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i sold my mini 4 a month ago...was too small in the end....to me the ideal size is 10.5''
but ill await to see what the new possibly bezel less ipad pros will deliver.
To me, the best iPad size would be indeed an iPad with less bezel
Instead of 10.5, i would reduce bezel on iPad Mini 4 then you most likely get a screen size around 8.5/9
 
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The mini 4 may be worth it for some. But not for me. I still use the mini 2. It’s running the latest ios. And works fine for web surfing, but i notice it is slowing down. Plus the screen is cracked, and the home button doesnt work anymore so i had to set up a virtual home button. I love the size of the mini. Smaller & more portable than any other ipad, yet larger and more enjoyable than the largest iphone. I can carry it my coat pocket or cargo pants easily. It really is the perfect travel size to be productive on. So why wont i update to the mini 4? Well, i really want to use the Apple pencil for sketching. Again, the mini would be the perfect size for a digital sketchbook for me. Plus i also want to edit my travel videos & photos while on the road. The mini 4 is almost 3 yrs old with older tech. And it can’t use the apple pencil. So i am waiting...and hoping apple announces an ipad mini pro alongside the new 10.5” & 12.9” pro updates at wwdc in june. Haven’t heard any romours tho, so it ain’t looking good. I’d even take a non pro ipad mini that had an updated chip & could use the apple pencil! I just want a new mini. If Apple doesn’t announce a new one in June, my last hope is an update in the fall. If no new ipad mini comes out then...even i may give up hope.
 
The mini 4 may be worth it for some. But not for me. I still use the mini 2. It’s running the latest ios. And works fine for web surfing, but i notice it is slowing down. Plus the screen is cracked, and the home button doesnt work anymore so i had to set up a virtual home button. I love the size of the mini. Smaller & more portable than any other ipad, yet larger and more enjoyable than the largest iphone. I can carry it my coat pocket or cargo pants easily. It really is the perfect travel size to be productive on. So why wont i update to the mini 4? Well, i really want to use the Apple pencil for sketching. Again, the mini would be the perfect size for a digital sketchbook for me. Plus i also want to edit my travel videos & photos while on the road. The mini 4 is almost 3 yrs old with older tech. And it can’t use the apple pencil. So i am waiting...and hoping apple announces an ipad mini pro alongside the new 10.5” & 12.9” pro updates at wwdc in june. Haven’t heard any romours tho, so it ain’t looking good. I’d even take a non pro ipad mini that had an updated chip & could use the apple pencil! I just want a new mini. If Apple doesn’t announce a new one in June, my last hope is an update in the fall. If no new ipad mini comes out then...even i may give up hope.

There's not coming a new iPad mini, if they had one in the works it would have been announced with the 2018 iPad. It's def not coming in the fall and if it was coming during WDCC we would have been seeing/hearing more rumors by now and then it would be a pro-version of the mini, which not immediately makes sense from an Apple standpoint.
 
That's makes sense
We, iPad Mini lovers, are a niche market users
People usually want bigger screen
iPhone getting bigger
The gap between iPhone screen tends to be reduced with iPad Mini
Many iPhone users only have iPhone and do not own iPad and if they do, they most likely going to buy a bigger screen iPad
Forget about iPad Mini, its abandonned iPad!
 
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I continue to use my Cellular iPad mini 4 as a mounted GPS for my car. There is no contest - it is the perfect size for a GPS - phones are too small and narrow to see the map around you, and the full sized iPad blocks far too much of the dash.

It's also much better than CarPlay because I can use Google Maps + Google Voice recognition + Contacts integration + Offline Maps + Google My Maps pins. It is the ultimate GPS navigation system, better than anything else I've seen out there. The traditional GPS systems really suck when you have to enter postal codes - Google's search engine is infinitely better for finding an address.
 
To me, the best iPad size would be indeed an iPad with less bezel
Instead of 10.5, i would reduce bezel on iPad Mini 4 then you most likely get a screen size around 8.5/9

I dunno, to fit a 9-inch screen in the form factor of an iPad Mini would mean bezels that are just 4mm wide on each side and 6mm top/bottom. I was skeptical at first when phones started moving to thinner bezels but at least those devices are small enough to fit in one hand comfortably. I can’t imagine holding a 9-inch tablet in one hand comfortably in landscape mode while touch inputting with the other when the bezels are thinner than 10mm. As large as my IPP 12.9 is I do have an appreciation for being able to get a good grip on it one handed when I have to. I could live with a little bit of bezel shrinkage but I’m not sure I want something that would be challenging to hold just for the sake of thin bezels. For me because I don’t like using cases I would hate to have to consider putting on a case just to get a better grip on a device that has bezels that are too thin. That is actually why I jumped on a 2017 IPP a couple of months ago, the rumors of newer iPP’s with thinner bezels scared me off of waiting any longer. We’re all different though and I get the attraction to the thin bezels, don’t get me wrong.
 
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I can’t imagine holding a 9-inch tablet in one hand comfortably in landscape mode while touch inputting with the other when the bezels are thinner than 10mm.

This feels to me like a technical limitation that is easily overcome. Add some kind of Force Touch detection and smart analysis to indicate that the pressure on one edge is from someone holding the iPad mini, and that touch point is effectively ignored. This shouldn't limit the maximum "thinness" of bezels, although from a purely visual standpoint it's good to have at least some bezel avoid covering too much of the screen with your thumb.
 
I just sold my mini 2.
I'm a physician and the mini-size is the only one that fits in my doctor's coat. I don't use my phone to look up things because I think it looks unprofessional, the mini really was perfect for this.

But it got too old/slow, and I don't want to pay for a mini 4 with old technology.

Please, Apple, please. Make a new mini that is up to date and I'll pay whatever you ask for it. I honestly think that for professionals who are on the move all the time, the mini is a solution for so many problems.

Surfing on a 128gb Mini 4 I picked up two weeks ago for $285. No regrets. It pairs great with the larger iPads too.
 
This feels to me like a technical limitation that is easily overcome. Add some kind of Force Touch detection and smart analysis to indicate that the pressure on one edge is from someone holding the iPad mini, and that touch point is effectively ignored.

Maybe but with people’s different hand shapes and sizes, the different ways people hold their iPad, the different circumstances in which people have to hold their iPad—I think there are too many variables, many unpredictable, for this to work dependably.
But I think the most compelling reason the iPad needs bezels is to avoid covering up content, like you said. Especially buttons like the tool buttons in drawing apps.
 
To me, the best iPad size would be indeed an iPad with less bezel
Instead of 10.5, i would reduce bezel on iPad Mini 4 then you most likely get a screen size around 8.5/9

Well if the Physical size of iPad Mini stable to 8.00” and 5.35 it has the screen of 7.9” with 4:3 aspect ratio.

Most people will prefer at 3:2 aspect ratio if apple make an iPad Mini X (bezelless)with 8.5 inch screen or 9” considering that iPhone X longer than 16:9 and very close to 21:9
[doublepost=1523935890][/doublepost]
This feels to me like a technical limitation that is easily overcome. Add some kind of Force Touch detection and smart analysis to indicate that the pressure on one edge is from someone holding the iPad mini, and that touch point is effectively ignored. This shouldn't limit the maximum "thinness" of bezels, although from a purely visual standpoint it's good to have at least some bezel avoid covering too much of the screen with your thumb.

Well if people can Hold iPhone X for several hours, its impossible to hold iPad even an iPad mini for just a several minutes without your hand hurting. 99.9% of people make iPad Stand using the case on the Table while they are drinking cup of coffee. also nobody holds iPad Mini or Macbook like the way u use your iPhone. But its true that most senior citizens like 40 years old and above gets annoyed with thinness of bezels because they accidentally touch the screen.
 
Strange, on iOS 11.3 The iPad Mini 4 seems the Fastest, on A8 Devices.
1. iPad Mini 4 7/10
2. iPad Air 2 6/10
3. iPhone 6/6 Plus 5/10
4. iPod Touch 6Th Gen 4/10

I compare my iPad Mini 4 to my Cousins iPad Air 2 on iOS 11.3 on both. Mine seems faster, now this proves that Newer is better and a bit faster even the iPad Air has Triple Core.

Now, to answer OP question iPad Mini 4 will only be supported until the Fall Of 2019 which means iOS 12 would be it's last.
[doublepost=1524049315][/doublepost]crapadoodle
Mini4 is my favourite iPad ever. Love the format. I hope Apple does not kill it ...
 
I switched from Mini 4 to iPad Pro 10.5 and didn't regret it
Its time to officially give up iPad Mini no matter if you love Mini form factor, specs do matter, its day and night between Mini 4 and 10.5 in term of fluidity
RIP iPad Mini because of Apple himself

I switched to a fifth gen iPad. While I love the iPad mini and am sad about its (at this point) obvious lame-duck status in the lineup, my only regret is that I didn't wait four months to get the sixth gen instead. Though, it's not like it runs badly or is so expensive that I can't just upgrade sooner than might otherwise be considered reasonable if I so felt like it.

[doublepost=1524049315][/doublepost]crapadoodle
Mini4 is my favourite iPad ever. Love the format. I hope Apple does not kill it ...

I am with you on it being my favorite iPad and favorite form factor. But Apple is almost certainly discontinuing it. Emphasis on "almost" lest anyone feel like starting an argument over predictions on the forums section of an Apple rumors site.
 
Does anyone have straight comparison between latest iOS 11 updates and iOS 10.3.3 on iPad Mini 4?
I eventually got mine and still thinking if i need to upgrade to iOS 11.2

Not sure what you mean by "straight up." I had 11.0 on my Air 2 and Mini 4 and went back to 10.3.3 because 10.3.3 was clearly faster on both than 11.0.

My wife's Air 2, which is exactly the same specs as my Air 2, is running 11.3. Comparing her Air 2 on 11.3 to my Air 2 on 10.3.3 is it clear that 10.3.3 is faster on the A8X platform.

I can't demonstrate the difference between 11.3 and 10.3.3 on an A8, but 10.3.3 was faster than 11.0 and I have no reason to think that results would be different, especially given the continuing gap between 11.3 and 10.3.3 on the Air 2. For what it's worth, however, the iOS 11 UI improvements for the iPad are significant, and I don't think my wife would even think about going back to iOS 10.

The trick with iOS is knowing when to stop upgrading. Unfortunately, that's very difficult to do. I guessed wrong with my 5th gen iPod Touch, which basically made it unusable.
 
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Just out of curiosity how many people have IOS 11.3 installed on their mini 4’s and how well are they running?
 
Strange, on iOS 11.3 The iPad Mini 4 seems the Fastest, on A8 Devices.
1. iPad Mini 4 7/10
2. iPad Air 2 6/10
3. iPhone 6/6 Plus 5/10
4. iPod Touch 6Th Gen 4/10

I compare my iPad Mini 4 to my Cousins iPad Air 2 on iOS 11.3 on both. Mine seems faster, now this proves that Newer is better and a bit faster even the iPad Air has Triple Core.

Now, to answer OP question iPad Mini 4 will only be supported until the Fall Of 2019 which means iOS 12 would be it's last.

Where does Apple say it will drop support in the os in fall 2019?
 
Just out of curiosity how many people have IOS 11.3 installed on their mini 4’s and how well are they running?

Just purchased an iPad Mini 4 (WiFi and Cellular) and it came with iOS 11 -- just needed to update to the current iOS 11.3.1. I am very pleasantly surprised at how speedy this little thing is! I had expected that it would be noticeably slower than my larger iPads but that doesn't seem to be the case, which is very nice. The device seems very responsive and quick.
 
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I was thinking about getting a 128gb Mini 4 with cellular - really prefer the smaller size. But, geez, the 2018 iPad is only $30 more for the same spec. It's really hard to justify my size preference when the cost of a three year old model is basically the same as the new one. If you purchase on installments, like AT&T Next, the monthly payments are only about $2 different.

Played with a Mini 4 for a little while in the Apple Store and it did seem pretty responsive - about the same as my iPhone 6s+ but Apple claims the A9 chip on my phone is 70% faster for CPU and 90% faster for graphics than the A8 on the Mini 4.
 
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I was thinking about getting a 128gb Mini 4 with cellular - really prefer the smaller size. But, geez, the 2018 iPad is only $30 more for the same spec. It's really hard to justify my size preference when the cost of a three year old model is basically the same as the new one. If you purchase on installments, like AT&T Next, the monthly payments are only about $2 different.

Played with a Mini 4 for a little while in the Apple Store and it did seem pretty responsive - about the same as my iPhone 6s+ but Apple claims the A9 chip on my phone is 70% faster for CPU and 90% faster for graphics than the A8 on the Mini 4.

Although I already have the larger iPad Pros, I have just gotten the iPad Mini 4 for use in situations where I cannot or do not want to take my more expensive, larger iPads. We'll be going to the beach two or three times this summer and I decided that it would be much easier to carry around the smaller, lighter-weight iPad Mini 4 with me all the time than one of the other larger ones, especially since I will also be carrying other things. No way am I leaving expensive electronics in the hotel room while we are out most of the day! Obviously I will also be using the device around home, too, as well as around town, and on other travel occasions in addition.

It has been a while since I've had an iPad Mini -- last one was the iPad Mini 2 some years ago, and I'm enjoying the small, easily pocketable/tuck-in-purse size again. I was very pleasantly surprised at how speedy and responsive the iPad Mini 4 seemed to be on iOS 11.3.1, and now is equally speedy and responsive on iOS 11.4. For the purposes I have in mind, 128 GB is just fine -- the other two iPads do the heavier lifting with their larger capacities. I forgot to get AppleCare Plus when I bought the device, so need to do that this week, and I am still trying to decide whether or not I want to simply add this iPad to my current plan with AT&T or if I want to just do the prepaid monthly thing on the device itself.
 
It is, the portability and power are still relevant and useful even with demanding tasks.... but right now the iPad Mini 4s seem to have an issue with random shutdowns... (*annoying and odd.)
I just replaced a faulty unit for one that has the same issue and more. I wonder if Apple’s QC is less tight on these because they may get axed soon. *Yes that’s a stupid theory, but I don’t have any other explanation as I’ve had 3 mini 4s do this now... but my iPod 6, and iPad Pro 10.5” don’t have this issue. :/


Kallum.
 
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I’ve been using a mini 4 for almost a year, along with a 12.9” iPad.

I primarily use the mini for reading books, and really really enjoy its size and weight for that purpose. I do use it as an iPad in usual ways as well - messaging, browsing, etc. But compared to my 12.9” iPad and iPhone X it feels relatively slow. Painful at times even.

I don’t think the mini will ever get updated or redesigned (if/when it comes to other iPads). Hope I’m wrong but I think it’s going to slowly get phased out by Apple. I’ll be really disappointed as no other iPad feels as natural for reading books.
 
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