Apple iPad mini

$309
  • 7.9"
  • 16 GB
  • WiFi
  • iOS 6
Released November, 2012
Apple has managed quite a feet of engineering by giving the iPad mini an impressive 10-hr battery life, which trumps its nearest rivals by a couple of hours.
by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2012)

Conclusion Check out the Apple iPad mini

90%
91%
93%
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38%
100%
60%
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90%
93%
88%
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87%
80%
84%
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76
First reviewed November, 2012

Features Key features of the Apple iPad mini

Angle view of Apple iPad mini

7.9

iOS 6

The ability to still touch them, combined with a rich interactivity on a level that can't be matched by their printed counterparts has really given new life to what I feared was becoming a dying trade.
Rated 100% by by Scott-Showalter

screen size

7.9"
10.1"
9.7"
It makes this the perfect device to use as an ereader because it can be held in one hand, yet it has the full functionality of a full size iPad minus advanced retina display.
iPad mini by Crabigail-Cassidy--Crabby-Abby (Nov, 2012)
It has everything the big ipad has except retina display - and I haven't missed that at all on this little baby.
iPad mini by Jerra-Dooley--jerradoo (Jan, 2013)

screen resolution

Apple iPad mini
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Infinity TF700
Google Nexus 7
I cannot imagine what a package like this will look like with retina display, looking FWD to that (this one looks very good too, not retina but much better than the Ipad 2).
iPad mini by Fatmir-Sadiku--Fatmir (Dec, 2012)
First off, while this does not have the advanced retina display of the iPad3, it produces a very clear and crisp image.
iPad mini by Crabigail-Cassidy--Crabby-Abby (Nov, 2012)

memory

0 GB
1 GB

0.5 GB
1 GB
1 GB

camera resolution

0 MP
1.2 MP

0.3 MP
3 MP
3 MP
The iSight 5 megapixel camera takes great pictures and shoots decent movies for what it is.
iPad mini by Jason-Baker--Jason-Baker (Nov, 2012)
=====. The new iPad mini brings a phenomenal new high-quality 5MP camera to market that picks up where the iPad 2's half-megapixel camera left off.
iPad mini by Scott-Showalter

processor

Apple iPad mini
Asus Eee Pad Transformer Infinity TF700
Google Nexus 7
+ Processor: A5 (dual core) vs. A6X (dual core with quad core graphics) - same as the new iPod touch, but not quite as powerful as the latest iPad, yet it doesn't need to be because the iPad mini display totes a quarter as many pixels!
iPad mini by Scott-Showalter
The NHL program I use is smoother on the mini than the Nexus, this despite the Nexus having a faster CPU.
iPad mini by G.-Rivet--G---Arabia (May, 2013)
 

Performance Real world tests of Apple iPad mini

cpu speed

Processor speed seems to be quick.
iPad mini by Benjamin-K.-Lee (Jan, 2013)
My only reservation is that the processor can seem a bit slow at times, but I have to remember this is not a laptop computer - it's more about convenience than speed.
iPad mini by D.-J.-Pierce (Dec, 2012)

sunspider 0.9.1 benchmark

Apple iPad mini
Apple iPad 1
BlackBerry PlayBook
Web browsing is very fast but here's where we come to the issue.
iPad mini by Reviewer-MHM-3-5--Reviewer-3-5 (Jan, 2013)
The iPad mini has nice web browser, the applications work well (less crashing issues), the wireless connection is fast and I didn't have any sort of lag between turning on my Mini and getting online, like I often did with my Kindle.
iPad mini by Angela-Streiff

battery life

10 hour
7 hour
8 hour
On my first charge I got over 15 hours of usage (which included a lot of internet surfing and video watching) and on my second charge I already have over 5 hours of usage and 62% battery charge left.
iPad mini by alspachsl
It charges quickly and has a nice small charging port.
iPad mini by Craig-Wester (Dec, 2012)
 

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

  • Capacitive
  • 1.2 MP
  • 5 MP
  • 10 hour
  • 308 g
  • Play games and use applications that take advantage of device rotation
  • Automatically adjust screen brightness for environmental factors
  • Nov, 2012
  • Detects movement for interactive apps
  • Great for maps and navigation apps
  • 24 Mbit/s (Bluetooth v4.0)
  • 135 x 200 x 7 mm
  • use multiple fingers at once for more complex interactions
  • Can be operated hands free

cons

  • None
  • Only one app at a time can run
  • 7.9"
  • How you can use your tablet is controlled by a corporation
  • Cannot automatically pinpoint your location on a map
  • Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash
  • Poorer input sound quality
  • need wi-fi or wired connection to be online
  • 1 GHz
  • must unlock manually

Reviews Word on the street

Read the review (Nov, 2012)
Elsewhere the iPad mini sports the standard headphone jack on its top edge while on the inside you’ve got Wi-Fi and 4G options, as well as Bluetooth 4.0.
Rated 90%
Read the review (Oct, 2012)
But regardless of market positioning, the iPad mini has to be viewed in a world with a $199 Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD — two strong performers that are a far cry, at least in price, from the iPad mini.
Rated 83%
Read the review (Oct, 2012)
The really impressive feat of the iPad Mini, the surprise, is that it seems to handle all the iPad's normal duties while being shrunken down.
Rated 88% by 269 users at amazon.com
I made the mistake of purchasing the iPad mini, mainly because it was more compact to fit in a briefcase.
Rated 60% by by BGH (Jan, 2013)
But I found myself still preferring to use my small laptop as multitasking is so much easier.
Rated 80% by by JP (Jan, 2013)
It's the perfect size and weight for me.
Rated 100% by by M-Jacobson (Jan, 2013)

Screen

I have an iPad with retina display for work, and used and iPod touch before that to take to conferences.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 80% by by DoctorObvious
Will probably sell or give away the larger ipad two we've had since that one came out...this ones extra screen size over other 7 inch tablets gives it a little edge...but if you are merely looking for a small tablet for movie/tv show viewing you could save $$ by getting a kindle fire HD...screen resolution is so much sharper.....But if you have to have this slice of the apple pie (and you have other apple devices and iTunes etc).
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Ozgoddess--BBB
Now there seems to be new screen technology emerging that might solve some of these problems, but apparently the "yield" (usable to unusable percentage of production) is very low on the larger versions of these screens (and Apple apparently has a screen shortage even on the lower-tech iPad mini screen).
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by MWebb (Nov, 2012)

Apps

Choices: My wife prefers the larger iPad for email and my teens like the larger one for movies and drawing, but I love this mini size for travel.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by W.-Zimmerman (Jan, 2013)
Web-based email such as Gmail typically support this out of the box, and Gmail accounts are the easiest to setup on the iPad mini.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Scott-Showalter
Board games and lap-friendly games are better for the 10" iPad than the iPad mini.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Scott-Showalter

Resolution

The display is not retina quality, but it's easily better than the iPad 1 or the iPad 2.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Dennis-Baker (Nov, 2012)
The size of this iPad mini is just perfect... I don't miss the retina stuff, wich I think got to be great, but I never had anything that has a retina display.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Emilio-Garcia (Feb, 2013)
Text appeared to be fuzzy and less crisp (especially in foreign characters where each character has more strokes), when compared to the razor sharp and clear text in retina display.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Ah-Pui

Size

love the nice slim look, not heavy when you traveling a must have when youre always on the go and need the internet.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by tina (Jan, 2013)
It's a great size and weight...I would recommend others to invest.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by anthony-brown (Feb, 2013)
The size is just perfect and the weight is unbelievable.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 80% by by Yasir-Khan (Nov, 2012)

Type

Now, when other offerings from Android are coming out with far better resolutions, it's just meh (the Apple Mini's contrast and color are still superior to the Nexus 7 by far, though).
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 60% by by D.-Fichtner
Ok so I have a nexus 7 and as much as I love it and love the android operating system I can't lie and say the performance is always wonderful.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 80% by by edward-riddick--katholmetal (Jan, 2013)
If you are wondering about cost, the additional cost is zero at least for the number of iOS devices-four-now on my App Store account.
Apple iPad mini 16 GB | Rated 100% by by G.-Ware-Cornell-Jr.--anotherlawyer (Jan, 2013)

Competition What else you should consider

Front view of Apple iPad mini

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Let the battle continue or dare to compare.


Editions Editions of the Apple iPad mini

Price Edition Internal storage Has a GPS Supports 3G Compare
$309
16 GB
 
Compare
$449
16 GB
 
Compare
$400
32 GB
 
Compare
$555
32 GB
 
Compare
$480
64 GB
 
Compare
$659
64 GB
 
Compare

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November 5, 2012
Tablet for student

I bought my wife a laptop since she went back to school but it's to heavy she says. She wants a tablet that can fit in her purse. It has to be able to edit/download Power Point, Excel and Word of...

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November 5, 2012
The new Nexus 10.1, Nexus 7, Ipad mini or galaxy note 10.1

I thought IOS would be Quite good but android is more customizable. I still like IOS... I also really liked both the nexus devices but i liked the s pen on the Note 10.1 Which tablet would...

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Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Apple iPad mini 16 GB

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theastromechdroid
Intermediate I
Apple iPad mini
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Google Nexus 10
  • 10.1"
  • 32 GB
  • WiFi 3G
  • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Apple iPad mini
Google Nexus 10
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Google Nexus 10 over the Apple iPad mini.
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1
vote

This is just a personal preference, but I prefer the look and feel of the iPad mini, along with iOS.  I also prefer the abundance of QUALITY applications on iOS since most of the applications on...

Google Nexus 7
  • 7"
  • 32 GB
  • WiFi 3G
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Apple iPad mini
Google Nexus 7
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Google Nexus 7 over the Apple iPad mini.
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Intermediate I
1
vote

This is just a personal preference, but I prefer the look and feel of the iPad mini, along with iOS.  I also prefer the abundance of QUALITY applications on iOS since most of the applications on...