Review: Apple iPad mini 4

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple’s iPad mini is now on its 4^th iteration and inherits a lot of the key features and capabilities that have made the larger iPad Air 2 a formidable all-around tablet solution. 

While some would say that the processor boost (to an Apple A8 processor), increase in RAM, as well as an all new Retina Display (glare free, laminated, stunning) are updates that are quite overdue, the thinner and lighter profile make the most portable iPad even more of a delight to carry an use.

Basically the size of an eBook reader, the mini 4 brings a vast array of functionality, power, connectivity and entertainment to a device that can easily slip into your coat pocket.

Consider that iOS 9, which the iPad mini 4 ships with, effectively revamps the iPad’s multitasking and multi-window functionality to the point where it is nearing parity with a PC or Mac desktop and you’ll realize that there’s almost nothing that the iPad Air 2 can do that the iPad mini 4 can’t.

This is a computing platform

Add the expansive and ever-improving constellation of iPad specific apps available in the market right now, and you’ll realize that there’s very little that PCs and desktop Macs can do that the iPad mini can’t.

The iPad mini 4’s design borrows heavily from the iPad Air 2 and as such, it is 18 per cent thinner than the previous model, while this sounds like little, it is actually quite noticeable in look and in feel.

You can thank the new laminated display for a lot of this reduction in size and weight. What used to be three panels is effectively one thinner, more efficient and more beautiful panel with way less reflective surface. The gapless display delivers on the promise of better contrast, sharper and more vivid images even under usually harsh sunlight.

Sensitivity and finger-tracking accuracy has also been improved which makes interacting with content like images or text feel quick, natural and almost organic.

A lot of this has to do with the A8 processor which Apple says is 30 per cent faster than both the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 (which are effectively the same device save for the Touch ID). Graphics performance is also way better at 12.8 times faster.

This performance boost is palpable, simply interacting with apps, scrolling down pages of text or rendering complex websites feel noticeably faster on this device.

Invoking the new iOS 9 multitasking features is surprisingly fluid. While in any app (say, like Mail), you can swipe from the right side of the screen and see a variety of multitasking-friendly apps.

Press one of these and it will take on part of the display that can be resized as needed. So, responding to an email while looking at you flight details on a website or using the calculator while working on an Excel spreadsheet is now a possibility without needing to bounce back and forth between open applications.

This fundamentally changes the way an iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 can get things done, which is faster and more intuitively. You can have a smaller window open with a reference document while writing a Pages of Microsoft Word report on the opposite side on a larger window. Swiping up and down allows users to scroll through various Apple made apps and also third-party applications that support the feature.

The update processors, additional RAM and more responsive screen makes the iPad mini 4 a quick performer that’s somewhat on par with last year’s remarkable iPad Air 2.

Caveats

The new body design is the most dramatic departure to the iPad mini line in years. While it maintained a similar size in the past (and could accept older cases, sleeves and accessories), it kept receiving more updates (Retina Display, faster processors, bigger battery) without altering the basic look and feel.

Now that iPad mini 4 is slimmer and lighter, effectively a smaller iPad Air 2, it has a different shape that is slightly longer. This means it is no longer compatible with Smart Covers, cases and keyboard cases which were a perfect fit for the iPad mini 2 and mini 3.  Apple does have some covers and cases available for the iPad mini 4, but expect to pay Apple prices for those.

Conclusion

As Apple idles the iPad Air line for 2015 in favour of the up and coming iPad Pro, the iPad mini 4 becomes the most desirable mini tablet for the rest of us.

With a slimmed down profile, a stunning new laminated display and more powerful processor, RAM, graphics and Metal integration, it is likely that iPad mini 4 can run all the apps as well as the iPad Air line could.

This small device is also one of the most connected in terms of WiFi and LTE bands. WiFi alone is quite impressive thanks to 802.11ac Wi‑Fi technology and MIMO support that can enable up to 866 Mbps transfers provided the iPad mini 4 is running on a supported network

Years ago, the iPad mini was the quintessential content consumption device for people on the go and it is still that.

But with the additional multitasking features like multi-view thanks to iOS 9, the iPad mini does have power under the hood and smarts to work as a capable content creation device. The camera capabilities and software inherited from the iPhone line also make it an impressive device to shoot pictures and short videos as well as edit these right on the device before exporting or sharing.

The small screen size and current lack of keyboard cases are the only aspects of the iPad mini 4 that might hold it back from being an accomplished notebook replacement-hybrid device but we’ve seen many people do more with less, so really it is up to the user.

The iPad mini 4 is a huge step up from iPad mini 2 and 3 and any iPad older than the iPad Air. 

Anyone who has lost enthusiasm about the iPad line, will be surprised to know that innovation is still very much in effect at Apple and that the mini has grown up into a powerful and multifunctional small tablet that manages to impress and delight users in a big way.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5