iPad mini Is 5 to 6 really an upgrade? Feels mostly like a form factor change.

[turbineseaplane]

Just going through spec comparisons it is dawning on me that while yes, it's 2 years newer and thus the internals are bumped to the "latest" (which is always great of course), it feels like more of a form factor change than a massive upgrade and mega change to me.

The screen is 8.3" now, but it's a wider aspect ratio and the screen area isn't much more at all. Depending upon preference, going away from 4:3 is a lateral move, if not downgrade slightly. I really like taller screens in landscape myself (such as still preferring 16:10 monitors).

Specs of the screen are essentially identical save for the new one being "Liquid Retina" -- which is just a made up Apple marketing term.
Both are 500 nits, both are laminated & anti-reflective, both are P3, both are True-Tone, both are 326ppi..

The cameras got better. Full agree there.
More speakers - that is very nice!

No home button and slight bezel changes (Touch ID now on power button) -- all just lateral stuff honestly.

I guess Pencil 2 support if you're into that?

USB-C if you care for that.
To me that would be not so great as I have lightning all over the house for household iPhones. Great if you do a lot of data transfer for sure.

No headphone jack (for me that sucks - I'm sure many don't care)

I don't know. Big form factor change if that's important to some, but to me this seems less of change "experience of using it" wise vs the iPM 5 than one might think.

If you already have a 5 (as I do), I'm struggling to justify the big outlay to upgrade.

Please - if you're super excited about the new one - go on being so!
I just wanted to bring up a somewhat dispassionate analysis of what's actually changing here.

Curious how many are changing out from their iPad mini 5 and the thought process and/or why?

Apple jacking the base entry price by 25% ($399 to $499) is really a bit of a face slap considering it still starts at 64gb as it did with version 5.

Please know - I'm in no way trying to be negative or kill anyones excitement.

I just prefer to cut through the hype and Apple marketing a bit and zero in on what the new offering, value and changes truly are here.

It's a really great product if you don't already have its' predecessor.

Since I do have a 5 now, I'm analyzing it through the lens of "worth it or not to upgrade".

If you go to this press release page, a full 50% of the page is talking not about iPad mini 6, but about iOS 15 and "iPad and the Environment"

Apple unveils new iPad mini with breakthrough performance in stunning new design

Apple today introduced the powerful new iPad mini with a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display in four gorgeous finishes.

www.apple.com

 

[Sammio2]

I mean, yes, it is.

 

[Attirex]

I would have liked an OLED screen, but.....then Apple would have charged US $20,000 for 16GB Wifi only version, AND the battery life on my 5 is so bad I can't take it anymore. Life is full of compromise! And disappointment. And hate and sadness. And....death. Oh well.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I mean, yes, it is.

Could you please add some data points?

For you, what makes it a worthwhile upgrade from version 5?

As I mentioned, I'm interested in specifics of use cases for folks making the switch.

the battery life on my 5 is so bad I can't take it anymore.

Battery life degradation is a good point and good reason to upgrade for sure

 

[Falhófnir]

I'm definitely interested to see how it scales apps as the display is narrower in both physical terms (the device is overall same width with thicker side bezels) and resolution (1488 pixels wide vs 1536 on the mini 5). The new form factor could be quite a big a draw in and of itself depending on each individual - for sketching/ note taking the flat sided design with magnetic pencil 2 is arguably quite a bit more convenient. I also personally prefer TouchID (wish they'd add this to the Pros as well as Face ID and let you choose) and yeah no reason to lose the headphone jack here given its fractionally thicker than its predecessor!

 

[Sammio2]

Could you please add some data points?

For you, what makes it a worthwhile upgrade from version 5?

As I mentioned, I'm interested in specifics of use cases for folks making the switch.

Nah, it just is because I said so!

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'm definitely interested to see how it scales apps as the display is narrower in both physical terms (the device is overall same width with thicker side bezels) and resolution (1488 pixels wide vs 1536 on the mini 5). The new form factor could be quite a big a draw in and of itself depending on each individual - for sketching/ note taking the flat sided design with magnetic pencil 2 is arguably quite a bit more convenient. I also personally prefer TouchID (wish they'd add this to the Pros as well as Face ID and let you choose) and yeah no reason to lose the headphone jack here given its fractionally thicker than its predecessor!

Interesting points re: drawing

It's possible I'm under selling it all as I don't use the Pencil and really never have beyond "for fun" for a few months all the way back on my iPad Pro 9.7. For some reason the Mini just seems super small to me for doing much beyond note taking (which might be a great use case on its own!)

 

[sparksd]

I wouldn't have bought the earlier model because of Lightning, an inferior interface that limited capabilities significantly (and required overpriced, oddball dongles).

 

[turbineseaplane]

I wouldn't have bought the earlier model because of Lightning, an inferior interface that limited capabilities significantly (and required overpriced, oddball dongles).

Do you not the buy the iPhones?

I'm curious - when was your first iPad?

USB-C is relatively new to the iPad lineup

 

[sparksd]

I do have a 12 Pro Max, my only current Lightning device. My first iPad was the Air 2, followed by the 10.5, 2018 12.9, and now the 2021 12.9. I'd not buy another Lightning device unless forced to, e.g. the iPhone.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I do have a 12 Pro Max, my only current Lightning device. My first iPad was the Air 2, followed by the 10.5, 2018 12.9, and now the 2021 12.9. I'd not buy another Lightning device unless forced to, e.g. the iPhone.

Gotcha - I hear ya

I think the USB-C thing hasn't captured me yet as I have, to my knowledge, zero USB-C devices in my life right now. I don't use a MacBook (Hack desktop) and everything iOS for me (SE1, Mini 5, AirPods) is all lightning so it's still a big plus for me to be lightning all over.

 

[ElectronGuru]

We upgrade Macs every 5-10 years and iOS devices every 3-6 years. The exception would be if two people get to upgrade at the same time. Say one with a 3 and another with a 5, now we could be 5 & 6. The depreciation value lost in selling a 5 now wouldn’t be worth it. But that’s little to do with how much better the 6 actually is.

 

[turbineseaplane]

We upgrade Macs every 5-10 years and iOS devices every 3-6 years. The exception would be if two people get to upgrade at the same time. Say one with a 3 and another with a 5, now we could be 5 & 6. The depreciation value lost in selling a 5 now wouldn’t be worth it. But that’s little to do with how much better the 6 actually is.

Speaking of the value.
It’s amazing how much they screw you on trade ins if you bought anything but the base model.

We have two iPad mini 5’s. One is base 64gb WiFi only and the other is the opposite - LTE and full 256gb.

Both would net the same $225 trade in value from Apple despite many hundreds of dollars difference at MSRP.

OUCH.

 

[gorkt]

I think this was about as big of an upgrade as one can expect. I have a mini 4 and this was an instant buy. I want to use this at work as a note taking device as well as an ereader and a content consumption device. I love that this can slip in my purse easily. The only think that might have been nice was a smart connector, but I will probably get a portable bluetooth keyboard for it.

 

[sparksd]

Gotcha - I hear ya

I think the USB-C thing hasn't captured me yet as I have, to my knowledge, zero USB-C devices in my life right now. I don't use a MacBook (Hack desktop) and everything iOS for me (SE1, Mini 5, AirPods) is all lightning so it's still a big plus for me to be lightning all over.

I can see that in your case. I'm the opposite where now a lot of my devices are USB-C.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I have a mini 4 and this was an instant buy

From a Mini 4, no question about it!

(Mini 4 came out 6 years ago this month - MASSIVE upgrade)

I can see that in your case. I'm the opposite where now a lot of my devices are USB-C.

I find it frustrating that they won’t just pick one and roll with it
If it’s going to be USB-C let’s put it everywhere and move on

 

[sparksd]

I'm interested in the new Mini as an adjunct to my 12.9 and wanted 256GB + 5G. But with a cheaper case from Amazon, the price with tax is over $900. Ow.

 

[Joniz]

It’s an iPad Mini.

It’s still an iPad Mini.

None of their upgrades have been “exciting.”

What more do you expect it to do? Fold in half?

 

[sparksd]

I find it frustrating that they won’t just pick one and roll with it
If it’s going to be USB-C let’s put it everywhere and move on

Agree. Keeping Lightning on some and USB-C on others is a pain.

 

[turbineseaplane]

What more do you expect it to do? Fold in half?

I am not sure if you were looking for an honest response but I would honestly have liked the base price to stay at $399 given the storage stayed at 64gb and the screen is basically the same (ever so slight change to aspect ratio and otherwise spec equivalent).

One thing I would love a folding version of is an iPhone.
An “iPhone RAZR” I would be ALL over.

 

[Populus]

Yes, it is.

The older one has a A12 chip right? The difference with the A15 is substantial. Also, 4GB of RAM.

I honestly think it’s a no brainer. Should have been 128GB the base model, but still, great device, and big upgrade (also bigger screen).

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yes, it is.

The older one has a A12 chip right? The difference with the A15 is substantial. Also, 4GB of RAM.

I honestly think it’s a no brainer. Should have been 128GB the base model, but still, great device, and big upgrade (also bigger screen).

I addressed that

I don’t consider simply installing the current breed of new internals to be rationale enough to upgrade on its own.

That should be the base expectation of any new model that is years after the previous .

As a multi year iPad mini 5 user I literally can’t think of one time where CPU speeds or RAM has been some issue in terms of usability.

Is it nice to have the latest?
Obviously

That doesn’t make for a worthwhile upgrade and new cash outlay necessarily though

 

[Joniz]

I am not sure if you were looking for an honest response but I would honestly have liked the base price to stay at $399 given the storage stayed at 64gb and the screen is basically the same (ever so slight change to aspect ratio and otherwise spec equivalent).

One thing I would love a folding version of is an iPhone.
An “iPhone RAZR” I would be ALL over.

Well, price has nothing to do with it being an upgrade. That’s just Apple testing the market to see how much it can bear.

Do I think it’s worth the higher price for what is basically a new shape? No. The Mini 5 still does what it needs to do for me.

But as an artist, I do like drawing on the Mini because it’s so easy to palm with one hand and draw with the other. It’s what I use when I travel. When I’m at home, though, I rather have the space of a larger device, which is an Air 4 for me.

I like that the new Mini uses the Pencil 2, but I can’t draw any faster on it.

 

[ElectronGuru]

Speaking of the value.
It’s amazing how much they screw you on trade ins if you bought anything but the base model.

We have two iPad mini 5’s. One is base 64gb WiFi only and the other is the opposite - LTE and full 256gb.

Both would net the same $225 trade in value from Apple despite many hundreds of dollars difference at MSRP.

OUCH.

I watch swappa enough to see better models fetching better prices. $300 more when new does not get you anywhere close to 300 resale. But it’s still a better deal than generic trade in with a middle man.

If I were you I would get one 6 when on sale, giving you 5+6 then upgrade you both with 6+7 when the next model lands.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Well, price has nothing to do with it being an upgrade.

From the perspective of a current generation owner, the price matters a lot actually.

How much an upgrade will cost is a primary part of the decision to do it or not

I’m specifically looking at this from my own perspective as an iPad mini 5 owner