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iPad mini The iPad Mini 5 sells itself

P

pshufd

macrumors G4
Original poster
Oct 24, 2013
10,168
14,585
New Hampshire
A coworker asked me about tablets last week and he showed up this week with an iPad Mini 5. We had both bought the Nexus 7 back in 2012 and were very disappointed that Google dropped the line after 2013 and basically abandoned the hardware. We used to be all Android and are now all iOS.

So I showed him my Mini 5 and told home why I loved the device and he bought one and loves it but his phone is still Android. He uses it mainly for reading papers but also uses it for YouTube, email, etc. The overall tablet space was pretty poor until the Mini 5. The only other tablets that I could recommend are the Samsung tablets but they make some odd tradeoffs on their model. It seems that most tablets are geared to the low-end.

My only regret is not getting a Mini 5 with Cellular as I do like to use it for navigation. I use my Mini 2 for Navigation when I need it but it would be nice not carrying around two devices.
 
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The 2013 Nexus 7 was my first tablet. I’m also sad that Google abandoned the Nexus line. From there I went to an iPad Mini 4. I was all about small tablets at the time. :D
 
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Khedron said:
Mini 5 is a great device. Small and sturdy enough to be portable, but big and fast enough to be useful.

But I also have an Android phone. IMO an iPhone is redundant if you already have an iPad.
Click to expand...

Agreed for 90% of functionality. iMessage, FaceTime, and iCloud syncing have me sticking with iPhone.
 
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Arthur75 said:
When is a new version with smaller bezels coming ? The design is quite aging now, but in smaller (and light) tablets not really much choice ..
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There is no indication that Apple is working on this at this time. Apple realizes that there is no competition out there. The Mini 5 is a great upgrade but Apple could just leave it as is for another two years and it would still sell well. Smaller bezels would get me to upgrade.
 
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I purchased a Mini 5 for my wife recently, to upgrade her from a Mini 4. It’s really a fantastic device. The bezel thing is a non issue honestly (I say this as an owner of the IPad 11 Pro). The smaller bezels on such an already tiny device is not as big of a deal as on an IPad 12.9” for instance. It would also mean a smaller battery, and Apple jacking up the price.

It absolutely flies, and the True Tone screen is brighter and more pleasing than the mini 4. The speakers are an improvement, and she loves using the pencil on it. Great device!
 
It's a nice device, but I'm not paying 400 dollars for a device Apple should have modified greatly. For that price it needs stereo speakers, Face ID and smaller bezels, and USB C.
 
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Herrpod said:
It's a nice device, but I'm not paying 400 dollars for a device Apple should have modified greatly. For that price it needs stereo speakers, Face ID and smaller bezels, and USB C.
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Value is in the eye of the beholder.

If you have an iPad Mini 2, the iPad Mini 5 is a no-brainer.
 
Picked up a Mini 5 about 2 weeks ago, and I love this thing already. Compact, fast, great display, and good battery life. And I'm glad Apple didn't disable any features.

Bought a ZuguCase for it.

My only gripe is it uses a lighting port. I know people want the smaller bezels, but I'm not sure it would be for the better on a smaller tablet like this. The aspect ratio doesn't really bother me.

I also had a Nexus 7 (2013), and it was a great tablet expect for one major flaw. Stand-by battery life was awful. But that's was more of an Android problem back then.
 
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I still have my iPad mini 2, that's become an alarm clock & video player basically, but I'm waiting for the mini to adopt a version of the look of the new Pros before I replace my mini 2.
 
LIVEFRMNYC said:
Picked up a Mini 5 about 2 weeks ago, and I love this thing already. Compact, fast, great display, and good battery life. And I'm glad Apple didn't disable any features.

Bought a ZuguCase for it.

My only gripe is it uses a lighting port. I know people want the smaller bezels, but I'm not sure it would be for the better on a smaller tablet like this. The aspect ratio doesn't really bother me.

I also had a Nexus 7 (2013), and it was a great tablet expect for one major flaw. Stand-by battery life was awful. But that's was more of an Android problem back then.
Click to expand...

Interesting case. I usually just hold mine in my hand but there are times that it would be nice for watching a video with someone else.
 
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pshufd said:
Interesting case. I usually just hold mine in my hand but there are times that it would be nice for watching a video with someone else.
Click to expand...

This case is amazing quality for the price, and has a pencil holder as well. I just bought this on impulsive, glad I did.
 
Khedron said:
Mini 5 is a great device. Small and sturdy enough to be portable, but big and fast enough to be useful.

But I also have an Android phone. IMO an iPhone is redundant if you already have an iPad.
Click to expand...
Agreed but ipados really adds functionality that the iphone doesnt.
 
pshufd said:
Value is in the eye of the beholder.

If you have an iPad Mini 2, the iPad Mini 5 is a no-brainer.
Click to expand...
I have a Mini 4, which made not getting the 5 in its current form a no-brainer. It and the latest iPad Air are some of Apples most lazy efforts in a long time.
 
I want to see an iPad mini Pro!

Same form factor and features as pro line, SAME pencil, not a different one. USBC for the same charging gear for both!

My ideal setup: 12.9 1TB LTE for work, and Mini Pro 128 LTE for personal use. The middle sized ipads are the ones that don't make as much sense to me. The mini size is for handholding with gaming, texting/communicating as you can reach the whole screen easily.

The 12.9 runs two ipad apps side by side, instead of resorting to the inferior iphone versions as the ipad pro 11, 10.5, and other mid size ipads due.

Go big, go small, just don't go medium!

P.S. Right now, I am using a mini 4 LTE for personal, and Air 2 Wifi for work stuff. So I have experience. I purchased a 12.9 for my kid in college, so familiar with that too.
 
LIVEFRMNYC said:
I also had a Nexus 7 (2013), and it was a great tablet expect for one major flaw. Stand-by battery life was awful. But that's was more of an Android problem back then.
Click to expand...
I loved the size of the nexus 7–large but could still be easily palmed in one hand and could fit in a back pocket. I wish Apple made an iOS device in that size.
 
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