iPad Mini vs. iPad Air - owners chime in

[drjones]

The past few months, I've really been wanting to try out an iPad mini.

I have owned an iPad since the original first version came out and love it; the instant / always-on cellular connectivity, portability, etc....it is truly invaluable for my work and life.

I am typing this post on my iPad Pro 12.9, which now gets the majority of use over my 9.7" iPad Air 2.

I'm thinking I might kinda like a cellular-enabled iPad mini because of how portable it is....I love & use the heck out of my iPad Air 2 w/built-in LTE, but wonder if I wouldn't take the mini even more places due to its even more compact & portable size.

My iPad Pro is wifi only.

Can anyone who's owned / extensively used both the iPad Air & iPad mini please chime in and give me some guidance?

Thanks!

 

[Markverhyden]

I find the Mini screen to just be too small compared to the regular size iPad. I ended up giving it to my Dad. Yes, it's slimmer and lighter. But I find the size to be awkward, at least for my purposes. Especially since I have 6s now for my business phone. Can't really fit it into my tool bag. I'm usually carrying around a laptop anyways for other reasons. Integrated WWAN, 4g/LTE/etc, is absolutely necessary as you mentioned.

 

[cypress]

I have both, more recently the iPad Air which I use a lot more but mostly for personal use. The iPad mini I take with me on jobs sometimes and use for looking up things quickly or having the client sign Intake form thru Repairshopr.

I'll be honest and say that I have always preferred the Mini. I went from a Mini 1st gen to a 4th gen.

 

[kwest]

I have had a 6s plus and now a 7 plus. With my good eyesight my phone is used for a tablet as well. I have 3 iPads at home and I don't ever use them. My phone does everything I need.

My answer to your question is it all depends on what size screen you like. The function is all the same with different screen sizes.

 

[sapphirescales]

The air is so big and such a pain in the butt that I might as well carry around a laptop. If it's inconvenient to carry around, I might as well get a real computer out of the deal. The mini on the other hand is much easier as I can throw it in my pocket and is about 1/4 as inconvenient as a laptop. If they made a 7" mini with NO bezel at all, I'd buy it in a second. Even the current mini is too big for me, but it's the best there is right now. I really don't like Android and there aren't any decent Windows tablets that are small.

 

[drjones]

I have a 7 plus, but you can't really compare it to a tablet unless you drag along a keyboard for it, which I've tried to do...its just a bit awkward & you have to have a perfectly flat surface to rest the keyboard + phone + some sort of stand; you can't rest it in your lap like I'm doing right now with my iPad Air + Logitech keyboard, or like I do with my iPad Pro...

Sapphire; I hear what you're saying & am along your line of thought; the Air is hardly large, but since the mini does exist...its tempting.

I just feel like I'd maybe take the Mini with me even more, maybe get more done in situations where I'd otherwise not have a tablet + keyboard at all... also, mini seems like it would be a little easier / more comfortable to hold one-handed for browsing & reading, which is obviously much of what we use tablets for.

I think the next client I land, I'll reward myself with a mini.

But I have to wait & see what Apple releases in March!