I stay behind on secondary devices for a better deal. I agree tho. The Minii 4 may be the best option but as a user of several devices the Mini 2 is still very fast. Higher RAM is debatable for me at least as i've never had an issue.
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iPad mini Replacing a Mini 1: Is the Mini 4 that much "better" than the 3?
- Thread starter GaryNoine
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I stay behind on secondary devices for a better deal. I agree tho. The Minii 4 may be the best option but as a user of several devices the Mini 2 is still very fast. Higher RAM is debatable for me at least as i've never had an issue.
Had no issues with my Mini 2 either! I have heard others have not been so lucky though.
Huge jump in quality as mentioned by many posters.
The 4 is worth it for the display alone.
The 4 is worth it for the display alone.
I agree - compared to a Mini 1, it's hard to list all the ways that the 4 is better...faster SoC, faster graphics, better sound, better display (retina resolution and better color accuracy and gamut), lighter/thinner...I am sure I've forgotten a bunch. It's a real leap ahead...
I have had the iPad Mini 1 and when the iPad mini 2 came ou I upgraded right away. The change noticeable. I skipped the iPad Mini 3 and I am getting ready to order the iPad Mini 4 any day now. As with the mini 2 I will get the 128GB WiFi Cell. After buying an iPad 4 then the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 2 with WiFi Cellular I will never get just the WiFi version again. The convenience of the Cellular was worth the price. I had the original iPad and iPad mini and the iPad 3 with just WiFi and in many place it was hard to connect.
My 128GB wifi/Cellular ipad mini 4 arrived today...just nice to have data on the go incase you need it
If you can afford it get the mini 4. It's a superior device. If you can't swing that the mini 2 is still a solid device (I should know as I just bought one). I love my mini. Under iOS 9 it performs decent but I'm thinking the 9.1 update will bring some speed improvements. Mini 2 struggles most using the app switcher from my experience.
The Mini 4 has internals that are a generation ahead of the Mini 2/3. If you are looking to use this for many years, that will be a big deal, especially in a couple of years with apps expecting more than 1GB of RAM to run smoothly. However, even the Mini 4 is not cutting edge, with last years A8 internals. Apple is giving the new iPad Pro a launch cushion this year. I wouldn't pay Apple's asking price for the Mini 4, look for deals during the holiday season or buy used/ open box.
This. The fingerprint scanner on the three is not worth the increased price, IMO.
I still think the advantages of the Mini 4 make it the obvious choice for all but the severely budget-constrained.
The iPad Mini 4 also has the expanded/improved color gamut - something that many with the Mini 2 and/or Mini 3 complained about.
I bought the Mini 3 in May, at the time, it was on a reduction to only £10 more expensive than the Mini 2 and I certainly thought the TouchID was worth an extra £10 ($15) for that alone. It's obvious that Apple have got rid of the Mini 3 when the released the Mini 4 as they wanted one more feature to sell it as the deal wouldn't look as good. I'm sure you can pick up a Mini 3 for roughly the same price as the Mini 2 these days, maybe an extra £10-£20.
I have an iPad mini 3 right now and I'm considering buying one just because of how inferior the browsing experience is compared to my 6s Plus.
I'm trying to hold out at least until the used ones start to hit the market but it's getting kind of annoying to go from almost no tabs reloading on my iPhone to picking up my iPad and watching pages refresh like crazy.
I'm trying to hold out at least until the used ones start to hit the market but it's getting kind of annoying to go from almost no tabs reloading on my iPhone to picking up my iPad and watching pages refresh like crazy.
So being a current owner of an iPad Air 2 (I've always had 9.7 models) I decided to try an iPad Pro 12.9 inch. When I decided while the speed and screen size were amazing in the end it was just too big for me. Plus, I had my MacBook Pro so I returned it. I then tried an iPad mini 4 after having thought about it for quite some time (my wife currently owns a mini 2). I wanted the portability and would have purchased a mini myself in 2014 but opted for the Air 2 instead. So now I have the mini 4 for 30 days before I need to return if I choose to. So far I've been very impressed. Doing some comparisons right off the bat I noticed the screen difference in terms of color reproduction alone. I compared it with my wife' mini 2 and I could immediately see a difference. The fully laminated display on this is also a dream come true; when they were discussing this as being the best overall display of the whole bunch they aren't kidding, it is really a gorgeous display overall. In terms of processing power, while i do notice that the Air 2 was obviously zippier when handling multitasking in the end it was very minimal. So far this has done everything thrown at it and that 2 GB of Ram is truly a welcome addition.
I have not had at least a week to play with it so I can't give full results yet, but so far I'm sold. In comparison with the mini 2, which is essentially the mini 3, I'd say without a doubt that the mini 4 blasts the previous generations by a mile. Spend the extra money and go for the 4 OR just wait until the next mini.
I have not had at least a week to play with it so I can't give full results yet, but so far I'm sold. In comparison with the mini 2, which is essentially the mini 3, I'd say without a doubt that the mini 4 blasts the previous generations by a mile. Spend the extra money and go for the 4 OR just wait until the next mini.
Mini 4. Nothing else. Actually has a good screen, and 2GB of RAM will give that device probably at least 2+ years of longevity over the mini 3. My mini 2 is the same thing as the mini 3--except it lacks Touch ID--and it's horrid with iOS 9. Very jumpy and sluggish, it's impossible to browse the internet and have more than 2-3 tabs open, switching between 2-3 apps is impossible as well without the apps constantly refreshing because the device ran out of RAM. So I lose my place, all my work, etc.
Animations constantly jump and skip and stutter because of lack of RAM. Yes, lack of RAM. Animations are stored in memory once they are performed. So the first time they occur it might be a little laggy, but it will be stored in memory for later, allowing it to be smooth the next time it occurs. For example, on my mini 2, if I go into an app and immediately come back out, it's smooth. If I use a heavier app though for a long period of time, leaving the app will be slow and it will jump over the entire exit animation pretty much. Real jarring and annoying. This would likely not happen as much on the mini 4 because it would be able to keep that animation in memory rather than having to flush it out like the mini 2 which is choking on RAM.
Also, another thought... Why not get the iPad Air 2? It's the same price as the mini 4 but with even more processing power and a larger screen. After owning the iPad mini 2 for almost 3 years now, I feel that it definitely is too small now. Sufficient, but I'd really love to have a larger canvas. I feel the same with my iPhone 6. At first I thought it was absolutely perfect, but I got tired of it. Too small. Really considering buying a 9.7" Pro but I don't feel like spending minimum $600, I'd rather get a 13" rMBP if I'm going to make a large purchase at the moment.
Animations constantly jump and skip and stutter because of lack of RAM. Yes, lack of RAM. Animations are stored in memory once they are performed. So the first time they occur it might be a little laggy, but it will be stored in memory for later, allowing it to be smooth the next time it occurs. For example, on my mini 2, if I go into an app and immediately come back out, it's smooth. If I use a heavier app though for a long period of time, leaving the app will be slow and it will jump over the entire exit animation pretty much. Real jarring and annoying. This would likely not happen as much on the mini 4 because it would be able to keep that animation in memory rather than having to flush it out like the mini 2 which is choking on RAM.
Also, another thought... Why not get the iPad Air 2? It's the same price as the mini 4 but with even more processing power and a larger screen. After owning the iPad mini 2 for almost 3 years now, I feel that it definitely is too small now. Sufficient, but I'd really love to have a larger canvas. I feel the same with my iPhone 6. At first I thought it was absolutely perfect, but I got tired of it. Too small. Really considering buying a 9.7" Pro but I don't feel like spending minimum $600, I'd rather get a 13" rMBP if I'm going to make a large purchase at the moment.
I've always been a fan of the Mini form factor and I think that the Mini 4 is easily the best iPad Mini to date. The Mini 2/3 were were really good for their time (especially the 2, which was the first Mini to match the specs and performance of the full sized model it launched with) but the Mini 4 improves on virtually every aspect of its predecessors. Screen, processor, RAM, camera, new multitasking feature, and thinner/lighter as well.
I found my original mini got laggy as soon as I downloaded iOS 8 (even after a complete restore with only a handful of 3rd party apps), which wasn't that much later than purchasing it new for me. Still, my son is getting great use out of it. I will only get the "latest and greatest" iPad for now. The space gray 64GB model is in Wal-Mart stores (depending on availability) right now for $305, which is insane. I'm sure they won't last (if they're still out there), but it's worth checking. I found one by checking the link, below, about 20 miles from my house.
http://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker
Use this code with your zip: 46795997
http://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker
Use this code with your zip: 46795997
Even the latest iPad Pro has 2GB of RAM. I wouldn't say they skimped on the Mini. The RAM needs of iOS and Android are not the same. Android devices have always had more RAM and processor cores.
Do you need it now?
Personally, I'd hold out until October, hoping for a Pencil-enabled Mini.
Otherwise, as has been said plenty of time already, the Mini 4 is pretty amazing (128 GB Cellular). My ONLY complaint is that it is a HUGE magnet for smudges and fingerprints, much more noticeable than other iPads I've owned. Really a small price to pay for such an awesome machine.
Personally, I'd hold out until October, hoping for a Pencil-enabled Mini.
Otherwise, as has been said plenty of time already, the Mini 4 is pretty amazing (128 GB Cellular). My ONLY complaint is that it is a HUGE magnet for smudges and fingerprints, much more noticeable than other iPads I've owned. Really a small price to pay for such an awesome machine.