iPad mini Safari very slow on iPad mini 2

[iHorseHead]

Hello,
my iPad mini 2 still works and I can still use apps like Netflix and YouTube and they work just fine.
The thing is Safari is kind of crippled and many websites work very slowly on it. Any idea why it might be? Because two years ago this wasn't the case.
Any alternative browsers that are faster? I'd like to keep using my iPad…Or should I buy a used iPad? How's Safari on iPad mini 4 or any iPad that supports the latest iOS?

 

[ericwn]

Try an ad blocker or maybe a browser that has that built in like Brave and see if it improved the experience.
Instead of buying used I’d check out either the refurbished ones from Apple or the entry level iPad which is always good value in my opinion.

 

[rui no onna]

Get either the iPad mini 5 or iPad 8th gen minimum. The latest iPad 9th gen is also very good value for the money.

We have an Air 2 (faster CPU than mini 4) at home. I already find it unbearably laggy on Safari on Javascript and media-heavy websites despite using ad blockers.

 

[Digitalguy]

Don't get a mini 4. The mini 4 used to much faster than my mini 2 before iPadOS. It was still kinf of ok with iPadOS 13, but 14 destroyed it, now it's virtually the same speed as the mini 2 (on IOS 10). And it seems it's even worse with 15. The mini 5 is night and day, much faster. Don't gen anything below A12 if you want a fast browsing experience

 

[Realityck]

Here we are discussing how slow the Safari jerky scrolling was on a iPad Mini 4 and the OP has been struggling with a iPad Mini 2. Such tolerance compared to what exists now to use.

Previously owned Mini 4, Mini 5, now on a Mini 6.

 

[1BadManVan]

Because it’s an iPad mini 2, it’s served it’s purpose, time for an upgrade

 

[nothingtoseehere]

If you are looking for a "new" used device, I strongly recommend the iPad mini 5 over the 4 if budget allows. The 5 has an A12 chip, the 4 an A8 chip, i.e. there is a difference of four years in chip development. That matters.

I have the 5 myself. Works like a charm with the latest iPadOS.

At the moment, it is available at the Refurbished Store in Germany. Starting with 379 Euro while a new iPad mini 6 starts at 549. (In Germany and the EU, taxes are included when prices are shown.)

 

[iHorseHead]

If you are looking for a "new" used device, I strongly recommend the iPad mini 5 over the 4 if budget allows. The 5 has an A12 chip, the 4 an A8 chip, i.e. there is a difference of four years in chip development. That matters.

I have the 5 myself. Works like a charm with the latest iPadOS.

At the moment, it is available at the Refurbished Store in Germany. Starting with 379 Euro while a new iPad mini 6 starts at 549. (In Germany and the EU, taxes are included when prices are shown.)

I found iPad mini 5 with Mobile data for the same price as iPad 9th gen WiFi only.
In Poland I only saw iPad Pro for 2037.45€ and another iPad Pro for 1303.77€ so obviously I'm not going to get those.

I'll think about it, but yeah, I'm aiming for iPad mini 5. Anything that allows me to surf the web, because my current iPad is very very laggy and even restoring it to the factory settings did not help. It's very laggy. Many websites crash and even MacRumors loads very slowly.


All the other apps work fine though. It's just web browsers that cripple it. The battery is still fine, so it's a shame, but then again I bought it in 2014…

 

[1BadManVan]

I found iPad mini 5 with Mobile data for the same price as iPad 9th gen WiFi only.
In Poland I only saw iPad Pro for 2037.45€ and another iPad Pro for 1303.77€ so obviously I'm not going to get those.

I'll think about it, but yeah, I'm aiming for iPad mini 5. Anything that allows me to surf the web, because my current iPad is very very laggy and even restoring it to the factory settings did not help. It's very laggy. Many websites crash and even MacRumors loads very slowly.


All the other apps work fine though. It's just web browsers that cripple it. The battery is still fine, so it's a shame, but then again I bought it in 2014…

If mobile data is important then the mini 5 is a good choice. The only real upgrade the iPad 9 has over the mini is an A13 chip vs A12. Same base storage, same amount of ram and such. But if you do plan to keep the iPad for long term, the 9 will last a bit longer for support.

For me, mobile data is a big deal because I spend a lot of time away from home for work and the iPad having its own data is huge for me.

 

[Digitalguy]

If mobile data is important then the mini 5 is a good choice. The only real upgrade the iPad 9 has over the mini is an A13 chip vs A12. Same base storage, same amount of ram and such. But if you do plan to keep the iPad for long term, the 9 will last a bit longer for support.

For me, mobile data is a big deal because I spend a lot of time away from home for work and the iPad having its own data is huge for me.

The speed difference between A12 and A13 will be barely noticeable if at all. As for lasting longer, no gurantees. There are rumors Apple could cut A8 and A9 together this year (and some say even A9X but I doubt it) with iPads from 2014 and 2017 being cut from updates at the same time. So being a generation newer is no guarantee of more updates, especially if RAM is the same.

 

[1BadManVan]

The speed difference between A12 and A13 will be barely noticeable if at all. As for lasting longer, no gurantees. There are rumors Apple could cut A8 and A9 together this year (and some say even A9X but I doubt it) with iPads from 2014 and 2017 being cut from updates at the same time. So being a generation newer is no guarantee of more updates, especially if RAM is the same.

Has a better chance of going longer since the A13 was still put in a 2021 model. The A13 got a decent gpu boost as well

 

[Channan]

Don't get a mini 4. The mini 4 used to much faster than my mini 2 before iPadOS. It was still kinf of ok with iPadOS 13, but 14 destroyed it, now it's virtually the same speed as the mini 2 (on IOS 10). And it seems it's even worse with 15. The mini 5 is night and day, much faster. Don't gen anything below A12 if you want a fast browsing experience

I usually like to keep my old devices when I upgrade, not only to have an extra device to use occasionally while my new one is charging, but also because of the nostalgia of using a device again that used to be my main device.

Not with the mini 4. That thing is unbearable to use. I realized I hadn’t even touched it for several months, so I wound up just giving it to my dad a while back. He wanted to pay me for it but I would have felt guilty taking any amount of money for it from him. He uses it occasionally for watching videos, but even he commented on how slow it is at a lot of things.

tl;dr don’t buy an iPad mini 4.

 

[Digitalguy]

Has a better chance of going longer since the A13 was still put in a 2021 model. The A13 got a decent gpu boost as well

Maybe, but no guarantees based on dates. If the 2017 iPad 5 goes out of support at the same time as the 2014 air 2, the mini 5 could live just as long as iPad 9.

 

[Digitalguy]

I usually like to keep my old devices when I upgrade, not only to have an extra device to use occasionally while my new one is charging, but also because of the nostalgia of using a device again that used to be my main device.

Not with the mini 4. That thing is unbearable to use. I realized I hadn’t even touched it for several months, so I wound up just giving it to my dad a while back. He wanted to pay me for it but I would have felt guilty taking any amount of money for it from him. He uses it occasionally for watching videos, but even he commented on how slow it is at a lot of things.

tl;dr don’t buy an iPad mini 4.

I do exactly the same. You can see the iPads I have in my signature. The mini 4 is the least used one, also because of poor battery. The mini 2 get more use since battery is much better despite its age and I keep it for 32 bits apps on IOS 10 (and it's almost as fast as the mini 4 now, while the 4 used to be much faster). I can't even sell it with an almost dead battery. Even my iPad 2 still gets some use with remote desktop, as it has an over 90% battery health after almost 800 cycles...
If I went back in time, I would still buy the mini 2, skip the 4 and get the 5.
With iPad Pro I would get them all except the 10.5 (white spot)
Would probably go this way: iPad 2 2011, mini 2 2013, 12.9 2015, 9.7 2016, 11 1TB 2018, 12.9 2020 (and keep them all, while in real life I have had and sold the air 1 and 2, either of which I would not buy again if I went back in time)
At this point I would not suggest anyone to buy anything older than the 1st gen pro, even the air 2 is way too slow (and on its way out)

 

[Channan]

I don’t regret my mini 4 purchase. It was a great iPad for a few years. It’s just awful now. Luckily the iPad mini 5 is still running great so I haven’t had the need to upgrade yet. Might get the next one since that new design is very tempting.

 

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Hello,
my iPad mini 2 still works and I can still use apps like Netflix and YouTube and they work just fine.
The thing is Safari is kind of crippled and many websites work very slowly on it. Any idea why it might be? Because two years ago this wasn't the case.
Any alternative browsers that are faster? I'd like to keep using my iPad…Or should I buy a used iPad? How's Safari on iPad mini 4 or any iPad that supports the latest iOS?

Yep, mine is the same. I solved the problem by buying iPad 4. I use the mini for apps as you describe.

 

[1BadManVan]

Maybe, but no guarantees based on dates. If the 2017 iPad 5 goes out of support at the same time as the 2014 air 2, the mini 5 could live just as long as iPad 9.

Yup, never a guarantee. Sometimes the ram limitation is a bigger issue then the cpu

 

[Andeddu]

I have both the Mini 4 and 5. No idea how you’re still using a Mini 2… I had one on release and it broke in ‘18… even then it wasn’t performing well. The Mini 5 is an amazing piece of gear and will slice through all websites like a knife through butter. I have had the Mini 5 since Feb 2020 and absolutely love it with no intention of upgrading anytime soon because it’s so fast.

 

[iHorseHead]

I have both the Mini 4 and 5. No idea how you’re still using a Mini 2… I had one on release and it broke in ‘18… even then it wasn’t performing well. The Mini 5 is an amazing piece of gear and will slice through all websites like a knife through butter. I have had the Mini 5 since Feb 2020 and absolutely love it with no intention of upgrading anytime soon because it’s so fast.

It's not bad at all. It's quite fast, smooth, only Safari struggles on it a lot.
I use Media streaming apps such as Netflix, Youtube etc and it works just fine. It's just Safari is kinda crippled.
I've been looking for used iPad.

 

[radow]

Modern websites generally uses a lot more resources than it was 5 years before, and iOS memory management does no magic when it comes to Safari and the Web. And there’s no getting around that. Using alternative browsers may help(content blocking, cutting out some features), but not much.

You may want to avoid browsing web on your iPad mini with only 1GB of RAM, which can handle like 4 or 5 light tabs.

If you are looking for used iPads, iPad mini 5/iPad 8th gen(3GB RAM) is bare minimum, iPad Pro 2018 or higher(4GB+ RAM) is ideal.