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Why are these things always The Biggest Update Ever.

If that were literally true, by now we'd be walking around with devices the size of Mt. Rushmore.

They should stop handicapping the non-Pro displays at 60hz refresh rate. The world moved on 5 years ago. It’s getting tiring now.
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Why?

I could not care less about any refresh rate over 30.

You can care about it, but that just means it sounds like a differentiator to me, not something everyone should pay for just because you care about it.

You will have to somehow prove it if you would say that the panel and driver chip are all already ready to do 100+ hz for free by default, and are actually artificially limited, and that that artificial limitation doesn't come with some other advantage like battery life (allowing a smaller battery or less cost in some other way).

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While I agree 100%, I'm more interested in the variable refresh down to 1hz that comes with 'Promotion' to save on battery when viewing lots of static text.
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A 40% price increase compared to pre June pricing, a 60Hz display (that’s likely just software locked), and still starting at 128GB of storage.

I was actually excited for this, but now I’m going to pass.

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It makes no sense to make the devices so thin and then having a fat camera. This requires a cover to equalize the size with the camera for haptic reasons. Better use this space for other stuff like larger batteries and make the device the same thickness everywhere.
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The iPad Mini has never had a camera bump.
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The original iPad had a 9.7" screen; it was later bumped to 10.2", and today the smallest iPad/iPad Air screen is 11".

The iPad Mini started with a 7.9" screen, bumped today to 8.5".

The iPhone Duo inner display is 7.6", there are already rumors saying a gen 2 or gen 3 might be 7.9".

It's interesting how smooth the iPhone/iPad continuum is becoming.

Unlike the iPhone getting bigger, the iPad with the 9.7/10.2/11" screen is still basically the same size though. It's just the bezels getting smaller.

Quick look at the Mini dimensions also seems like it barely got bigger overall since 1st gen.

Still waiting for a 13 Mini refresh :(
iPhone Air is leaps and bounds better (source: owned 13 Mini)
The iPhone Air is larger than an iPhone 17 in height and width. Every non-plus/max iPhone since the 13 Mini came out is smaller than the Air in height and width. Wouldn't they be a more logical upgrade than the Air?

The main body of the iPhone Air is thinner, of course, but including the camera bulge, I think it's thicker than all non-pro iPhones up to the 16.

Is there something about making the main body thinner that makes the iPhone Air more comfortable to hold than other smaller phones? Is it the weight? The 17e is only 4 g heavier than the Air, and the 16e is only 2 g heavier.

I have never been interested in the Air because of the size, so I can't even remember if I have picked one up in an Apple Store.

I reluctantly upgraded to the Air from the 13 Mini after I accidentally dropped it in water. After 3 weeks of using it now, I completely agree.
How is it better exactly, apart from the new SOC ?
Make it 3/4 an inch narrower and an inch shorter and I'll get one
There's an obvious gap where the iPhone mini used to be. Please fill that gap Apple!
I kinda feel that way too, but I can see why 3% of iphone sales wasn’t a compelling case at apple.
An easy fix, just name it iPhone 18 and all the people will buy it because it’s the default. Have a Max for all the actual big screen addicts.
I see what you did there!
What isn't smooth is the separation between the iPad and iPhone teams. I'm pretty sure new things being visited on the Duo such as the split keyboard interface have already been tried on the iPad side.
This iPad mini is actually slightly smaller than the previous gen; it's just the bezels that got smaller; the device footprint didn't grow.
The outer dimensions are largely the same, it's mostly a reducing the bezel size to increase the display size.
I love this dude's "reviews" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTiiZTi3aC8

when he goes "iphone small (big)" "iphone big (bigger)" and so on. He has a bunch of them.

Given the criticism the Duo has had for not being a very good iPhone[1], I was hoping for a foldable iPad mini, which would seem to dodge those problems. Maybe in a year or two (does anyone remember the iPod Touch, which was an iPhone without the phone bit? I loved that thing.)

[1] - See "far the worst iPhone experience ever" Daring Fireball review: https://daringfireball.net/#:~:text=one.%20The%20outer%20dev...

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I am so glad that I bought so much new tech before 2025 that I can make do without them for a while now.

These prices are insane and there is no sign of things slowing down.

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AI Doomer: AI is going to rise up and destroy humanity!

AI Optimist: AI is going usher in an era of unparalleled productivity and achievement

The reality: RAM/Chip prices are way, way up. The starter iPad mini is $700.

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Hopefully as Apple's own N-series Wifi chips mature and get rolled into more products, they will include GPS/GNSS capabilities into the chips, as right now if you want that functionality you have to purchase the "Wi-Fi + Cellular" variant:

* https://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/specs/ § Location

Edit: to perhaps make it more clear, I meant still sell a +Cellular variant with the C-series chips (or whatever), but move the GNSS functionality into the N-series chips. So you'd have a non-cellular and a cellular, but both would have GNSS.

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I wish Apple did an iPhone Uno or iPad nano — basically a wide phone with camera cutout, status and dock on the right or left side. Yes, two design versions for both left and right handed people. It will be so amazing for multi-tasking on mobile by quickly changing between apps with a permanent dock.
Last iPad Mini I bought in 2015 was 32gb for $379CAD, one today 11 years later is $949CAD for 128gb, 2.5x over 10 years, I know there is different tech, inflation and times are different but I always though the mini as the budget option, now with this recent releases Apple is just going for: it's expensive because that's the only way we can keep growing....
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Apple: Just fix the software. I have an iPad Mini (6?) and it's clearly just such an orphaned product. They're not even TRYING to make it usable. The on-screen keyboard takes up the majority of the screen when in landscape mode. In portrait mode, the "drawer" on the left side of the screen takes up so much space in apps like Maps/Flighty that it covers the location you're currently at.

They've clearly given almost no thought into how the (already marginal) iPadOS renders on a smaller screen.

I bought a used iPad for my daughter for her birthday about a year ago for about $500.

M4 chip.

Her mom's cats chewed on the corner of the screen. It won't turn on.

The cost to replace that screen: $1200.

Apparently OLED screens break completely if just a single pixel is damaged.

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Where do you find an iPad with M4 and OLED screen for $500 ?
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Ctrl+F "ProMotion" 0 results

non-starter

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I was hoping the next mini would. Guess I’ll keep my 6th gen around.
> in an even thinner and lighter design

Never once did I hold my iPad mini with a case and think, "damn this thing is heavy"

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I thought the same thing about iPhones, then I got an iPhone Air and can’t imagine going back to those fat bloated bricks people lug around daily. Worse, they put a thick case on it making it even more portly, because the aluminum bodies dent so easily. iPhone Air is what Steve Jobs would have wanted: a super thin strong Titanium phone that doesn’t need any case to feel complete.
I'm shocked Apple haven't acquired Procreate yet. It's nearly always in iPad marketing material. Personally I know so many artists who've bought iPads, and the only app they have installed is Procreate.
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There’s a tiny segment of folks (like me) who have been waiting a very long time for an 8ish inch OLED tablet. For some reason, until mid 2025, they were extremely rare, even in the Android multiverse. I’m excited because I read a ton with white text on black, and an OLED display (especially with this nanotexture stuff) will make a huge difference.
$700? Dang. Prices are climbing so fast.
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> Apple gives iPad mini its biggest update ever

That's it! Hitting "Buy". This was all I needed to read. Even though the ™ symbol is missing it will do.

I saw a lot of people say the homeview is stupid, they can get an iPad and a dock

The homeview at $299 is the great value Apple product by far, compared to the price of new iPads

The 512 nano texture iPad mini with a case and pencil and Apple care and tax and tip in Canada is well over $2000!!!

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Higher brightness and nano-texture make this a must-have for ForeFlight. Too bad it'll probably require a new yoke mount.
I don't like when they force a storage upgrade just to get a matte screen. I have no need for more storage, but would like a matte screen. As a $100 upgrade for nanotexture, it already seems steep, but forcing it to a $200 upgrade due to a needless storage bump is too much to ignore.

I also question what is required for nanotexture. I read the iPhone Duo has this in a replaceable screen protector, effectively. A replacement, under AppleCare is $15. Are we being charged $100 for a factory installed screen protector? If so, why does that need to be tied to certain levels of storage to reduce SKUs?

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Costs as much as the full-size one did until recently.
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Is Stage Manager with an external monitor possible with this new iPad Mini or still artificially limited to M chips? I mean it’s more powerful than the M1 iPad Air which supports it.
OLED is really good for media consumption, and IMO, this form factor is one of the best for carrying around in trips and watching movies on the car/plane/train/etc.

But the price is a bit high, that's the history of Apple though. On the other hand, I think this particular screen is probably going to be sourced by cheaper small android tablets at a much more competitive price, and if you're using it for media consumption, there's no difference between an Apple and an Android tablet.

So I'm happy to see OLED on this model.

Tech pundits should just talk to me. I bought AirPods the week before the new ones came out, and I bought a new iPad 48 hours ago!

Luckily I didn’t buy a iPad Mini, but I really like the form factor.

Can I please have an iPhone mini next?
My iPad Pro is six years old now, the last generation before they started putting M chips in them. Still not interested in buying another until I can run a Linux VM on it.
As a life long and continuous Apple user (and iOS SWE), I recently got a $150 Samsung Android tablet that I can use as a claude interface. It can take in voice commands, and create new builds of itself on a network Mac. So I can essentially have whatever screen or interface I want for any given moment. Right now I'm tuning my motorcycle with an OBD bluetooth device and recording engine behavior on rides.
I looked at the tech specs but I don't see how much ram it has. I ended getting more storage than I needed on my pro because it also gave it more ram.
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Well this is great news for ereaders. Guess I’m upgrading my kindle now
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I have the gen 6 mini for reading and notes. It'sthe least needy, most capable of my devices. I bring it everywhere.

I'm excited for the OLED display because it would make bedtime reading easier on the eyes. I'm also happy about the weight reduction.

Still, it's €749 vs €549 in 2021. I will use mine until it stops fulfilling its role, which might take a few more years.

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How would an OLED screen be an improvement over an ipad 8th generation? I'm debating on what to upgrade to but I mainly use my ipad for reading comics nowadays. Movies/TV are for the big screen.
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Not in a snarky way but who is the target market for this?
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I understand ram shortages but what is the justification behind selling the mini as a “pro” product? People want a smaller base iPad, that’s it.
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They have enough bezel room to make it into 8.7" or even 8.9" version without changing the dimensions of the mini.

I believe this is the lightest iPad at only 255g. I just wonder how much more weight can they shave off.

And if they are going to kill the iPad? The current iPad line up is split into Pro, Air, (iPad) and Mini. Surely the mini could replace the normal iPad?

So it's like my iPad 3 but newer. Hope I can read epubs on this one too ;)
AKA non-foldable Duo.
Boneless iPhone Duo
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Starting at $949 before tax (~$1050 after tax in most provinces) in Canada for 128GB

Zoinks

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iPad still don't support multi-user profiles, which makes it really uncomfortable sharing my iPad with my kids (Tailscale, Bitwarden etc).

It would be great if it can use fingerprint to unlock different profiles.

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Goodness, Apple is going back to the luxury item category... thanks ai
It's year 2026 and still no use-case for the iPad in sight...
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Only the 512GB version gets the full fledged A20 Pro CPU (6 core 7 core GPU), the 128 and 256GB version only gets the 5 core CPU.
I don't understand why the color gamut is only P3. With an OLED display, I assume it's quite easy to push gamut > P3, no?
Anyone use a cell version instead of a phone?
With a 5G radio, this is so much more appealing than the Duo
What's the value proposition compared to the iPhone Duo? Aren't they relatively similar now?
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Is iPad mini finally smaller than iPhone maxi?

Or this exciting marketing twist still to come?

Back in the mid 2000s, Palm sold Treo smartphones with the camera removed, for high-security places that forbade cameras. Why do I tell this story? It means there is (was) a market for it. I would LOVE and iPad mini with the camera (and its bump) removed. A nice thin slab.
Lack of 120hz display on a $700 device is non-negotiable.
Whats the closest Android equivalent to this?
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I would love Apple to actually make something that is worthy of the name Apple. When Steve was alive, Apple was A-P-P-L-E and now it is just a shell of its self.
Delivering iPad mini but no iPhone mini is double disappointing.
interesting this would come out so close to the iPhone Duo release.
interesting this is so close to the iPhone Duo release.
I don’t know about everyone else but I’m just so sick of Apple releasing marginally improved products, calling it their biggest update ever, and then jacking up prices. $700 for an iPad mini is absurd RAM price increases or not.
The second image in the carousel (well, video, really) hides the camera bump. This seems highly disingenuous of Apple.
this would be nice with an eSim and an agent application so I can control DSH on my M5U at home. would that be possible?
749 € starting price WTF ?

I want to upgrade my old Mini 5 with Lightning since I want one with USB-C, and the OS is getting slower and slower, but at these prices?

All I do is read websites and watch Youtube on it anyway, so maybe I'll just get an Android Tablet for 300 €.

This is getting ridiculous!

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$699 for 128GB is wild. Between this and HomeView apple has two meh launches in a row now.
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Everything old is new again - return of the phablet.
$700 bucks entry level model in this economy?
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As I understand the model with cellular still can't make calls without iPhone?
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With Apple ads there is always something uncanny with the hands, like the fingers get unnaturally longer behind the device.
where iPhone mini

do it you cowards

Oh yay, they made a kindle
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No Face ID, still Touch ID. Are they serious?

I was considering buying one, but will skip until the older model becomes unsupported or when Apple adds Face ID.

will it run Omarchy?
$1,099 CAD for 256GB. Yeah, no.
The 60Hz display is pretty disappointing. The size is just right, though.
> 60 Hz screen

lol, no, thanks

A bit disappointed it lacks ProMotion adaptive refresh.
"We have released another mind-enslavement tool for your kids! It's the most potent ever!"
Thought China would have flooded the ram market by now
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This is a disappointment. Apple has so much potential with iPad minis, but they consistently hold back simply because they don’t want to cannibalize their pro models.
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With OLED, this is going to be the best e-book reader in dark mode, and given that it's water resistant you could even use it in bath/hot tub w/o destroying the device - if you're willing to put down $700 for an e-reader that is.