When To Buy Ipad Mini 4
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when to buy ipad mini 4
Best Answer: No. While you can still find the iPad mini 4 refurbished or renewed at some retailers for a low price, you are still much better off spending the extra money for the newer iPad mini 5. The iPad mini 5 has faster processing power with the A12 chip versus the A8 in the iPad mini 4. It also has a better display, support for the first-generation Apple Pencil, and a 7MP front-camera instead of the 1.2MP in the previous iteration. You can also get up to 256GB of storage with the iPad mini 5, instead of just 128GB with iPad mini 4.
First, the A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine and embedded M12 coprocessor gives the iPad mini 5 a huge advantage in terms of speed and processing power. You'll be able to do things faster and experience less downtime and lag when gaming. And while there isn't much in terms of physical differences between the two, the iPad mini 5 does have 500 nits of brightness (versus 400 nits with the previous-gen), Wide Color display, and True Tone support, which gives you better overall screen quality. You also get a 7-megapixel front-facing camera instead of a paltry 1.2MP, so your FaceTime calls are sharper and clearer than ever before.
Unfortunately, while the iPad mini 5 is essentially just a smaller version of the 7th-generation iPad, it lacks the Smart Connector that the regular iPad has. So, you can only use the best Bluetooth keyboards with the iPad mini 5 instead of the Apple Smart Keyboard.
Of course, the iPad mini 5 came out in 2019, and it has gone about two years without an update so far. If you absolutely need the 7.9-inch screen of the iPad mini, then, by all means, get it. But if you can live with a slightly larger screen, then we would recommend the latest 8th-generation iPad (2020) that recently came out. This is a great entry-level iPad that is also very affordable at $329, which is even less than a two-year-old iPad mini 5.
iPad mini 5 packs a punch with the A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, Wide Color display with True Tone, 1st-generation Apple Pencil support, and a 7MP front-facing camera. It's worth the cost if you need the latest and greatest in a small form factor.
Announced in September 2021, the iPad mini is among the oldest iPads in Apple's lineup and it is about midway through its product cycle. Apple does not seem to update the iPad mini regularly, leaving up to two and a half years between upgrades. A new model is expected in early 2024, so while this version is 18 months old, we aren't expecting a refresh in the near future and it is still an okay time to buy. That said, those who prefer to purchase newer devices may want to exercise caution before buying the iPad mini.
While the iPad mini is Apple's smallest iPad for those who want features like an all-screen design and USB-C in the most portable form factor, users who are looking for a more affordable option should consider the ninth-generation iPad. Starting at $329, the iPad offers many iPad mini features, such as Touch ID and Center Stage, but at a lower price that balances functionality and affordability.
Apple introduced the sixth-generation iPad mini in September 2021, two and a half years after the introduction of the previous model fifth-generation , featuring a complete redesign with a larger display, no Home button, the A15 Bionic chip, and a USB-C port.
The iPad mini mirrors the design of the iPad Air with an all-screen design, squared-off edges, and a Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the top power button. The main differences from the iPad Air are the lack of a Smart Connector on the rear and that the volume buttons have been relocated to the top edge of the device. Compared to the prior-generation model, the new iPad mini lacks a Touch ID Home button.
The iPad mini features a larger, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2,266 by 1,488. The display continues to feature True Tone and P3 wide color, and offers up to 500 nits of brightness.
It is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip, which is a chip that Apple first used in the iPhone 13 lineup, for up to 80 percent better performance than the previous iPad mini. Cellular iPad mini models also can now connect to 5G for the first time.
The sixth-generation iPad mini supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet for storage, pairing, and charging. It features the same all-day battery life as other iPads, lasting up to around 10 hours.
The iPad mini is available to order now and starts at $499 for the 64GB Wi-Fi-only model, going up to $649 for the 256GB model. Cellular models are available for $150 more over the base price of each configuration. The second-generation Apple Pencil that works with the iPad mini is available for $129.
Reviews of the iPad mini have been very positive, praising the slimmer bezels, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, a 12-megapixel rear Wide camera, and second-generation Apple Pencil compatibility.
Even with its larger 8.3-inch display, the new iPad mini maintains portable convenience, according to Engadget's Valentina Palladino, although typing was not a particularly comfortable experience. MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci said that the iPad mini delivers on "my longstanding dream of an iPad Pro/Air-like device in a diminutive form factor, providing a highly portable experience unlike anything else in Apple's lineup."
WIRED's Brenda Stolyar expressed some concerns about battery life, saying that the iPad mini struggles with a large amount of activity, achieving around five hours, which is significantly less than the advertised 10 hours.
Some iPad mini 6 owners have complained about a "jelly scrolling" problem that affects some iPad mini models when using the device in portrait mode. "Jelly scrolling" refers to screen tearing, which can cause text or images on one side of the screen to appear to be tilted downwards because of a mismatch in refresh rates. It can cause one side of the display to look as if it's responding faster than the other side, a visual disturbance that's hard to miss once you notice it.
Apple says that this behavior is normal for an LCD screen. The screen is designed to refresh line by line, which can cause a tiny delay between when the lines at the top of the screen and the bottom of the screen are refreshed, resulting in uneven scrolling issues. As many MacRumors readers have pointed out, the jelly scrolling effect appears to be more pronounced on the iPad mini 6 than on other iPads that also have an LCD screen like the iPad Air, or even the ninth-generation iPad that was released at the same time.
iPad mini 6 owners who notice jelly scrolling on their tablets may want to make a return or get a replacement within 14 days after purchase during the standard return period. Not all iPad mini devices seem to be experiencing the issue to the same degree, so it may be possible to purchase one that has less of a scrolling delay. Apple may also issue some kind of software fix in the future to address the problem, even though the company claims that it is normal behavior.
With the launch of the sixth-generation iPad mini, Apple completely overhauled the design, and now the smallest tablet in the iPad lineup resembles a diminutive version of the iPad Air. The prior version of the iPad mini had thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button, but the new model does away with those in favor of an all-display design.
The iPad mini 6 features an 8.3-inch display, which is larger than the 7.9-inch iPad mini 5's thanks to the reduction of the bezels around the screen. There is no Home button, so Touch ID has been moved to the power button at the top of the device.
Like the iPad Air, the iPad mini 6 has a body with flat, rounded edges that wrap around the display, with the flat-edged design matching the iPad Pro and modern iPhones. There's a small bezel all around the iPad mini's display, but it's thinner than the prior design at the top and bottom.
The iPad mini measures in at 7.69 inches (195.4 mm) long, 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) wide, and 0.25 inches (6.3 mm) thick, so it's about the same width and height as the prior model, but it's 0.2 mm thicker. While the iPad mini 5 had a headphone jack, the iPad mini 6 does not.
There are speakers at the top and bottom of the iPad mini that provide stereo sound when the iPad mini is used in landscape mode, along with a microphone at the top, and cellular models have a nano-SIM tray on the side. At the back, there's a single-lens rear camera.
The Touch ID power button located at the top of the iPad mini works just like the Touch ID Home button that was available on the iPad mini 5, simply requiring you to rest your finger on it to register your fingerprint.
Apple has added a USB-C port at the bottom of the tablet to replace the Lightning port, bringing the iPad mini in line with the iPad Air and iPad Pro. With the USB-C port, the iPad mini can be connected to 4K and 5K displays, cameras, and other USB-C devices. The USB-C port supports 5Gbps data transfer and is able to charge an iPhone or Apple Watch with the proper cable. 041b061a72