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Other Using iPad Mini 5G as an iPhone

deuxani

deuxani

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 2, 2010
717
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I didn’t even think about this realistically, but the new iPad Mini 5G can be used as a full on replacement of your iPhone.

7C0988BF-AE1A-4621-A928-D5E6EFCB29DA.jpeg


Always connected, internet everywhere, FaceTime or Teams for calling, iMessage, soon WhatsApp, GPS for Google Maps, etc.

If you always have a bag with you or have big pockets it might be pretty doable.

57C1E35D-B9AB-47B5-AAAE-096D1FF2977D.jpeg


And at $649 the new iPad Mini 5G is the cheapest new “iPhone” available.

Is this something some people would consider? Or have it as a second device so you can decide if you bring your iPad Mini 5G or iPhone.

I think apart from the camera it’s a pretty interesting concept.

 
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No regular SMS with short code support so MFA at financial institutions, etc. could be an issue.

I really don't see why Apple imposes this restriction. Cellular iPads get a phone number anyway. I remember my Nexus 7 supported SMS.
 
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rui no onna said:
No regular SMS with short code support so MFA at financial institutions, etc. could be an issue.

I really don't see why Apple imposes this restriction. Cellular iPads get a phone number anyway. I remember my Nexus 7 supported SMS.
Click to expand...
I guess you hope that you have an institution that supports GV for texting.
 
rui no onna said:
No regular SMS with short code support so MFA at financial institutions, etc. could be an issue.

I really don't see why Apple imposes this restriction. Cellular iPads get a phone number anyway. I remember my Nexus 7 supported SMS.
Click to expand...
In my country nobody uses SMS anymore. Even companies do everything through WhatsApp or mail. But yeah, some verification codes might be send via SMS, that could be a challenge. So you basically would always need an iPhone with hand off.
 
deuxani said:
In my country nobody uses SMS anymore. Even companies do everything through WhatsApp or mail. But yeah, some verification codes might be send via SMS, that could be a challenge. So you basically would always need an iPhone with hand off.
Click to expand...

Well, with WiFi Calling and SMS forwarding, this has been possible for a couple of years now. I've forgotten my iPhone at home a few times and I've managed just fine with my cellular iPad (9.7-12.9). Even when I have my phone with me at the office, I use the iPad to reply to text messages and stuff since that's connected to a keyboard.

The iPad mini 6 just gives us a much nicer set of specs in a form factor closer to large smartphones. With that said, you could run all the same stuff on a cellular iPad mini 4 or 5. Cameras on older minis are notably worse though and there's no flash.
 
rui no onna said:
No regular SMS with short code support so MFA at financial institutions, etc. could be an issue.

I really don't see why Apple imposes this restriction. Cellular iPads get a phone number anyway. I remember my Nexus 7 supported SMS.
Click to expand...
Not with Apple's apps. You can always use a third party app for phone calls and SMS. As there's plenty of self contained phone apps that'll just use your data for calling and SMS. Assuming they aren't blocked for working on an iPad for some reason.
 
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velocityg4 said:
Not with Apple's apps. You can always use a third party app for phone calls and SMS. As there's plenty of self contained phone apps that'll just use your data for calling and SMS. Assuming they aren't blocked for working on an iPad for some reason.
Click to expand...

Those apps use VoIP though and those tend to have issues with short codes. I'm talking about native SMS support which the Nexus 7 had (receiving at least).
 
VertPin said:
90% That doesn't sound right at all, where did you get that statistic?
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Yeah I would love to see where this came from. I am in a room with 4 iPhone users, and only one of us is a techie. 3 out of 4 have apple watches.
 
brandct said:
Yeah I would love to see where this came from. I am in a room with 4 iPhone users, and only one of us is a techie. 3 out of 4 have apple watches.
Click to expand...

Estimated user base of 1 billion iPhones versus estimated user base of 100 million Apple Watches. Of course, regional percentages likely vary with the highest Apple Watch adoption rates in developed nations.
 
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brandct said:
90% That doesn't sound right at all, where did you get that statistic?
Click to expand...
brandct said:
Yeah I would love to see where this came from. I am in a room with 4 iPhone users, and only one of us is a techie. 3 out of 4 have apple watches.
Click to expand...

That is obviously a tiny of tiniest subset of users. Just think of the millions of corporate iPhone users without Apple Watch, regular people buying a cheap iPhone, the many people who don’t want or need a Watch, etc. Of all the people I know with an iPhone maybe even less than 10% has an Apple Watch.

But my estimate was based on a report that said about that there are about 100 million Apple Watch users on 1 billion iPhone users. So roughly 90% don’t have an Apple Watch.

www.macrumors.com

Report: Over 100 Million People Globally Now Wear an Apple Watch

More than 100 million people globally now own an Apple Watch, an adoption milestone Apple surpassed this December, according to estimated figures...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
 
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No support for all 5G bands namely mmwave. I’ll pass. Already have the 11 and 12.9 2021 anyway but it is still very tempting. Wish it could fit in my pocket lol
 
deuxani said:
That is obviously a tiny of tiniest subset of users. Just think of the millions of corporate iPhone users without Apple Watch, regular people buying a cheap iPhone, the many people who don’t want or need a Watch, etc. Of all the people I know with an iPhone maybe even less than 10% has an Apple Watch.

But my estimate was based on a report that said about that there are about 100 million Apple Watch users on 1 billion iPhone users. So roughly 90% don’t have an Apple Watch.

www.macrumors.com

Report: Over 100 Million People Globally Now Wear an Apple Watch

More than 100 million people globally now own an Apple Watch, an adoption milestone Apple surpassed this December, according to estimated figures...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
And the 10% of users (by your stats) who use AW are likely to be your perceived target market for the iPad, the very ones looking to buy the 13. ….. it’s unlikely to be 100’s of millions of user rocking old iPhones in developing countries.
 
ukms said:
And the 10% of users (by your stats) who use AW are likely to be your perceived target market for the iPad, the very ones looking to buy the 13. ….. it’s unlikely to be 100’s of millions of user rocking old iPhones in developing countries.
Click to expand...
I agree with that partially. Probably the Apple fanatics would experiment with a solution like this and a larger percentage of them would own an Apple Watch. On the other hand, the iPad Mini 4 could be the cheapest iPhone in the line up, if you know what I mean 😊 And even having an old iPhone at home in combination with the iPad and Apple Watch Cellular on the road would be possible. It’s not a solution for everyone, but it could be for some.
 
deuxani said:
I agree with that partially. Probably the Apple fanatics would experiment with a solution like this and a larger percentage of them would own an Apple Watch. On the other hand, the iPad Mini 4 could be the cheapest iPhone in the line up, if you know what I mean 😊 And even having an old iPhone at home in combination with the iPad and Apple Watch Cellular on the road would be possible. It’s not a solution for everyone, but it could be for some.
Click to expand...
If you are anything like me just buy both ….. simple 😂
 
ukms said:
If you are anything like me just buy both ….. simple 😂
Click to expand...
Hahaha that’s what most likely will happen 😄 I have the 12 Pro and didn’t feel like upgrading to the 13 Pro, but I do want a new gadget. Then this idea popped into my head 😉
 
rui no onna said:
No regular SMS with short code support so MFA at financial institutions, etc. could be an issue.

I really don't see why Apple imposes this restriction. Cellular iPads get a phone number anyway. I remember my Nexus 7 supported SMS.
Click to expand...
Let's not forgot about the carrier restrictions regarding inserting your normal voice and data sim card into an iPad. In the land of the free inserting your regular sim card into tablet throttles data speeds unless you pay extra for a tablet plan.
 
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