This video is brought to you by Morning Brew! This is the iPad mini 6. It's a bit like the
Swiss army knife. You can't really use it to cut a slice of bread properly, but you
can cut a branch. You can't really cut a piece of paper in a straight line, but you can clip
your nails on the go and also open a bottle of wine. It's an oddly satisfying device that
fills a weirdly necessary range of niche needs that you don't expect even to have.
The immediate reaction resembled my cuteness overload when I first bought the iPhone mini.
I didn't want to let it go and just wanted to fidget with it all the time.
The tablet is so compact, thin, and lightweight that it easily balanced out my additional
weight of now carrying a 16-inch laptop. At just 293 grams, I toss it in the bag, and
I can easily forget that it's there. The more I used it, the more I find new use
cases for this little device - like catching up on what's happening in the world in the
mornings. While sipping my espresso, I skim through the most critical aspects of the news
thanks to Morning Brew. Morning Brew is a daily email newsletter (in fact, the only
NEWS newsletter that I am currently subscribed to) that gives me all the essentials - from
the stock market recap to a few briefs on the essential business news and a section
with lifestyle content. It's a lot of fun, too, providing witty information like the
fact that the "bucket list" term did not exist until the release of the 2007 film, The Bucket
List. This term turned out to be an example of the Mandela Effect. You can Google that
if you want. Morning Brew is the perfect mix of humorous, relevant, and informative Wall
Street essentials and tech news that I care about, and BTW is absolutely free. I'll make
sure to leave a link to it first thing in the description below so you can sign up as
well. See, the iPad mini is sneakingly creating
new routines which I belive is its specialty. No wonder Apple kept marketing it on the dashboard
of a fighter jet or a helicopter. But first, let's talk about what the tablet
CAN'T do. For starters, the iPad mini lacks Pro Motion.
If you don't know what Pro Motion is and are not coming from a Pro iPad, you won't honestly
care about it. Since I have a Pro tablet, however, I can easily acknowledge the lower
refresh rate on the mini, but as with the iPhone, it's something that I quickly forget
about. What I can't seem to forget about and miss
like crazy is Face ID. I find Face ID extraordinarily convenient, and the mini coming with Touch
ID speaks something of the past. Don't get me wrong, for many, it would be totally fine,
but it takes me a lot longer to access the tablet, and on many occasions, I have to repeat
my unlocking attempts. Same goes for my favorite FaceID application, logging into websites.
Also, I am used to flipping open the first portion of the folio to glance at the clock,
and with Touch ID's usage hint, I kept being reminded of the existence of the fingerprint
reader without being able to glance at the time.
Going back to the display for a second, there is this complaint of the jelly scroll effect
that I read about online, and if it weren't for my friend Dmitry to point it out, I wouldn't
have noticed it. After a few tests, this issue appears only on specific applications, but
I wouldn't call it a concern at all. The scaling of certain UI elements and apps on the smaller
screen seems to be more of an in-the-face concern at first. Unlike the larger tablet
and the standard perfectly proportioned elements of iPadOS, the mini stands out as the odd
one where some things might look too tiny on occasions. This inconsistency could mainly
be noticed on widgets and some two-column apps, especially when using the tablet in
vertical mode. iMessage in vertical orientation seems weird with the evenly spaced columns.
It would've been better if I had the chance to rearrange the columns and maybe shrink
the recipients just like on the Mac...but that's not an option.
An inconspicuous concern that people might not know is that the mini caps at 256GB storage
capacity. I am not particularly concerned since I am a streamer myself and seldom keep
offline content, but just like the iPad Air, the mini can't offer more in terms of internal
storage, so keep that in mind. Also, keep in mind that if you end up enjoying the video,
you might consider subscribing to the channel because...WHY NOT?!?
This being a very compact tablet, one might conclude that it is not a device for artistry
and professionals who require a larger canvas. It is half the size (even less) of the 12.9"
iPad Pro, just as tall to accommodate the apple pencil on the side. I find quite the
opposite application, however, and I've never been as artistically inclined with another
iPad before, but I'll tell you more in a bit. As I mentioned earlier, the iPad mini does
not have official support for an external keyboard. Despite finding some keyboard solutions
out there, I can't really recommend any of them, nor proclaim this void filled. But I'll
use the opportunity to move over to all the specialness of the iPad mini by saying that
when used vertically, thumb writing on the little guy has never felt better. I'd say
that this is the best-sized device to unleash your thumbnail mastery to its fullest. I could
quickly write an entire script on the mini thanks to predictive writing and the perfectly
positioned thumbs and spaced-out buttons. Most of this script was written on it, and
I never felt discomfort thumb-writing on it for even more extended sessions.
The tablet's weight is another specialness since my hands don't get fatigued, no matter
what position or how long I use the tablet. Even with the Smart folio, this is still a
feather-weight device that I can even use one-handed. It's a bit like the Samsung Galaxy
fold - unfolded. Suppose I am using the iPhone 13 mini for most of my mobile needs, the iPad
mini 6 steps in graciously, just like opening the Galaxy fold into a tablet mode.
The 8.3 inches display is ideal for reading a book, browsing the web, and even drawing
on it. In fact, my latest two wallpaper packs were created on the mini in the middle of
the night. That's my new favorite way to end the day BTW. When I put my son to sleep, I
play a podcast, and I start drawing and working on another wallpaper idea. The tablet is not
too big to hold. For abstract sketches and fun experiments, I find it ideal for getting
lost in my thoughts - very therapeutic, unlike the iPad Pro, where I have to sit and draw
at a desk or a table intentionally, the iPad mini comes as the casual jotting and sketching
device for everything the mind requires. If I have to conclude, it would be that I've
used most of the apple pencil with the iPad mini - not exaggerating.
I find most joy using the mini in the mornings as well. It brings nostalgia vibes of the
old newspaper days for some reason, and I enjoy the morning coffee while going through
the news like I mentioned and doing some social media before I start my day. I am not intimidated
by the size of the tablet, and I prefer to put my phone to the side while sipping a cup
of joe. Organizing my ideas and tasks for the day is bliss.
In terms of power, the mini packs a punch with its A15 Bionic chip to the point that
you won't feel like you are making a compromise. I stopped looking at benchmarks for Apple
Silicon devices a while ago, but I can tell you that this iPad is plenty powerful to run
everything from the App Store roster confidently. I recently decided to give Genshen Impact
a try (the most taxing graphics game on iPadOS), despite Tom's advice to not get into the rabbit
hole of this, Zelda-like game. There is something magical about enjoying such exquisite graphics
on such a small footprint. Gaming on the mini reminds me of the Nintendo Switch but better.
The larger than Nintendo Switch, brighter screen allows for plenty of distracting moments.
The iPad mini turned out to be my go-to meetings device as well. The improved front-facing
camera with Center Stage is ideal for the occasional FaceTime family moments and ever
for work-related meetings propped right next to my computer. Unlike other iPads, the back
camera can also find better use since it doesn't feel like taking a photo with a brick. It's
also great when using AR and perhaps jots down notes and ideas for some home improvement
projects. I recently posted on Twitter that the mini
provided the cutest Finder window when I first extended it is a secondary Mac monitor via
Sidecar. It comes in handy to throw in some Mac windows while working and even use it
as a reference monitor for some projects since it has full wide color P3 support.
The mini comes with stereo speakers that are plenty loud for the occasional TV show or
movie streaming, although I prefer to use it paired with my AirPods 3. If I have to
compare, the sound that it produces, it is around 30% louder than my iPhone and nowhere
near as punchy as the Pro tablets, but just as useful.
The mini comes with 5G support, and its unique compactness opens a vast range of applications.
It takes less space than most things that I carry around with, and it neatly fits even
in my compact sling. I've been resisting the urge to purchase a
mini since I own the 12.9 inch iPad Pro. My thinking was - why would I need a watered-down
version of a tablet that doesn't have support for an external keyboard, has a lesser display,
and is less powerful? As time went by, I kept seeing more and more people featuring the
mini in their day-to-day lives, and in the meantime, I kept using the iPad Pro less and
less. Aside from using it as a secondary Sidecar display, I didn't use it for writing that
much because I enjoy writing on my MacBook. In bed, or when taking a break, I found the
big tablet being...well...too big, so I always resorted to my iPhone. So, I caved, and my
remorse before unboxing it evaporated immediately after I started using it.
The mini is the note-taking king, and it's the beacon for portable productivity. It's
not an unfolded version of something but rather a dedicated mobile device that easily coexists
with my everyday carry, and that's what makes it unique. At $650, it is not a $1500 device
that you'll be afraid to hold, break, bend or damage the screen of. Sure, it's not the
best tablet in most aspects and features, but it's the best in terms of providing you
with creative and portable freedom like no other tablet on the market. I haven't used
my 12.9 inch iPad pro ever since I got the mini, and I wonder if I will end up missing
the larger tablet or I'll be saying goodbye to it soon.
You can check out my iPad Pro review here BTW and if you have any questions, feel free
to leave them in the comment section below or ping me on Twitter,
As always, it's been an absolute pleasure, This is E
Over and out.