Has anyone moved up from an iPad Mini 6 to a larger iPad?
Like many, I’ve been disappointed the minimal and lacklustre “update” to the iPad mini 6.
In an Apple Store this afternoon I spent of time using and handling an 11" iPad Pro (2024) with M4 SOC. My last iPad Pro was a 12.8" which seem enormous by comparison. Moving from a 7" Mini to an 11" Pro would be an adjustment, but should be very doable.
The move could also bring Stage Manager support and true external display support, both of which I would use more than any LLM functions.
I think it is a very personal choice based on use case and preferences.
For me, I started with the very first iPad and have owned multiple generations.
I jumped on the “use an iPad instead of a laptop” train a while ago and moved to the 12.9" iPad Pro and have upgraded from the original to the 2018 version with USB-C ports.
I have long since abandoned the iPad as a laptop thing, but still enjoy the large screen size and and the ability to occasionally remote into my Mac’s using JumpDesktop. Both when at home and when away.
TBF, I only used the iPad-as-laptop for field work with clients and mainly as a “large iPhone” because my work involves installing a lot of stuff that is mainly controlled by iOS apps so the iPad gives me (still) a much more comfortable screen area to work with.
I now use the iPad as a consumption device and still love the large screen. Weight and size is even less of an issue as I primarily take my M3 MacBook Air when leaving home for work or travel. (It is lightweight and has the software/apps I need versus always fighting iPadOS and iPad apps).
But to your point - recently, a client gave me their iPad Mini when they upgraded to a new one. The one I got has the full keyboard/trackpad, same as my 12.9 iPad Pro.
I struggle to find a use for it. I know, first world problem. But the screen size is too small for me even for basic email and content consumption.
I’ve finally relegated it to the kitchen area and use it for quick casual stuff when I am grabbing some food by myself and no one else is at home.
I should add I’m 68, don’t wear glasses for reading (lucky that my vision is still great exactly at screen/ipad reading distance), but my only wish would be for a 17" or larger screen on a portable device. iPad or Macbook - I would insta-buy anything from Apple with something bigger than 14" or 16".
I am addicted to my 27" Mac Studio monitor and even find travelling with the Macbook sized screen a bit confining.
As always, for me this comes down to how you want to use it. What do you want to do with it? Here’s a rule of thumb though…
Want to hold it in one hand for a long time. IPad Mini (or a kindle)
Want to hold it for a while in two hands. 11” (Air or Pro)
Don’t need to hold it at all and/or want to use a full sized keyboard (as a case, not as a standalone). 13”
My previous iPad to now was the 12.9” Pro, I loved it but found it too heavy when holding it on the couch for long periods. When I upgraded I chose the 11” Pro, it’s easier to hold for prolonged periods, but not with one hand, I find the Magic Keyboard case a little cramped and wish I had slighlty more screen real estate.
Unfortunately unless I win the lottery and can live the multi pad lifestyle I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with one over the other, there’s always a trade off.
My iPad use is that light email and web work, often on the sofa, and typically jumping between apps.
The very first thing I tried on the 11” iPad was enabling stage manager. I’d not used it since its first release (on my old 12.8” iPad Pro 2018) and even then only for a few days. I know there’s been improvements since then and frankly I had a much more open mind to use it for its intended purpose as a multitasking tool. (Not that I want this to diverge into a discussion for stage manager…)
My other potential use is at my desk and with an external display. For long use I’d swap out my work laptop which usually sits on the stand for my MacBook Pro. But for quick stuff I can imagine plugging in the iPad and switching my Logitech MX keyboard & mouse to the iPad.
What’s wrong with the mini 6 that has you thinking about replacing it? Knowing the answer to that is a good way to deciding what you need.
But… as others have said… it’s really a personal choice. I replaced an original 11” iPad Pro (which I loved) with a mini 5 when I got my first Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and have just replaced the mini 5 with a mini 7. Which was anything but lacklustre to me.
So what I’m looking for is a bigger screen, for easier typing and multitasking.
If the mini 7 had given us true external display support then I might have switched to that but I’m also weighing up that the mini might not get any love from Apple in the next few years and those features might never come.
My 11” M2 iPad Air is my main computer and most of the time I use it as a tablet. I have a stand and an old Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, from a previous Mac mini, that I use when I’m doing a lot of typing. IMO, it’s the “Goldilocks” iPad, not too small and not too big.
I switched to an iPad full time when I knew it was all I needed, but I also have a home server because I know Apple may never allow a real backup system.
My experience is similar to @SpivR — but I ended up in a different place.
I used 10" iPads through the 2010s and was happy with them. I bought the second-generation iPad mini and was happy with that but wanted the larger screen size.
Much later, I read a lot about how much people loved their 12.9" iPad as a laptop replacement and bought that. I never loved it. I like to hold the iPad in my hands and the 12.9" is too heavy. So I traded in that model on an iPad Air (~10").
Then in late 2022-ish I was hearing on the Apple podcasts and blogs about how great the new iPad mini was, and I bought one of those. There was a generous refund period — 90 days iirc — my plan was to hang on to both the mini and the iPad Air and return or exchange whichever one I liked less.
I ended up hanging on to both. I use one for a few months at a time, and switch to the other.
Many people will tell you that if you have a max-sized iPhone the iPad mini is redundant. I have not found that to be the case. The iPad mini is sufficiently large that it’s still useful even though my phone also has a big screen.
I bought a MacBook Air early this year and use that in many cases where I would formerly have used the iPad.
I’m now approaching 50, been lucky with my eyesight, however I’m now in the firmly need reeding glasses late at night and first thing in the morning. So a bigger screen (than my iPhone 15 Pro) at these more relaxed and informal times of the day would be useful, this is where I could see a Mini popping into my life.
Or I could just wear my glasses (that I now have two pairs of), but I just don’t’ want to.
The other topic others have mentioned, I spend quite a bit of time on the road, so typically have 2 x 14" MBP (one work and the other personal) along with my M1 iPad Pro 12.9", that gives me quite a bit of screen realestate on demand that is flexible. I’ve often thought I should look to downsize my iPad and use it more casually, but I’d miss the size of it.
I think @geoffaire nailed it with the number of hands categorisation, great work. I’m still on the single iPad, but could be very tempted to hit up an 11" or Mini.
PS - My work laptop is heavily restricted due to the industry that I’m in, hence need a personal one for all of my ridiculous technical adventuring that can’t be accommodated by an iPad.
I’ve tried all the different sizes and have a 12.9" at work for reading magazines, taking notes and reading PDFs, and a Mini while traveling for traditional books (I love this size for reading text and the portability).
I did have an 11" before, but I returned it because I found it didn’t work well as a reading device as it’s too big for normal books (uncomfortable to hold, especially on trains), and too small for newspapers and magazines (which I like to read in their original layout and the text becomes too small to read). YMMV depending on what you use if for, of course. I know I can zoom in on documents, but I find this makes reading unpleasant.
I’ll be keeping both the 12.9" and Mini, as I find they both have their time and place.
I had never owned an iPad until when the Mini 6 came out. I got sucked into buying one, knowing it was probably too small for me. And it was. I never used it. Eventually gave it to my kid. I found it way too small for anything aside from reading, but Kindle is WAY better for reading anyway. I bought an 11" ipad air when that came out and while I’m not a heavy ipad user I do use it at least a couple of times per week. Apple pencil support is important to me and I found the mini’s screen just too small to use it for that. Too small for video watching, etc too. I just found I was pulling my iphone 13 mini out instead of the ipad mini for pretty much every use case the ipad mini might have been useful for. I guess I’m just not a fan. If you have small hands and excellent eyesight maybe it would be useful.
I bought an iPad mini last year. I found it was too small for my needs, and I didn’t hardly use it. I sold it on eBay. See my blog post, Why I Sold My iPad Mini.
I’m older, and I found the type way too small. I didn’t enjoy watching videos on it (too small a screen).
I do almost all my reading on an 11" iPad Pro. For me it’s just the right form factor. I have a small bean bag designed to be an iPad holder. I sit on the sofa and put the bean bag on my lap with the iPad. It provides great support and viewing distance so the extra weight isn’t a factor.
I can’t justify paying $500-$600 for a book reader. If I wanted a tablet for just that purpose, I’d buy a Kindle at a fraction of the cost.
I understand some people love their iPad minis and that’s great that it works for them. But it didn’t work for me.
I have the last and just bought the new one. I like the iPad mini for notes on meetings and consume content. Also is the iPad I use on morning to triage my emails, nothing fancy, just tag and archive. I really like the size. The decision is more of what you prefer. I use a iPhone SE 3, I am sad that no iPhone like the original SE, that is perfect size for me.
Well I use my mini for just about everything you could use an iPad for. I’ve even used it for video editing.
But my question wasn’t about selecting one size over another, but about experiences moving from the mini to a larger size.
Yes I’d probably use it for the same things but on a larger display, which is great for the larger screen real estate buy (perhaps) a little less convenient to carry and hold in one hand.
Bought an 11” iPad Pro M4 WiFi with 512Gb storage and standard display. I’ve not ordered a pencil as I rarely use my current pencil, preferring the simplicity of a Remarkable tablet for handwritten notes.