iPad mini Is Mini good for portable note taking?

[emembee]

My 10.5 is deteriorating (Battery is poor and home button also faulty) so I am looking now to get a mini for taking notes and some general task management plus reading instead of going for a new Pro. Will go for cellular so can use outside the home. As there is no keyboard that can be attached to a mini I will be using mostly touch or pencil input. Has anyone moved from a bigger iPad and found the mini to be usable just with OSK and pencil despite the smaller screen size? I have GoodNotes for pencil and use Evernote a lot too but am also looking at general stuff like writing mails and text notes with OSK. After many years with iPad I have found that I am now using my phone for a lot more stuff instead but think that the mini is a good in between companion device prior to going for M1/M2 in the future.

 

[sracer]

My 10.5 is deteriorating (Battery is poor and home button also faulty) so I am looking now to get a mini for taking notes and some general task management plus reading instead of going for a new Pro. Will go for cellular so can use outside the home. As there is no keyboard that can be attached to a mini I will be using mostly touch or pencil input. Has anyone moved from a bigger iPad and found the mini to be usable just with OSK and pencil despite the smaller screen size? I have GoodNotes for pencil and use Evernote a lot too but am also looking at general stuff like writing mails and text notes with OSK. After many years with iPad I have found that I am now using my phone for a lot more stuff instead but think that the mini is a good in between companion device prior to going for M1/M2 in the future.

I heavily use my iPads for digital and handwritten note taking, journaling, and as a project notebook.

I went from a 12.9 iPad Pro to an iPad Mini 5 and an iPad 9th gen. The Mini works great for me as a notepad because I am accustomed to using a paper padfolio (1/2 sheet of a US Letter page size) and the Mini was nearly identical in dimensions to that.

Using a smartcover to protect the screen and a clear skin on the back to protect against scratches and improve grip, resulted in a super thin and super light setup. I can take it with me and use it in situations that would feel awkward if I was using a larger iPad.

I use GoodNotes with the Apple Pencil. Works great with my hyperlinked digital notebook file. I also use a matte screen protector to improve the experience of using the Apple Pencil, cut down on glare, and eliminate fingerprints.

I detest onscreen keyboards so when I find the need to enter text longer than a tweet or text message, I use a folding bluetooth keyboard. That keyboard is super thin

My cell service provides smartphone hotspot at no additional charge so when I need to use my iPad when internet is not available, I simply turn on my iPhone's hotspot and use that. (saves me from having to pay far more for the cellular iPad model and the additional fee for adding the iPad to my plan)

 

[spiderman0616]

In a word, yes. (In my opinion)

I moved from a 12.9" iPad Pro with Pencil and Magic Keyboard to a mini 6 with Pencil and folio cover. I only use the Pencil for sketching, note taking, and filling out forms for the most part, as I'm definitely no kind of free hand artist. I have even done some quick vector art and photo editing on it in the Affinity apps. It's not the ideal screen size for that kind of task, but hey, the best graphic design computer is the one you have with you, right?

I have always really liked the mini iPad models, but could never get fully on board with them because they always seemed so behind the times and had so much bezel on top and bottom while my large iPhones and iPads Pro ditched those things generations ago. The mini 6 is far enough away in screen size and capability even from my 13 Pro Max that I have been using it even more than I thought I would.

My setup would not work for everyone, but I have had NO complaints about the mini 6 so far. It's as great as I thought it would be for all the specific things I bought it for.

 

[thadoggfather]

it would probably be great for that imo tbh

the smaller the better for note taking, unless you're cool with it being propped up on a desk 24/7.

 

[emembee]

Thanks for your responses. I do have the Apple BT keyboard but that would be for desk use mostly and makes the portable experience less good so I plan to try out the mini with OSK at the Apple Store in portrait as well as landscape It has to be easier than the iPhone but will I miss the bigger canvas ? I will only know when purchased and using daily.

 

[sparksd]

Thanks for your responses. I do have the Apple BT keyboard but that would be for desk use mostly and makes the portable experience less good so I plan to try out the mini with OSK at the Apple Store in portrait as well as landscape It has to be easier than the iPhone but will I miss the bigger canvas ? I will only know when purchased and using daily.

Like sracer above, I also like using a folding keyboard - small when closed, lightweight, and fully functional and large enough when opened (and at $29, inexpensive):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0799LKCLJ

 

[sracer]

Like sracer above, I also like using a folding keyboard - small when closed, lightweight, and fully functional and large enough when opened (and at $29, inexpensive):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0799LKCLJ

That is EXACTLY the one that I have. 😁

 

[Username-already-in-use]

Mini 6 with Apple Pencil and GoodNotes works great for me. In portrait I can thumb type easily with the OSK - but it might not be such for everyone.