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Why You Should Buy the iPad Mini 4

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Apple announced new iPads earlier this month during its iPhone 6s event, unveiling the iPad Pro and quietly announcing the iPad mini 4. If you’re thinking about getting a new iPad, here’s why you should buy the iPad mini 4.

While the iPad mini 4 still doesn’t come with the latest Apple processor, it’s still a huge improvement over the iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2, sporting an A8 processor over the iPad mini 3’s A7 chip, as well as coming with 2GB of memory instead of just 1GB.

It also comes with a better camera, thanks to an 8-megapixel sensor compared to the 5-megapixel sensor on the iPad mini 3. Overall, it’s a big and worthy upgrade for the iPad mini lineup.

Read: iPad mini 2 vs iPad mini 4: Key Differences

We’re not sure if Apple will have another iPad event next month, but the way it is now, the iPad mini 4 and the iPad mini 2 are the two smaller tablets that Apple sells, with the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Air filling out the 9.7-inch models. And of course, the iPad Pro joins the iPad family now with a gargantuan 12.9-inch display.

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There quite a few options now when you go to buy an iPad. There used to be only one iPad, just like how McDonald’s used to just have the Hamburger, but now have a ton of other options on the menu. Apple is the same way with the iPad.

However, here’s why you should by the iPad mini 4.

Low Price

Perhaps one of the best reasons for buying an iPad mini 4 is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on it compared to the iPad Air 2.

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The iPad mini 4 starts at $399 for the 16GB model. Of course, you probably want more storage than that, so you could get the 64GB version for $499, which is $100 cheaper than the 64GB version of the iPad Air 2, saving you around 20% if you were to go with the iPad mini 4.

If you want to save even more money, you could go for the iPad mini 2, which starts at $269 for the 16GB model and goes up to $319 for the 32GB version. At that price for a tablet, you really can’t go wrong, but the iPad mini 2 is starting to age.

Ultimately, the iPad mini 4 is the better choice, not just because of price but because of the performance as well.

Great Performance

The iPad mini 4 sports Apple’s A8 processor that’s slightly overclocked in order to match the iPad Air 2’s speed and performance with its A8X processor.

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The new smaller tablet also has 2GB of memory to match the iPad Air 2, which will allow users to have a bunch of apps open in the background and do a lot of different stuff without the performance getting bogged down.

Essentially, the iPad mini 2 is a miniature iPad Air 2, and that’s a really cool thing — having iPad Air 2 performance in a smaller, more portable package at a lower cost.

Portability

Speaking of portability, the iPad mini 4 is a great tablet if you want the most portable iPad around. Its screen is only around two inches smaller than the iPad Air series, but that can sometimes make all the difference.

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You can easily put an iPad mini into a purse (depending on the size of the purse, obviously), but an iPad Air is a bit more difficult to wield around and carry in a purse or other smaller bag.

Of course, the screen size of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air is really nice, but you’ll probably find that the iPad mini’s 7.9-inch display is plenty big, and you’ll easily forget about the iPad Air’s larger screen.

The iPad mini 4 is also much lighter than the iPad Air 2, allowing you to hold it with one hand without getting fatigued. While I personally prefer using both hands to hold my iPad mini, those who use the tablet in portrait mode will likely find themselves holding it with one hand, and that’s where the iPad mini 4 wins.

In the end, the iPad mini 4 has the best ratio when it comes to price, performance, and portability, making it a good choice if you’re thinking about buying a new iPad.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. pahtoonWarren

    09/23/2015 at 7:45 pm

    The iPad Mini 4 is something like 70% as fast as the iPad Air 2 in multi-core situations. For single core, the iPad Mini is 94% as fast as the iPad Air 2.

  2. Paul Robinson

    09/25/2015 at 3:14 pm

    One exception to an otherwise fine column.

    With the amazing discounts for the iPad Air 2–$100-$150–it’s now equivalent in price to, or cheaper than, the iPad Mini 4.

    The key decision should not be price or even any of the other specs (on which they are generally comparable), but

    SIZE!

    THAT’S THE KEY! Do you want a smaller or larger iPad?! A “pocketable” one you can cuddle up with or a full page type (sort of 8 ½ x 11″) you can browse the news and magazines?

    Related to that is how good your eyesight is and whether you’ll be holding the thing up to your eyes, on your chest, or in your lap.

    Text on the Mini is definitely harder to read when the font is small and it’s farther away; the Air makes things much more comfortable.

    P.S. Please redesign your name entry form below! The commenter’s name should come first; then the email address. This is akin to calling people by their # rather than their name!

  3. Audrey Armstrong

    10/18/2016 at 1:06 pm

    Apple now sells the iPad mini 4 and the iPad Air 2 starting at the same price

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