iPad Upgrading from an iPad Mini 2: iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, or iPad Air 2?

[mossme89]

Looking to take advantage of Best Buy's $150 trade-in offer. My biggest gripe with the iPad Mini 2 is that it's sooooo laggy. There's a noticeable stutter with doing everything and it's bad enough that I haven't been using the device.

My mom has an Ipad Air 2 and that's super nice. Just what I'm looking for because it's buttery smooth with doing everything. How close is the iPad Mini 4 in performance? The benchmarks show that the iPad Mini 4 is far inferior but I've heard mixed things. I've had the mini 2 since 2013 and am looking to keep my next iPad for at least as long. So what do you think I should get? I'm very much leaning towards the iPad Air 2, even though I'd very much like the iPad Pro. The price difference between the 2 is just too much, especially given the similar performance.

 

[gobikerider]

Looking to take advantage of Best Buy's $150 trade-in offer. My biggest gripe with the iPad Mini 2 is that it's sooooo laggy. There's a noticeable stutter with doing everything and it's bad enough that I haven't been using the device.

My mom has an Ipad Air 2 and that's super nice. Just what I'm looking for because it's buttery smooth with doing everything. How close is the iPad Mini 4 in performance? The benchmarks show that the iPad Mini 4 is far inferior but I've heard mixed things. I've had the mini 2 since 2013 and am looking to keep my next iPad for at least as long. So what do you think I should get? I'm very much leaning towards the iPad Air 2, even though I'd very much like the iPad Pro. The price difference between the 2 is just too much, especially given the similar performance.

If your not getting a Pro then get the new iPad, don't bother with a Air 2 as it'll probably start degrading in performance in iOS 11 this fall.

 

[nutriousmitten]

Wait for a couple weeks and if the rumoured updates are occurring, you'll have more options and possibly price adjustments.

I think the Mini 4 is a vast improvment over the Mini 2, and almost on par with the Air 2.

 

[44267547]

Looking to take advantage of Best Buy's $150 trade-in offer. My biggest gripe with the iPad Mini 2 is that it's sooooo laggy. There's a noticeable stutter with doing everything and it's bad enough that I haven't been using the device.

My mom has an Ipad Air 2 and that's super nice. Just what I'm looking for because it's buttery smooth with doing everything. How close is the iPad Mini 4 in performance? The benchmarks show that the iPad Mini 4 is far inferior but I've heard mixed things. I've had the mini 2 since 2013 and am looking to keep my next iPad for at least as long. So what do you think I should get? I'm very much leaning towards the iPad Air 2, even though I'd very much like the iPad Pro. The price difference between the 2 is just too much, especially given the similar performance.

The iPad mini 4 still has plenty of speed, but there is some noticeable lag in the user interface. I own the iPad Air 2 and it's still fairly fast. You can find some very good deals on refurbished or used models. Otherwise, the new 9.7 inch iPad might be your best option with the A9 processor for a $329 price point.

 

[mossme89]

The iPad mini 4 still has plenty of speed, but there is some noticeable lag in the user interface. I own the iPad Air 2 and it's still fairly fast. You can find some very good deals on refurbished or used models. Otherwise, the new 9.7 inch iPad might be your best option with the A9 processor for a $329 price point.

Thanks for the heads up. Wow that's a very tempting price, I thought the 9.7 inch iPad (not Pro) had an A8.

 

[44267547]

Thanks for the heads up. Wow that's a very tempting price, I thought the 9.7 inch iPad (not Pro) had an A8.

The new iPad 9.7 inch is essentially the same as the Air 2 with the exception of the laminate display and the upgraded processor. Also, the Wi-Fi module is larger for an internal part with more adhesive used holding the components together as well. Otherwise it's primarily the same as the iPad Air 2 in an Air One casing. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[gobikerider]

Thanks for the heads up. Wow that's a very tempting price, I thought the 9.7 inch iPad (not Pro) had an A8.

Your much better getting the iPad with that A9, it's a really good chip were as the A8X architecturally just is dated in comparison hence why Apple stuffed in three cores. The A9 does more with only 2 cores. If rumors hold True though the A10X will be even better with a single core equating the performance of a entire A9 chip. Just think about that and decide

 

[iterva]

I was asking myself the same questions a few days back as i also have the Mini 2 that i bought in 2013 which has gotten slow to a point that it´s not even usable for me. At first i leaned towards the Mini 4 since i love the portability, but realized that i wanted more screen real estate so the iPad (2017) made more sense since it´s the latest, it´s affordable, has the right screen size and thus made most sense upgrade wise but decided to get the 9,7" Pro model simply because i wanted the true tone display and speakers. These two things made all the difference for me. The pencil compatibility is a nice addition for my usage.

iPad (2017) gets my vote all day over the Air 2 since it´s almost guaranteed to last longer than the "old" Air 2. Keep in mind the Air 2 was released in 2014 so specs aside it´s only 1 year newer than the Mini you currently own which has lasted you 4 years, and if we do a general assumption then the Air 2 will/can get to the same laggy performance next year. Of course this is impossible to foresee but you stated that you want the new one to last as long as possible, hence getting the latest version makes most sense in my opinion.

To sum up my opinion: The Pro is amazing and i have zero regrets despite the higher price i had to pay and it is better on all points than the new iPad in my opinion. But what is right for me most likely won´t be right for everyone, and many people either don´t want, or cant afford the higher price.
But if you wish to stay on the smaller form factor then you don´t have a lot of choices as of now, either get the Mini 4 or hold out for a refresh on the Mini lineup.

Best of luck!

 

[Tsepz]

If the new 9.7inch iPad is too much, then go for the Air 2, but that's only if you feel the newer iPad is out of your budget, if not, get the newer iPad.

As an iPad Air 2 user I see no point in upgrading until a 4GB RAM iPad 9.7 arrives. The Air 2 is running beautifully on iOS 10.3, but I would not suggest buying at this point with the newer 9.7 available at great deals already.

 

[bodonnell202]

If you are a fan of the iPad mini size the mini 4 still runs great. While the A7 -> A8 upgrade isn't huge, the 2 GB of RAM in the Mini 4 makes a huge difference in performance, and the screen is a pretty big upgrade as well. Mine runs great in iOS 10.3. That said if you are fine with switching up to a larger size iPad the 2017 iPad is a better buy and more future proof at this point.

 

[mossme89]

Your much better getting the iPad with that A9, it's a really good chip were as the A8X architecturally just is dated in comparison hence why Apple stuffed in three cores. The A9 does more with only 2 cores. If rumors hold True though the A10X will be even better with a single core equating the performance of a entire A9 chip. Just think about that and decide

Nice one.

Yeah I think I could benefit from the extra RAM in the faster processor. the iPad mini 2 is just too slow for me. I'm using it right now and if you have more than 3-4 tabs open, safari lags like hell. If you accidentally tap the wrong tab to open you have to wait until the ui registers that interaction which can take a few seconds... just gets annoying. But even more than that, I often find that I'm touching an object 2-3 times before the interaction registers on script heavy sites. It's annoying.