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Your iPad Mini 4 impressions thread

The Game 161

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Original poster
Dec 15, 2010
31,060
20,221
UK
Thought this would be a good thread for people to give others their impressions to those who have the mini 4. Also to post any pics to those who want to see some hands on.


And to make people like me even more tempted to get one.
 
Coming from an iPad Mini 2, can't believe how much lighter and thinner the 4 feels. While setting things up and going back to the 2 to view things, I really noticed how bulky the old one was compared to the new one. They did a great job on that.

Plus I love having Touch ID finally on my iPad.

-Kevin
 
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Not bad. Better screen fo sure, the best mini to date. I went from an air 2 to a mini 4 and I think I'm going back to the A2. Just a personal preference.
 
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Perfect. I've waited 2 years at least for this Mini and it's worth the wait.

Gamut fixed. Nippy. Thin. Light. Love it.
 
kbmb said:
Coming from an iPad Mini 2, can't believe how much lighter and thinner the 4 feels. While setting things up and going back to the 2 to view things, I really noticed how bulky the old one was compared to the new one. They did a great job on that.

Plus I love having Touch ID finally on my iPad.

-Kevin
Click to expand...
Yes! Totally agree with everything here! So light! But now my Mini 2 accessories don't fit including my smart covers and Bluetooth keyboard..
 
Appreciative comments regarding the 30g weight loss? Just a while ago a wide majority in this Forum was brushing off worries because of the Iphone 6S Plus weight increase as absurd and petty ("We're talking about GRAMS lol", "You should probably hit the gym" etc) I for one always thought the Mini 2 was still a bit too heavy and thick, so i appreciate the changes
 
1st Report: I wanted to get this out asap. Just delivered my iPad Mini 4 128gb 30 minutes ago. While setting it up I wanted to take a few screen shots. The screen is outstanding. Colors are vibrant even at 30% brightness. FYI ( I also had the Tab S Super amoled for 6 months) That said, the screen on the iPad Mini is very impressive. Rest easy if the screen was a concern.

Speaker quality:
Speakers were clean and loud without vibration from the few movies I demoed quickly. Very happy with the screen and speakers. Nice bass response from a mini tablet.

2nd Report: After some initial battery testing today, I can report that the battery life is very good for the Mini 4
1 hour of Netfix with the screen at 50% volume at 75% and location services on yielded only a 7% per hour loss. That is almost exactly what my IPad 3 does in the same performance test. My iPad 3 tablet is the gold standard of which I judge all other tablets by in battery life.
My Galaxy Tab S with every battery saver method activated looses 15.3% per hour.

So I would conclude that 10+ hours of web streaming Netflix is what the iPad Mini 4 will do.


I now am PIP HULU while writing this on the forum. Works great.
Tomorrow I am going to do a battery test for pip HULU and cruising the net for one hour and see what I get.

Keep in mind my camera is crappy and doesnt capture the screens full glory.
Brightness was at 80%.















This is a off axis pic. Colors popped off the screen

 
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We have a 128GB one in gold too. Just walked into an apple shop this morning (EST) and they had them in stock. Doesn't seem any faster then this iPad Air I'm using now. Not really done anything but setup and restore. Two webpages and same time.

I'd say fist impression, normal usage - it's not really any different.
 
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Can anyone comment on split screen with it? Like it? Think it would be better on Air 2? Got the mini 3 last year. Moved up from iPad 2 last year. Considering switching to mini 4, Air 2, or wait till Air 3 next year. Air 3 could have 3D Touch.
 
It's obviously lighter and very thin. Even more handheld than ever. The screen side by side with an iPad Air 2 looks almost identical in terms of color saturation. If isn't the same, it's close.

The graphics are clearly choppier than the iPad Air 2. The best example of this is the multitasking switcher. It animates smoothly in on the iPad Air 2. On the iPad Mini 4, it's choppy.

The proportions of the bezel are sloppy looking compared to the original iPad Mini form factor. That's quite disappointing. It seems they got a bit lazy and just crammed in the battery they needed to get to the same thickness of the iPad Air 2. And they removed the lock/rotate switch just like they did on the iPad Air 2. Damn!

All in all, I don't really see this as a necessary upgrade over my iPad Mini 2. I like the 2GB of RAM but can't figure out how I would use it yet. The multitasking just isn't terribly useful without an offscreen keyboard to save on screen real estate. Perhaps in several months when used models are flying around, I'll upgrade. The Mini 2 has really had some legs.
 
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No idea what you mean by proportions of bezil being sloppy. This is my first mini after coming from an Air and it's stunning to me. The perfect size all round.

It's very fast indeed. Compared to my gfs iPad 2 it's light years ahead.

Split screen works well and I can see myself using it in those times where you need to copy and paste stuff into an email or notes. Or re-type a code from another app. Using maps in split screen is sexy! No lag here for me either.
 
I have and Air 2 and wanted the Mini 4 for portability. I'm wondering now if I should just go for a Mini 2. The screen colour while definitely better is noticeably warmer than my Air 2 and in my view not as nice. For something portable, I think a Mini 2 might be best and paired with the Air 2.
 
journeyy said:
Appreciative comments regarding the 30g weight loss? Just a while ago a wide majority in this Forum was brushing off worries because of the Iphone 6S Plus weight increase as absurd and petty ("We're talking about GRAMS lol", "You should probably hit the gym" etc) I for one always thought the Mini 2 was still a bit too heavy and thick, so i appreciate the changes
Click to expand...

I think in general people come in two camps when is comes to screen size of mobile devices. Camp 1, As big as practically possible. Will put up with it being heavier, harder to carry, harder to use one handed. In return have better battery, more immersive screen, able to see more information at the same time.
Camp 2, As small as practically possible. Will put up with bad battery life, smaller touch targets, more scrolling, less immersive screen. In return, lighter device, one handed use, more portable.

People who prefer the mini to the air are usually camp 2, However these camps get more extreme when talking about phones rather than tablets, because the compromises are more extreme.
 
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franzkfk said:
Hi, why are going back to Air 2? I would like to go from Air 2 to mini 4 as well.
Click to expand...

I suppose I'm one of those who prefers the bigger screen. I also like how snappy the A2 is compared to the mini, display colors are slightly better as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty impressed with this mini. I don't need the portability though. I still have both in my possession and I find myself going back and forth to compare the experience. Still leaning towards the air 2 so far though.

Pick up a mini and compare. Worst case, you can return the mini if you don't like it.
 
I just received my mini 4 in Space Grey. Wow - I'm really impressed! Compared to my previous mini 2, this is way lighter and thinner - really makes a difference while holding it. And the screen is absolutely on par with the Air 2 - looks vibrant and not washed out at all.

Fans of either previous generation should definitely check it out, if they are considering to upgrade. Much more worth upgrading this time then from mini 2 to mini 3.
 
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tjhassan said:
I suppose I'm one of those who prefers the bigger screen. I also like how snappy the A2 is compared to the mini, display colors are slightly better as well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty impressed with this mini. I don't need the portability though. I still have both in my possession and I find myself going back and forth to compare the experience. Still leaning towards the air 2 so far though.

Pick up a mini and compare. Worst case, you can return the mini if you don't like it.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on this. I picked up the 64GB Mini 4 wifi yesterday and have been busy evaluating. I also picks up a new Air 2 (64GB wifi) at Staples for $499 yesterday. This is my back up plan if I decide to return the Mini. The Air 2 is still boxed up as I've got my wife's Air 2 to compare against the Mini.

I'm very impressed with the Mini 4 after having played with it for a day now. I agree that the display on the Air 2 is slightly better than the Mini (color saturation, contrast). The Mini's display while very good, just does not seem as punchy to my eye as the Air 2. Battery life of the Mini 4 does seem to have taken a hit ove previous Mini's (IMO).

I'll decide between the two over the weekend.
 
For me it's not worth the extra cash. I'll keep my Air 2 and pick up a Mini 2 for out and about for 50% of the cost of the Mini 4.
 
To add to these comments - I've had full size iPads since the first iPad. This is my first Mini. I've used it more in the last 24 hours than any iPad in that same period of time. It's a joy to hold.

There's obviously going to be slightly less quality compared to the Air 2, due to its size, but this thing is brilliant. It's quick, has a great screen and like I said; I find it soooooo much easier to hold than the large iPad.
 
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