I’ve been using Apple’s iPad Mini 5 for the last 2 weeks, and I’ve realized that
it’s currently the best tablet for gaming, topping every Android tablet and iPad for
a few different reasons, which I’ll get into in a minute.
It’s basically the same iPad as the new iPad Air but in a smaller package.
And the display is much improved from the iPad Mini 4, with 500 nits of brightness,
True Tone technology and p3 wide-color gamut for incredible color accuracy for photo editing.
And it now supports the Apple Pencil for taking notes, drawing and more, adding tremendous
value compared to the old iPad Mini 4 which was priced at the same $400.
You really get so much more value with the new iPad Mini 5, especially since you’re
going from the A8 processor in the Mini 4 to the A12 in the mini 5, which comes directly
from the iPhone XS and XS Max.
So you’re getting iPhone XS performance for only $400, and if you compare it to the
chips you get in the best android tablets out there, it completely blows them out of
the water.
In Geekbench 4’s single-core test, the iPad Mini 5 basically triples the scores of the
Android tablets, and it’s the same story for the multi-core test, tripling most of
the scores and almost doubling the score of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, which retailed
at $780 but has quickly gone down to $530, still more expensive than the iPad Mini 4.
And finally, in Antutu’s graphics benchmark, which is more accurate for gaming performance,
the iPad Mini 5 again easily outperforms the Android tablets, almost doubling the score
of the Galaxy Tab S4.
And that’s not the only difference.
Many people know that iPads are more reliable, perform better over time and hold their value
much better than Android tablets.
Samsung’s $400 Galaxy Tab S5e is also coming soon and it’s actually packing a similar
or slower chip than the Tab S4, so the iPad Mini 5 is gonna be the clear winner in terms
of performance for 2019.
Yes, the iPad Mini 5 is more expensive than some of these Android tablets, but trust me,
you won’t regret spending more.
This iPad will give you years of reliable performance.
So the performance is definitely there, but how is it better than the rest of Apple’s
current iPad lineup?
For starters, the iPad Mini’s size and weight are perfect for comfortably holding it in
your hand, for everything from browsing the web, watching youtube videos, reading eBooks,
taking notes, drawing, taking it on the go, and especially for playing games.
The rest of the iPads, even the 2018 budget iPad, are heavier and much larger, making
them less comfortable to hold.
For playing games, your hands will get tired over time, and you don’t really get that
with the iPad Mini 5.
It basically packs all the iPad you’ll ever need in a perfectly compact form factor.
Now you might be asking, why don’t I just get the cheaper 2018 iPad instead?
Well, there are quite a few drawbacks with that iPad, mainly with the display, and I
have a detailed video comparing them if you want to learn more.
But there’s also a significant difference in gaming performance.
Take Fortnite for example, the 2018 iPad can only run the game at 30 frames per second
on medium graphics.
Not only that, but in game, the graphics are noticeably worse, you’ll get dropped frames
so it won’t be perfectly smooth, and the display is very reflective and not as bright,
which can get pretty annoying.
The iPad Mini 5 runs Fortnite at 60 frames per second on high settings, and it’s incredibly
smooth, no noticeable dropped frames, no issues with reflectivity, and you can play for hours
thanks to the small and light form factor, which makes it a lot more portable as well.
Now, what about the iPad Air and the 2018 iPad Pro?
Well, the iPad Air is basically a larger version of the iPad Mini, there’s literally no difference
in performance.
The 2018 iPad Pro, is definitely a lot more powerful than the iPad Mini 5, but it’s
also twice as expensive.
It’s fairly large so it’s not very comfortable for long gaming sessions, and it’s overkill
for basically every game currently available on the app store.
How?
Well, in Fortnite, it’s limited to the exact same graphics settings as the iPad Mini 5,
and it runs it just as smooth, with no benefits at all, even with all of that extra performance.
The story’s the same in other games like Asphalt 9.
You get 60 frames per second at maxed out graphics and it runs perfectly smooth on both
the iPad Pro and iPad Mini 5.
I also played some PUBG, and maxed out the graphics on both iPads, and I mean max everything.
HDR since Ultra HDR isn’t available yet, ultra frame rate, anti-aliasing enabled and
auto-adjust graphics disabled.
The iPad Pro ran everything perfectly, except it didn’t use up the whole display, just
like on Fortnite, there are black bars all around that don’t get used.
Either way, I managed to score an SSS on my first match ever.
On the iPad Mini 5, it also ran the game perfectly with maxed out settings.
Everything was super smooth, no issues at all, but it was much more comfortable to hold
in the hand.
This time, I scored an SS+, not bad for my first two matches.
So from those three graphically-demanding games, we can see that the extra power of
the iPad Pro isn’t really being used compared to the iPad Mini 5, and until we get some
new and very graphically-demanding games on iOS, there won’t be any difference in gaming.
Of course, you’ll see the difference in tasks like video editing, but the average
user honestly won’t be able to tell the difference in performance.
And that’s why I’m calling the iPad Mini 5 the best gaming tablet in 2019, and for
only $400, it’s a really great deal for what you get.
And it’ll give you years of reliable performance for all of your iPad needs.
Now, if the display is too small for your liking, you can pay $100 more for the new
iPad Air.
It’s basically the same exact iPad, except with a larger 10.5” display and a smart
connector for Apple’s smart keyboard.
That’s it.
We’ll have links to all of the best deals on these iPads, and if you’re having troubling
choosing which one to buy, click that button to see our ultimate comparison guide, and
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