On September 7, 2016, Apple gave a storage boost to its lineup of iPads, increasing the base capacity of the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4 and iPad Mini 2 from 16GB to 32GB. Though the company discontinued the 64GB edition of the iPad Mini 4, the 128GB version remains available and is now$100 cheaper than before($499 without cellular connectivity and$629 with it).
The iPad Mini 4 is a tinier, slightly less powerful iPad Air 2. That’s basically all you need to know about this tablet, the 7.9-inch screen model which has been available since October 2015. I started sitting down the Mini 4 again, carrying it around every day in my bag, reading books - even using it to do work. This, after using Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro as my general new go-to tablet. I even wrote this review on it. Which.wasn’t fun.
In a world of larger phones and more-capable hybrid laptops and tablets, the iPad Mini feels less relevant than it used to. And while it’s the best of Apple’s small iPads, with a still-really-nice design, it’s not the tablet I’d choose to carry around anymore. And Apple’s iPad pricing no longer favors it.
Since I first reviewed it last year, Apple has adjusted the pricing in its iPad line, pitting the iPad Air 2 as an identically priced alternative. And with that value change in mind, I wanted to ask the question: Is the Mini 4 a tablet you should still consider?(In Australia the pricing is similar, but not identical. You’ll get the Mini 4 starting at AU$569 compared to AU$599 for the Air 2.)