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As a user of a mini 2 for quite a long time, I wanted a new mini a lot.
I was given a mini 4 LTE for Christmas, and am really enjoying it. I like the thinness and lightness over the mini 2. The screen is much better, the performance is a huge improvement, and apps do not have to restart when multitasking.

What would interest me in further upgrading?
Pencil 2 support- I would likely fit on the long side.
A11 or A12 processor for software and operating system longevity.
USB-C as all other Apple products are heading that way.

It is the amount of memory in Apple’s mobile devices that dictate the longevity, not the speed of the SoC. You can always wait a second but the amount of RAM dictates if you apps will even load! Your Mini 2 only had 1GB of RAM, while the Mini 4 double that to 2GB RAM. Big difference in terms of speed too since it does not have to swap out apps and proves dual app display ability and picture in picture abilities too! This is due to the amount of RAM! Everything is smoother and renders faster to the screen! The A7 and A8 are not that much in terms of performance between them, maybe 25% overall difference if that!
 
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To the OP....YES! Yes you do need the ipad mini 5. Sell your ipad mini 4 IMMEDIATELY. Lol.

Just joshin’. Do whatever you feel is right. We don’t even know if the mini 5 is coming, let alone when.
 
See, this interests me.....can you explain what you mean by “quite slow”?

I can try, even though I am not the OP. The catch is performance and length of operation are all tied to the battery. The mini 4 at 3 years old is now over 1000 charge cycles for the "everyday" user. That may or may not apply to your situation. but the battery in these units is not designed to have a lifespan that exceeds this. End result, the battery may produce a reduced voltage and capacity. The iPad will throttle to keep itself "functional" under these conditions. The mini 4 can be reasonably old for electronics (3 years) or it can be quite new depending on your situation. there also may be slight differences between the newer 128 GB only model and the older versions that had 32GB of storage that may also contribute to speed differences.
 
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3 weeks ago, I almost bought a Mini 4 LTE.

I spent about an hour in a Apple store. I compared the Mini 4 with the other iPads side by side (iPad 6, iPad 10.5 & both 2018 Pros). I started with a Mini 4 running iOS 12. The Apple store had about 60 megabits Internet speed.
I closed all background apps, cleared all Safari tabs, deleted Safari cookies & history, I then shutdown & re-started the Mini 4. I went to the web version of Google Maps in Safari.
In Satellite View, if I swiped left to right & up & down, the map took several seconds to populate the screen. When watching a Periscope video, the Mini 4 took about 4 seconds to start playing a video. https://www.periscope.tv/
The other iPads were instant. Google Maps instantly populated where ever I swiped. Periscope videos started after about 1 second or less.
Maybe the Mini 4 was faster on iOS 9. On iOS 12, it was like using a iPhone 5s. :(

Periscope is not a type App that most people would use unless you a Twitter follower and want to live stream video to your acquaintances. Try Youtube!, Sling TV or Direct TV Now for live streaming. Very poor usage for dissuading the Mini 4! Periscope has a lot of overhead since it was design for Android phones.
 
3 weeks ago, I almost bought a Mini 4 LTE.

I spent about an hour in a Apple store. I compared the Mini 4 with the other iPads side by side (iPad 6, iPad 10.5 & both 2018 Pros). I started with a Mini 4 running iOS 12. The Apple store had about 60 megabits Internet speed.
I closed all background apps, cleared all Safari tabs, deleted Safari cookies & history, I then shutdown & re-started the Mini 4. I went to the web version of Google Maps in Safari.
In Satellite View, if I swiped left to right & up & down, the map took several seconds to populate the screen. When watching a Periscope video, the Mini 4 took about 4 seconds to start playing a video. https://www.periscope.tv/
The other iPads were instant. Google Maps instantly populated where ever I swiped. Periscope videos started after about 1 second or less.
Maybe the Mini 4 was faster on iOS 9. On iOS 12, it was like using a iPhone 5s. :(

Interesting....thanks for the info!
 
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It’s still hard to say. Even if it’s just a Mini 4 with an A9 instead of an A8, which would be the absolute bare minimum they could do, that could give it an extra year or maybe 2 of useful life. I think a lot depends on how well A8 devices run iOS 13, assuming they are supported at all.
I find the A9 rumour curious - considering it’s age and the fact they’ve already discontinued all products previously using it (so would have to start up production again) I find it difficult to believe they’d be that much better off using it over a more modern chip for the mini.

Possible would be either they replace all lingering A8 devices with the A10 (iPad mini, iPod touch and HomePod) so they can close up shop on the A8 too, or that they go with the A11 or even A12 to maximise shelf life before they have to spend money updating again.
 
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I find the A9 rumour curious - considering it’s age and the fact they’ve already discontinued all products previously using it (so would have to start up production again) I find it difficult to believe they’d be that much better off using it over a more modern chip for the mini.

Possible would be either they replace all lingering A8 devices with the A10 (iPad mini, iPod touch and HomePod) so they can close up shop on the A8 too, or that they go with the A11 or even A12 to maximise shelf life before they have to spend money updating again.

Right. I don't actually think that a Mini 5 would have an A9, I was just mentioning that as a worst case scenario. I would expect at least an A10 to put it on par with the current 6th gen iPad.
 
I’m a committed 2-device guy, a small phone (SE) and a Mini 4 cellular that goes everywhere with me. Like many Mini fanboys I have been clamouring for a Mini 5 with upgraded specs. Now that it looks like we are getting one, I started thinking about why I actually need one. My Mini 4 doesn’t seem slow, and runs every app and plays every game I have. The Mini 4 still is supported by Apple, and runs the latest iOS.

So, other than longer Apple support, what features or benefits will the new Mini 5 bring that will make me want to upgrade? Put the possible Apple Pencil support aside or camera upgrades, as I couldn’t care less about those. If it’s just a processor bump with a lesser quality screen, what benefits will I get on a daily basis over the Mini 4?

TIA!

Psst… no one can look into the future, well maybe that eight ball thing my daughter carries around, but even that says "future uncertain".
 
Periscope is not a type App that most people would use unless you a Twitter follower and want to live stream video to your acquaintances. Try Youtube!, Sling TV or Direct TV Now for live streaming. Very poor usage for dissuading the Mini 4! Periscope has a lot of overhead since it was design for Android phones.
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Even tho i needed to upgrade my 5yr old ipad mini 2 for the last year, i am glad i waited and didn’t buy the already 3 yr old ipad mini 4.

Although the new ipad mini 5 released today doesn’t have some of the features i was hoping for(usb-c, slimmer bezels, face ID & apple pencil 2 support)...it does have a much faster & more up to date processor than the 4.
 
Speed, if it matters. I use my Mini 4 mostly for email, web browsing and reading Kindle books. None of that stresses the A8 SOC very much. The Mini 4 is speedy enough for my uses. YMMV.

Pencil Gen 1 support, if that's useful. Personally, I find the Pencil not well suited to an iPad smaller than the 11" Pro, but YMMV. Personally, I also really did not like the Gen 1 Pencil. The Gen 2 is a big improvement. It's too bad the Mini 5 goes backwards a step (but it's not surprising, the Mini always seems to be at least a generation behind).

New battery. My battery is showing its age a bit. Still very usable, but a Mini 5 would obviously come with a fresh battery.

As a side note, I may keep this Mini 4 on iOS 12. It runs better on 12 than it ran on 10 or 11. Assuming it gets support in iOS 13, I would want to see how it runs.
 
I've had my iPad mini 4 for years now and the battery has been suffering lately. It also feels a little sluggish now so I'm happy that I can finally upgrade it.
 
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To the OP: The truly honest answer is that this update allows you to keep the same user experience of the Mini platform without interruption, only for longer. The shelf life of your current Mini 4 as a use-able device (one that doesn't experience frustrating slowdowns, poor battery life, etc.) is relatively short compared to most other iPads. If you want to keep using this same product for another 3-5 years in the exact same ways you already have been, at some point switching to the Mini 5 will make sense. Waiting for a good sale will probably tip the scales in that direction. Good luck.
 
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Well, I know you were all holding your collective breaths to find out what I was going to do, but I ordered a 256gb cellular Mini 5 early this morning....I’m sold on the A12, the upgraded gigabit LTE modem, and the likely 3GB ram increasing the speed of everything I do on my Mini 4, and we didn't get that screen quality decrease as predicted. Thanks to all for talking me into it!
 
Well, I know you were all holding your collective breaths to find out what I was going to do, but I ordered a 256gb cellular Mini 5 early this morning....I’m sold on the A12, the upgraded gigabit LTE modem, and the likely 3GB ram increasing the speed of everything I do on my Mini 4, and we didn't get that screen quality decrease as predicted. Thanks to all for talking me into it!

It also supports more bands.
 
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How many cycles do you have on the mini 4 battery ? Im still using a 32 gig mini 2 with close to 1400 cycles, definitely time for an upgrade.


I’m a committed 2-device guy, a small phone (SE) and a Mini 4 cellular that goes everywhere with me. Like many Mini fanboys I have been clamouring for a Mini 5 with upgraded specs. Now that it looks like we are getting one, I started thinking about why I actually need one. My Mini 4 doesn’t seem slow, and runs every app and plays every game I have. The Mini 4 still is supported by Apple, and runs the latest iOS.

So, other than longer Apple support, what features or benefits will the new Mini 5 bring that will make me want to upgrade? Put the possible Apple Pencil support aside or camera upgrades, as I couldn’t care less about those. If it’s just a processor bump with a lesser quality screen, what benefits will I get on a daily basis over the Mini 4?

TIA!
 
How many cycles do you have on the mini 4 battery ? Im still using a 32 gig mini 2 with close to 1400 cycles, definitely time for an upgrade.

I’m only at 448 and the battery is showing 99.7% on my Mini 4, but I had it replaced under AppleCare warranty in 2017.
 
I have a 128GB Mini 4, I bought it in March 2016 but it was replaced under John Lewis warranty early last yea,r so its actually a relatively new one. However, I just ordered the 256GB Wifi model. I just want the Mini 5, I don't need it, but I want it. I am a bit annoyed with myself that I waited to order it as its now 4th/9th April for delivery :( I've also ordered the Apple pencil. If JL offer extra insurance then i'll cancel on Friday and order from them.

I'm not actually going to sell my 4, I plan to keep it as a spare ipad, hubby and I often run out of battery at the same time, so it will be handy to have a third ipad. Plus trade in value is only £90 and I managed to drop my brand new one on holiday last year and grazed the casing so no doubt i'll get it downgraded for that if I do try and trade it in.

I'm buying for longevity and because Apple need to understand that some of us can only use a small ipad. I would hate to wait a few years for my 4 to die and then buy the exact same 5 that was released this year.
 
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