Apple ipad mini retina display tablets. iPad mini with Retina screen: design, equipment, technical specifications. iOS - an improved OS for modern devices

Tablet
power unit
USB cable
Documentation
SIM card ejector (for 4G models)

Updated iPad mini: Retina display, A7 processor, slightly increased thickness, dark gray body instead of black, version with 128 GB of memory, but otherwise it’s still the same familiar mini.

Design

The design is practically no different from the first mini, and this is good - I personally really liked the device, although I never became a user of the small iPad. The Air is closer, it’s more convenient to watch movies, websites and do other things, the screen size decides. But when I look at those people with whom I often communicate, the situation there is completely different. For one large iPad there are a dozen small ones. And everyone’s explanation is very simple: mini is much more convenient to carry with you, and in the cold season it’s generally easy to put it in a jacket pocket. And remembering last winter, I can confirm these words. I often left the house without a bag at all, taking only a mini with me - it just fit into the inner pocket of my down jacket. With its help I worked, if you can call it that, checking email, correspondence on Facebook, calls on Facetime. In any case, this won’t work with the Air; it won’t fit into your pocket.

In general, this story with the pocket still works as it worked before. Many advanced people can be easily hooked and caught by saying that this gadget, traditionally large, now, after our improvements, can easily fit into a pocket. Don't you believe it? Well, remember the Sony VAIO P. It would seem, who would need a pocket laptop with such weak characteristics? Well, who will buy it? And there were a lot of buyers then, it was the winter of 2009, sales began at the end of March, and P became one of the most popular new products from Sony. Just a year later the iPad appeared, and the second version of P turned out to be unclaimed. The pocket theme in Sony's work surfaced a little later, when an Android-based tablet appeared with the corresponding abbreviation, P - but this P turned out to be of no use to anyone (almost no one, meager sales). To some extent, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra can be classified as a pocket tablet, but it’s hardly worth comparing with the iPad mini; each of these gadgets has its own purpose - by the way, I still like the Z Ultra, one of the best devices in the company’s line (in general, among all other devices). Apple, it seems to me, also walked on thin ice when introducing the iPad mini. Why won’t consumers try it? Why don’t they understand why they should pay a little less and lose diagonal? But consumers got it right, and it turned out that the iPad mini outsold the larger iPad. And many of my colleagues who are involved in retail generally say this: the iPad mini has killed sales of regular Apple tablets. At least before the release of Air, the situation was interesting; many stores even stopped ordering cases for iPad 2/3/4 - there was no demand for either accessories or the mentioned models. But the mini was and is being sold as if it were the only tablet in the company’s line. Why? The answer is simple, it’s all about the more than once mentioned “pocketability”, compactness while maintaining an acceptable display diagonal for a tablet. A regular iPad - only smaller, that's what captivates consumers. By the way, here’s another interesting fact: I’m always interested in seeing what fellow journalists use; we meet periodically at presentations, exhibitions and similar events. For example, when you see a Sony RX-100 from several editors of publications about gadgets, this is a sure sign that the camera is worth buying. When we were at IFA, I noticed that almost every second person had an iPad mini (and I also had one in my bag, there was no Air yet), everyone said the same thing: it’s compact. Therefore attractive. The secret of success is very simple. And therefore, no one expected drastic changes from the presentation of the updated model.

The dimensions of the first iPad mini were 200x134.7x7.2 mm, weight - 308 grams (312 grams for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model). The thickness of the new product has changed slightly, 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm, weight - 331 grams (the version with 4G weighs 341 grams). Your old mini case may not be suitable for a new tablet; my colleagues and I tried several cases, but somehow managed to attach only the Vaja model.

The body is the same as the first mini, made of aluminum, made with love, pleasant to hold. The product, despite its size, is not perceived as some kind of toy, it is a pebble in the garden of plastic Galaxy - they may have good characteristics, but outwardly they look like tablets for children. You can’t say the same about the mini; it’s a thing with a capital letter. The model with 4G has a plastic antenna cap on the top back, a microphone hole on it, and a camera lens next to it. On the top end there is a power button, on the right there is the usual set: a mute lever, volume buttons. At the bottom there is a Lightning connector, next to it there is perforation. By the way, the mini with Retina is very loud, you can watch a movie without using speakers, it literally screams - in the bathroom you can listen to music while you take a shower, and you can hear it quite well. The model with 4G has a SIM card tray on the right side, using nanoSIM. The 3.5 mm jack is on the top left, in the center is another microphone hole.

The color has changed, instead of black it is now the signature dark gray, it looks great. Girls will like the silver tablet; the frame around the display is white, while the dark gray one has a black frame. I hope nothing will happen to the coating; on my black mini the paint has peeled off in some places, although the tablet was used mercilessly.

Display

Diagonal IPS display - 7.9 inches, LED backlight, resolution - 2048x1536 pixels, oleophobic coating on the display protection. The first mini had a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. If you expect that you will immediately see the difference, I hasten to disappoint you: thanks to iOS 7, the chances have been equalized, and not everyone can understand at first glance at the tablet’s desktop where the Retina display is and where the regular display is. And some even think that the display of a simple mini is better. If you look closely, you can see that the icons and signatures are clearer, and the image has more contrast. But the difference, nevertheless, is not too noticeable, it is not striking.

Once you open Safari and any website, you immediately understand why you should choose mini with Retina. The clarity of the image that is familiar from other such products, like cut out letters, wonderful colors, the picture is dense - a sight for sore eyes. The same can be said about games and programs; they all look much better on the Retina display.

But the difference cannot be called amazing, as is the case with laptops or large iPads; I personally expected more, but it turned out just fine. Apparently, it's all about the display diagonal and thin iOS7 fonts. They say that the display turns a little yellow, I didn’t notice it at first, but now I see it. Just look at the white icons for reminders or calendar - a slight, very slight tint is observed, but until someone tells you about it, you will not pay attention.

Performance

It uses an A7 processor with 64-bit architecture plus an M7 coprocessor, this combination has already been talked about more than once - read the reviews of the iPhone 5S, iPad Air. The results of testing in the Geekbench 3 program can be seen in the photographs. The tablet works faster than a simple mini, this is especially noticeable when launching familiar programs, such as a browser, camera, Google Maps and others. Yes, even Facebook works faster.

The case gets noticeably warm at the back when running serious applications like the Infinity Blade - in winter you can use the mini as a small stove. It doesn't burn, but it gets seriously hot.

A traditional set of wireless interfaces, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), support for two bands 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 4.0. By default, Bluetooth is turned on, this is due to the appearance of the AirDrop function in iOS7 - I note once again that it will not be possible to exchange information with Apple computers, it’s a pity.

iOS7 is used; you can find an overview of the operating system on the website.

Memory, modifications

As with the iPad Air, there are four versions: 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB, and there are also versions with Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi + 4G, and there are also two colors. I don’t recommend this to employees of online stores; there are a lot of versions, and there’s a lot of work to be done. In the case of tablets, it’s difficult to say which series to choose; they brought me a 64 GB modification, Wi-Fi + 4G, for testing, in a sense, this is the best option if you have a lot of applications, music, or if you like to watch movies on your tablet. In AVplayer you can immediately download several seasons of a series or many, many films. If for you the iPad mini is just a device to replace a laptop at meetings, then 16 GB will be enough. It’s very good that Apple still gives this opportunity to choose.

LTE

LTE works in Moscow, this applies to both Air and iPad mini with Retina. Verified using my colleague’s card - by the way, I recently had a curious incident with the purchase of a 4G SIM card from Euroset, I’ll tell you separately. If you often work anywhere and don’t sit in the office, then it’s worth buying a mini with 4G support, the speed is impressive.

Working hours

The stated operating time is about 10 hours of video playback; in fact, these figures are approximately true. Simply put, even if you fully use the tablet during the day, it will only run out in the evening. It is optimal to use the included power supply for charging; via USB this takes a very, very long time. In general, the food here is in perfect order.

Camera

Not the best device for photography, but if you don’t have a smartphone or camera at hand, it will do just fine, especially if you later plan to post photos on Instagram. Filters will help disguise not the best quality. The camera resolution is 5 MP, the front one is 1.2 MP, it supports HD video recording, autofocus and push-to-focus, face recognition, geotargeting, HDR. I really want to believe that the next iPad will have a camera at least like the iPhone 5.

conclusions

What will happen to the iPad mini with Retina next year? I think you can guess it yourself. Firstly, they will work to reduce the weight and size of the device; this body has already served its purpose. Secondly, they will add TouchID, as in the iPhone 5S; the smartphone, as always, acts as a kind of platform for testing new technology. Thirdly, they will improve the camera, you can expect at least the same characteristics as the iPhone 5. New processor (A8?), and one more thing. For some, such changes will not be enough - I personally don’t think so.

Even seemingly minimal changes to the iPad mini with Retina have revived interest in this product. Yes, there is no such shortage as with the iPhone 5S, but demand is stable, retail is stocking up on new minis, and in November-December this will be one of the most popular gifts.

You can see the prices in the official Apple store in the screenshot, the cheapest tablet costs 15,990 rubles, the most expensive - 32,990 rubles. For myself, I chose the version with 64 GB of memory and 4G support; this mini costs 28,990 rubles. If you don't need 4G, you can save five thousand, not bad. The most popular tablets will be 16/32 GB Wi-Fi; we can already expect a shortage in the coming months.

In general about the device. Is the iPad mini any better? Yes, instead of a simple Retina screen, a different processor (and the difference in speed is noticeable), a version with 128 GB of memory has appeared. Is it worth upgrading your mini to a new one? Before doing this, I recommend going to the store and evaluating the display yourself. Only those who have already used mini will notice the difference; the rest will be satisfied with the first generation tablet.

In any case, this is one of the best tablets on the market in terms of all its characteristics, and if you are not satisfied with the size of the iPad Air, then go ahead and buy the iPad mini with Retina.

P.S. We will add a video to the review tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and by the end of the year we will try to publish the operating experience - if Artem has time, he will write this material. I know that Artem loves the iPad mini and can tell you a lot of interesting things.

The author expresses gratitude to the Computer Plaza store for providing the device for testing.

Design, convenience

In most cases, when describing Apple devices, this point can be reduced to a couple of words: “nothing has changed.” Indeed, why change something that is already perfect: no one has come close to the exterior and tactile sensations of the all-metal, matte cases of Apple tablets. Let me remind you that the new Google Nexus, Samsung GALAXY Note, Nokia Lumia 2520 are all plastic.

The only thing you can notice is that the SIM card slot has moved a third of a centimeter, and another small hole for a microphone has appeared on the antenna insert; the first iPad mini does not have it.

The iPad mini Retina color has changed: black has become asphalt gray (Space Grey), similar to the iPhone 5s. This color looks better, does not show fingerprints, and the texture of the metal is clearer. In a word, the change is positive.

As for the dimensions, they are also indistinguishable from the first generation. The length and width are the same to tenths of a millimeter - 200 x 134.7, while the thickness has increased by an imperceptible 0.3 mm - to 7.5 mm. Weight increased by 20 grams (to 331 g). With these parameters, the tablet remains one of the thinnest in the world; it is the dimensions that attract many buyers to the iPad mini: the share of 10-inch models continues to decline.

The connectors and elements are in their places: lightning and stereo speakers are at the bottom, the lock button is at the top, and on the right is the volume control and silent mode.

Screen

After the emergence of 7-inch Android tablets with Full HD screens, it became obvious that Apple would also update its 8-inch tablet to Retina resolution (2048 x 1536 pixels), like the older iPad Air model. The rumors came true, the iPad mini acquired a Retina screen and the main limitation of the previous generation was removed - in the first iPad mini the pixel density was 163 ppi - less than that of all competitors.

Now at this resolution the picture turns out to be very smooth, the density is similar to the iPhone - 324 ppi, the pixels are completely invisible. In a word, a wonderful tablet screen. Brightness, maximum viewing angles and natural colors are all present. For anyone who wanted a lightweight and miniature Apple tablet, but was stopped by the low screen resolution, the new version is highly recommended for consideration.

Detailed testing of the iPad mini Retina screen was carried out by our expert Mikhail Kuznetsov.

The Apple iPad mini now has a Retina display. With a diagonal of 7.85 inches, the resolution reaches 2048 x 1536, which gives a pixel density of 324 ppi. Those who like to count pixels will be pleased - with such a density you can hardly see any hints of “pixelation” of the image; the resolution is more than enough.
The brightness reserve is up to 407 cd/m2 at maximum. The lack of brightness can only be felt in bright sun; in other cases, the reserve is quite sufficient. The contrast ratio was about 900:1, an increase from the previous iPad mini (where we measured a ratio of 687:1). The screen's anti-glare filter copes well with external light and prevents it from fading or fading in direct light. Viewing angles are quite wide, shades are slightly distorted, and the image remains legible at any reasonable viewing angle.

Gamma has an optimal value of 2.23, and the stability of the indicator is high. All midtones are displayed with the correct brightness, dark and light areas of the image have good detail - this is definitely a plus.

The average color temperature is about 6800K, the image tint is only a little cooler than the reference one. It is worth noting that at maximum brightness the image tint becomes even colder - the color temperature tends to 7000K.

There is a slight excess of blue component in the color balance, but the admixture is not that strong. The average Delta E error is about 5.41 units, which indicates a good quality of the factory settings. The main thing is that there is no obvious imbalance - which means it’s easy to get used to the extra shade.

The color gamut of the screen was disappointing. Like the previous version, the Retina screen of the new iPad mini does not reach the sRGB standard. Primary colors are offset in hue and lack depth. This makes images appear washed out and less true to life than on sRGB screens such as the Google Nexus 7. And the shades aren't so bad, since the blue light is way too bright (+104%, Delta E=17.6). In general, there is an imbalance with individual colors. Hence the rather high color rendering errors Delta E - an average of 7.73 units. Color rendering is sloppy; you can usually expect more from Apple devices.

Overall, the Apple iPad mini's screen has one obvious improvement - its high Retina resolution. The slight increase in contrast is also pleasing. At the same time, one of the key drawbacks of the previous generation iPad mini remains in place - the reduced color depth, which does not reach sRGB and somewhat distorts the shades. Apparently, from the point of view of the screen, the iPad mini Retina is still one of the weaker devices in the Apple range. The screen is well suited for casual use (surfing and the like), but looking at photos or videos on a “full-size” iPad will be more pleasant, and not only because of the screen diagonal.

Hardware platform and battery

Before the announcement on October 22, many believed that the mini-tablet would have a weaker hardware platform compared to the 10-inch iPad Air. But Apple took a different path: the iPad mini is completely similar to its larger brother in the line. The most advanced Apple A7 processor (64-bit processor with two main cores clocked at 1.3 GHz, the latest ARM v8 architecture). Let me remind you that the new cores are called Cyclone, and the entire Apple A7 chip is manufactured by Samsung using the new 28-nanometer High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process.

A few words about 64-bit architecture. Apple chose not the path of thoughtlessly increasing the number of cores, which creates inconvenience for application developers, but the path of unification with other devices - Macbook, iPhone. All Apple devices now have 64-bit architecture, creating cross-platform applications for them has become much easier. In the Android world, developers focus on averages so that the program works on the maximum number of devices. As a result, in most cases, additional cores in 4- and 8-core devices are simply unused. In the case of Apple, you can create programs for all devices without focusing on the differences between them in the number of cores, which saves both time and resources.

In addition, the new platform turned out to be not only faster than multi-core competitors, but also more energy efficient: the new Apple smartphone and tablets work as long as their predecessors did.

In the case of the iPad mini Retina, the indicators are exactly the same: 10 hours of operation when watching videos, Internet browsing via Wi-Fi. Due to the high screen resolution, the battery capacity has increased: 23.8 Wh versus 16.3 Wh in the predecessor iPad mini. Let me remind you that the thickness of the tablet itself increased by only 0.3 mm: from 7.2 to 7.5 mm. I’ve always been surprised how Apple, while increasing its quantitative indicators, maintains its usual dimensions within the same limits, but the fact remains a fact.

The graphics accelerator in the new iPad mini is also excellent - a quad-core PowerVR (Series 6) G6430 that supports OpenGL 3.0, DirectX 10 and OpenCL 1.x. This is one of the most powerful mobile graphics chips on the market at the moment. The amount of RAM in the iPad mini Retina has doubled compared to its predecessor - it is 1 GB, as in the older iPad Air. In addition, the faster LPDDR3 variant is used instead of LPDDR2.

So the mini-tablet is not inferior to the 10-inch iPad Air in terms of memory and processing power. If last year the first iPad mini was rather weak, now the new generation has taken 2 steps forward. And not only in comparison with Apple gadgets, but also with Android competitors: at the moment, none of the Android manufacturers use ARM v8 cores (devices with Cortex A53 and Cortex A57 will clearly appear no earlier than next year) or Imagination PowerVR Series 6 graphics. Apple is ahead here.

This fact will once again push many to think about what is better - a standard 10-inch tablet or a miniature 8-inch one. Apple has made them identical in terms of hardware platform and screen resolution, camera quality, amount of memory (built-in and RAM), operating time, so you can only choose the size. A very interesting step: when choosing an iPad mini, you won’t have to sacrifice either quality or performance. For example, I prefer a miniature tablet, as it is so compact that it fits in any bag. The appearance of a 128 GB option is also a plus for a miniature device.

Camera

The iSight camera has not been changed: 5 megapixels, autofocus and spot focusing. Despite rumors, the new Apple tablets did not get the 8 megapixel camera from the iPhone 5, apparently this is due to the fact that the resolution in the iPhone 5s was not increased either, it has the usual 8 megapixels (albeit with a larger pixel size - 1.5 microns). So the quality of shooting remained at the level of its predecessor - a completely adequate level. There is also a module on the front, this is an HD camera, which will be useful during communication sessions via FaceTime. It will also allow you to take a self-portrait.

Software platform

The tablet runs the latest version of iOS 7.0.3. If on the iPad mini the software slowed down a little, now the tablet is no different in speed from the iPhone 5s, all built-in applications, as well as third-party ones, “fly”. Also in version 7.0.3 it became possible to disable animation in most menus, so you can make your tablet or smartphone even faster.

The main change in iOS 7 compared to the 6th version is the control center - a panel that contains switches for data transfer, network and wireless connections, offline and night modes, player control buttons, as well as several quick applications (such as a calculator and a flashlight) . The control panel is called up in the same way as the notification panel, only from the bottom of the screen. Personally, I have been waiting for its appearance for a long time; constantly going into the settings menu to enable the simplest functions was wrong, but better late than never.

The panel is not customizable, that is, you cannot remove unnecessary shortcuts (such as a timer) or add new ones, but you can choose whether it will be possible to call the panel on the locked screen or in open applications. The control center has icons for AirDrop and AirPlay - wireless transfer of information and multimedia to compatible devices. For example, if there is another user nearby with iOS 7, you can transfer a file or contact with one touch.

The notification center (the panel at the top of the screen) has received expanded functionality: it is divided into 3 parts, you can view either all notifications, or missed ones, or the “Today” screen, where the weather can be displayed. The weather application has also been updated, with much more animation of weather conditions.

Multitasking has been brought into a wonderful form: now there are not only program icons, but also window thumbnails, the information in which is updated in real time. Approximately the same principle as in MeeGo or Blackberry 10. Applications are closed by swiping up. Branded features have been improved: the Find My iPhone feature will now require authorization through an Apple ID and password to disable it. Additional protection of your data, in general. The new version of FaceTime now allows you to use it for voice calls without video.

Well, one of the most important innovations is the browser. The incomprehensible limit on 8 open tabs has been removed, now you can open an unlimited number of them. The appearance of the windows has also changed, the miniatures have become more visual and larger.

Opinion

The iPad mini with Retina screen is completely similar to the older iPad Air model - software, hardware, screen and operating time. You can choose the screen size you are interested in, and that’s it - now you don’t have to sacrifice anything. Let me remind you that the first generation iPad mini had only 512 MB of RAM, and the screen had a modest resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. The price increased slightly, from 329 to 399 dollars for the initial configuration. As I said, the tablet will officially appear in Russia at a price of 15,990 rubles for the Wi-Fi configuration (the predecessor started at 13 thousand). The LTE version will cost 20,990 rubles for 16 GB. This will happen tomorrow, November 15th.

The new iPad mini retains the key advantages of its predecessor: record thinness, the same design with narrow frames and an all-aluminum body, loud stereo speakers, a huge software base and the same battery life. It was a little disappointing that the tablet decided not to use a fingerprint scanner, like in the iPhone 5s (this would have increased the cost), as well as the same camera, although an 8 MP module would have been more appropriate. Otherwise, the tablet left the most pleasant impression; Android competitors do not have the same combination of size, quality of materials, speed and operating time, for which we can safely recommend the model for purchase.

We thank the company for providing the Apple iPad mini Retina First-Store.ru

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Announced on October 22, the Apple iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display went on sale at different times. The Air became available in select countries on November 1st, while the mini is just now available. In Russia, official sales began simultaneously, on November 15th. Thus, the difference has narrowed again; only 2 weeks have passed since the start in other countries. A good sign: maybe soon Russia will be in the first wave of launches of all devices, who knows. But let's return to tablets.

Now you can choose one or another diagonal without sacrificing functionality, screen quality, processor power or memory capacity - the two models are the same. In this article I will talk about the miniature tablet iPad mini, which has been seriously updated compared to its predecessor.

Main characteristics

Operating system: iOS 7.0.3
Screen: IPS display with a diagonal of 7.85 inches and a resolution of 2048 x 1536, 324 ppi
Processor: Apple A7, 2-core Cortex-A9, ARM-v8, 1.3 GHz. PowerVR G6430 Graphics
Memory: RAM 1 GB, Built-in 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB
Camera: front 1.3 MP FaceTime, main iSight F/2.4, 5 MP with autofocus, 1080p video recording, face recognition function
Data transmission: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). There are models with support for GSM/EDGE/UMTS/LTE and CDMA/GSM/EDGE/UMTS. GPS/GLONASS (LTE version only).
Connection: Lightning connector
Battery: 23.8 Wh, up to 10 hours of browsing the Internet via Wi-Fi, watching videos
Additionally: gyroscope, light sensor
Dimensions: 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm
Weight: 331 g (341 g - versions with LTE support)
Price: from 399 euros in Europe, from 399 dollars in the USA, from 15,990 in Russia (Wi-Fi model)
Contents: cable, charger, brief instructions

Design, convenience

The connectors and elements are in their places: lightning and stereo speakers are at the bottom, the lock button is at the top, and on the right is the volume control and silent mode.

Screen

Detailed testing of the iPad mini Retina screen
conducted by our expert Mikhail Kuznetsov.

The Apple iPad mini now has a Retina display. With a diagonal of 7.85 inches, the resolution reaches 2048 x 1536, which gives a pixel density of 324 ppi. Those who like to count pixels will be pleased - with such a density you can hardly see any hints of “pixelation” of the image; the resolution is more than enough.

The brightness reserve is up to 407 cd/m2 at maximum. The lack of brightness can only be felt in bright sun; in other cases, the reserve is quite sufficient. The contrast ratio was about 900:1, an increase from the previous iPad mini (where we measured a ratio of 687:1). The screen's anti-glare filter copes well with external light and prevents it from fading or fading in direct light. Viewing angles are quite wide, shades are slightly distorted, and the image remains legible at any reasonable viewing angle.

Hardware platform and battery

Camera

Software platform

Opinion Hi-Tech.Mail.ru

Apple's mini-tablet has passed one generation: everyone was expecting a simplified version of the 10-inch model, with a processor from the iPhone 5, with limitations on memory capacity, but what they got was the most modern and powerful set: the top-end Apple A7 processor, an option with 128 GB of memory, Retina -a screen with a pixel density of 324 ppi (as in the iPhone 5s), a one and a half times more capacious battery with almost unchanged thickness and weight of the tablet.

The new iPad mini retains the key advantages of its predecessor: record thinness, the same design with narrow frames and an all-aluminum body, loud stereo speakers, a huge software base and the same battery life. It was a little disappointing that they decided not to use a fingerprint scanner in the tablet, as in the iPhone 5s (this would increase the cost), as well as the same camera, although an 8 MP module would be more appropriate. Otherwise, the tablet left the most pleasant impression; Android competitors do not have the same combination of size, quality of materials, speed and operating time, for which we can safely recommend the model for purchase.

Anton Spiridonov, [email protected]

2 years ago

Great screen, size, battery, camera, iOS

2 years ago

Reliability, stability and absence of brakes, high quality display and perfect operation of all sensors, the speaker sounds good, the battery lasts for a day of almost continuous use, a very large number of accessories and applications, size.

2 years ago

Good screen quality, good processor, nice interface, beautiful design

2 years ago

Nice design, reasonable size for everyday outdoor use. The battery capacity lasts me at least 8-9 hours of almost continuous use. Compared to Android tablets, it has very good sound in headphones for a portable device.

2 years ago

screen, battery, stability, design

2 years ago

Apple is Apple. Beautiful, ergonomic, incredibly bright and clear display. The sound is excellent, especially considering that this is a tablet. It works quickly, practically flies. The photo quality is good for a tablet, but it could be better for the money.

2 years ago

He is a virtue in himself. Excellent quality screen, pleasant sound, level performance. In the test, Antutu scored 35,000, which is quite important for games. Copes with any task. I don’t use a camera, but we looked at it just for fun. The photos are even better than those of top smartphones.

2 years ago

Great screen, Beautiful design, Reliability.

2 years ago

High ergonomics; - reliable (body - aluminum monolith); - beautiful (perfectly constructed and designed); - powerful; - good battery autonomy; - the screen is beautiful; - the camera is very decent (both for tablets and mobiles); - powerful stereo sound. Isn't this enough?!

2 years ago

1) Battery life is enough for a day, sometimes for 2 2) Build quality is excellent 3) Design-5+ 4) There is no lag or freezing, all animations are smooth and very pleasing to the eye 5) The price tag is quite reasonable

2 years ago

Sudden reboots occurred on earlier versions of iOS7

2 years ago

limited in volume (no support for memory cards), limited in capabilities (file transfer, interaction with external media, etc.), after purchasing an iPhone 6s, the lack of touch ID is also considered a disadvantage.

2 years ago

In 2013, all updated Apple devices received the same processors. And if for the iPhone 5s the graphics performance of the A7 is quite enough, then due to the higher resolution of the displays on the Air and Mini 2, some interface animations lag.
-I don’t understand how the OS developers managed to achieve this in iOS 7, but sometimes any browsers load pages from scratch when switching between two (!) open tabs, for example the mobile version of Yandex and a second, heavier page. Sometimes it just drives you crazy, for example when you need to copy text from one tab to another.
This happens even after rebooting the device. And yes, after the release of iOS 8, almost nothing has changed, and some aspects are even getting worse as updates are released.
Because of all this

2 years ago

Lack of normal ability to transfer data from other devices. 21 century. To open a book downloaded on a PC, I have to upload it to ICloud or Dropbox and then download it to the tablet. Then also export it to the application. Well, it's tough!
Heavy. Your hand gets tired if you read on public transport.

2 years ago

inconvenience with watching videos, conversion, etc.

2 years ago

Constantly installs updates and requires a lot of memory for them!
Inadequate price for functionality.
Lots of difficulties with common things like downloading music, videos, photos and even e-books.

2 years ago

Is it the price of apple products?
The memory card cannot be inserted.

2 years ago

Fragility, Inability to transfer data to other devices without iTunes.

2 years ago

16 Gb is a very small amount of memory (depending on your needs);
- not very convenient transfer of files from PC to iPad.

There have been many reviews done on the capabilities of the Retina iPad. The low display resolution and slow SoC, which were the only two real complaints about the first iPad mini, received ample attention. There were a bunch of options listed that Apple could have used to promote the mini:

“Apple chose to outright quadruple the number of pixels (2x in each dimension) to create Retina. With a mini display using a 1024x768 resolution, this option could give it a 7.85-inch 2048x1536 panel. This would be the same resolution as the iPad 3/4, but with a much smaller display, giving it a pixel density of 326 ppi (versus ~263 for the iPad 3/4). Apple could do this, but it would be the same changes it made to the Retina iPad. First of all, the introduction of a larger battery and a much larger SoC. A larger battery is needed to power the more powerful backlight, and the X-series SoC is needed to render the UI up-to-date and game at such a high resolution. Both of these things would increase the size and cost of the mini, making it a true un-mini."

This quote is from one review last year and it looks like Apple has decided to fix things this year. The review further concluded:

“Neither of these options is particularly tempting for Apple, especially given the iPad mini's low (for Apple) starting price. If you're expecting to have a Retina mini next year, don't hold your breath."

This is why I don't like making predictions.

I didn't expect the display power to drop this much. I didn't think the battery density would be so improved. And I definitely didn't expect Apple to integrate a large 4MB cache on-chip, thereby reducing the need for a super memory interface. The combination of these three things gave the iPad mini a Retina display, which may be exactly what Apple did this year after all.

The iPad mini with Retina, unlike the iPad Air, is very similar to its predecessor. You'd be hard-pressed to even notice the 4.1% increase in thickness (+0.3mm) or the 7.5% increase in weight (+23g).

From top to bottom: iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina, iPad Air

Retina mini now has a 44% larger battery (23.8Wh). This is almost the same battery capacity as the original iPad (25Wh), but only takes up 1/3 of the capacity in the chassis. It's also the highest battery capacity we've ever seen in a tablet of this size. The small impact on weight and thickness is impressive.

The battery powers two features of the new mini: mainly Apple's A7 SoC and, of course, the 7.85-inch 2048x1536 Retina display. An effective solution to the main problem of the original iPad mini, the new mini is significantly faster and comes with a significantly better display. Keep in mind, the original mini debuted with the n-1 SoC, which makes the move to the A7 this year an even more significant upgrade. While casual users will have a hard time telling the difference between the A6 and A7, anyone who's been a heavy user of last year's iPad mini will appreciate how much faster the new one is (especially if you've upgraded to iOS 7).

According to the source - http://www.anandtech.com/, the display itself does not need much explanation. The first generation iPad mini had a screen resolution of 1024x768, which was satisfactory but not ideal. I had no problem recommending the mini given how good the rest of the experience was, but it's clear that it could have been better. The move to a 2048x1536 panel gives the mini not only the right to use the term Retina Display, but also the title of the highest display density display in Apple's lineup.

The rest of the body doesn't look much different from the original mini. Apple likes to keep the design of its mobile devices from being too different across at least two generations, and the mini is no exception. This is in no way a complaint. I'm just as impressed with the high quality of the mini's chassis as I was last year.

The front side of the tablet is characterized by an asymmetrical bezel, identical to the iPad Air. The bezels on the sides are narrow, while the top and bottom are wider to physically accommodate the home button and FaceTime HD camera. As before, Apple gives a little extra work by rejecting previews placed on either edge of the mini to compensate for the missing part of the bezel before the "hold".

The solid aluminum backplate comes in Light Silver or Space (Dark) Gray. As with the iPhone, the Silver model gets a white bevel on the bezel, while the Space Gray gets a black finish and bronze beveled edges. Models with a cellular modem have plastic RF windows located along the top edge of the tablet.

Around the edges you'll find: a power on/off button on the top, a volume up/down and rotation lock/mute volume up/down slider on the right side. If you have a cellular model, you'll find a nano-SIM tray along the right side of the mini.

The bottom edge is home to the Apple Lighting connector, on either side of the speakers. The Mini doesn't sound bad, although you'll get better bass performance on the larger iPad Airs.

iPad mini with Retina features the same 5MP iSight camera (rear-mounted) and 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera (front-facing) as the iPad Air. An addition is the installation of a dual microphone to remove background noise, again, like in the iPad Air.

The Mini is available in exactly the same configuration as the iPad Air. It starts at $399 with 16 GB of memory and is available in 32 and 64/128 GB (+$100 for each memory upgrade). Cellular connectivity also adds $130. Like the iPad Air, mini with Retina is only available with LTE support and comes unlocked.

The old mini still costs around $299, although like the iPad 2, which is still on sale, you're unlikely to hear a recommendation to buy it. Perhaps, if you really don't mind the low display resolution, much slower SoC, and want to save some money, don't give up on iOS. For most people, the mini iPad with Retina is the device they need. If you are using a heavy tablet, the experience is truly like heaven and earth. While the iPad Air's form factor is what defines it empirically, the Retina iPad mini relies on the display and crystal to do the same thing.

Weight and usability

Much of the tablet experience has to do with weight and the distribution of that weight. The iPad Air is proof of how true this is. Whereas the iPad Air straddles the line between one-handed and two-handed comfort, the mini sits squarely in one-handed territory. Picking up the mini after using the Air for a couple of weeks feels like you have nothing in your hands. The Mini is the much more comfortable of the two tablets to use while lying down. When you're sitting upright, the Air's weight feels like a huge advantage over the mini, but when you're relaxing, the mini is much nicer to hold. You can read more about the comparison between the Air and mini tablets in the article “Which Tablet Do You Need? »

The body is narrow enough that you can hold it with only one hand and use it like a giant smartphone. If you hold the mini with both hands and use it like a smartphone, you can actually do it super quickly using just your fingers. While the iPad Air is too big to hold in portrait mode and comfortably wrap your fingers around, the minis are too small to hold in landscape mode and use as a regular keyboard. When typing long emails, the iPad Air does better, assuming I can walk to a desk or can sit down. But if I can't do either, then the iPad mini is the best companion.

Apple introduced an LTE model, which, in fact, duplicates most of the functions of the smartphone. With mini LTE, the smartphone stays in your pocket more often than not, although there are plenty of small/large, phone/tablet combinations you can list as you try to figure out the best balance for today. In many ways, this is similar to the comparison between a small laptop and a PC, and a large laptop and a docking station.

The mini's smaller display makes reading any content a little more difficult compared to larger iPads. But given the new Retina display, reading on the mini is quite good. Small text is always easier to read when it's on a larger display, but if you're looking at content that's properly formatted for a tablet, you'll love the mini. The experience of reading comics on the mini is also very pleasant. The bubbles text certainly wasn't as easy to read as it was on the iPad Air, but the overall experience was still good. Ultimately, you won't be sacrificing much functionality if you choose the mini over the Air. What you lose, you certainly gain in portability. The main question is where you are going to use the tablet, this will determine which one to choose.

Cases

Like the iPad Air, the iPad mini is quite light, and any kind of case adds a fair amount of weight to the device (in percentage terms).

Since the mini hasn't changed much in form factor, the first two batches of cases are pretty similar to what we got last year. Like its big brother, the mini is available with an optional Smart Cover ($39) or Smart Case ($69) depending on how much protection you need.

Apple offered me a black Smart Cover and a red Smart Case for the iPad mini. Both looked great on the Space Gray mini. It is worth noting that the red Smart Case has a less saturated color than the red iPad Air Smart Cover.

The Smart Cover attaches to the left side of the mini using a magnetic loop. If you line up the magnets correctly, the attraction force is strong enough to support the weight of the mini if you pick it up by the lid (though I don't recommend doing that). The magnets on the edge of the cover are away from the sleep/wake loop on the tablet itself.

The Smart Case has the same sleep/wake functionality, but instead of connecting to the mini's magnets, the tablet sits inside a case that protects it on both sides. The Smart Case is preferable for travel, although it is much more difficult to take out and put down the tablet and obviously adds more weight to the device.

Both protective covers have the same tri-fold design and can be used as a tablet stand. Since the previous mini used the same type of protective coating, the angle of the stand did not change, as was the case with the Air.

The inner surfaces of the protective covers are lined with microfiber, while the outside is covered with either soft polyurethane (Smart Cover) or leather (Smart Case). Both protect the mini well and show no signs of excessive wear.