mouse/pad) to be substantial for my use.
See my devices listed in the signature block...
 
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Even my iPhone 6 was enough for me to not use my iPad Mini 2 that much, so I sold the Mini 2 and bought an Air 2 a week after it came out. If I had a 6 Plus I wouldn't even use the Mini at all :D
 
So far, it is seeming like an even mix of people who wouldn't be affected by the closeness in size (and yes, I recognize that the two devices are a good ~2.5 inches different in size, however, ~2.5 inches is still a closer disparity than, say, the ~4.5 inch difference between a phablet and a tablet with the screen size of the iPad Air) and people who would be. Keep on polling!
 
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When I bought my iPad mini 2, I wished it had a phone so I can leave my phone at home.

I don't like phablets. They are too big as a phone (awkward one-handed use, not easily pocketable), yet they are too small compared to a 7 or 8" tablet to offer great tablet experience. So I rather have it all the way, an iPadPhone mini, or just a compact and practical phone.
 
When I got my 6+ my nephew inherited my mini 2. I realized one day I hadn't picked it up in 2 weeks. About a year later my work gave my department galaxy tab 4 10.1 inch for customer service appreciation. I hadn't felt the need for a tablet since giving up my mini. I've had the galaxy tab for a while now and definitely like having a tablet again. I hate Samsung touchwiz. I'm considering getting a pro. I'm waiting for the march event to see what comes out with the 9.7 possibility. Though sometimes my Tab feels a bit small. I can definitely agree that having the phablet rules out a mini tablet of any sort.
 
Using iPad apps as opposed to iPhone apps is a BIG reason why I will always prefer an iPad mini to a phablet. As an example, we were at my daughter's gymnastics meet last night. To follow the scores an app is used, not a website. The app looks vastly different on the iPad as opposed to the iPhone version. While others were kinda struggling to follow along, even on their iPhone + (or large screen android phones), I was moving right along on my iPad. So, those who carry around only a phablet are IMHO getting a limited experience compared to an iPad mini.
 
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