Anyone still up for a size "M" tablet? Great, because Apple just treated the 7.9in iPad mini... to the same thing it did a year ago. Basically, a 30-second announcement that mentioned the price ($399 for the base model), that the tablet has "all the power of an iPad Air 2" (which is only partly true, as the tab is running the iPhone 6's A8 chip, not the iPad Air 2's A8X) is running for another year of service), and pretty much nothing else. Thankfully, we got to know the iPad mini 4 more deeply, and frankly, we felt Apple did a great job underselling its the tablet. Here's what Tim, Phil, and Ed couldn't bother telling you for some reason!
Design
The iPad mini 4 is just 6.1mm (0.24in) thin. This is downright skinny, and it's also a huge slimming down from the iPad mini 3's 7.5mm (0.29in) thickness. Moreover, the iPad mini 4 weighs just 0.65 pounds, a bit less than the iPad mini 3, which "tipped" the scales at 0.73 pounds.
Display
The iPad mini 4 is also treated to a zero-gap screen, in which the sensor, LCD, and display are combined into one and covered by glass. This makes for a better-looking tablet, improved picture quality and better touchscreen response. Speaking of the display, it stays at the comfortable 2048x1536, delivering a sharp (but not exceedingly) pixel density of 324ppi.
Performance
Performance-wise, the iPad mini 4 is up to 30% faster in processing and up to 60% faster in graphics rendering tasks compared to the previous-gen iPad. This is due to the A8 chipset running the mains here. The A7 did a pretty good job powering the second and third-generation iPad mini, but it tended to drop a frame or two in heavy games due to having to handle the high screen resolution.
Cameras
The iPad mini 4 is equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera that captures images in 3264x2448 native resolution, along with 1080p HD video. Thanks to the A8 chip's built-in image signal processor, you'll be able to enjoy improved face detection and better noise reduction. Basically, if you liked photos from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, you'll be golden with the iPad mini 4! The front cam, though, stays at 1.2MP.
Battery
Finally, Apple promises 10 hours of on screen use out of the iPad mini 4's battery. That's generous, but considering how efficient its chipsets can be, we're not having any huge doubts here.
Price and release date
Starting at $399 for the 16GB version, the iPad mini 4 will also be available in the usual 64GB ($499) and 128GB ($599) variants. Colors remain the same - silver, gray, and gold. For better or worse, rose gold isn't on the menu.
Pre-orders for the iPad mini 4 begin September 11, and shipping will start September 25. Meanwhile, the iPad mini 2 with Retina display has been further discounted to $269. The iPad Air 2 has been left untouched, for now.
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Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.
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