In-Depth Review: The Redesigned Apple iPad Mini 4
Unboxing the iPad Mini 4
Today, Mike from DetroitBORG unboxes the all-new iPad Mini 4, which is a complete redesign of the previous models. The video showcases the unboxing process and provides an insight into the contents of the package, as well as the initial impressions of the device.
Removing the Plastic and Initial Impressions
Upon removing the plastic cover, the first noticeable feature is the incredibly thin and light design of the iPad Mini 4. The gold color and rigid aluminum construction give it a premium feel, making it the lightest tablet offered by Apple. The unboxing reveals the contents of the package, including essential accessories such as the charger and USB to lightning cable.
Setting Up and Exploring the Device
After booting up the iPad Mini 4 for the first time, the setup process involves configuring the fingerprint scanner, which enhances the device's security. The video also provides a closer look at the improved 7.9-inch Retina display, highlighting its vibrant colors, improved brightness, and anti-reflective coating that enhances the viewing experience.
Exploring the iPad Mini 4 Design
The iPad Mini 4 boasts a complete redesign, featuring a thinner and lighter design, an improved Retina display, new cameras, and better specifications. This section delves deeper into the design elements and key features of the iPad Mini 4, providing valuable insights into its aesthetics and functionality.
Thinner and Lighter Design
The iPad Mini 4's redesign introduces a remarkably thin and light form factor, making it a standout device in terms of portability and handling. The video showcases the sleek and elegant design of the iPad Mini 4, emphasizing its lightweight nature and the premium feel it offers to users.
Enhanced Retina Display
The improved 7.9-inch Retina display of the iPad Mini 4 delivers a visually stunning experience, with vibrant colors, deeper contrast, and increased brightness. The addition of an anti-reflective coating enhances the display's visibility, making it an ideal companion for various tasks and entertainment purposes.
Display Upgrades: Retina Display with Laminated Glass
The iPad Mini 4 features a stunning 7.9-inch Retina display with a laminated glass design, delivering an immersive visual experience with vibrant colors, sharp details, and improved brightness. The laminated glass minimizes reflections, providing enhanced clarity and visibility for various tasks and entertainment purposes.
Enhanced Visual Experience
The Retina display of the iPad Mini 4 offers a higher pixel density, resulting in crisp and clear images, text, and graphics. The laminated glass design reduces air gaps between the display and cover glass, contributing to improved contrast and a more immersive viewing experience.
Front-Facing Camera Improvements
The iPad Mini 4 features an improved FaceTime HD camera, now at 1.2MP and capable of capturing 720p video. The upgrade enhances the quality of video calls and selfies, delivering sharper and more detailed images. The improved front-facing camera elevates the overall experience for video conferencing, online meetings, and capturing memorable moments with friends and family.
Rear Camera Upgrades
The iPad Mini 4 is equipped with an 8MP iSight camera capable of recording 1080p video. The rear camera upgrade enhances the device's photography capabilities, allowing users to capture high-resolution images with improved clarity and detail. The enhanced camera specifications offer an improved photography experience, making the iPad Mini 4 a versatile tool for capturing life's precious moments.
Performance Comparison: A8 vs A8X Processors
When comparing the performance of the A8 processor in the iPad Mini 4 to the A8X processor in the iPad Air 2, there's a notable difference in both single-core and multi-core scores. The multi-core score particularly highlights the disparity, as the iPad Mini 4's A8 processor features two cores, while the A8X processor in the iPad Air 2 boasts three cores. This signifies a substantial performance gap between the two devices, with the iPad Mini 4 demonstrating an incremental increase in performance compared to its predecessors, the iPad Mini 3 and iPad Mini 2.
Multitasking Enhancements
The iPad Mini 4 introduces significant multitasking enhancements, bridging the gap with the capabilities previously exclusive to the iPad Air 2. Notably, the iPad Mini 4 now supports side-by-side apps, a feature previously unavailable on earlier models. This advancement allows users to seamlessly utilize two apps simultaneously, offering enhanced productivity and multitasking capabilities. Additionally, the introduction of picture-in-picture functionality further enhances the multitasking experience, enabling users to optimize their workflow by conveniently resizing and repositioning video content while engaging with other applications.
Size and Weight Comparison
The Apple iPad Mini 4 exhibits notable changes in size and weight compared to its predecessor, the Mini 3. While the Mini 4 is slightly taller and wider, it stands out with its remarkable thinness, measuring at 6.1 millimeters compared to the Mini 3's 7.5 millimeters. The most significant change comes in the form of weight, with the Mini 4 weighing a mere 304 grams, making it exceptionally lightweight and portable.
Dimensions Comparison
With a height increase of 3.2 millimeters and a marginal width difference, the iPad Mini 4 showcases a refined form factor that contributes to its sleek and modern design. The reduction in thickness further emphasizes its portability, offering users a compact and lightweight tablet for on-the-go use.
Weight Reduction
The substantial weight reduction from 340 grams to 304 grams enhances the Mini 4's usability, providing a comfortable and effortless user experience for extended periods. This significant decrease in weight makes the iPad Mini 4 an ideal companion for users seeking a highly portable and lightweight tablet for their daily tasks and entertainment.
Camera Performance and Features
The Apple iPad Mini 4 introduces significant camera upgrades, elevating the photography and videography capabilities of the device. With enhancements in both the front-facing and rear cameras, the Mini 4 delivers improved imaging quality, advanced features, and enhanced functionality, catering to the diverse needs of users who rely on their tablets for capturing memories and engaging in video communication.
Rear Camera Enhancements
The iPad Mini 4 is equipped with an 8MP iSight camera, a notable upgrade from the 5MP camera in its predecessor. The enhanced rear camera features an F 2.4 aperture, autofocus capabilities, and the ability to record in 1080p video, including slow-motion recording. These advancements contribute to a significant improvement in image quality, clarity, and detail, offering users a versatile tool for capturing high-resolution photos and videos.
Front-Facing Camera Upgrades
The FaceTime HD camera in the iPad Mini 4 has been enhanced to 1.2MP and can capture 720p video, delivering sharper and more detailed images for video calls and selfies. The improved front-facing camera elevates the overall experience for video conferencing, online meetings, and capturing memorable moments with friends and family, providing users with enhanced visual communication capabilities.
Camera Performance and Imaging Quality
The iPad Mini 4's camera delivers clear and crisp images with good exposure and color reproduction, despite a slight tendency for colors to appear washed out. The device exhibits impressive low-light performance, producing relatively clear and smooth images. Additionally, the video recording capabilities offer excellent results, thanks to Apple's advanced software stabilization, ensuring high-quality handheld video footage.
FAQ
What are the key features of the Apple iPad Mini 4?
The Apple iPad Mini 4 boasts a thinner and lighter design, an improved Retina display, advanced camera systems, and enhanced performance specifications, making it a versatile and portable tablet for various tasks and entertainment purposes.
How does the camera system of the iPad Mini 4 compare to its predecessors?
The camera system of the iPad Mini 4 is akin to the one featured in the iPad Air 2, offering notable improvements in both the front-facing FaceTime HD camera and the rear iSight camera. These enhancements contribute to a significant improvement in imaging quality, providing users with an enhanced photography and videography experience.
What are the multitasking capabilities of the iPad Mini 4?
The iPad Mini 4 introduces significant multitasking enhancements, including support for side-by-side apps and picture-in-picture functionality, offering users enhanced productivity and multitasking capabilities. These features bridge the gap with the capabilities previously exclusive to the iPad Air 2, providing a seamless and efficient multitasking experience.
How does the iPad Mini 4's design compare to its predecessor, the Mini 3?
The Apple iPad Mini 4 exhibits notable changes in size and weight compared to its predecessor, the Mini 3. While the Mini 4 is slightly taller and wider, it stands out with its remarkable thinness and substantial weight reduction, making it exceptionally lightweight and portable for users' daily tasks and entertainment.
