iPad mini review

Pros

• Stunning brushed metal design
• Strong battery life
• Simply, intuitive UI

Cons

• Low-res screen
• More expensive than competition
• No boxed headphones or dock adaptor

Key Features: 7.9-inch, 1024 x 768p IPS display; Lightning port connector; iOS 6

Manufacturer: Apple

iPad mini review – One month on

Having previously suggested that the iPad mini was one of the first true iPad challengers and a true rival to the Google Nexus 7, despite the price difference, one month on from launch and the iPad mini has grown into its role as arguably the most desirable tablet on the market.

Despite weeks’ worth of heavy use, protected only by the screen saving official iPad mini Smart Cover, the iPad mini’s stunning brushed aluminium rear remains pleasingly, and somewhat surprisingly, devoid of unwanted scuffs, scratches, nicks and most other marks of general wear and tear. Although the iPad mini’s screen is again proving resilient to permanent marking, the device’s oleophobic coating is less than impressive at preventing the all but unavoidable eyesore that is smeared fingerprints.

Despite the 64GB iPad mini now being rammed full of an extensive collection of TV shows, music and app based content, the device has shown no signs of slowing. Where the iPad mini has been found to lag behind some of its more high-powered rivals, however, is with load times of some of the more high specs demanding applications. An example of this is the Pages app, Apple’s word processing tool, which now stutters, falters and stalls before finally springing to life.

Although the Retina display rumoured to feature on the iPad mini 2 would be a welcome addition, the original iPad mini’s 7.9-inch screen is still more than acceptable with the device proving to be a valued addition to both our business and entertainment based tech arsenals.

Whilst the single-hand friendly form factor has seen the iPad mini largely replace our trusted pen and paper in a number of situations, the device’s easy portability and sleek user interface has seen it transform into a PA of sorts, tackling the majority of our working needs with aplomb. What’s more, movie and video consumption is a joy thanks to the wide variety of readily available content and impressive visual and audio performances.

Sure to convert many to the 7-inch form factor, the iPad mini, will please and multiple front and, one month on, remains the must have item on the market.

Continue reading for our full iPad mini review.

Introduction

Apple might have revolutionised the tablet market back in 2010 with the launch of the 9.7-inch original iPad, but the Cupertino based company is late to the 7-inch tablet party. With the iPad mini, however, it is certainly a case of better late than never.

Not your typical 7-inch device, the iPad mini is in fact a 7.9-inch tablet, with that extra 0.9 of an inch providing you with a very welcome 35 per cent more on-screen real-estate without adding too much to the device’s overall size. Able to be held in a single hand, the iPad mini answers many of the gripes with the original iPad’s difficult, at times cumbersome, size.

Featuring Apple’s customary premium price tag, iPad mini prices kick off at £269, a figure that is pleasingly £139 cheaper than the entry level iPad 4. Despite this, the iPad mini still costs £110 more than the basic Google Nexus 7, arguably the iPad mini’s closest competitor and a device that, on paper at least, is a more specs impressive offering.

With the iPad mini screen featuring an iPad 2 mimicking 1024 x 768p screen resolution, Apple’s stunningly designed, brushed aluminium beauty backs this up with a dual-core A5 processor. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean running Google Nexus 7, on the other hand, boasts a 1280 x 800p HD display and NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, both of which are considerable upgrades.

Cameras front and rear, the iOS 6 operating system, Apple’s compact and fast new Lightning connector (as debuted on the iPhone 5) and a claimed 10 hour battery life complete the core iPad mini features list but, if we are being honest, this is not where the iPad mini excels. Unrivalled in terms of design and build quality, the iPad mini looks, feels and acts like a premium device and one which has the presence of an advancement of the 7-inch tablet market.

iPad mini - Design

As with virtually all Apple devices, the iPad mini is an undeniable beauty, combining sleek, seamless edges, a stunning brushed metal back and strong build quality that is unrivalled by anything else on the 7-inch tablet market.

On first looks, it is most certainly a case of ‘Apple has done it once again’. A company that has a knack for producing some of the best looking gadgets on the market has instantly transformed the 7-inch tablet scene with the iPad mini, a device that oozes style and offers a pleasingly friendly user experience from the off. Whereas many of the other 7-inch devices on the market feature plastic heavy constructions, with the iPad mini Apple has taken the premium approach, a move that, although showing in the price tag, is one which separates the device from its competition.

Lining up at a svelte 7.2mm thick and just 308g in weight, despite the iPad mini’s additional screen size, Apple’s first 7.9-inch tablet enters the market with a more solid and reassuring build than the competition. With no flex or creaking when putting the device under considerable amounts of pressure, the iPad mini puts your mind at ease and offers a strong yet lightweight form factor that is more than just easy on the eye. Press the centre of the back and there's just a little give which you don't get on the larger iPad, and pressing the screen does result in the LCD distorting more readily but neither detract from the overall effect.



With Apple keen to reassure us that this is not a mere 7-inch tablet, but in fact a game changing 7.9-inch device, it is clear to see why the iPod Touch manufacturer has plumped for the near extra inch. Although not as sharp as some the extra screen space creates a more immersive viewing experience that draws you in.

Despite being a couple of millimetres too wide to be held comfortably across the centre for prolonged periods, you can at least do so. And, if you do grip the corner instead, the lower weight means it remains comfortable for hours on end. With the tablet’s minimalist weight distributed evenly throughout the device’s body, the iPad mini is also well balanced in the hand not proving awkward to hold or tiresome to keep steady.

With few physical connection ports, the iPad mini’s power providing Lightning connector is hidden discretely out of the way on the device’s base whilst, somewhat strangely, the 3.5mm audio connector is situated on the top of the tablet. Having recently moved the iPhone 5’s audio connector from the top of the device to the base for improved, less intrusive access, it would have been expected to see Apple do the same with the iPad mini. As it is, however, the top-mounted connection can cause headphone cables to droop across the screen on occasion; an issue that although only minor can grate when attempting to watch a movie.



This seemingly seamless design isn’t without a slight gripe, however. When playing a game such as Need for Speed: Most Wanted in which the device needs to be held in a landscape manner, the iPad mini speaker location becomes a cause for concern. Situated on the base of the tablet, either side of the new 8-pin Lightning dock connector, the speakers are easily muffled by the hand when holding the device in a standard and conventional manner, an issue that can severely diminish the sound quality and deplete the overall enjoyment of the experience.

Also, as visually appealing as the slim, brushed metal, flat backed design is, it does have a slight cost in terms of practicality. With little area to gain a finger hold, it can prove irritatingly difficult to pick the iPad mini up off of a hard flat surface without having to drag it to the edge 

iPad mini - Screen

Despite offering an experience altering 35 per cent more screen real-estate than its standard 7-inch rivals such as the Google Nexus 7, the iPad mini's screen is undeniably its weakest point.

Whereas the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD both sport high-definition displays, for the first-generation iPad mini, Apple has opted to go down a more dated visually inferior route. Sporting a screen with the same 1024 x 768p resolution as the superseded iPad 2, the iPad mini’s LED IPS offering falls behind its lower priced competition when it comes to sharpness.

A noticeable step back from the latest-generation 9.7-inch iPads, the iPad mini’s 163 pixels-per-inch image density is noticeably worse than the competition, and all told it's a disappointing move from Apple. A Retina display offering akin to the iPhone 5 or iPad 4 is a seemingly sure-fire inclusion for the likely second-generation update.



Causing text and application icons to appear somewhat grainy and considerably less sharp than desired, the iPad mini screen is the device’s only real stumbling block, putting it at a significant disadvantage to its similarly sized rivals. Although the iPad mini lacks defined edges to text based content such as ebooks or web pages, in terms of video playback or app-based gameplay the tablet holds its own with a strong colour palette and impressive contrast ratios ensuring the device is a more than viable option for multimedia absorption.

Lacking the eye-popping detail of Apple’s Retina displays, video playback on the iPad mini is still an enjoyable option with little motion blur or stuttering of images detracting from the overall viewing experience. Not without its merits, the iPad mini screen features auto brightness adjustment capabilities and is more than visible when in areas of both bright, direct sunlight and dark, uneven shadow.

Supporting multitouch input commands, the iPad mini screen is extremely responsive to the touch with all taps, swipes, prods and sliding scrolls producing their desired on-screen reactions all within an acceptable timeframe. Due to the reduced bezel of the iPad mini, it is at times unavoidable to have a stray thumb encroach onto the screen. Ensuring these wayward digits do not register as touchscreen based selections and commands, however, Apple has introduced software that detects these unwanted finger placements and ensures they do not interfere with the user experience. Surprisingly, this works exceptionally well with all but the rarest of interferences caused during our time with the device.

As with all touchscreen devices, the iPad mini is a magnet for smeared, greasy fingerprints that can often leave the screen in a less than appealing, at times experience-depleting, state. In a bid to help this, Apple has finished the iPad mini with a fingerprint-reducing oleophobic coating. It doesn't stop all fingerprints but certainly reduces their effect compared to untreated displays (most tablets and phones do feature oleophobic coatings now).

iPad mini - Interface and Usability

A largely pleasant experience that is hard to fault in terms of user friendliness, Apple’s iOS 6operating system runs the show on the iPad mini with little fuss or fanfare. Everything is not as smoothly and pristinely Apple-esque as you might expect, however.

Whilst unlike Android or Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system Apple’s iOS offering does not bring information such as emails or calendars to the fore through the use of interactive and customisable widgets, the app based UI that Apple introduced with the original iPhone is still a simplistic joy to use. With nothing more than a quick tap of the desired icon needed to launch the application, the iPad mini interface allows for both new and experienced users alike to pick up the device and instantly gain a workable understanding of what’s what.

Despite having been fitted with an A5 dual-core CPU as opposed to the quad-core processing option found within the Google Nexus 7, the iPad mini still feels acceptably speedy with application launches handled with sufficient expediency. Although some heavy duty games take a considerable amount of time to load, this is not an issue that is easily overcome by rival devices and one which does not put the iPad mini considerably behind the curve.

Unlike the full sized 9.7-inch fourth-generation iPad, the iPad mini's compact form factor and single-hand friendly design help make the device become a pleasure to type on. Whereas the original iPad proved cumbersome and oversized, causing an awkward, slow, prodding typing style - unless laid flat and in landscape mode - the iPad mini allows for smartphone-esque thumb typing. Proving more comfortable to use, the iPad mini can be utilised for prolonged periods of time without the dreaded and unwanted wrist ache.



In unusual form for Apple, a company renowned for its attention to detail and style lead interfaces, the calendar application pre-installed on the iPad mini, as well as the iPad 4, is disappointingly unattractive and a noticeable eyesore on an otherwise impressive OS. Although fitting nicely in a landscape stance, when holding the iPad mini in a portrait manner, the calendar service fails to fill the screen, leaving ugly and unnecessary black bars of considerable size both above and below the entry fields.

As with former Apple iDevices, the iPad mini multitasking is a straightforward affair with a rapid double tap of the physical home button producing a row at the screen's base of applications that are currently open and running in the background. Swiping left on this bar will see users greeted with fast access audio controls, a welcome addition that are easy to use and which offer playback choices without having to delve directly into the dedicated application.



Having taken a leaf out of Google’s Android book, the iPad mini, thanks to its iOS 6 filling offers users a dropdown notifications bar, providing alerts to all the latest goings on from new incoming emails and messages to calendar reminders and social media updates. What’s more, for those in a hurry to share their 140 character announcements, users can also Tweet directly from the notifications bar, a time saving option that will be sure to appeal to many.



In a bid to help improve the user experience further and offer a helping hand to users of all experience levels, Apple has complemented the iPad mini with its voice activated personal assistant software Siri. As we have found on other devices, Siri is still very much a work in progress. Although improved for iOS 6 devices such as the iPad mini, it is still filled with quirks that see it struggle with British pronunciations and it's lacking in details of stores and services outside of the US.

iPad mini - Browser and Apps

As with the full sized iPad range and the complete iPhone collection, the iPad mini browser is Apple's usual Safari offering. Ensuring a simple and efficient browsing experience, the iOS Safari browser offers all the features you might require from your portable web access point and little that you don’t.

Due to the reduced form factor and minimised screen size of the iPad mini, the tablet's browser is more compact than on past iPad models with the address and search bars noticeably narrower. Despite these shrunken components, the iPad mini browser is still quick and easy to use, with well laid out controls and a raft of options.

These smaller touch targets, whilst something that you don’t notice as much when tackling the still spacious app icons, become increasingly apparent when navigating the browser options and controls. Small enough to force concentration when attempting to select to navigate either forward or backwards through already viewed web pages, these buttons are still of an acceptable size, encouraging caution, not concern, when in use.



For those with high simultaneous browsing needs, the iPad mini’s tabbed browsing options are simple to use with a staggering 24 tabs able to be opened and utilised simultaneously, a figure that far exceeds many mobile browsing services. On top of this, bookmarks and browsing history are easily accessed via a dedicated button whilst those with further iCloud compatible devices such as an iPhone 5 can view tabs they have open on other devices.

With Wi-Fi load times proving of a more than acceptable nature, the iPad mini browser offers a raft of time saving convenience shortcuts allowing users to email, message, Tweet or Facebook web pages at will direct from the browser. Although this will not be of use to all, the option is of significant benefit to those who need it as will be the wireless AirPlay printing options and Reading List features that allow users to save web pages for offline viewing.

As this is an Apple device, the iPad mini doesn't feature Flash support. With the web becoming increasingly HTML 5 friendly, however, this is becoming less of a problem with many sites now adopting the Apple iDevice supported system.

Although the iPad mini comes pre-installed with a relatively minimal collection of out of the ordinary performance enhance applications, thanks to Apple's iTunes App Store it is quick and simple to get the device brimming with all manner of apps. With more than 275,000 applications now available from the App Store, Apple’s content collection is a key selling point for the iPad mini and full-size iPad range. Especially as the online outlet is laid out in such a manner so as to not only offer a pleasant user experience, but enhance the discoverability of new apps, meaning you should not be limited only by what you know.

iPad mini - Camera

Twin cameras adorn the iPad mini, with one on the front and one on the back. They don't exactly set the imaging world alight but provide a more than satisfactory experience. Pairing the 5-megapixel rear-mounted iSight camera with a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD snapper up front, the iPad mini is capable of producing acceptable yet far from inspiring images.

In strong, natural lighting conditions, the iPad mini performs much like a current mid-range smartphone such as the Sony Xperia Go, or indeed the now slightly dated iPhone 4, offering pictures with pleasing colour management and contrast ratios that more than justify the inclusion of a price increasing camera. In less than ideal shooting conditions, however, the device, like many camera toting portable devices be they smartphone or tablet, struggles.



Whilst shooting in a dully lit indoor environment will see grainy, noise riddled images produced, overcast skies result in images that are streaked with a lifeless white or off grey patch that fails to capture the subtleties and nuances of the real world setting. What’s more, the lack of an integrated LED flash means that the severely diminished quality of shots taken in less than ideal lighting is hard to overcome.

What does give the iPad mini camera some added brownie points, however, is its strong autofocus capabilities and its impressive facial recognition software that automatically detects faces and optimises focus to ensure strong results. On top of this, in busy shots there is the option to tap the screen to direct the focus on a specified area, a feature that works well.



Offering little in terms of settings customisation, the ‘options’ tab within the iPad mini camera provides just one option, turning the rule of thirds grid on or off. Not even the HDR mode, nor the more recent panorama addition, are included.

Although this is a camera designed primarily to capture the moment, not create stunning results, when competing tablets do offer useful options for tweaking the results without hindering their ease of use, it's a shame to be quite so limited here.

Attempting to utilise the available digital zoom is the easiest way to ruin your snaps with the close-up services failing to offer any detail or edging to images, instead creating lifeless blobs of colour that do not warrant further viewings.



Bringing a level of entertainment and light-hearted enjoyment to the iPad mini's cameras, Apple has pre-installed Photo Booth, a photo effects application that, although not able enhance picture quality, introduces a selection of shooting modes that are sure to appeal to some. Opting for quirky over practical usage options, Photo Booth’s collection of effects fall wholly under the header of novelty thanks to the likes of the Kaleidoscope and X-Ray shooting modes. Although entertaining at times, these effects would produce far more user appeasing results in the long term if replaced by more desired options such as a simple black and white shooting mode or the classic sepia effect.



Capable of shooting video at higher quality than it can play back, the iPad mini’s camera boasts 1080p Full HD video recording capabilities. It is capable of strong results but suffers from the same issues as the stills camera. With little issue with motion blur, the iPad mini video recorder performs best when in brightly lit areas with the sound capture quality a welcome addition.

Again ticking the boxes without offering a ground-breaking experience, the iPad mini's forward-facing camera struggles in artificial and less than ideal lighting conditions but pleasingly makes FaceTime or Skype video calls a possibility.

iPad mini - Multimedia

Although, unlike the recently released iPhone 5, the iPad mini does not play host to a multimedia friendly 16:9 aspect ration, the compact tablet still holds its own in terms of audio and video playback with more than acceptable image quality paired with surprisingly impressive audio abilities.

Despite featuring some location based issues when playing app based games, the integrated iPad mini speakers are in fact, for the large part, a surprisingly impressive affair. During music playback, audio is strong with little distortion or crackle, even at the top end of the volume spectrum. What’s more, thanks to their position on the angled lower edge of the 7.9-inch tablet, the inbuilt speakers are unaffected when the device is placed on a flat surface with no muffling or depletion of output.

All that said, they still pale in comparison to the stereo speakers employed by the latest Samsung Galaxy Tabs, BlackBerry PlayBook and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

Building on its iPod pedigree, the iPad mini audio playback through headphones is some of the best we have experienced on a tablet device with a well-rounded sound stage covering everything from deep bass rich notes to the twang of an acoustic guitar. Although output could be a bit stronger at the top and bottom ends, it is hard to fault what is otherwise a hugely impressive audio performance from a compact 7-inch tablet.



Strangely for an Apple iDevice, and one which has such a strong audio standing, the iPad mini does not come boxed with a pair of the company’s new Apple EarPods headphones, or any headphones for that matter. Whilst not the biggest omission, this does seem a little penny-pinching from one of the world's most valuable companys. 

Following Apple’s trademark storage options the iPad mini is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities with the tablet’s price jumping rapidly from £269 to £429 between this trio of options. As ever this can't be expanded by adding a memory card as on some rivals.

Although present, the iPad mini photo editing abilities are extremely limited with little more than red-eye reduction, auto-enhance and the classic crop option on offer. With the plethora of photo editing applications, both paid for and free, that are available to download, however, this is only a small concern.



Further bolstering the iPad mini multimedia capabilities, the fast access music player controls that feature on the multitasking menu bar are a time saving joy to use. Providing playback controls without having to delve into the full music player, the remote panel allows users to play, pause and skip tracks as well as make on-screen volume adjustments at will.

iPad mini - Battery Life and Connectivity

The claimed 10 hour battery life of the iPad mini rings near enough true during general day-to-day use. This predicted figure clearly doesn't account for the consumption of high-end, performance demanding games such as EA's latest NFS offering, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, however. What’s more, when the battery is depleted, getting it back to full juice again will take a considerable amount of time with an overnight charge the least obtrusive way to recharge the device following heavy usage. 

Currently only available in Wi-Fi form with a cellular enabled, 3G and 4G compatible device to launch later in the year, the iPad mini follows on from the iPhone 5 and 2012 iPod Touch refresh in ditching the Apple’s dated 30-pin connector in favour of the new, faster, smaller 8-pin Lightning port.

Although commendably smaller than its predecessor, and with the useful ability to be plugged in either way round, the need to buy extra adapters and cables to make the connector work with existing docks and chargers is a costly annoyance. The iPad mini does come with a mains charger and Lightning cable in the box but no other adapters are included. 

Also notable is that while the Lightning port can be converted into HDMI, USB and SD ports for connecting to a TV, camera and SD card respectively, no such connections are already on the device and the adapters can be quite pricey. Most alternatives do offer one or more of these connections without the need for adapters. 

Wi-Fi is of course onboard, with networks up to the 802.11n standard supported. We found connectivity to be strong with no occasions of drop off or unexplained loss of connection recorded during our time with the device. 

Bluetooth 4.0 is also included but otherwise that's your lot, with no NFC included for instance. Although not currently available, the iPad mini cellular options which is tipped to be released in the coming weeks will host support for GSM, EDGE, HSPA and LTE networks.

iPad mini - Verdict

Certainly the most desirable 7-inch tablet on the market, the iPad mini’s £269 starting price is considerably higher than the competition but for that outlay you get a device that, although not specs superior, is a far more enticing option than much of what is already on the market.

Combining a brushed aluminium back with seamlessly curved edges and a fascia that will be familiar to full-sized iPad owners, the iPad mini is a device that looks and feels every penny that you pay for it. A step on from the plastic backed likes of the Google Nexus 7, the iPad mini is unrivalled in terms of build quality and style.

More than a simple piece of eye candy, however, the iPad mini is a joy to use and one which, thanks to its slightly larger 7.9-inch display is immersive and perfectly sized for a combination of business and pleasure purposes. If you have recently splashed out on a full-sized iPad 3 or iPad 4 then this might not be for you. If, however, you are looking to make the plunge into the tablet market for the first time and can live without an HD display, it’s hard to look past the new iPad mini.

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