iPad mini Thinking about the Mini 6

[kristalsoldier]

Let me state up front that I am platform agnostic. I use a Windows laptop (Thinkpad), an Android phone (S21 Ultra), and the IPad 11 Pro 2020. My primary operational connective software platform is Microsoft in the sense that I rely very heavily on Office 365 (including heavy use of OneNote).

Second, a few words about my use of these gadgets and related software is warranted. I work in an environment which requires a lot…and I mean a lot…of reading and writing. I read (estimating conservatively) over 100 journal articles (average length 8-9k words) and around 20 scholarly monographs per year in addition to web-centric research and news articles, casual browsing (in which I include Reddit etc). I also write a lot averaging about 100k words a year.

My choice of devices reflects this. The Thinkpad serves me well for the typing and work-related web work (in addition to watching movies when I get the time), the iPad serves me for my reading and writing (using the Pencil) mainly in OneNote, and my phone serves me for my communications (Discord, Telegram etc), and social media. I also use it heavily for YT (Android being more convenient for this in terms of ad-free experience).

Till date I have resisted the lure of the Mini given that as a reading device, the IPP has never faltered. I use the Books app for ePub, PDF Expert, and the Kindle app extensively. Holding it for long periods of time is also not really an issue.

But, that said, I have often noticed that when I am engaged in a sustained amount of focused reading, I take notes in two ways. I highlight and write in the margins of the text (mainly on PDF Expert) and I write in OneNote. Sometimes, I read on the iPad and type in OneNote using my laptop. I say sometimes because it is cumbersome at times.

This brings me to the Mini 6. I do like the form factor and the design aesthetics. But, more importantly, I m thinking about the possibility of using it primarily as a digital notepad. This would mean (1) I can read on my 11 IPP while writing - by hand - in OneNote on the Mini (2) I could also use the Mini to read books - mainly in the Kindle app - and (3) on the rare occasion that I use iPads to watch YT videos, I could use the Mini for the same.

The real doubt I have is about reading on the Mini. I don’t think I would read extensively on it because I think it would be too cramped. Also, I may not be able to jot down notes in the margins, which is important to me. The Kindle app may be an exception for just reading purposes but again, I am not sure.

In the eventuality that I opt for the Mini, I will not be getting anything more than the 64GB version and I will certainly restrict myself to the wifi model.

Yet, I remain ambivalent about picking it up. I wonder about two specific things: (1) about the redundancy factor by which I mean, am I trying to make a case for a new gadget or could I really leverage the Mini? (2) While I am relatively sure about the note taking aspect (limited to OneNote), I am very wary of the reading experience on the Mini. I try to avoid zooming in and out of texts especially when my reading is work related.

Given the above, what are your views on the matter? My thanks to you in advance.

 

[rui no onna]

Where are you located? If in the US, we're soon entering holiday return season which should provide you with an extended trial period up to January.

Best way to know if a device fits your desired usage is to test it yourself.

 

[FranApple]

Reading on the mini is brilliant. If you think something the size of the mini is too small, how did you ever read and take notes in the margin before tablets were around? Yes, there is some redundancy in your setup. But, clearly there’s an itch you want to scratch, so just buy it and take the 14 days or however long to test it out.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Reading on the mini is brilliant. If you think something the size of the mini is too small, how did you ever read and take notes in the margin before tablets were around? Yes, there is some redundancy in your setup. But, clearly there’s an itch you want to scratch, so just buy it and take the 14 days or however long to test it out.

Good point about pre-digital note taking. But then again, I have been using digital equipment for so long that I don’t really remember. I do see a lot of scribbling in the margins of my books…so I must have been doing that. I also have physical notebooks and files with loose sheets of papers filled with handwritten notes. Additionally, I have over 8k books - non digital - in my personal library. But now having converted/sourced most of them into digital form, I rarely open them, which is a shame because I like physical books. But your point is well taken.

I’ll check what the return policy is at my location.

Thank you.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Where are you located? If in the US, we're soon entering holiday return season which should provide you with an extended trial period up to January.

Best way to know if a device fits your desired usage is to test it yourself.

Australia

 

[FranApple]

Good point about pre-digital note taking. But then again, I have been using digital equipment for so long that I don’t really remember. I do see a lot of scribbling in the margins of my books…so I must have been doing that. I also have physical notebooks and files with loose sheets of papers filled with handwritten notes. Additionally, I have over 8k books - non digital - in my personal library. But now having converted/sourced most of them into digital form, I rarely open them, which is a shame because I like physical books. But your point is well taken.

I’ll check what the return policy is at my location.

Thank you.

Insane! And I’m jealous. What exactly is it that you do, by the way? Curious.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Insane! And I’m jealous. What exactly is it that you do, by the way? Curious.

I work in a university as an academic.

 

[FranApple]

As a Kindle reading device, you’ll love the mini. If you’re concerned about small text, that might be an issue for non-Kindle content. But might I also suggest that you take at least a week to use the mini exclusively. Coming from the iPad Pro, the size difference may be a bit of a shock initially.

 

[kristalsoldier]

As a Kindle reading device, you’ll love the mini. If you’re concerned about small text, that might be an issue for non-Kindle content. But might I also suggest that you take at least a week to use the mini exclusively. Coming from the iPad Pro, the size difference may be a bit of a shock initially.

Thank you. Yes, that has been one of my concerns. Notably, most academic texts are PDF files. But that said, my intent is more to use the Mini as a digital notepad rather than as an ereader. The only question is whether I will am overestimating it utility as such and overpaying in the event I buy it.

 

[Solomani]

Australia

If there is an Apple Store near you, I recommend trying it out physically at the Store, hoping that they will even let you use an Apple Pencil (or you can bring your own) to write on the Mini 6. That way, you can try out both the reading quality and the writing quality, if both are to your satisfaction. Having iPad experience, you will sense fairly quickly how it feels "differently" from your previous iPads.

 

[kristalsoldier]

If there is an Apple Store near you, I recommend trying it out physically at the Store, hoping that they will even let you use an Apple Pencil (or you can bring your own) to write on the Mini 6. That way, you can try out both the reading quality and the writing quality, if both are to you satisfaction. Having iPad experience, you will sense fairly quickly how it feels "differently" from your previous iPads.

Yes, there is an Apple store very near my residence, and I do have the Pencil 2. I will have to wait though for stores to open and the lockdown to end before I can visit the store. Thanks.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Doesn't seem like anyone has addressed note taking but there is a noticeable lag on the Mini due to the 60hz screen compared to the IPP 120hz so that could bother you. Most YouTube video reviews mention this.

Just something to think about.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Doesn't seem like anyone has addressed note taking but there is a noticeable lag on the Mini due to the 60hz screen compared to the IPP 120hz so that could bother you. Most YouTube video reviews mention this.

Just something to think about.

Really? Hmm…I will revisit some of those reviews. Thanks for bringing this up!

 

[turbineseaplane]

Doesn't seem like anyone has addressed note taking but there is a noticeable lag on the Mini due to the 60hz screen compared to the IPP 120hz so that could bother you. Most YouTube video reviews mention this.

Just something to think about.

This is a great great point.
Pencil input is significantly better on the ProMotion screens

I really hope a Mini pro is in the cards at some point

 

[3SQ Machine]

You should determine whether you'll prefer to read the mini in portrait or landscape orientation. I have the mini, and am one of the unfortunate "noticers" of the jelly scrolling in portrait orientation. Since I tend to "flick-to-scroll" in my workflow (and continue reading sentences as they move up the screen), I notice it extensively. Keep in mind that this is a very personalized way someone may interact with their device and it's really about whether or not you read this way--or, you prefer to read top-to-bottom and then move on to the next page. If the latter, this will probably never be an issue for you.

I would never mention this because I never paid any mind to how I "read" on a digital device--until I got the mini. I believe this is why some people notice it and others don't.

With that said, it's not been a deal-breaker for me as I've just adapted to more landscape orientation reading where it's silky smooth. It's also a super-light device and very adaptable for easy holding and couch reading. I would definitely spend some time with it before making a decision.

 

[bluespark]

This is an interesting thread for me because I'm in a similar boat. I also do a great deal of reading and writing, including academic texts, also use a Windows machine and Office for most of my writing, and also have an 11" iPad Pro. My suggestion, FWIW, is that the size of the source material matters. If you're reading a typical novel, the pages will be about the same size as the Mini's screen, and the Mini therefore works extremely well. If you're reading a PDF or a typical academic text, the page size is about the same as the 11" iPad Pro's screen, and that device therefore is the better size for that purpose. If anything, that's especially true once you start taking notes in margins.

I did once teach a college seminar entirely from a previous-generation Mini -- which meant reading and annotating the entire textbook on my Mini -- but I had much better eyesight then that I do now, and I wouldn't choose that device for that purpose again.

I'm also considering the Mini, but honestly don't know if or how it will fit into my workflow.

 

[rui no onna]

This is an interesting thread for me because I'm in a similar boat. I also do a great deal of reading and writing, including academic texts, also use a Windows machine and Office for most of my writing, and also have an 11" iPad Pro. My suggestion, FWIW, is that the size of the source material matters. If you're reading a typical novel, the pages will be about the same size as the Mini's screen, and the Mini therefore works extremely well. If you're reading a PDF or a typical academic text, the page size is about the same as the 11" iPad Pro's screen, and that device therefore is the better size for that purpose. If anything, that's especially true once you start taking notes in margins.

I did once teach a college seminar entirely from a previous-generation Mini -- which meant reading and annotating the entire textbook on my Mini -- but I had much better eyesight then that I do now, and I wouldn't choose that device for that purpose again.

I'm also considering the Mini, but honestly don't know if or how it will fit into my workflow.

I do agree with this. That said, it seems to me the OP is looking at the mini as a separate notebook. The actual PDF/book would be on a bigger iPad while the mini would primarily be a dedicated notebook.

For this usage, the question is how small of a notebook is acceptable?

The iPad mini is a bit bigger than half the screen of the iPad Pro 10.5/11 in landscape.

Left-to right: iPad mini 6, 6"x9" steno pad, iPad Air 3

 

[kristalsoldier]

I do agree with this. That said, it seems to me the OP is looking at the mini as a separate notebook. The actual PDF/book would be on a bigger iPad while the mini would primarily be a dedicated notebook.

For this usage, the question is how small of a notebook is acceptable?

The iPad mini is a bit bigger than half the screen of the iPad Pro 10.5/11 in landscape.

Left-to right: iPad mini 6, 6"x9" steno pad, iPad Air 3

View attachment 1864270

This is correct. The Mini would be primarily a digital notebook and only very occasionally for reading purposes. Primary reading platform would be the 11”IPP.

 

[kristalsoldier]

You should determine whether you'll prefer to read the mini in portrait or landscape orientation. I have the mini, and am one of the unfortunate "noticers" of the jelly scrolling in portrait orientation. Since I tend to "flick-to-scroll" in my workflow (and continue reading sentences as they move up the screen), I notice it extensively. Keep in mind that this is a very personalized way someone may interact with their device and it's really about whether or not you read this way--or, you prefer to read top-to-bottom and then move on to the next page. If the latter, this will probably never be an issue for you.

I would never mention this because I never paid any mind to how I "read" on a digital device--until I got the mini. I believe this is why some people notice it and others don't.

With that said, it's not been a deal-breaker for me as I've just adapted to more landscape orientation reading where it's silky smooth. It's also a super-light device and very adaptable for easy holding and couch reading. I would definitely spend some time with it before making a decision

Portrait 90% of the time.

 

[kristalsoldier]

This is an interesting thread for me because I'm in a similar boat. I also do a great deal of reading and writing, including academic texts, also use a Windows machine and Office for most of my writing, and also have an 11" iPad Pro. My suggestion, FWIW, is that the size of the source material matters. If you're reading a typical novel, the pages will be about the same size as the Mini's screen, and the Mini therefore works extremely well. If you're reading a PDF or a typical academic text, the page size is about the same as the 11" iPad Pro's screen, and that device therefore is the better size for that purpose. If anything, that's especially true once you start taking notes in margins.

I did once teach a college seminar entirely from a previous-generation Mini -- which meant reading and annotating the entire textbook on my Mini -- but I had much better eyesight then that I do now, and I wouldn't choose that device for that purpose again.

I'm also considering the Mini, but honestly don't know if or how it will fit into my workflow.

I suppose another way I could think about this is to buy the cheapest iPad or a refurb and use that for reading while using my current IPP for note taking. But In that case I would have to compromise by foregoing the benefits of the form factor (size essentially) of the Mini.

 

[Solomani]

You should determine whether you'll prefer to read the mini in portrait or landscape orientation. I have the mini, and am one of the unfortunate "noticers" of the jelly scrolling in portrait orientation. Since I tend to "flick-to-scroll" in my workflow (and continue reading sentences as they move up the screen), I notice it extensively. Keep in mind that this is a very personalized way someone may interact with their device and it's really about whether or not you read this way--or, you prefer to read top-to-bottom and then move on to the next page. If the latter, this will probably never be an issue for you.

I would never mention this because I never paid any mind to how I "read" on a digital device--until I got the mini. I believe this is why some people notice it and others don't.

With that said, it's not been a deal-breaker for me as I've just adapted to more landscape orientation reading where it's silky smooth. It's also a super-light device and very adaptable for easy holding and couch reading. I would definitely spend some time with it before making a decision.

Interesting. If this "scroll lag" is only noticeable in the portrait orientation, and not in the landscape mode.... does this mean that it is something that Apple can "fix" (patch, improve) with a future update?

 

[sparksd]

Interesting. If this "scroll lag" is only noticeable in the portrait orientation, and not in the landscape mode.... does this mean that it is something that Apple can "fix" (patch, improve) with a future update?

As has been noted in the primary thread on scrolling, it is due to the h/w implementation and it's unlikely that a s/w fix can address it.

 

[3SQ Machine]

As has been noted in the primary thread on scrolling, it is due to the h/w implementation and it's unlikely that a s/w fix can address it.

Yes, it’s not fixable via software but it is “manageable” by adapting how you use the device. If I scroll slowly in portrait orientation, it’s less noticeable. Oddly, it’s more noticeable in dark mode.

not a deal breaker for me, but I could absolutely see why it might drive some heavy readers crazy.

 

[sparksd]

Yes, it’s not fixable via software but it is “manageable” by adapting how you use the device. If I scroll slowly in portrait orientation, it’s less noticeable. Oddly, it’s more noticeable in dark mode.

not a deal breaker for me, but I could absolutely see why it might drive some heavy readers crazy.

Same here. Doesn't bother me at all, it's imperceptible but I also can understand why it is a major issue for other users.

 

[gregpod9]

The jelly effect on the mini 6 doesn't bother me as well and its really not a big deal. All display technology has its flaws. Even my full array led Sony X950H tv has its flaws like blooming (its well controlled with the Sony algorithms with its X1 Ultimate Processor) in random spots durning dark scenes in HDR10 and Dolby Vision movies and it has very light transparent grey shadows on the corners on my tv, however both flaws do not distract me from enjoy watching movies and tv shows on my tv. Both flaws on my tv are from the full array led technology. OLED screens are still prone to burn static images onto the screen and that would be more distracting to me than the jelly effect.