I am looking into getting an iPad mini with retina display but I am a little hesitant. I would use it mostly to pull up documents when I'm in class, I would also bring it with me when I travel instead of my macbook pro. I would want to watch some movies and tv shows on it as well as play a few games on it and that is where I get a little concerned about the screen size. For anyone who has a mini, is it enjoyable to watch movies on? I don't want to buy a mini and then wish I had gotten the air instead. I'm a college student so I don't really have the extra money but I also don't want to regret anything later.
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iPad Watching movies
- Thread starter anp77
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If you primarily want the size and just want to watch a movie once in a while while bored, its fine. This is not the device for movie watching in bed.
I had an iPad 3, moved to a mini, then now have an iPad air. The mini was small, but it was honestly too small. It was fine for goofing around on, viewing some documents etch etc. It really just felt like a toy. It would be great as an ereader or for children. But (for me) it was too small to work on, to play games for long periods of time and to watch real movies I rented. I do presentations from iPad now, regularly email, and now my laptop stays on my desk much more.
I have an iPad air and am MUCH happier. I actually use my iPad now daily over my laptop. I would get the air and never look back.
How is a 7.9-inch screen not good for movie watching in bed? Sounds like you are just spoiled by the bigger screen.
Plenty of people watch movies on iPhone. The mini has 4x the real estate on the screen, so clearly it's just not the device for YOU.
You sound like you would enjoy the bigger screen. Get the Air. Regret is a terrible thing to live with.
This is the sort of question no one can answer for you. If you can, I recommend you find a display model in a store or borrow a friend's retina mini, have a look at a movie on it, and see what you think.
I own the an Ipad mini and just today upgraded to the retina. I prefer watching movies on a larger device. However I still can enjoy them on the mini, if for some reason I don't have access to my macbook. For me the portability is well worth the trade off.
Another thing to consider, with Black Friday coming up, is that the sales on the Air might be more generous than on the retina mini, in which case the price difference might not be as great as usual.
I own the an Ipad mini and just today upgraded to the retina. I prefer watching movies on a larger device. However I still can enjoy them on the mini, if for some reason I don't have access to my macbook. For me the portability is well worth the trade off.
Another thing to consider, with Black Friday coming up, is that the sales on the Air might be more generous than on the retina mini, in which case the price difference might not be as great as usual.
Having had both mini and full size ipads, I find either one to be excellent for watching movies. That is one of three main uses for my ipads. Yes the larger ipad makes watching movies nice but there is nothing wrong with the mini.
Have to say the Air is really nice as it lighter and smaller than the older full size ipads. You might want to go with the Air instead of the mini.
I would add that movies especially HD ones take up the bulk of your storage space so plan according with regards to what size ipad you get. 16GB ipads give you around 12-13GB of space for your own use. The average movie standard is 1-2GBs while HD movies can run from 3-5GBs.
So if you are planning to use your pad for other things, you might want to consider a larger capacity ipad such as 32 or higher.
Have to say the Air is really nice as it lighter and smaller than the older full size ipads. You might want to go with the Air instead of the mini.
I would add that movies especially HD ones take up the bulk of your storage space so plan according with regards to what size ipad you get. 16GB ipads give you around 12-13GB of space for your own use. The average movie standard is 1-2GBs while HD movies can run from 3-5GBs.
So if you are planning to use your pad for other things, you might want to consider a larger capacity ipad such as 32 or higher.
I watch Netflix movie on my iPad 2. It is easy to read closed caption. But I am not sure about rMini screen size is great for reading closed caption. 
Not spoiled but the full size screen is just, better. It's actually quite a bit larger and the extra real estate comes in very handy for pretty much everything you do on these tablets. Size does matter.
Does the retina screen offer a better image for movies? I wanted to compare with my Mini but I sold it quicker than expected.
Watching movies
I think spending the extra $100 will be worth it for the next few years ahead.
Get the iPad air.
I think spending the extra $100 will be worth it for the next few years ahead.
Get the iPad air.
People will be watching movies on an iWatch when it comes out.
Everyone is different, and it all depends on what you find acceptable. If you think the screen will be too small on a mini, it probably will be. If one of the reasons you're buying it is to watch movies, get the Air. Imagine watching Avatar on a mini. Personally, I think it would be very frustrating.
Everyone is different, and it all depends on what you find acceptable. If you think the screen will be too small on a mini, it probably will be. If one of the reasons you're buying it is to watch movies, get the Air. Imagine watching Avatar on a mini. Personally, I think it would be very frustrating.
Movies on my new retina mini look better to me than on my original. The difference surprised me; I wasn't expecting to see it. It seemed to me it wasn't just the higher resolution, the color tones looked nicer as well. Of course perhaps I just had a sub-par original mini and didn't know it. Or perhaps it's my imagination.
I haven't bought an iPad yet, but I noticed on the display models that the movies loaded on it had a ~1 inch black bar on the top and bottom. Therefore, the movie was only 3 inches tall, and if you make it full screen you cut off some of the edges. That's why I'll be getting the iPad Air.
I've got Oblivion running on my rMini. Looks amazing. The question really is one of comfort. If you just have to run letterbox, arms length is to far away to see every detail. So you can choose:
Not seeing everything
Running letterbox with bent arms
Running full screen with extended arms
If you want no compromises (best of all three), it needs to be an Air.
Not seeing everything
Running letterbox with bent arms
Running full screen with extended arms
If you want no compromises (best of all three), it needs to be an Air.
I'd have to say the best movie experience on a tablet would be a 16:9 1920x1080 screen. iPad comes in a nice second.
The same ratio issue (black bars) will be present in the Air.
True, but I found that the movies were just too small on the mini with the black bars.
I don't know yet - I haven't tried it
Based on the other response though it appears to be better