The increased screen resolution makes a massive difference on the new Retina Mini vs the original. The text on webpages is noticeably sharper and so are videos. I tested with some HD trailers and as an example, small text in the background of scenes is readable on the Retina Mini where the same text is not readable on the original Mini.
iPad Mini Retina - Now available!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter fieldy
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Got mine delivered this morning.
Still undecided on whether I want to extra screen size of the Air or the portability of the mini, but given the decrease in size and weight of the Air I'm not sure it's such a simple trade off anymore.
I'll have a play around this afternoon and try and decide.
Still undecided on whether I want to extra screen size of the Air or the portability of the mini, but given the decrease in size and weight of the Air I'm not sure it's such a simple trade off anymore.
I'll have a play around this afternoon and try and decide.
I have old iPad mini and new one next to each other. Here are a few notes
Old mini is on iOS 6.1.3 the last iOS before 7, I didn't upgrade as I actually like iOS 6 and was worried about performance hits on the old hardware of the mini.
Firstly the resolution is a lot better, I feel like I need glasses when I glance at the old mini as the text is slightly fuzzy compared to new, that been said I never really felt the old ones resolution was that bad, I could read text on web sites like the verge fully zoomed out. But yes it is nicer.
The colour between old mini and new mini is exactly the same on mine so much so its uncanny. Brightness levels between them is close, sometimes I think the old is slightly brighter and then I think the new is, it's so close it's hard to call.
Speaker wise It seems the old mini was a bit more muddy but seems a bit better in the bass, the new one is a bit cleaner but slightly more treble towards tinny comparatively. I think it is a slight improvement however. Max Volume between the two is comparable.
Speed wise web pages actually don't seem much faster to load on new mini, sometimes the old one even gets content on screen faster. Simple apps there's not a huge difference in load times, but for big games there's an advantage to the new mini.
Overall really the difference is as large as I thought it would be speed wise, the old mini was pretty fast I guess, I was disappointed web pages don't appear to load faster generally, especially considering the benchmarks the new chip gets.
The biggest reason to get the new mini is the resolution and while it's a pretty big increase its perhaps not as earth shattering a change and you might think. I feel resolution increase was probably more noticeable on the bigger iPad as it had a lower DPI before it went retina.
Size and weight difference is not noticeable to me, but that's to be expected.
Overall I would probably say if you want the new one get it, but the only significant difference is the resolution if you don't care about pin sharp text then the old one is still very good.
Old mini is on iOS 6.1.3 the last iOS before 7, I didn't upgrade as I actually like iOS 6 and was worried about performance hits on the old hardware of the mini.
Firstly the resolution is a lot better, I feel like I need glasses when I glance at the old mini as the text is slightly fuzzy compared to new, that been said I never really felt the old ones resolution was that bad, I could read text on web sites like the verge fully zoomed out. But yes it is nicer.
The colour between old mini and new mini is exactly the same on mine so much so its uncanny. Brightness levels between them is close, sometimes I think the old is slightly brighter and then I think the new is, it's so close it's hard to call.
Speaker wise It seems the old mini was a bit more muddy but seems a bit better in the bass, the new one is a bit cleaner but slightly more treble towards tinny comparatively. I think it is a slight improvement however. Max Volume between the two is comparable.
Speed wise web pages actually don't seem much faster to load on new mini, sometimes the old one even gets content on screen faster. Simple apps there's not a huge difference in load times, but for big games there's an advantage to the new mini.
Overall really the difference is as large as I thought it would be speed wise, the old mini was pretty fast I guess, I was disappointed web pages don't appear to load faster generally, especially considering the benchmarks the new chip gets.
The biggest reason to get the new mini is the resolution and while it's a pretty big increase its perhaps not as earth shattering a change and you might think. I feel resolution increase was probably more noticeable on the bigger iPad as it had a lower DPI before it went retina.
Size and weight difference is not noticeable to me, but that's to be expected.
Overall I would probably say if you want the new one get it, but the only significant difference is the resolution if you don't care about pin sharp text then the old one is still very good.
Soldato
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Delivered this morning well ahead of time (expected next Wednesday).
From my experience the smart covers come via regular post and are typically a day behind the main item.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...hts-from-china-to-your-local-apple-store.html
Ok it's about the iPhone rather than iPads but an interesting read nonetheless
Just spent aaaaaaages putting a screen protector on my mini
Am loving it so far, except for the camera though. Camera is pants but I won't be taking (m)any photos with it so I'm not too bothered.
Wouldn't bother with a screen protector
Got my delivery from China today as well. First impressions are that everything runs more smoothly than it did on the original mini and that text is certainly much sharper. Placed next to my iPhone 5 though the colours do seem a little bit washed. And strangely it does feel heavier than the original mini despite only being a very small increase in weight.
I really don't get why anyone would ever use the camera on a tablet for anything other than video calls.
Rear camera quality on a tablet is so far down my list of requirements it's even below smell.
Why not?
I'm finding the iPad mini.... A bit big. This is my first tablet though. Ideally I'd like an iPad midi so that it's between the size of an iPhone 5 and iPad mini
I find myself looking at only 2/3 of the screen when holding it portrait way. Maybe I'm holding it too close to my face 
Caporegime
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How can the mini be too big? Sounds like you just want a giant smartphone like the note.
My air is perfect size for me, so I don't know how a mini can be too big for anyone.
My air is perfect size for me, so I don't know how a mini can be too big for anyone.
Why not?
I'm finding the iPad mini.... A bit big. This is my first tablet though. Ideally I'd like an iPad midi so that it's between the size of an iPhone 5 and iPad mini
Perhaps I can contribute here, having owned a Note 1 for two years, my kids owning iPad mini's for a year and recently buying a Nexus 7. Obviously this is the original mini rather than the retina but the question of size is of relevance.
I originally bought a Note as I considered the (full size, not the mini) iPad to be too large for my needs. The Note had been fantastic over the years and nothing has come close to how useful it is. It has literally followed me everywhere and is in my pocket even at home. If I could only have one device then it would be a smartphone like the Note. Smaller devices are just too limited for me now and I couldn't consider an iphone for this reason (my wife's iphone, while built incredibly well, seems a little toy like in size now).
Recently I've thought about replacing the Note with a Note 3 but instead of doing that I bought a 2013 Nexus 7 and plan to either keep the Note until it dies (it's close to that now!) or buy a midrange phone such as an SG3. The Nexus is fantastic. It has utterly exceeded my expectations. I considered another Mini but the Nexus' 32gb and a retina-like screen for £209 delivered to my door was simply too good to ignore. However I would still place the Mini above it marginally. I find my kids mini's a little frustrating to use compared to Android but that's probably because I am so used to it on my phone. However the form factor of the mini wins for me. It is simply a "nicer" aspect ratio with more on screen. That said, I can easily hold the Nexus 7 in one hand and type with the other - something I really don't think I could do with the mini.
So...
If you can only have one device then consider a Note.
If you like watching films, want something around £200-ish (£170 I think for the 16gb?), the flexibility of customisation or commute a lot and size is important then get something like the Nexus 7
If you mostly play games then the screen aspect ratio of the mini is best.
I'd say the mini is definitely the "better" device as it does what it's designed for incredibly well and Apple got the form factor spot on. The Nexus is great but still feels lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. However, if I were to buy again then I'd still have the Nexus 7 over the mini due to price and the fact I commute on a train every day so it is the better form factor for my own use case.
** I'm extremely drunk so please excuse any typo's
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Perhaps I can contribute here, having owned a Note 1 for two years, my kids owning iPad mini's for a year and recently buying a Nexus 7. Obviously this is the original mini rather than the retina but the question of size is of relevance.
I originally bought a Note as I considered the (full size, not the mini) iPad to be too large for my needs. The Note had been fantastic over the years and nothing has come close to how useful it is. It has literally followed me everywhere and is in my pocket even at home. If I could only have one device then it would be a smartphone like the Note. Smaller devices are just too limited for me now and I couldn't consider an iphone for this reason (my wife's iphone, while built incredibly well, seems a little toy like in size now).
Recently I've thought about replacing the Note with a Note 3 but instead of doing that I bought a 2013 Nexus 7 and plan to either keep the Note until it dies (it's close to that now!) or buy a midrange phone such as an SG3. The Nexus is fantastic. It has utterly exceeded my expectations. I considered another Mini but the Nexus' 32gb and a retina-like screen for £209 delivered to my door was simply too good to ignore. However I would still place the Mini above it marginally. I find my kids mini's a little frustrating to use compared to Android but that's probably because I am so used to it on my phone. However the form factor of the mini wins for me. It is simply a "nicer" aspect ratio with more on screen. That said, I can easily hold the Nexus 7 in one hand and type with the other - something I really don't think I could do with the mini.
So...
If you can only have one device then consider a Note.
If you like watching films, want something around £200-ish (£170 I think for the 16gb?), the flexibility of customisation or commute a lot and size is important then get something like the Nexus 7
If you mostly play games then the screen aspect ratio of the mini is best.
I'd say the mini is definitely the "better" device as it does what it's designed for incredibly well and Apple got the form factor spot on. The Nexus is great but still feels lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. However, if I were to buy again then I'd still have the Nexus 7 over the mini due to price and the fact I commute on a train every day so it is the better form factor for my own use case.
** I'm extremely drunk so please excuse any typo's
I had the old nexus I found 7 inches was not comfortable for web browsing, the mini has something like 30-40% more viewing area even though it's only .9 inches bigger. That extra area gives me a much better browsing experience but still in a very portable size.
We have a ipad 4 which is my wife's, I find 10inch tablets too big, it takes up more space on a desk when not in use, it's harder to hold one handed for long times and a few other things, the bigger screen is nice sometimes but I feel the mini is the best compromise on portability and usability for me. A 8 inch android tab would probably give the same kind of experience.
Apparently some Minis are suffering with image retention. Read: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/15/some-retina-ipad-minis-showing-image-retention-issues/
I've tested mine, no issue.
I've tested mine, no issue.