iPad mini Why iPad Mini?!

[slimejester]

What "pro" thing do you wish the mini had? RAM? it will get it eventually. truetone? Ditto...

I don’t really use the Apple Pencil at all, but I would love quad speakers and ProMotion on a Mini Pro. The ideal screen size for me would be like a medium sized paperback book. The current mini is a little too big for that and the iPhone 12 Pro Max would a little small, but I think I’m gonna go Pro Max because it’s the closest to my dream device.

 

[akash.nu]

I don’t really use the Apple Pencil at all, but I would love quad speakers and ProMotion on a Mini Pro. The ideal screen size for me would be like a medium sized paperback book. The current mini is a little too big for that and the iPhone 12 Pro Max would a little small, but I think I’m gonna go Pro Max because it’s the closest to my dream device.

Fundamentally the UI between iOS and iPadOS is pretty different when it comes to usability. So just a bigger phone doesn’t cut it for me.

 

[JagRunner]

I love the mini. It's the perfect size for couch and bed surfing. That is mainly what I use it for.

 

[spiderman0616]

The mini is a weird beast for me. I LOVE the size and form factor and just general compactness of the iPad mini. My younger son still uses my old mini 3 and every time I do something on it I remember how much I loved it for reading in bed, watching video, games, etc. The problem is when I try to push it past any of those tasks. It's just too small for me to want to use it as anything but an e-reader or video screen, and to me that's not worth owning a second iPad. If the iPad mini is far too small for me to do most of the things I do on my iPad Pro, then I may as well just use my 11 Pro Max for that stuff.

So I have always loved the iPad mini ever since I bought my wife the first gen model. But for my daily use and workflow, the larger iPhones and the introduction of the iPad Pro eliminated the need to own one myself. The Pros have gotten so thin and light, I have no qualms about using them as e readers, even the 12.9" model.

 

[throAU]

The mini is one of those devices that doesn't make sense for a lot of people, but for some it is an essential form factor.

If you had another iPad, it probably makes no sense to have/get a mini. They both do mostly the same things. Put another way, if you have a mini for some reason, another larger iPad likely makes no sense - go for a MacBook Air instead, so you have a device that differs significantly for the extra weight/size.

But if you need something that does iPad type stuff and an iPad is too big for whatever reason; its a niche that nothing else fills.

I loved mine (original iPad mini) when I had it. I used it more frequently than my iPad 4 until it got too slow - I had both due to some special circumstances (both work supplied devices). So much lighter, easier to carry in one hand, etc.

But yes it is definitely a compromise and if the size/weight reduction isn't important to you it makes no sense. But as above... in some circumstances the iPad is simply too large, and for those people it doesn't matter what the cost or processing power difference is - the iPad won't fit.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The mini is one of those devices that doesn't make sense for a lot of people, but for some it is an essential form factor.

If you had another iPad, it probably makes no sense to have/get a mini. They both do mostly the same things. Put another way, if you have a mini for some reason, another larger iPad likely makes no sense - go for a MacBook Air instead, so you have a device that differs significantly for the extra weight/size.

But if you need something that does iPad type stuff and an iPad is too big for whatever reason; its a niche that nothing else fills.

I loved mine (original iPad mini) when I had it. I used it more frequently than my iPad 4 until it got too slow - I had both due to some special circumstances (both work supplied devices). So much lighter, easier to carry in one hand, etc.

But yes it is definitely a compromise and if the size/weight reduction isn't important to you it makes no sense. But as above... in some circumstances the iPad is simply too large, and for those people it doesn't matter what the cost or processing power difference is - the iPad won't fit.

I use my iPad mini for outside of the house. My iPad Pro 10.5 is too big the lug around. I’ve never liked taking the larger sized iPads out with me. Even when they were 9.7 inches. They have always been too cumbersome. The iPad mini is the perfect size to skip in your bag.

 

[anthorumor]

iPad Mini in the pro form factor would be an awesome little tablet.

 

[spiderman0616]

iPad Mini in the pro form factor would be an awesome little tablet.

Yes it would, and I think it would sell well.

 

[OregonSasquatch]

Weight! I have had larger iPads and I can never figure out how to hold them comfortably.

 

[JagRunner]

I have a popsocket on my Mini...and it is the bomb dot com when it comes to holding it in bed.

 

[nfl46]

Definitely the size! It's great for reading books -- not too big and not too small.

 

[Clix Pix]

I like having one small (iPad Mini 5) and one large (12.9 iPad Pro v3) -- for a while I had a 9.7" iPad but decided it was just too much in the middle, that I preferred having just the two extremes, one at each end of the size spectrum. Works for me!

 

[throAU]

The iPad mini is the perfect size to skip in your bag.

Funny you mention that. I think apple made a mistake getting rid of the 11" air.

My ex bought one in preference to the 13" purely because it would fit in her bag, whereas the 13" would not.

At the time, I thought she was nuts for similar reasons to the OP re: mini vs. regular size iPad, but its another case of "slightly bigger" simply being too large for the use case; it doesn't matter how much better value or how much faster or whatever it is if the end user doesn't want to carry it.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I went from the 10.5 Pro to the Air 3 to the Mini 5 to the iPad Pro 11' in the span of a few months. First time I've taken advantage of Apple's generous return policy.

If I didn't use Notability with the Apple Pencil as often as I do, I think the Mini 5 would have worked perfectly for me. I did find the font a bit too small for my liking but it was a PERFECT one handed device whereas I need 2 pillows on my lap to prop up my iPad Pro 11' for hours and hours of reading.

I found reading books to be a lot easier on my eyes with the iPad Pro 11'. Being able to use my iPad Pro 11 as a laptop when I'm at meetings just makes it that much more worth it to me (to have the larger screen). I could not do this with my Mini - I tried.

I still wish I had a device that I could read with one hand but... pros outweighed the cons for me.

 

[throAU]

If I didn't use Notability with the Apple Pencil as often as I do, I think the Mini 5 would have worked perfectly for me.

I hear that.

If I had unlimited money, I'd be getting a 12.9" iPad Pro for pencil/keyboard use, and a mini for most other stuff.

 

[drcrane]

No unlimited Funds for sure, but the 12,9 pro gen 3 and a mini 5 complement each other perfectly. I would not change it to have both sizes.
Mini is mostly for lazy couch reading and 12,9 pro is mostly for Lightroom and other productivity tasks.

 

[spiderman0616]

No unlimited Funds for sure, but the 12,9 pro gen 3 and a mini 5 complement each other perfectly. I would not change it to have both sizes.
Mini is mostly for lazy couch reading and 12,9 pro is mostly for Lightroom and other productivity tasks.

I would love to have a mini 5 just to leave on my nightstand for reading and spontaneous video-watching. It just seems too impractical when I already have an 11 Pro Max.

Maybe someday....

 

[Jonathantuba]

If a Pro version of the Mini were to come out, I would order immediately. The small bezels, Face ID and quad speakers are all important to me. A Mini Pro would be great companion for my 12.9” Pro

 

[mackie8]

Simply because MS OFFICE is free on the mini5 haha
I wish there will be 9.7 inch ipad pro soon...

Im using Ms excel most of the time for my online business.
I use my mini 5 for quick excel computation.

But actually i want to get ipad pro 11 128gb for other purpose.

 

[subjonas]

The mini‘s size uniquely hits a very useful balance for me. It’s as big of a screen as possible while still being portable enough to carry around my home like a phone. To me, this makes it the most ideal Apple device for general use at home—mainly casual consumption, communication, and quick tasks—which makes it my most-used (non-work) device. My other devices are SE1, 12.9” iPP, and Mac Mini.

Although I admit, the largest iPhone, though way smaller than a mini, is a close second for me. The mini is a tad too wide for certain things. Though a pop socket helps tremendously.

 

[adib]

A question has been bothering me for some time, what’s the major use case for an iPad mini? Especially, when the basic iPad is cheaper than the mini.

It’s a smaller computer that can go where bigger computers have trouble going. Have a look at this post which should explain further.

 

[TurboJobo]

A question has been bothering me for some time, what’s the major use case for an iPad mini? Especially, when the basic iPad is cheaper than the mini.

To me is the most confortable iPad to hold on your hands. Have you try holding other tablets for a long time? or type? It gets really annoying have to hold and move around with it.

 

[akash.nu]

To me is the most confortable iPad to hold on your hands. Have you try holding other tablets for a long time? or type? It gets really annoying have to hold and move around with it.

It’s fine for me to hold iPads within reasonable size. The 12.9” is too big but anything lower than that is fine for me to not only hold, but use actively for gaming etc.

 

[Tsepz]

A question has been bothering me for some time, what’s the major use case for an iPad mini? Especially, when the basic iPad is cheaper than the mini.

Definitely size and weight. My grandma is happier with her iPad Mini and doesn’t even want my old iPad Air 2 as she finds it heavy and too large to hold when she reads her news, she feels the Mini is just perfect for her.

I still want to give her my Air 2 as something that can sit in her bedroom for streaming, just need to get its battery replaced.

For me my 2020 11” is the perfect size, not too much larger than Air 2 yet screen is great enough for streaming and it’s a nicely weighted out device, I can hold it in port or landscape comfortably and read, browse or game.
The 12.9 is definitely unwieldy for me.

 

[akash.nu]

Definitely size and weight. My grandma is happier with her iPad Mini and doesn’t even want my old iPad Air 2 as she finds it heavy and too large to hold when she reads her news, she feels the Mini is just perfect for her.

I still want to give her my Air 2 as something that can sit in her bedroom for streaming, just need to get its battery replaced.

For me my 2020 11” is the perfect size, not too much larger than Air 2 yet screen is great enough for streaming and it’s a nicely weighted out device, I can hold it in port or landscape comfortably and read, browse or game.
The 12.9 is definitely unwieldy for me.

Yep that makes sense. I’ve got a 11" and a 9.7" older model and both of them are fine for me.

I also use a kindle, almost iPad mini size, for long flights. Reading books is fine on the kindle but with that screen size doing anything else feels a bit cramped and I feel if you’ve already got an iPhone then it’s probably better to go with a bigger iPad for vastly different use cases. I mean you can potentially do everything on just the phone that you’d do on a mini?!