I want to get a cheap ipad to use it as a book reader, I was thinking of getting the ipad mini, but it turns out the new regular ipad that was announced today is cheaper than the mini. Has the ipad mini always been more expensive than the regular ipad? The ipad mini is due for a refresh, I could wait, but if will be more expensive than the regular ipad I'd rather just get a regular ipad :/
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iPad mini Do you think the ipad mini refresh will be more expensive than the (new) regular ipad?
- Thread starter chad.petree
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Yes, it's always been more expensive (at least as of 2017 when basic iPads were introduced). With the price increase on the Air, an upgraded version could cost even more.
The iPad has just received the same processor as is in the Mini 5, so when the Mini updates, the later processor would mean the price staying as it is at a minimum I’d think.
The Air upgrade has put £100 onto the base price, so if the Mini later mirrors it as the Air 3 and Mini 5 did, I would expect the Mini to be £499 compared to the base at £329.
Perhaps a refurb Mini 5 would be of interest - £10 more than the regular iPad but the form factor is much better suited to reading. Of course, if you were planning to annotate for college, you would benefit from the bigger screen of the regular iPad and keyboard compatibility.
The Air upgrade has put £100 onto the base price, so if the Mini later mirrors it as the Air 3 and Mini 5 did, I would expect the Mini to be £499 compared to the base at £329.
Perhaps a refurb Mini 5 would be of interest - £10 more than the regular iPad but the form factor is much better suited to reading. Of course, if you were planning to annotate for college, you would benefit from the bigger screen of the regular iPad and keyboard compatibility.
In all likelihood if they do update the mini next year with a (shunk) version of the Air that was announced today it's price will probably go up by another $100. It's considered a more premium product than the base iPad due to screen lamination and a thinner design.
I'll pay whatever they want for a 256GB 8.5" Sky Blue Mini..
And to your question: Yes. The Mini will probably be the new product at the $499 pricepoint.
And to your question: Yes. The Mini will probably be the new product at the $499 pricepoint.
That would be totally awesome especially when it reminds me of an bigger alternative of an Blue iPod Touch. Such good memories haha
And to answer the OP iPad Minis would possibly be updated with bigger specs so that would mean the price would stay the same at $399 with slightly higher specs than the iPad 8 or they may even update the price to $429
Apple left the $499 price point empty. Obviously that will be the price of a refreshed mini, when it comes.
So $329 based iPad, $499 iPad mini, $599 iPad Air.
This is annoying. Instead of making iPads more affordable, Apple wants to push everything into higher price points. They already have the iPad Pro, why can't they keep the non Pro models more affordable? It's getting more and more ridiculous, especially in markets where Apple products are marked up an additional $100-$200 on top of the US MSRP.
So $329 based iPad, $499 iPad mini, $599 iPad Air.
This is annoying. Instead of making iPads more affordable, Apple wants to push everything into higher price points. They already have the iPad Pro, why can't they keep the non Pro models more affordable? It's getting more and more ridiculous, especially in markets where Apple products are marked up an additional $100-$200 on top of the US MSRP.
Thank you for your replies! I can make a more informed decission now, I was about to pull the trigger on the new regular ipad, I wanted the ipad just to read articles and do some light browsing in my bed, but I am jealous of the ipad air's design. I hate the physical home button, those bezels, the loghtning port and 32 gb of storage really feels like a joke to me in 2020. I think I will wait and get the ipad mini 2021 
, effing apple why is it making devices MORE expensive ugh
, effing apple why is it making devices MORE expensive ugh
I use my Mini 5 with a keyboard-case which also contains a Pencil slot. Annotation works great and portability is much better than when I used to carry my iPad 2 with a strap case.
Just to "read articles and do some light browsing" is overkill for an iPad. If you're only going to use a web browser and no iPad-specific apps, there are competitors' tablets that can do that for about $100, and some touts similar form factor comparable to the mini.Thank you for your replies! I can make a more informed decission now, I was about to pull the trigger on the new regular ipad, I wanted the ipad just to read articles and do some light browsing in my bed, but I am jealous of the ipad air's design. I hate the physical home button, those bezels, the loghtning port and 32 gb of storage really feels like a joke to me in 2020. I think I will wait and get the ipad mini 2021
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$100? That's going to be slumming it with very limited RAM (more important on Android) slow eMMC memory, a slow chip and of course limited support which could leave browsing glitchy after couple of years. This is likely to add up to a laggy user experience whereas the iPad will stay snappy, secure and with the latest (most compatible) browser for years to come.
Yeah, but that’s still $100 for say 2 years...for the basic and non critical tasks mentioned, it very much worth it. Moreover, if you happen to damage it, it won’t really pinch as compared to an iPad. Also, what do you mean by “latest (most compatible) browser”? Do you mean Safari? Lol! Not by along shot! Android gives the option of using much better, snappy and full featured and highly customisable browsers.
I doubt the user would want anything Android. He also seems to want it new, not used. And if he is ready to put $300+ for it I doubt he would be ready to get something like a Fire HD 8 for $100. Something in between would be a tablet like the Samsung A7, which is more powerfull than the Amazon Fire (still ipad air 2 powerfull or little more...) and has great speakers (better than the air 4), but again speakers don't seem a requirements and if he is putting in $200 or more getting the budget ipad for $300 is still a better buy. Android tablets start to make sense only when you want to draw on a budget and need storage (a tab s6 lite has 64GB expandable and a pen for $350 while ipad 128 plus pencil is over 500) or, for some people, at the very high end (amoled 120hz). Bu they make more sense when you have an android phone, much less if you have an iphone. And of course for people that don't want to have anything to do with Apple, but these are not people writing in these forums...
Having several ipad pros and a galaxy tab S7 plus (and android phone), I still think Safari is the best for tablets because it's the most desktop-like, only inferior to truly desktop browsers like those on windows tablets and chromebooks.
Do you actually recommend those $100 tablets? Just curious because cheaping out on something intended for reading can really be bad experience (and even bad for your health). Slow, Low res screen, low brightness, sluggish scrolling/page turning, incompatibility with sites. I'd get a headache every time I'd use it.
I hate to sound snobby but I just feel bad for anyone who has to use those things. Im sure if its the only tablet you've ever used then its "good enough". But considering iPads can be had for as cheap as $249 (or used for far less) then I just can't see how a $100 tablet could be recommended to anyone.
By 2024 an iPad bought in 2020 will have the 2024 version of safari, with options for the latest version of Firefox, Chrome or Edge. A cheap Android tablet might even still have the 2020 version of chrome or etc and all the drawbacks of that. Yes you can argue at $100 you can update every 2 years for the price of an iPad, but the experience is never going to be quite as good, even brand new. Once again, for $100 you are talking base hardware. 1-2GB RAM, Kirin or MediaTek chipset, 16-32GB eMMC storage, mediocre SD display. To get anything offering a remotely iPad level experience on the Android side, you're still going to have to spend at least base iPad money.
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Pretty much agree with everything, with maybe one exception, if you mainly (or only) want to watch videos, on speakers, something like the Tab A7 has better speakers and a better aspect ratio (with a good screen) for less money, but not much less money (around $100 less excluding sales), and you give up a lot of power (A8X power vs A12 power) for anything else and a it won't age nearly as well (but again for just watching video, that is not really relevant).
The regular iPads have been cheaper than the mini at least since the 2017 5th Generation. Prior to that, the Air 2 was the standard regular sized iPad and it was seen as a flagship regular sized iPad (a position in the lineup that has since gone to the third and now fourth generation iPad Air). The mini remains more expensive than the regular sized iPad for having a laminated display among other minor niceties. I'd surmise that, with the rumored design change to occur when the iPad mini drops the home button and goes the way of the current iPad Air and recent iPad Pros, the iPad mini's cost may hike up a bit similar to what happened with the latest iPad Air. Maybe plan accordingly. That being said, the current mini is pretty great, despite retaining the home button and first generation Apple Pencil compatibility. I wouldn't feel bad buying one today, even with one supposedly coming out in Spring of next year (as the cost ought to not hike up that badly).
Like I said, YMMV. Speaking for myself, even a cheap Android tablet has some advantages. For example, I can, if I wish, get out of the cycle of using precisely the browsers that you name and use other more secure and, frankly, better browsers. I could potentially de-google the device and strip it down to its bare minimum. Further, if an unlockable boot locker facility is available, I could flash a stripped down ROM. And, at $100, I could rinse and repeat a few times without breaking the bank.
That said, though I have used Android tablets extensively in the past and have done many of the things I listed, my preferred tablet will always be the iPad - specifically, the IPP - and I have very specific reasons for this. First, aspect ratio. I intensely dislike the aspect ratio of (most) Android tablets. Second, apps...I prefer the slick interface and ease of use of apps that are important to me. This is one specific point that Android tablets are weak on...apps. This is not to say that there aren’t good apps - they are just not as well designed as those available for the iPad (with some exceptions...maybe). Third, the essential restrictiveness of the iPadOS platform prevents me from unnecessarily tinkering around, which saves me a lot of time since I use the iPad for my work as an essential secondary device. Fourth, the iPad, again in the context of my work, is a stable platform, which I appreciate.
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I find Android and iPad very complementary, but I am in a minority. For most people 1 tablet it enough. And if I had to have one it would be an iPad pro. But I like having all sizes (mini, mid and large) and now the S7+ gives me some additional things that I love (an aspect ratio that is great for videos, while ipad is great for reading, some great apps like superdisplay which is a sort of duet display pro on steroids for much cheaper, and some apps that you only get on jailbroken ipads like youtube vanced, without any waste of time and energy to try and jailbreake or other painful altstore stuff). Again most people are more than fine with one tablet and most of the time ipad is the better choice...
Yes, I forgot to mention Vanced. It’s probably one of my most used app on my phone in addition to NewPipe. Sadly, the options for the iPad in this regard are neither as elegant, nor convenient.
This is also the reason I will most likely continue with an Android phone though I have found myself toying with the idea of an iPhone recently. A large AMOLED screen Android with a large battery and sterilised in the way I want, paired with my IPP and my trusted X1C6 satisfies my tech needs (very likely my needs as compared to most on MR are very basic, but it is what it is).
I the iPad Mini has always been based off of the more expensive Air and NOT the base iPad.
That being said, now that both the base iPad and Mini both have the A12, I wouldn’t purchase the Mini 5 anymore and find the base iPad a much better value. And yes, I have both the A12 iPad and Mini 5. This is the first iPad I’ve had in a while that hasn’t had a laminated screen, so that hollow feeling is real. But that doesn’t take from the fact that even the base iPad has the smart connector and the Mini 5 doesn’t. Now, the base iPad is more capable than the Mini until the new Mini release.