iPad mini (2019) Reviews: Small, portable power



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Apple has the reputation of imposing change as soon as we are familiar with its designs. Of course, we often resist (and sometimes Apple is wrong), but more often than not, the Cupertino company proves that getting out of our comfort zones leads to better user experiences and maybe even a better future.

That's why I'm surprised to see the new fifth-generation iPad mini. On the outside, this looks like a twin of his 2015 incarnation, to the point that I accidentally took the old iPad mini to bring him home for the evening. As far as I know, the only external feature that has been changed is that the regulatory information is no longer printed on the back of the tablet. Even the display has not changed much, because it still offers a resolution of 2048 x 1536 and a pixel density of 326ppi.

It's not a lazy design. It is rather a rare example where Apple has chosen to offer us a complement of products and concepts that we like very much. If only Apple had the same attitude towards keyboards.

Make the most of the minimum

The new iPad mini looks like a relic of the past, but it's definitely a modern device. It's great on the inside, which greatly helps to justify the $ 399 starting price for the 64GB model when the largest 9.7-inch iPad sells for just $ 329.

ipad mini pencil apple iphone xs max Daniel Masaoka

The width makes a huge difference with some apps and videos, and that's partly why the iPad mini shines against an iPhone.

The rear camera remains the same at 8 megapixels and with an f / 2.4 lens, but the front camera has been enhanced at 7 megapixels and f / 2.2. The A12 Bionic processor is inside, the same one that you find on the iPhone XS and XR, and it runs almost neck and neck with the new iPad Air. To do this, the 2018 9.78 inch 2018 iPad is ubiquitous. It also supports gigabit LTE cards, dual SIM cards (if you have the cellular model), and more support for DCI-P3 colors. A recent demolition of iFixit revealed that his memory had been increased to 3 GB (compared to 2 GB in the iPad mini 4).

It's certainly the smallest and most impressive tablet on the market, because running on Android or Windows of this size does not offer such a performance.

ipad 2019 geekbench IDG

It's small, but it's not weak.

I just wish it watched more modern. Specifically, I would have liked it to be an example of the latest iPad Pro, with their sleek edges, tiny glasses and Face ID support (which I find better for iPad than iPhones). Not surprisingly, Apple chose to maintain support with Lightning cables rather than USB-C. I realize that it takes a lot, but I also hope it supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which wirelessly charges when attached to magnets lined up on the latest iPad Pro. Instead, the new iPad mini only supports the Logitech Pencil and the first-generation Apple Pencil with its famous hood. The iPad mini is far from ugly, but nothing excites me.

ipad mini back IDG

Lightning strikes again.

It will not disturb everyone. Keeping the old form factor of the iPad mini allows Apple to retain popular elements that are not found in some of the most expensive iPad of the time. There is of course the Touch ID, which some people prefer to Face ID (although I am convinced that these people have not given Face ID face), and yes, there is still a 3.5 headphone jack mm. Most importantly, it's still tiny at 8 inches by 5.3 inches (and 0.24 inches thick). I often find myself convinced to have forgotten to put it in my bag.

The right fit

It's not so long ago, I suggested not to see another iPad mini. I keep saying that this tablet seems like a strange bird at a time when the biggest phones of Apple were selling for small tablets and when the iPad Pro surpassed a huge band of Windows laptops.

ipad mini smart cover Daniel Masaoka

Apple has also introduced new smart covers at $ 39 for the latest iPad mini.

These last days, however, reminded me that the iPad mini still has its place. The 7.9-inch screen is almost as big as the iPhone XS Max, but it's also much larger, which means it's better for playing games or watching movies. I was particularly amazed to discover how much I liked using Apple Books with it. The size is almost perfect for capturing the screen size of an ordinary paperback (or a Kindle Paperwhite) and Apple's TrueTone technology makes it a bit more satisfying to read blank pages in dark rooms.

However, this is not the best screen to use the Apple pencil. The 9.7-inch iPad is the low-end model for writing comfort or drawing with the Apple pencil. You can do one or the other of these things on the iPad mini, but at best, I have the impression of scribbling something on a notebook. 39; hotel with a Sharpie.

ipad mini apple pencil Daniel Masaoka

Of course, you can write much smaller, but it gives you an idea of ​​how much room you have.

Even with admirable accuracy, the Pencil Pencil still does not allow needle-shaped lettering that you can get with a real pen or pencil, especially when the fifth-generation mini iPad does not take support ProMotion technology in iPad Pro, making it the traits of an Apple pencil more faithful to life.

I do not complain that the iPad mini at Support Apple Pencil. Whenever the reputable Apple, resistant to choice, offers us an additional option, it should only be celebrated. Indeed, Pencil is a great tool for highlighting PDF files. Apple even made the iPad mini with a rolled screen, which means that the glass rests closer to the pixels and thus better reproduces the feeling of writing on paper. The pencil certainly enhances the experience for some uses, and I would like Apple to start including the device at $ 99 in the box.

ipad mini pencil of logitech Daniel Masaoka

If you do not like the Apple pencil, you can also use the Logitech Pencil at $ 70. Some people like it, but I feel that it 's too much like writing with a carpenter' s pencil.

Indeed, the iPad mini really nothing wrong. This is not the tablet you want if you need an unstoppable power plant. Subject to a Geekbench battery test at a luminosity of 200 nits (against an impressive maximum of 500), it did not last as long as its contemporaries. In actual practice, however, I have rarely seen problems. During a week, I used it to play Fortnite. I used it to read novels on the bus and watched an episode of the new blurred area from Jordan Peele. And through all this, the battery was hanging around, never needing the kind of attention that I tend to tune to my iPhone XS Max.

When I wanted to type something, I paired a Magic Keyboard 2 keyboard with it and typed it. That's how I wrote this review. Which brings me to one of the only real disadvantages I can think of: when I try to use the numeric keypad on the screen, I find the keypad does not work. Display too narrow for long writing sessions, even in landscape mode. This was also the case with the old iPad mini.

ipad 2019 battery2 IDG

This is not as serious as it seems. It is unlikely that you will use the iPad mini for demanding applications as with the larger iPads.

The iPad for those who prefer the little things

The iPad mini is the best little tablet you can get. I like the fact that it's a Tablet at a time when Apple is encouraging all sorts of discussions about whether iPad Pro can replace traditional laptops. This little device? He excels in all areas related to tablet, including multitasking split screen, which feels cramped but manageable, and I never wanted it to be better. Judging by the many questions we have received about rumors about the iPad mini in recent years, I'm willing to bet that its success will remain a success, even with its limitations.

ipad mini table IDG

The iPad mini does a lot of things, but one thing it does not do is a lot of room.

If you want more display space than what you get on your iPhone XS Max, but do not worry about either a gigantic tablet that falls on your face when you watch a movie at reads – and believe me, I went there – the iPad mini does the work. If you want a Paperwhite device that is fully capable of performing other tasks, the iPad mini is there for you. It's even decent to read magazines in Apple News + that are still in PDF format, making it a good sketchbook (if not a huge canvas) with an Apple pencil. If you want above all a portability in a tablet, this mini-marvel stands out from others.

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