iPad mini I sure am bummed at how few mini 4s have been up for sale.

[ssledoux]

It looked like a lot of folks were upgrading, but I haven’t seen many mini 4s listed, at least not here.

Any idea where I could find a good, basic mini 4 for a good price?

 

[EugW]

Are you in the US? There are lots of iPad mini 4 models on the Apple USA refurbished store.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/ipad/ipad-mini-4

However, iPad mini 4 has Apple A8, which is already starting to lag, even just for surfing. And while I think it will get iOS 13, at most it will get iOS 14, but even that's not guaranteed.

I personally just recommend getting the iPad mini 2019. Better in every way, and comes with more base storage space too.

 

[sracer]

It looked like a lot of folks were upgrading, but I haven’t seen many mini 4s listed, at least not here.

Any idea where I could find a good, basic mini 4 for a good price?

Reputable power-sellers on eBay are selling the Mini 4 for what Apple is getting for refurbs. (that's not usually the case... they're usually cheaper on eBay) The Mini 4 seems to be holding their value better than other iPad models. I think it is a testament to the popularity of the form-factor and the longevity... the Mini 4 is still very responsive and capable.

My caution regarding getting a Mini 4 has to do with the physical age of the device. Buying a Mini 4 that is older than a year runs the risk of getting one that may have battery life issues.

I agree with you, it's tough.

edit to add:
I think the best place to score one at a reasonable price will be ebay. That'll take some patience though. It's possible that there will be a power seller that will clearance out 1000's of units that just came back from a lease. They usually sell at a good price.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Refurbished will have a new battery from Apple. However, after tax, the difference between the 4 and 5 is not as large. It would make more longterm sense to get the new mini. If the budget is tight, then get the refurbished from Apple.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Are you in the US? There are lots of iPad mini 4 models on the Apple USA refurbished store.

They were listed very recently by the way.

 

[EugW]

They were listed very recently by the way.

And they seem to be going fast. I could have sworn there was a 32 GB model there just an hour ago. Now all the 32 GB models are gone.

 

[AutomaticApple]

And they seem to be going fast. I could have sworn there was a 32 GB model there just an hour ago. Now all the 32 GB models are gone.

I remember seeing a few refurbished 16GB models going for around $200.00 on Apples website. They sold like hot cakes.

 

[EugW]

I remember seeing a few refurbished 16GB models going for around $200.00 on Apples website. They sold like hot cakes.

The 16 GB models for are still there for US$209.

However, 16 GB is very restrictive in 2019, even for light usage. Some people are OK with it, but for most people I recommend 32 GB minimum.

For me for relatively light usage with my iPad Air 2, with effort I could get by with 32 GB based on my past usage history, but 64 GB provides a lot more breathing room.

With my iPad Pro 10.5", I bought the 64 GB model based on my above experience, but I find I have heavier usage with the Pro. I can easily get by with 64 GB, but 128 GB would give me a lot more breathing room.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The 16 GB models for are still there for US$209.

Maybe a few weren’t purchased and they were put back?

 

[EugW]

Maybe a few weren’t purchased and they were put back?

They've been there every time I've checked today (which is 3 or 4 times).

 

[VertPin]

With the difference in price between the Mini 4 and 5...I would really reconsider and get the 5.

 

[ssledoux]

Thanks for the tips. I’ll look at the Apple site.

The thing is, I’m not sure how much I’m gonna use a mini, and I’ll be buying one for my youngest grandson within 6 months or so. My plan was to get a mini 4 and use it to see how much I would actually use it, then pass it on to him and get myself a 5 (or nothing if I don’t wind up having much use for it).

 

[aakshey]

Mini 4 is unlikely to get iOS 14. Likely to get iOS 13 but not guaranteed.

 

[VertPin]

Mini 4 is unlikely to get iOS 14. Likely to get iOS 13 but not guaranteed.

But will the iPhone 7 get iOS 15?

 

[aakshey]

But will the iPhone 7 get iOS 15?

iPhone 7 is likely to get iOS 14. And possibly even iOS 15. It has an A10.

Mini 4 has an A8.

 

[*~Kim~*]

If Mini 4 doesn’t get iOS14, that would make it the iPad dropping support soonest after being discontinued by Apple (tied with the original I think.)

Likely, but a shame. The Mini’s history of specs being out of date will show when Minis 2-4 go to unsupported within a year of each other.

Minis 2 and 5 have to be the best buys upon release, up to date specs wise.

 

[aakshey]

If Mini 4 doesn’t get iOS14, that would make it the iPad dropping support soonest after being discontinued by Apple (tied with the original I think.)

Likely, but a shame. The Mini’s history of specs being out of date will show when Minis 2-4 go to unsupported within a year of each other.

Minis 2 and 5 have to be the best buys upon release, up to date specs wise.

It’s not Apple’s fault if you buy it so late in its life cycle. They should have released a newer mini sooner, but they don’t care enough.

A8 is just too dated. It might get iOS 14. But regardless, even iOS 13 will likely run pretty crappy on the Mini 4.

 

[sracer]

It’s not Apple’s fault if you buy it so late in its life cycle. They should have released a newer mini sooner, but they don’t care enough.

A8 is just too dated. It might get iOS 14. But regardless, even iOS 13 will likely run pretty crappy on the Mini 4.

It's not a matter of how late you buy it in a cycle but the last date that Apple sells a device that matters.
The fact that Apple was still selling the Mini 4 in 2019 is important.

Outside of the iOS development team, nobody knows what iOS 13 will have when it is released, or what iOS 14 will be. And not knowing that, nobody knows what devices will be supported or how well these later versions of iOS will run on those devices. Nor does anyone know what under the cover changes Apple makes to iOS to perform satisfactorily on a wider range of devices.

Apple fan hyperbole aside, iOS 12 runs extremely well on the Mini 4. I had kept my Mini 4 on iOS 10.x because I didn't want to lose the what little screen optimization was available (that was subsequently lost in iOS 11 and beyond) and I didn't want it bogged down by 11's bugs and glitches. But after 6 months after 12's release, I updated it to 12...primarily for consistency with my 2018 iPad. It's been an excellent experience and I can see it will still be quite capable for quite a bit more time. (That doesn't mean I'd recommend paying top dollar for it... but it isn't the worthless antiquated piece of tech that some are claiming)

One area where Apple has improved over the past few years has been in optimizing iOS for older devices, allowing newer versions of the OS to run better on older devices.

 

[VertPin]

iPhone 7 is likely to get iOS 14. And possibly even iOS 15. It has an A10.

Mini 4 has an A8.

But will the 6s get iOS 14?

It’s silly to predict what will and what won’t get iOS x. We don’t really have a pattern of what devices will receive iOS 13, so why predict what will get 14? Seems silly.

 

[aakshey]

But will the 6s get iOS 14?

It’s silly to predict what will and what won’t get iOS x. We don’t really have a pattern of what devices will receive iOS 13, so why predict what will get 14? Seems silly.

6s has A9. I doubt it will get iOS 14. But then it might.

 

[*~Kim~*]

If A8 gets iOS 13 (very likely given how recently Apple discontinued it,) A9 will most likely get iOS 14. A later processor version usually means at least one more major release than the one before it, with the obvious exception of the 3GS (using the last of the Samsung produced chips) getting iOS 6, where the iPad with the A4 stayed on 5 - and the 4 with its greater RAM but the A4 chip continued to iOS 7.

A5/A5X left on iOS 9 - Mini 1, iPad 2, 3 and iPhone 4S.
A6/A6X left on iOS 10 - iPhone 5, 5c, iPad 4.

Seems clear that iOS 12 will be it for anything with an A7. As yet the X chip hasn’t seen any further updates as compared to the standard variant of the chip, but I expect that to change with the Pros.

Things will get interesting when it comes to the A8/A8X, and perhaps A9/A9X (9.7 Pro having half as much RAM as the 12.9”, but a faster clock speed than the 5th Gen iPad also with 2GB RAM.) So far RAM seems to have dropped the iPad, while extra RAM (matching the iPad 4) but the same clock speed as the iPad 2 saw iPad 3 dropped at the same time as the 2.

Of course there are iOS releases which throw curveballs by not dropping anything (8 to 9 and 11 to 12) and we don’t know when or if there might be another. The Mini 4’s longevity, similar to the iPad 2’s might strengthen the case for another such update.

 

[EugW]

If A8 gets iOS 13 (very likely given how recently Apple discontinued it,) A9 will most likely get iOS 14. A later processor version usually means at least one more major release than the one before it, with the obvious exception of the 3GS (using the last of the Samsung produced chips) getting iOS 6, where the iPad with the A4 stayed on 5 - and the 4 with its greater RAM but the A4 chip continued to iOS 7.

A5/A5X left on iOS 9 - Mini 1, iPad 2, 3 and iPhone 4S.
A6/A6X left on iOS 10 - iPhone 5, 5c, iPad 4.

Seems clear that iOS 12 will be it for anything with an A7. As yet the X chip hasn’t seen any further updates as compared to the standard variant of the chip, but I expect that to change with the Pros.

Things will get interesting when it comes to the A8/A8X, and perhaps A9/A9X (9.7 Pro having half as much RAM as the 12.9”, but a faster clock speed than the 5th Gen iPad also with 2GB RAM.) So far RAM seems to have dropped the iPad, while extra RAM (matching the iPad 4) but the same clock speed as the iPad 2 saw iPad 3 dropped at the same time as the 2.

Of course there are iOS releases which throw curveballs by not dropping anything (8 to 9 and 11 to 12) and we don’t know when or if there might be another. The Mini 4’s longevity, similar to the iPad 2’s might strengthen the case for another such update.

Yes, I suspect both A8 and A8X will get iOS 13, but it seems to me the better cutoff would be 2 GB RAM. If that happened (and I'm not saying it will), that would mean the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with A8 and 1 GB RAM wouldn't get iOS 13, but the iPad mini 4 with A8 and 2 GB RAM would get it, along with the iPad Air 2 with A8X and 2 GB RAM. (HomePod with its A8 and 1 GB RAM doesn't it count, since its OS is quite different.)

We were talking about it in the iOS forum, and I posted a table of the various specs here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...quirements-speculation.2176294/#post-27255489

 

[haruhiko]

Given that the iPad mini 5 is such a big leap in terms of CPU performance and it has kept the relatively low price, I'd recommend just getting the latest and greatest. You get cutting edge performance and longevity (for at least 4-5 years). The iPad mini 4 only has the A8 which was debuted with the ..... iPhone 6 in 2014! It's already 5 years old, how long will Apple support it? My iPhone 6 Plus in the shelf now runs really slowly even on iOS 12, of course, it has a lot to do with the minuscule 1GB RAM, but at this age of the CPU I would only get the mini 4 at a really really cheap price.

 

[AutomaticApple]

A5/A5X left on iOS 9 - Mini 1, iPad 2, 3 and iPhone 4S.

Don’t forget the 5th generation iPod Touch!

 

[ACG12]

Yeah...you don’t want a device with an almost 5 year old processor. Buy the new mini.