iPad mini Going from an M1 iPad Pro 11" to Mini 6

[teh_hunterer]

I main a 14" MacBook Pro and used to carry an 11" iPad around with me as well, but I grew tired of lugging the extra weight of the iPad around on my commute, so I just stopped bringing it.

I'll explore the possibility of an iPad Mini when/if they give it a screen of comparable quality. Otherwise, I'm fine just not bringing the extra device. I have my Kindle to read on.

 

[leifp]

Did you carry your iPad + laptop? Thats my main issue. If I wasn't a laptop person (ALWAYS want my laptop with me), I would prefer the 11" Pro over the Mini.

I do, but it’s rare. Either the iPad or the MBPro tend to make the trip, typically the iPad.

it’s probably going to sound a bit odd, but I really miss the old iPad Air2 form factor. It remains a sweet spot for comfort for me. That is absolutely a YMMV situation…

I’m now stuck on this monstrous 12.9” iPad Pro until I gather the stones to do something about it, which will be a while. Perhaps I’ll just hold my breath until the iPad mini has a screen I don’t hate…

 

[4743913]

I’m now stuck on this monstrous 12.9” iPad Pro until I gather the stones to do something about it

yeah, that thing has always looked like poison.. carry a laptop sized object that can only run iPhone apps.

 

[4743913]

I main a 14" MacBook Pro and used to carry an 11" iPad around with me as well, but I grew tired of lugging the extra weight of the iPad around on my commute, so I just stopped bringing it.

I'll explore the possibility of an iPad Mini when/if they give it a screen of comparable quality. Otherwise, I'm fine just not bringing the extra device. I have my Kindle to read on.

Now the Mini has me thinking about just dropping my Kindle from my bag unless I am going to be reading outside in the sun..

 

[Oridus]

As so,some who appreciates the Promotion and OLED display of the pro series devices, it personally is tough to go to not having either. I have an iPad mini 6 for flying purposes, but as soon as an updated mini comes out with an improved display, I’ll be all over it and very thankful. I also miss FaceID

 

[VaruLV]

As so,some who appreciates the Promotion and OLED display of the pro series devices, it personally is tough to go to not having either. I have an iPad mini 6 for flying purposes, but as soon as an updated mini comes out with an improved display, I’ll be all over it and very thankful. I also miss FaceID

None of iPads come with OLED panels. The only iPad model with upgraded screen tech is iPad Pro 12.9 M1 and M2 both of which come with miniLED backlit displays.

 

[pakster]

I have just bought a use mini 6. The screen is my main issue with it. Slow refresh rate and jelly are annoying. I would also upgrade in a heartbeat if the is improved. Also faceid, but that is a minor annoyance.

 

[chrono1081]

Just felt redundant toting the iPad Pro 11 and a M2 Macbook Air. Am I going to have a hard time adjusting to the lack of screen snappiness or will it be barely noticeable? I picked up the 5G/256/purple. I mainly use my iPad for comics, magazines, videos.

I went from a mini 6 to an M2 iPad Pro 11 and I didn't notice a difference screen wise honestly. The mini is fantastic as a reading/video machine.

 

[EgGKeith]

I have just bought a use mini 6. The screen is my main issue with it. Slow refresh rate and jelly are annoying. I would also upgrade in a heartbeat if the is improved. Also faceid, but that is a minor annoyance.

I hope Apple will update the ipad mini series with a higher refresh rate screen, as well. ipad mini is a fantastic potable machine, i want it in my backpack.

 

[leifp]

I went from a mini 6 to an M2 iPad Pro 11 and I didn't notice a difference screen wise honestly. The mini is fantastic as a reading/video machine.

It’s when you go in the opposite direction that you’re more likely to notice it. And you might not, or you might and it might not bother you. I notice it instantly and it bothers the **** out of me…

 

[wingennis]

I have both a mini and 12.9 M1 Pro which replaced the 11 Pro for me. I use the mini mostly for reading, the pro for media consumption and travel. The pro is a bit bulky and heavy with the Magic Keyboard but I had 0 problems toting it around Europe when I travelled last fall and I only had carryon luggage with me so I had to be picky about what I carried. It was pretty perfect for traveling and could go from laptop to navigation device and I found the screen to be improved over my 11. I love my iPads and use them both enough to justify their purchase many times over.

 

[BigMcGuire]

TLDR: I use my MBP 16' primarily after using iPad Pro 11 for years and years. Sold iPP 11 because I didn't use it much and settled on a super cheap iPad mini 6 for reading books, some news, and for Apple Fitness in garage. I'm happy with it for the cost.



So I've been struggling with iPads for the last few years. I used an 11' iPad 2018 as my primary device heavily for several years. Last year I finally had the funds to get a 16' MBP - so I did. Being able to use that thing on my lap without causing burns was amazing, so much so, I ended up using it as my primary device - so I tried to go without an iPad. Could NOT read comfortably on my iPhone 13 PM and while reading on the MBP 16 was ok, I missed my iPad Pro 11. So I had a year of buying an iPad, and selling/return it - did this more times than I'd like to admit.

I got the M1, M2 iPad Pro 11 - but the cost for what I wanted for how little I used it was insane ($1200+) - so I sold them or returned them. Late last year, I got the Air 5 256GB on sale and while I liked it, I ended up selling it to a family member who was wanting an iPad real bad for school.

Best Buy had a $100 off sale on iPad mini 6s - so I got that a few weeks ago. $399 for a 64GB iPad mini 6. I figured at that cost, I shouldn't feel bad if I don't use it everyday so I picked it up. Figured I'd chime in with some thoughts that may/may not help as a heavy previous iPad Pro 11 user. Keep in mind my primary device is my MBP 16.

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Mini 6 Review from the perspective of a previous iPad Pro 11 owner - who uses MBP 16 primarily:

Do not get a tempered glass screen protector. Think 2x the reflection even in a normally lit room. I've been using iCarez matte screen protectors for years now and WOW, that was bad (tempered glass). iCarez makes the screen feel a lot more e-book like with brightness down - very comfortable to read.

Yes, I can see the jelly scroll - because I prefer to use this iPad in portrait mode. Does it bother me? No not really. I've gotten used to it. I can really only see it if I rapidly scroll up and down on large amounts of text - else I never see it. I always use portrait mode.

I'm using my iPad mini as a reader. I find the website text a bit too small to comfortably read on it so I do most of my news/article reading on my MBP 16.

I do not use the Apple Pencil. I prefer paper and pen. Yeah I used Notability for years and years. I'm now taking most of my notes digitally and brainstorming on paper.

BOOKS however.... amazing. This is where the device shines. When I don't want to disconnect my MBP 16 from my desk, I use a body pillow to prop up the iPad - the mini is PERFECT. I could read on this for hours and hours and hours. Something I can't comfortably do on my iPhone - and while I can read on my MBP 16 - for more than a few hours, it's not comfortable - it's super easy to get into my "reading mode" (time starts flying and before I know it, I'm half way through the book) on my iPad more than any other device.

I find the mini 6 noticeably slower than the M1/M2 iPad Pro 11 but not laggy. Text is noticeably smaller too in most applications (books are good, apps like Economist are good). I'm in my late 30s and I'm nearsighted so ... it's too small for me.

Brightness is noticeably less. If you're like me and you do Apple Fitness workouts in your garage - the screen on max brightness is not as bright as the iPad Pro 11. (Anyone else do kickboxing workouts? Love those!). It's perfect for reading in a room but not great in bright environments. It's doable but barely (for bright garage).

Battery life is very acceptable. Reading with this thing in hand is probably the BEST thing about this device - feels great. Screen looks great for text. I can get lost in a book really easily (something that doesn't happen on my MBP or iPhone). But it's not great for magazines, and a lot of websites imo because the text is freaking tiny by default.

For $399? I'm happy. With just a few apps and iCloud Photos (optimized) and iMessages turned on, I'm using about 30GB of my 64GB.

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[floral]

TLDR: I use my MBP 16' primarily after using iPad Pro 11 for years and years. Sold iPP 11 because I didn't use it much and settled on a super cheap iPad mini 6 for reading books, some news, and for Apple Fitness in garage. I'm happy with it for the cost.



So I've been struggling with iPads for the last few years. I used an 11' iPad 2018 as my primary device heavily for several years. Last year I finally had the funds to get a 16' MBP - so I did. Being able to use that thing on my lap without causing burns was amazing, so much so, I ended up using it as my primary device - so I tried to go without an iPad. Could NOT read comfortably on my iPhone 13 PM and while reading on the MBP 16 was ok, I missed my iPad Pro 11. So I had a year of buying an iPad, and selling/return it - did this more times than I'd like to admit.

I got the M1, M2 iPad Pro 11 - but the cost for what I wanted for how little I used it was insane ($1200+) - so I sold them or returned them. Late last year, I got the Air 5 256GB on sale and while I liked it, I ended up selling it to a family member who was wanting an iPad real bad for school.

Best Buy had a $100 off sale on iPad mini 6s - so I got that a few weeks ago. $399 for a 64GB iPad mini 6. I figured at that cost, I shouldn't feel bad if I don't use it everyday so I picked it up. Figured I'd chime in with some thoughts that may/may not help as a heavy previous iPad Pro 11 user. Keep in mind my primary device is my MBP 16.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini 6 Review from the perspective of a previous iPad Pro 11 owner - who uses MBP 16 primarily:

Do not get a tempered glass screen protector. Think 2x the reflection even in a normally lit room. I've been using iCarez matte screen protectors for years now and WOW, that was bad (tempered glass). iCarez makes the screen feel a lot more e-book like with brightness down - very comfortable to read.

Yes, I can see the jelly scroll - because I prefer to use this iPad in portrait mode. Does it bother me? No not really. I've gotten used to it. I can really only see it if I rapidly scroll up and down on large amounts of text - else I never see it. I always use portrait mode.

I'm using my iPad mini as a reader. I find the website text a bit too small to comfortably read on it so I do most of my news/article reading on my MBP 16.

I do not use the Apple Pencil. I prefer paper and pen. Yeah I used Notability for years and years. I'm now taking most of my notes digitally and brainstorming on paper.

BOOKS however.... amazing. This is where the device shines. When I don't want to disconnect my MBP 16 from my desk, I use a body pillow to prop up the iPad - the mini is PERFECT. I could read on this for hours and hours and hours. Something I can't comfortably do on my iPhone - and while I can read on my MBP 16 - for more than a few hours, it's not comfortable - it's super easy to get into my "reading mode" (time starts flying and before I know it, I'm half way through the book) on my iPad more than any other device.

I find the mini 6 noticeably slower than the M1/M2 iPad Pro 11 but not laggy. Text is noticeably smaller too in most applications (books are good, apps like Economist are good). I'm in my late 30s and I'm nearsighted so ... it's too small for me.

Brightness is noticeably less. If you're like me and you do Apple Fitness workouts in your garage - the screen on max brightness is not as bright as the iPad Pro 11. (Anyone else do kickboxing workouts? Love those!). It's perfect for reading in a room but not great in bright environments. It's doable but barely (for bright garage).

Battery life is very acceptable. Reading with this thing in hand is probably the BEST thing about this device - feels great. Screen looks great for text. I can get lost in a book really easily (something that doesn't happen on my MBP or iPhone). But it's not great for magazines, and a lot of websites imo because the text is freaking tiny by default.

For $399? I'm happy. With just a few apps and iCloud Photos (optimized) and iMessages turned on, I'm using about 30GB of my 64GB.

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Glad you like the mini factor. I made the switch to iPP 11" and enjoy it much more than the mini, but the mini does have great portability.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Glad you like the mini factor. I made the switch to iPP 11" and enjoy it much more than the mini, but the mini does have great portability.

I am very resolute in the opinion that if I didn't have my MBP 16 (M1) that I'd have stuck with an iPad Pro 11 and kept using it as my primary device. For those who are looking for a GREAT iPad - the 11 is the best (imo). I used it for many many years and miss it. When funds allow, I may go back again.

 

[floral]

I am very resolute in the opinion that if I didn't have my MBP 16 (M1) that I'd have stuck with an iPad Pro 11 and kept using it as my primary device. For those who are looking for a GREAT iPad - the 11 is the best (imo). I used it for many many years and miss it. When funds allow, I may go back again.

Yeah, for a lot of people if you have a macbook, the use case for a big iPad diminishes greatly.

However, for me, the iPad is the macbook, so that brings me a lot of flexibility and rebels against the "iPad is not a computer" argument >: )

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yeah, for a lot of people if you have a macbook, the use case for a big iPad diminishes greatly.

However, for me, the iPad is the macbook, so that brings me a lot of flexibility and rebels against the "iPad is not a computer" argument >: )

Yeah, and despite me being a programmer, sys admin, using windows everyday inside of parallels, and now a manager --- I still used an iPad Pro 11 as my primary personal computer from 2018-2022. I used it with a 4k monitor and bluetooth mouse/keyboard. I smile at people saying that it's not a computer. The things you can do with that amazing device (Jump Desktop, etc) - are unlimited.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yeah, for a lot of people if you have a macbook, the use case for a big iPad diminishes greatly.

However, for me, the iPad is the macbook, so that brings me a lot of flexibility and rebels against the "iPad is not a computer" argument >: )

In any scenario I can’t see myself with a 12.9 inch ipad due to my preference for smaller form factors. However as i have a MacBook, it’s just a complete non starter.

 

[chrisluxe]

I switched (finally) today from an iPad Pro 11 to the mini 6. I really like the design and colour (purple) of the mini 6.
First I was shocked how small the mini looks, but I love it‘s „portability“. It has a lot of advantages, like the weight I really like, you just have to get used to it. I use it mostly for browsing the web, Email, YouTube and the usual apps, so it‘s perfect for me.

The display quality (60hz) was something I was worried, but I like the display from the mini. Touch ID is not bad, but you have to get used to it too. For games I would still prefer a bigger display like the Pro.
If I want a big display I use my tv for movies and Netflix and for work I use my MacBook Air.

I‘m happy about my choice.

 

[Rafterman]

I had a Mini 6 for reading and such. But honestly, my iPhone Pro Max was just as good for reading as the Mini.

 

[Isamilis]

I am very resolute in the opinion that if I didn't have my MBP 16 (M1) that I'd have stuck with an iPad Pro 11 and kept using it as my primary device. For those who are looking for a GREAT iPad - the 11 is the best (imo). I used it for many many years and miss it. When funds allow, I may go back again.

My 11” iPad now is solely for reading (books and academic paper). Previously I tried to make it as laptop replacement which doesn’t work on my case. So I always bring iPad as I need to read a lot, while for writing I use MacBook Air and iPhone (for quick notes some idea). I didn't use Mini since its too small to read pdf printed books/articles.

 

[mebehere]

I don’t understand the existence of the Mini other than for traveling out of one’s house.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I don’t understand the existence of the Mini other than for traveling out of one’s house.

Some people just prefer the size. Even in the house.

 

[yellowbunny]

Have a trash can at home, an M1 MacBook Air and the Mini 6. 75% of time I only take the Mini out with me. When I’m in work I plug it into an external monitor for emails and admin. Works perfectly. Very much a computer.

 

[chrisluxe]

I had a Mini 6 for reading and such. But honestly, my iPhone Pro Max was just as good for reading as the Mini.

The mini is way better than any iPhone for reading! That’s not because the iPhone Max is small, but it can‘t compete with the size of an iPad, not even with the mini.
I wouldn’t watch a movie on it if I‘m at home, but in a train ride or flight, I wouldn‘t dare to do that on an iPhone.

 

[ballyhoos]

The problem with the Mini is scaling. The Pros have the same text size, regardless of iPad size, 11 or 12.9 And you can adjust to make text and elements bigger, or more data displayed onscreen. But with the Mini, everything is small.

This is what ruins the mini for me. From my point of view, this being signed off gives insight to how much leadership has lost its way and what it means to be Apple from a brand perspective, under Cook. The same can be said about the decisions that were made about the new iPad too.

Hopefully the next version of the mini, this is resolved.