Guardian review of iPad mini

I thought some of you might like to read this review of the iPad mini from The Guardian. I like the angle they take, where they not only critique the product, they also try to find where it fits amongst the other iPads, and competitors.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/23/apple-ipad-mini-a17-pro-review-the-best-small-tablet-gets-faster

I don’t think I’d buy one - I have 2 iPad pros, 1 of each size, and they fit my needs perfectly - but my wife has the 2021 mini and it suits her lifestyle very well. She internets. She kindles. She talks to her sisters on the other side of the world. The mini fits in her handbag when she flies.

I shared this particular review, because it’s written for a broader audience. A lot of the geekier reviews, and some comments here, tend to paint a different picture since they’re written for a different audience.

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Broader reviews are welcome. I rolled my eyes very much at one reviewer’s negative take that included the statement “they used the oldest processor that can run Apple Intelligence.” This same processor could also be described as “the processor from last year’s most powerful phones.”

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Then again, they did put last year’s processor in a newly released device. It’s like they had a bunch of leftover parts in the bin they wanted to use up, and figured they might as well stick them in a low-priority niche product.

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But the thing is, they are selling binned chips from last year – and from a dead-end chip production process – in a new product, whereas when the iPad mini 6th gen launched in 2021 it had the same A15 as the then-current iPhones (though again with one GPU core less than the iPhone 13 Pro, but at least it was current gen).

I still quite often experience overheating with the A17 Pro in my iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has not been fixed in a year. Note that this happens regardless of outside temperature, it got too hot yesterday in mid-autumn with outside temperatures in the 10-15 C range, while shooting a series of photos. I have never had this issue with any other iPhone, ever.

The new iPad mini will probably manage thermals better due to its size and aluminium (vs. titanium) body, but still, this is being launched using a flawed CPU based on a dead-end CPU production process. While an ‘average user’ may not care about this, any criticism of Apple from a technology standpoint is valid here. The mini supposedly now runs Final Cut Pro and Logic—I’m curious to hear how it will thermally manage.

Are you going to buy a new mini?

I’m on the edge. :rofl:

I have the 6th gen, and it’s a great companion iPad to the 13" Pro. I’d upgrade mainly for the storage this time, though (with Apple Intelligence still not being a factor for those of us in the EU).

It’s also a binned version of the chip, so it doesn’t have as many GPU cores as the processor in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

The usage of binned chips always raises the “we are being scammed” point from us techies since what, the 486SX times? I say this is not that relevant, what is important is what you get today for the price. Apple is always thinking in terms of products, not in terms of specs. One could say that once Apple runs out of binned chips they will release a more powerful iPad mini with newer chips… or they won’t. For the sake of the argument, this could happen even without binned chips so this resolves to the evergreen question of: should I update or wait?

I loved my retina iPad mini, sadly I cannot use a Mini any more as the screen is too small for me these days. I think I would update.

Yeesh. If they didn’t tell anyone what chips were used in devices, I don’t think anyone would bat an eyelid.

I dont see the problem with it being a “dead end” chip. It’s an iPad mini that can run more than any previous model. The next model will have a different chip. Like always.

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I have posted a screenshot illustrating what I see to be a very concrete issue with that chip.

While I’m a huge fan of the mini, the iPad mini has traditionally always been the worst-value iPad in the lineup, and continues to be, so any additional skimping that Apple makes does not help its case or appeal.

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I agree, it’s a terrible value. For $100 more you can get an iPad Air with an M2, landscape front camera, etc.

To some people, the smaller size is an important feature. (Personally I don’t care at all about a landscape camera.)

If Apple released a new iPhone Mini that cost more than the regular iPhone, I would gladly pay that even if it’s a “terrible value”.

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My criticism wasn’t directed at iPad Mini fans. For some people (pilots, for instance) it’s the perfect size.

This is entirely about Apple. If they were going to price it like the iPad Air, they should have delivered a smaller version of the iPad Air.

And if they were going to cheap out like they did, using an older chassis and rejected chips left over from the iPhone 15 Pro production process, they should given it a significantly lower price.

That would have made it a compelling alternative to smaller Android tablets, as well as rewarding the loyalty of iPad Mini fans like you. It might even have been a hit product.

I agree that it should be a bit less expensive due to the use of a previous generation & binned chip.

But another way to look at the use of binned chips is that it cuts down on toxic e-waste.

I have a 2019 mini that I love, it’s the perfect companion to my 11" pro and runs iPadOS 18.x, but hesitate to upgrade due to the use of the older chip.

Thanks! I LOVE the Mini, I had one two gens back, but replaced with w a base regular iPad a year ago. Couldn’t justify the extra money for the money. I do wish it was cheaper.