Notably, you may choose a nano-texture glass option for a premium but the display sticks to 60Hz, so no ProMotion.
Looks like it’d’ve been $1249 for my choice of mini plus $2199 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max I’d’ve chosen. $3,450 for the two vs. the $3300 I have put into a Duo. (Prices in maple currency)
…So I saved money, right?
It looks nice. ProMotion would’ve been really nice, but keeping it under $1k USD starting seems important…
Did you add additional AppleCare to cover broken hinges?
For me, the decision comes down to: Do I want to pay for, manage, and insure two devices (Mac + Duo) or three (Mac, iPad, and phone)? I’m starting to feel like spending $3,500–$4k+ for Apple devices, not counting AirPods, HomePods/Mini, TV’s, watches, etc., is getting to the point of being ridiculous. Is it necessary in the modern world, or are we spoiled? I’m pointing directly at me. I’m beginning to second-guess my reliance on so many devices.
That said, my hope is a MBP/MBA and a Duo, and that is it—no iPad. But that depends entirely on the suitability of the Duo for reading and annotating books and PDFs and on its durability over 4–5 years. At the price of the Duo, it has to last more than a couple of years.
The above is me thinking out loud … do I/we really need all of this? 
I think this is an excellent question to ask for all purchases. It usually slows me down a lot. What extra functionality does this new piece of software or hardware buy me that I already do not have. Is this functionality worth the cost?
Apparently, 2026 is the year where Apple has taught me something: I do not need anything they released this year (I have to admit, it is quite easy being in the EU: the prices have gone way up because of AI that I do not need in the first place and that is not available to me anyway). I am happy with everything I have, and depending on what the future holds, I am not sure I will replace everything I am using right now. Which probably is a good thing.
Coming back to the iPad mini: I was not exactly planning to replace my 2024 iPad mini, but if the new one had a 120 Hz OLED display with FaceID, I might have been tempted. With the 2026 iPad mini being as it is (128 GB, a huge part of the storage being used with an OS with AI that is not really available to me, TouchID and a custom-made 60 Hz OLED display), not so much: there is nothing to see; it is easy to move on. 
Today, 16% of U.S. adults are “smartphone -only ” internet users, meaning they own a smartphone but do not subscribe to a home broadband service.
So no, not all of us “need all of this”. I worked in tech and no longer get excited about hardware like some others. At one time or another I’ve owned just about everything Apple has produced. But today I have an iPhone, an iPad, and a MacBook Air. And a couple pair of AirPods 4. That’s all I need.
I won’t be buying another Apple TV, or HomePod. No smart home for me. And I probably won’t buy another Apple Watch. I still like my Apple devices but all the excitement these days isn’t happening on my hardware.
I’ll be getting this. I recently traded in my 2018 iPad Pro because it was no longer usable (even playing a downloaded movie took forever to load) and stopped getting software updates. I also have credit for my wife’s M1 iPad Pro that she upgraded from.
I was on the fence between the Duo and this. I would miss Face ID on both. Even though I think the price on this is nuts, I know I’ll get 5-7 years out of the Mini where as I don’t know how long the first-gen Duo will last for most users in terms of battery life and durability
Given my work, I absolutely could get by fine with the MBA. However, my eyes much prefer the better display on the MBP and the 14" is as small a screen as I want for my computer needs. If I don’t go with an iPhone Duo, my ideal combination may be a 15" MBA with OLED display (a 14" MBA would be ideal), an 11" iPad Pro (Pro because of the display) or the New Mini if it is large enough for my reading/annotating, and probably an iPhone Air.
I’m not in the market for either the Duo or the Mini, so I’m just stirring the pot here. Is there really a use case for both the Duo and the iPad mini? I suppose someone could want a candy bar phone, and an iPad. That’s a preference issue. Maybe there is a slight pricing advantage to getting a candy bar phone and iPad mini, rather than a duo. But that seems pretty close. I got to play with a Duo at my Apple store. If I were an iPad mini person, I’d probably switch to the Duo and never look back. But, again, I’m not in the market so maybe i’m not getting it.
I replaced a 2020 iPad Pro with an M2 iPad Air because the Air’s screen is still better than anything I used before I retired. By the time I got the M2 home and configured I didn’t notice the difference. And I may replace my 16 Pro with a standard iPhone when the time comes.
My MBA is my home server. IMO it’s better than a Mac mini because it has a built in monitor, keyboard, and UPS. 
It does some file management and does backups. I seldom use it except when I need a chrome browser.
I wouldn’t think so. I would assume one would choose one or the other, not both.
It depends on your point of view.
From Apple’s perspective, obviously yes.
For an individual, it very must depends on their use and the software they use. If someone is on the go all day and doesn’t want to recharge, they may need two iphones or an iPhone and an iPad, that could be the iPad Mini and a Duo.
There’s the option that someone may have one as a personal device and another as a work device.
Alternatively there may be a context specific reasons to use one or the other.
The price difference is massive, more than £1k between an iPad Mini and a non smart phone versus the Duo. I wouldn’t call that slight.
IPads are far more expensive now, but we bought iPad Minis for our girls to allow them to have their own computer at a fraction of the cost of a decent laptop. These days, due to the cost, it would probably be the basic iPad instead.
Of course these things are not necessary. Certainly the latest releases are not necessary.
The amount of new stuff purchased by the people of the Global North (by comparison to those of the Global South) absolutely is ridiculous. We’ve made hyper-consumption our way of life and many in our culture seem to think that it’s through purchasing that next new thing that they’ll eventually find happiness and fulfillment. THIS TIME I’ll be happy.
My iPhone 13 and M2 iPad Pro both perform very well for the tasks I need them for and I’ll keep using them until they no longer get security updates. Same for my other devices though some of those I’ll use until they stop working rather than when they stop getting updates as they are not security risks.
I take it that you gave up on the iPad only semi annual experiment?
A few years ago my iPhone sustained some heavy damage about three weeks before the release of the newest model. I decided to wait for the new model rather than repairing it or replacing the damaged phone with the outgoing model. I carried around my iPad mini in the interim and told everyone to text me if they needed to reach me. I borrowed my husband’s phone if I needed to make an outgoing call. It was the most peaceful three weeks I’d had in a decade. Aside from phone calls, there wasn’t anything I absolutely needed the iPhone to do that the iPad mini couldn’t.
Unless you need the latest and greatest iPhone camera, I suspect many of us could make do with a dumb phone and an iPad mini just fine.
I wouldn’t imagine there are many people that would want both. That does seem redundant. But I think there are many who would want one or the other.
I personally have little interest in the Duo (at least the 1st gen). Not really in the market for a new phone this year at all.
But I am interested in the iPad mini. I’ve never had that size, and my use cases don’t make the lack of ProMotion a deal-breaker. Also, my child recently inherited my M1 iPad Pro, and I’m missing the usefulness of a holdable screen. 8.5” is quite a bit smaller than the 11” I’m accustomed to, but I think it will be a useful tool.
I’m not a heavy user of the phone as a device and not someone that makes a lot of calls but I was getting TONS of spam calls. So, as an experiment, last October I switched my carrier plan to a basic non-data plan that just did calls and text ($20 instead of $55). Then, on the iPhone, I toggled that line off. No more spam calls plus more privacy (in terms of carrier location tracking). I still have control of my original number and check voice mail every so often (it’s all spam).
I work from home with good internet and a iPad Pro in front of me all day. Most of my communications are text or calls via Signal or Messages.
What about making/receiving calls to/from actual phone numbers? I subscribed to MySudo for $5/month which provides 3 VOIP lines that I’ve been very careful in giving out. I can use MySudo on the iPad for calls which means my phone only get’s used when I go out for errands or walks and rarely used for calls. I bought a cheap data-only eSIM for use on the iPhone when I’m away from home and NEED to make a call (Signal, Messages or MySudo). It’s been a year and I’m still using the original 2GB of data purchased for $3.
Long story short, the iPhone is now mostly just a camera and music player. For anyone that wanted to forgo an iPhone completely and just use an iPad Mini this would work perfectly. The only reason to keep an actual phone is to have access to 911.
I’ve had other years (I think) where I’ve not bought any Apple product (at least none of the big ticket ‘platform’ items).
This year is one for me, too. I’d like a Duo, but I’m not paying that much for a phone when I have a perfectly good one in my pocket (an iPhone 16). I’d like the new iPad mini, but I only just sold my A17 one and replaced it with a MacBook Neo. The Neo is more capable than an iPad so it would be daft to spend money on the iPad just because it has a pretty screen.
None of my other Apple products are screaming out for an update. M4 Pro MBP. Still fantastic. Apple TV 4K (previous gen, I think). Still fine. Apple Watch Series 9. Still fine (hardware at least). Studio Display. Fine. Even keyboard, mouse, and trackpad are fine, despite dwindling batteries.
Which is not to say I am actually saving money this year. I bought a new camera. And two new lenses. And a new tripod. And a new camera case. And a new bag for the case. And some quality filters. And… I think that’s all? I spent more on one of the lenses than a Duo is worth.
I price everything in camera gear these days. 
I thought about upgrading my 15 Pro Max, but bought a GR IV instead.