iPad mini Review!

Hey guys, this is Austin and today I’m here with a review of the brand new
iPad mini. Coming in between 7 inch tablets like the Nexus 7 and the full
sized iPad hit up that Like button and let’s take a look! To start with lets go
over the design. One look at the mini and you’ll clearly be able to tell it’s an
iPad although along with the smaller screen you also get a smaller bezel. I
typically use the mini in landscape because of this although iOS now ignores
accidental touches which works quite well. Along the sides you’ll see a small
polished edge which resembles the iPhone 5 and you’ll also find an
aluminum back which matches the color of your device. One of the biggest
surprises for me is just how thin and light it is. To put it in perspective, it’s
closer to an iPhone than the iPad in weight which makes it easier to hold and
carry. One of the most common questions I’ve been asked about the mini is
how’s the screen? There’s no getting around it: this isn’t a Retina Display in
the slightest. While the panel itself is quite good with nice saturation and
good viewing angles the resolution is flat out bad. Most people will be able to
forget about it after a little bit of time with the device but for me one look at
even the less than spectacular Nexus 7 screen and I immediately start
noticing the lack of details, especially in text. Look past the screen however
and what you’ll find is a tablet that makes the full size iPad feel obsolete. The
size is still big enough for the normal tablet experience but it’s much more
portable. iOS and apps are scaled down to fit the smaller screen which means
some things feel a bit too small but it’s something you get used to. Overall
though iOS is identical so if you’ve used an iPad you’ll know exactly what
you’re getting here. You’ll also find stereo speakers built-in which sound
quite good and absolutely destroy the quiet little speaker on the Nexus 7.
As far as specs go the iPad mini isn’t bad. Powering it is an Apple A5 dual core
processor clocked at 1GHz and half a gigabyte of RAM. As this is the same
combo powering the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S it’s a bit outdated compared to the
latest and greatest but there’s still enough power to handle most anything
you throw at it. Next to an iPad 4 you’ll notice a difference and it would be
nice to have more horsepower but as of now it’s perfectly acceptable.
Moving on to the App Store, I definitely have to say that apps are the best
part of the mini. After using a Nexus 7 for the last few months I had forgotten
what it’s like to use apps and games designed for a tablet. Practically
everything from the App Store works on the mini and there’s enough quality
stuff here to put the iPad way ahead of any other tablet out there. The iPad
mini features a pair of cameras, a 1.2 megapixel shooter up front and 5
megapixels out back. Quality is identical to on the iPod touch 5th generation
and iPad 4 which is perfectly acceptable for a quick shot but seriously...don’t
take pictures with tablets. Definitely not cool. Battery life is very impressive.
Even though the battery is less than half the size of the iPad 4 you should still
be able to get 10 hours of mixed use and even more with just using the tablet
to read and surf the web. The iPad mini is an excellent tablet and I don’t
hesitate to say it’s worth the $330 price of entry. As much as I love the Nexus
7 the mini outclasses it in design and destroys it in app selection. The screen
is a sore disappointment but not a dealbreaker and performance and battery
life are top notch. Waiting for a Retina Display next year might not be a bad
idea but if you’re buying a tablet right now the iPad mini is the best small
tablet period. If you’re interested in winning a new iPad mini be sure to check
out my giveaway here and don’t forget to hit up that Like button if you
enjoyed! Anyway I will catch you guys in the next one!