Ok, after 2 weeks with the new iPad mini is this cute little tablet too small to do anything with?
Hey, I'm Jerry and this is the most surprising ipad I have ever used. And I have used a lot of
iPads starting with the very first back in 2010. And somehow the only picture I
have is me unboxing it without the iPad even in the photo…….And man, I haven't aged a day
Of all of the devices that Apple announced last month this ipad mini was the thing I was
least interested in, but from the second I unboxed it, it started to feel like something I needed. In
the last 2 weeks I have found it to be the perfect companion for so many things. So, let me tell you
how I have been using this iPad mini and let me know in the comments if you plan on getting one.
First, and foremost, I have been using this iPad on the couch…..and
in my office, and in bed, and out back on the patio because it is so compact and easy to
hold. At roughly 8” by 5” and just over half a pound this is the most comfortable iPad to hold
in your hand. The new mini design is now in line with other iPads and the iPhones
including the modern flat sides that just feel good in the hand. I dont have big
hands but I can comfortably hold this ipad in one hand without worrying about dropping it.
I can sit for long stretches holding this ipad up while reading, scwiping through news,
checking YouTube stats, or buying crap I definitely don't need on Amazon. I usually use
iPads with keyboard cases because they are heavy and after a while it's just uncomfortable, but the
mini is just the opposite and offers an experience much closer to an iPhone as far as usability goes.
I generally don’t like ipad on-screen keyboards because in landscape I have to
use a single-finger and in portraits they are still too wide for my hands. With the mini,
I can comfortably type with my 2 thumbs in portrait mode to type in URLs, search,
respond to messages and send some quick emails. If you have smaller hands than I, you can still
do the split keyboard thing by tapping and holding the button on the bottom right and dragging up.
Now, just because I know I will get some comments,
I want to briefly mention the jelly scroll thing. The laminated display with p3 colors,
truetone, and a 326 PPI, which is higher than all other ipads, looks great. Yes, there can be
a jelly effect with quick scrolling in portrait mode but if scroll and read at the pace of a
normal person you shouldnt have any issues. If you read like this somehow you will see some jelly and
you should probably just return it. For every other person, its fine and not a deal breaker.
Next, when it comes to watching movies, shows, and videos on the iPad mini,
it's great!. I like to prop this up with the Apple Smart Folio on a table while eating lunch,
on a counter while making dinner, or just on my desk when I am working. The 8.3” display is a
great size for casually or passive watching something. The screen gets more than enough
bright at 500 nits to get an immersive feel on the ipad if you want to sit and really watch a movie.
You can do that with the AirPods max for maximum entertainment, which I was late to the AirPods Max
game but I did pick some up over the summer and made a video about that if you want to see it,
especially since they keep going on sale……….But you can also just use the built-in stereo speakers
which I have to admit do lack some bass because of their small size but do still
get loud enough to hear clearly over something frying on the stove and kids running around.
If you are an iPhone or iPad gamer then the iPad mini is perfect. The larger than iPhone display
but compact and comfortable to hold iPad mini is a great way to game. I will say that beyond some
basic tests of other games and some apple arcade games, I mostly just play call of duty mobile. The
mini is just the right size and weight to still use on-screen controls without getting fatigued
but with a much bigger display than on an iPhone. The performance of the new A15 chip
with 2 performance cores and 4 graphics cores just crushes any game available for iPad.
I also want to point out that if you plan to download more than a couple of large ipad games
or do anything with 4k video then you may want to consider the 256gb ipad mini for $649
over the 64gb model for $499.
Geekbench shows only a slight performance increase over the A14 processor in the iPad Air 4
which is fine because there is no iOS app that these cant handle.
These chips are not just built for the apps we have now, but for the longevity of the
device which is going to be 5 years or more. Even with 4gb of ram I have not experienced
any performance issues when playing games, editing 4k video or anything else for that matter.
The iPad mini now comes with Apple Pencil 2 support so it charges and pairs magnetically
on the side of the ipad which is great for anyone who likes to draw or take notes with their ipad.
With iOS 15 you can use the new quick note gesture by swiping from the bottom
right corner. The mini is great for anyone who wants a small device to take notes in meetings
and with the back camera you can quickly take shots of the white board or other documents.
I generally type out my notes for obvious reasons,
but I do like to use the Apple pencil to sign documents and time sheets for my contractors.
The front camera on the iPad mini uses the new ultra wide lens and center stage to get people
centered on the display. This came in handy this week because my wife was out of town.
My daughter and I were able to sit near each other at the kitchen table
when we were eating dinner and the camera kept us both centered when facetiming. We
didn't even need to perfectly center or angle the ipad because it adjusted automatically. Everytime
I had to get up to get my daughter something like more milk, or ketchup, the camera would
re-center on just my daughter and then zoom out to add me back to the video when I returned.
Now, you might think that because this iPad mini is so small, and it doesnt have a smart connector,
that you can only do small things with this ipad. Well, actually, as you may have seen,
this iPad mini can actually become a full desktop setup. Because Apple added USB-C to the new iPad
you now have a world of accessories that you can connect to the ipad including a usb-c hub
with video out, usb ports, external ssds and sd card readers. Although there are limitations to
iPadOS with an external display, when paired with an external keyboard, mouse and display
you can get some real creative work done. You can edit photos and videos on a large screen,
or just browse the web. You can multitask with multiple apps or make that gaming experience
even better by attaching an external controller like this blue xbox one x controller.
USB-C really opens up what you can do with iPad accessories,
but the iPad mini can also be an accessory for your Mac. Using Sidecar you can easily add the
iPad mini as a second display when on the go making multitasking even better on the Mac.
So, as I explained, I have been using the crap out of this new iPad mini. It is a super versatile
little device that is powerful enough to knock out anything you throw at it, small enough to
use for long periods of time, perfect for gaming and watching movies, and built to do even more
with the addition of USB-C. I have been genuinely surprised at how good it feels to use this ipad
and how much it has replaced screen time with my other devices. It is just fun to use. Unlike all
my previous larger iPads, I have not been using this as a laptop replacement and that has made
it all the better. But I do have 2 super small complaints and they have to do with the buttons…..
First, I understand they had to move the volume buttons to make room for the Apple Pencil
and it's kinda neat that the volume up button changed depending on how
the ipad is oriented. but I just don't like them on the top of this ipad when
in portrait mode which is how I use this ipad 90% of the time when i am holding it.
I haven't gotten used to it yet and I don't know that I will when switching between devices.
Second, to make the screen bigger and give it the modern design they moved touch-id to the top power
button just like in the ipad air 4. It's great to have a larger screen without a home button
but when the rest of my iphones and ipads use face iD I I get hung up when unlocking. I touch
the screen or open the case to wake it up, swipe up, out of habit, and am stopped by a pin code.
Apple still sells the iPhone 11 with face-id for $499 so I don't see why
it didn't make it into the mini. I hope that all ipads get face-id next year.
Anyway, those are my thoughts after using the iPad mini 6 over the last couple weeks
but I want to know what you think. Do you think
the new iPad mini can find a place in your workflow or entertainment?
Let me know below. If you are interested in more iPad mini content let me know with a thumbs up
then hit subscribe so you are notified of my new videos, and i'll see you next time.