iPad mini iPad Mini or iPhone 14 Plus?

[Bearygoodfries1]

Okay, so… I’m still wondering pondering whether to get an iPad Mini or something else.

Before the alternative was a Kindle Fire.

Now I’m debating whether to get an iPhone 14 Plus.

Obviously it’s smaller, but it has a better screen and can be a little more versatile due to being a phone. Also, being a phone the apps are more catered to its size than an iPad mini (at least I’d think so).

I own a much smaller iPhone since I carry a lot of stuff in my pockets, so the iPhone 14 Plus wouldn’t be used for going about often, but it’s nice to have the option if needed.

What do you all think? 👀

 

[sparksd]

I have a 14 Pro Max, Mini 6 (cellular), and M1 12.9 and they all fit different purposes for me. I far prefer using the Mini over the 14PM for everything except phone functionality, the camera, watch interaction, Audible books, and a few games. I don't like reading, doing email, or browsing on the phone. Personal preferences, though.

 

[ericwn]

Everyone is different. Get the mini and use the return period if it doesn’t work out for you.

 

[sparksd]

Everyone is different. Get the mini and use the return period if it doesn’t work out for you.

Absolutely the best answer for so many questions like this that pop up here. When personal preferences are at play, someone else's experience is virtually irrelevant.

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

Everyone is different. Get the mini and use the return period if it doesn’t work out for you.

Man… If I wasn’t so lazy… LOL

True, I suppose that’s the best thing to do in this situation.

 

[sparksd]

Man… If I wasn’t so lazy… LOL

True, I suppose that’s the best thing to do in this situation.

I love my Mini so you should get one. I hate sushi so you should never even try it. The only way you'll know is if you try it yourself - our opinions don't really matter.

 

[JPack]

Do you need a earpiece?

Do you need to use iPhone-only apps like WhatsApp?

Do you want good photo quality? iPad mini uses the camera sensor from iPhone 8.

Do you use AirTags and want Precision Finding? Only available on iPhone.

 

[Originalblez]

On paper the mini wins but the reality is less obvious. Mini has a very inferior screen with screen tearing, and its UI is not scaled well for the screen… tiny icons, poor text size management on apps like Teams, and so on. I was very disappointed with the mini 6. Sold it.

 

[SigmundJake229]

When I purchased my iPhone 12 Pro Max, I was hoping it would curb by appetite for a new iPad. It didn’t and it doesn’t fit well in my cargo pants.

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

I love my Mini so you should get one. I hate sushi so you should never even try it. The only way you'll know is if you try it yourself - our opinions don't really matter.

100% agree that I should try it myself to really get a feel for it.

That said, I care about others’ opinions since this is a “toy” that is a little pricey.

If it was A $5 gadget, it would just get it with no hesitation and see what I think myself.

 

[Boil]

I want to have an Apple Watch Ultra & an Apple folding device, a mash-up of an iPhone & an iPad mini...

Notifications and such on the Apple Watch let you know when you might want to pull out your device, external screen on said device allows viewing same notifications & such, along with reading messages & such, and use as viewfinder for cameras...

Unfold the device for larger screen & more comprehensive apps; email, reader, journal, sketchbook, browser, games, etc. ...

Apple Pencil 3 stores (and charges) in hinge...

If using cameras when unfolded, external screen can be used for lighting while internal screen gives a larger viewfinder and controls...

TL;DR - Three Apple devices, Watch/iPhone/iPad, but the iPhone & iPad are combined into a folding device, so actually two devices...?

 

[ofarlig]

I am running a 14 Pro Max, iPad mini and 12.9” iPad Pro. I see no overlap between the iPhone and the iPad Mini when it comes to usage.

Hoping Apple comes out with a foldable soon so I can get a phone that folds out to near an iPad Mini size. Currently I’d have to go Android for that and I don’t think it fits into the rest of my devices.

 

[adamlbiscuit]

I have the iPad mini 6 and coupled with the Apple Pencil it gets used in ways I could never dream of with my iPhone 13 Pro Max (sketching, note taking). That’s despite the inferior screen, too.

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

Darn you all… Now I want an iPad Mini AND and iPhone 14 Plus 😆

 

[Shanghaichica]

Difficult to say really. I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPad mini 6 and ipad pro 11 and use all of them for different things. I wouldn’t pick one over the other. If I could only have a new phone or an ipad I suppose I would keep the iphone I already had and get an ipad as I prefer to have more than one device rather than trying to have one device do it all. In terms of overlap I don‘t see the pro max phones as a good alternative to an ipad mini. They are completely different devices

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

Okay, so… I FINALLY got an iPad Mini!

I have some notes:

- I LOVE the size and weight! It’s great when using it on the treadmill. I’ve also been using it for reading before bed and that in turns helps me get sleepy a lot faster. It’s so small and light that I like carrying it around everywhere.

- Why are the icons so small??? There’s clearly enough space to make the icons bigger, so why are they so small? Also, things feel… Crowded? Off? Not optimized for the smaller size? I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but the UI and stuff don’t feel like they are sized appropriately for the iPad Mini, or something.

- ProMotion… I miss it. It‘s bugging me more than I thought it would. I genuinely didn’t think I’d care, but I do!

- The price. The price does seem a bit steep for what it is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine piece of hardware, but… Even with an education discount, it seems way too pricey. Amazon had it under 400 bucks recently, but after taxes it still seems a little high…

All in all, I like the iPad Mini overall. I kinda want to get the LTE model so I can take it everywhere. I think I can stick with my old iPhone for the basic necessities of a phone, while using my iPad Mini for everything else.

 

[IJBrekke]

- Why are the icons so small??? There’s clearly enough space to make the icons bigger, so why are they so small? Also, things feel… Crowded? Off? Not optimized for the smaller size? I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but the UI and stuff don’t feel like they are sized appropriately for the iPad Mini, or something.

It didn’t used to be this way - when Apple switched over to a layout favoring widgets (iOS15, I think?) it really messed with the spacing. The OS is definitely not optimized for the Mini, including newer features they are pushing like Stage Manager.

Personally, I missed the old grid of having 4 apps per row, so I placed two widgets at the top of every page. For whatever reason, this defaults the rows back to 4 instead of 5. Closest you can currently get to the classic iPad layout.

One more tip: You can make the icons larger in the settings menus.

 

[spiderman0616]

I have a 14 Pro Max and a mini 6 cellular and I kind of use them interchangeably. If the mini goes with me somewhere and I won't be out long, I often leave the phone at home.

 

[prospervic]

One more tip: You can make the icons larger in the settings menus.

Since he didn't tell you how to do this, here it is:

1. In settings scroll down to "Home Screen & Dock" and tap on it.
2. Switch on "Use Large App Icons."

Now the icons on my iPad mini 6 home screen are least tolerable. (The widgets remain obnoxiously tiny, however.)

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

One more tip: You can make the icons larger in the settings menus.

Thank you!

Since he didn't tell you how to do this, here it is:

1. In settings scroll down to "Home Screen & Dock" and tap on it.
2. Switch on "Use Large App Icons."

Now the icons on my iPad mini 6 home screen are least tolerable. (The widgets remain obnoxiously tiny, however.)

Thank you! I quickly found the settings. I’m surprised I didn’t come across it before when I as looking for it considering it was right there.

Update 2:

I LOVE this little tablet! I’ve reduced my use of my iPad Pro significantly.

I’m still debating whether to get the LTE version or keep this one. I gotta figure this out soon while I have time to return this one.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this.

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

So I found a cheaper iPad Mini on Amazon since It thought I had a month to return the first ipad Mini to apple…

I just checked online and it says 14 days is the cutoff to return devices to Apple 😭

Update: WTF?! It’s also too late to return the iPad Mini I got from Amazon!

I have two iPad minis, one that I haven’t even opened! 😭

It’s been really busy at work, and it’s been pretty hot during the day, so I thought I’d return in on the weekend (and assumed I had a month to return either iPad Mini), that’s why I took too long to return it 😭

 

[sparksd]

So I found a cheaper iPad Mini on Amazon since It thought I had a month to return the first ipad Mini to apple…

I just checked online and it says 14 days is the cutoff to return devices to Apple 😭

Update: WTF?! It’s also too late to return the iPad Mini I got from Amazon!

I have two iPad minis, one that I haven’t even opened! 😭

It’s been really busy at work, and it’s been pretty hot during the day, so I thought I’d return in on the weekend (and assumed I had a month to return either iPad Mini), that’s why I took too long to return it 😭

Yeah, you have to keep track of those deadlines if you think you might want to return something, irrespective of what/where you bought.

 

[BigMcGuire]

So I found a cheaper iPad Mini on Amazon since It thought I had a month to return the first ipad Mini to apple…

I just checked online and it says 14 days is the cutoff to return devices to Apple 😭

Update: WTF?! It’s also too late to return the iPad Mini I got from Amazon!

I have two iPad minis, one that I haven’t even opened! 😭

It’s been really busy at work, and it’s been pretty hot during the day, so I thought I’d return in on the weekend (and assumed I had a month to return either iPad Mini), that’s why I took too long to return it 😭

See if any family/friends want to buy it (or donate it if you're feeling really generous). In my experience, the resale on those is pretty good - here on Macrumors Marketplace or Facebook Marketplace (had a few family members sell here to their local neighborhood).

Apple's return policy is very generous compared to most manufacturers/sellers.

 

[J&JPolangin]

Or buy from physical stores, many will allow an unopened return of a "gift" one receives as long as the items is still factory sealed.