Ipad 3 mini what kind of retina screen. Review of Apple iPad mini with Retina display

The first iPad mini was introduced in the fall of 2012 and became a very popular device. You can blame Apple for following the lead of the market, but no one can deny the success of the iPad mini. Millions of customers have chosen the iPad mini with their wallets, which only confirmed the correctness of Apple's chosen path.

In the fall of 2013, Apple updated its line of tablets, including the iPad mini. The compact tablet received updated hardware and the long-awaited Retina screen, the absence of which in the first generation mini deterred many from purchasing it (including me). Now the iPad mini with a Retina screen is available for sale and I just couldn’t help but buy it for myself. Did the iPad mini with Retina display live up to my expectations and should you buy one for yourself?

Model selection

I already had experience using the “large” iPad 2, but I was not satisfied with its dimensions. This is not to say that full-size iPads are very bulky and heavy, but typing text in landscape orientation of the screen was uncomfortable for me, and carrying a piece of hardware weighing 700 grams in my bag, with the help of which I can’t even fully work with text in some way. I'm just tired of it at the moment. And I sold the iPad 2.

Then I clearly understood that full-size tablets were not my format. A gadget that you constantly carry with you should be compact, lightweight and easy to use. I see the full-size iPad more as a tablet for home use.

I didn’t buy the first iPad mini due to the lack of a Retina screen, and the hardware on it was far from the latest at that time. Therefore, I waited for the second generation iPad mini, which, from the point of view of hardware and screen, “on paper” completely suited me.

I chose the iPad mini with Retina display in Space Gray and 16 GB of storage without module cellular communications. Still, while most of our country (including my city) still doesn’t have 4G, I don’t see much point in buying an iPad mini with a cellular module. And now there are more than enough Wi-Fi points, and in extreme cases, an iPhone or even a Mac can act as a router.

The 16 GB version is more than enough for me, because on the iPad I don’t have as many applications and games as on the iPhone, I don’t have a huge photo library, music and movies. If I want to watch or listen to something, I prefer to do it using online services.

Purchase

Still, it’s good that Apple is closely involved in the Russian market. Now you don’t have to wait six months for new devices to officially go on sale. The iPad mini Retina, for example, was available for order in the Apple Online Store on November 15, that is, just a few weeks after the start of sales in the West.

Of course, the iPad mini reached other stores later. I picked up my iPad mini Retina at the end of December and was unable to find it on display for an acceptable (read: officially established) price. It’s good that there are online stores, from one of which I ordered an iPad mini Retina 16 GB for a reasonable 16 thousand rubles. After 3 days, the order had already arrived and I took my long-awaited tablet.

Box and accessories

You shouldn't expect any revelations from the iPad mini Retina box or configuration. Standard box, standard equipment: tablet itself, lightning cable, Russian plug, documents and stickers. There is nothing else, including headphones.

Case and screen

The iPad mini Retina remains virtually the same in physical size and appearance as the original iPad mini. Rounded corners, a small frame around the screen, screen diagonal - 7.9 inches. The weight of the device has increased only slightly. Holding the tablet in both hands is quite comfortable, but when you work with it with one hand, it still feels a little heavy. I hope that in the future Apple will put its compact tablet on a “diet”, especially since its competitors weigh less.

The location of connectors and speakers on the case remains the same. The body itself is also made of aluminum, its front part is covered with glass.

The iPad mini in Space Gray looks great. After the “faceless” black color in previous models, “Space Gray” looks much more interesting. It is also worth noting that the paint will not peel off, as in the iPhone 5; during the time I was using the tablet, no problems arose. It still looks like new.

The screen diagonal has not changed - 7.9 inches, but the resolution has increased to “Retina” 2048 × 1536 pixels. The pixel density is 326 ppi, just like the iPhone, which is more than the iPad Air (264 ppi). It is worth admitting that you will not notice the difference between the Air and Mini in terms of pixels - they are not visible on both mini and Air. However, the iPad mini's screen is worse than the iPad Air's due to its relatively lackluster color reproduction, brightness, and contrast. Generally speaking, the screen is quite good, but there are not enough stars in the sky.

The screen gets dirty like crazy, you will have to constantly wipe it from dust particles and fingerprints. But it’s hard to call this a specific feature of the iPad mini with a Retina screen. This is a problem with most modern mobile devices.

Another point that catches your eye is that the screen is “deeply” recessed into the body. Apple did not use any special technologies here (a screen without an air gap, for example) and the “depth” between the glass and the display itself is quite noticeable. This does not have much effect on everyday use, but I would still like this point to be corrected.

Iron filling and performance

IN new iPad mini installed 1 GB random access memory and the latest A7 processor - the same as in the iPhone 5s and iPad Air. True, unlike its older brother iPad Air, its clock frequency is 100 MHz lower. There's no difference between the Mini and Air when using the iOS interface and most apps, but Apple wouldn't be Apple if there was no difference between them at all. And she is.

In the GeekBench 3 test, the iPad mini scores about 2,500 points, which is slightly lower than the iPad Air, but this is not due to synthetic numbers. When working with resource-intensive games such as GTA: San Andreas, Real Racing 3, the frame rate drops unpleasantly, which has not been observed before. Apparently this is also due to the fact that most applications are not optimized for the 64-bit architecture of the A7 processor. Or maybe those same 100 MHz frequencies played their fatal role?

It is worth noting that many applications on the iPad mini Retina work the same or even worse (!) than on the iPhone 5, which has an A6 processor. Here the high screen resolution and unoptimized software (especially for the iPad) make themselves felt.

iOS 7 on the iPad mini Retina with a 64-bit processor works... far from perfect. The animation often jerks, and changing the screen orientation does not always happen smoothly. I hope that with the release of iOS 7.1 Apple will cover up this shame, because there is absolutely no desire to endure constant resprings and freezing. This is not Android, this is iOS - a system that has made a name for itself thanks to its stable operation. And with this one stable work iOS 7 has big problems.

Camera

The iPad mini Retina has a camera, it is capable of taking pictures of very average quality, but for a tablet this can be considered a good indicator. The video is recorded in good quality; naturally, there is no slo-mo mode, as in the iPhone 5s.

But the front camera pleased me. In good lighting conditions, the pictures are quite good (as good as they can be on the front camera). More than enough for selfshots and video calls on Skype.

Vitality

Traditionally, Apple promises 10 hours battery life for your tablets. With the iPad mini Retina, in practice it turns out a little less. With active use (browser (half an hour to an hour a day), email (an hour a day), social networks (an hour a day), games (2-3 hours a day), videos (half an hour to an hour a day), books (an hour a day) day)) the tablet lasts for 1-1.5 days or 8-9 hours of continuous work. If you moderate your ardor, you can achieve 2-2.5 days. Again, everyone's usage patterns are different and these numbers may vary depending on your preferences.

In any case, the iPad mini Retina remains a very durable device - you won’t worry about the battery and keep looking at the battery charge indicator. You can charge your iPad mini and easily take it with you for the whole working day - the battery will definitely last you. The iPad mini Retina charges from the mains in about 4-5 hours. With my usage pattern, I charge it about 4 times a week - quite a good result.

How I've been using my iPad all this time

Reading articles from the web

The iPad mini is a great reading gadget. Books, articles from the Web, RSS - the iPad mini Retina easily copes with all these tasks. Applications for this in App Store- a great many. I'll tell you which ones I use.

As an RSS reader I use Digg Reader. I used to prefer Feedly, but I found Digg more convenient. Actually, its functionality is standard - you can subscribe to streams directly in the application, distribute subscriptions into folders, quickly share articles on social networks or postpone them “for later”. This is quite enough for me.

To keep track of news on topics that interest me, I use Zite. Unlike Flipboard, it matches my preferences much better, although, of course, it loses in design. You add all the topics that interest you to Zite once and enjoy promptly arriving news.

To delay reading articles I use Pocket. Still, nothing better has yet been invented for iOS, despite the fact that Readability and Instapaper are also very good services. But Pocket has 3 big advantages: it is supported by hundreds of applications, it has the ability to “save for later” not only text articles, but also videos and links. And third, of course, tags. They help organize all articles into categories and maintain order in the repository.

Books and magazines

You can read e-books and magazines on your iPad without any problems. I would especially like to note that for the iPad there are many interactive magazines that are made specifically for the tablet. For example, this is how I read Slon.ru and Esquire magazines. Unlike paper versions, they have all sorts of interactive elements: graphics, animations, videos, and in some places even mini-games. If this doesn’t turn everything upside down, it certainly transforms the experience of reading periodicals.

The iPad mini Retina is also quite suitable for reading PDF magazines and books. In the vast majority of cases, the font size is quite optimal so as not to squint or zoom in.

But with regular e-books, things are not so simple. I admit that when I bought the iPad mini Retina, I even thought that it could replace my Kindle reader. But this did not happen. E-ink remains for me the best screen format for reading large books. But here who likes what more.

I can’t help but remember the dimensions of the iPad mini Retina. On the one hand, the display diagonal is higher than on the Kindle, which means that more content can fit on the screen. But here this difference is not so critical.

But holding a Kindle reader in one hand is much more convenient and this played a decisive role for me. Amazon was able to find the optimal balance between the amount of text on the screen and ease of use. It’s not surprising, because for the iPad mini, reading books is just one of the tasks, and for the Kindle it’s actually the only one. But for small publications and the iPad mini Retina is quite suitable.

I use Marvin as an e-book reader. It has everything you need to read books comfortably.

Working with text and notes

iPad mini Retina is good for taking short text notes and viewing documents. Don't forget that there are plenty of handwritten note-taking apps for the iPad, like INKredible or Skitch, that can help you jot down ideas at a work meeting or educational event.

To work with text, I use Pages, iAWriter and SimpleNote. Despite the difference in functionality, the essence of using these programs on the iPad is absolutely the same for me - to write a short text. I don’t have the nerves to fully work with text on the iPad, which I’ll talk about below :-)

Fun time

I bought the iPad mini Retina largely with the expectation that it would be my main gaming gadget. I’ll say right away that I was right in my choice, despite the problems with some games.

As I said, the same GTA: San Andreas on the iPad mini Retina behaves strangely: the frame rate is low, everything slows down unpleasantly. At the same time, on the iPhone 5 the game practically did not freeze for me.

But my favorite Modern Combat 4 behaves very well 95% of the time. Even when you play online with a large number of players, MD4 practically does not slow down, only occasionally small “lags” occur. At the same time, the tablet practically does not heat up.

Simple games like Flappy Bird, Dungeon Highway, Angry Birds are “eaten up” by the iPad mini Retina, which is, in general, quite expected.

It's an hour

I don't think of tablets as full-time work devices, but despite this, it was still interesting to see the iPad mini Retina in action. At work I tinker with texts a lot, I constantly look through email, social media, I work with the WordPress admin.

A miracle did not happen - the iPad mini Retina, in my opinion, is completely unsuitable for constant work. But in order to quickly write a post, correct the text or sketch out a plan for a post, it is quite suitable.

Firstly, there is a real lack of a physical keyboard, which makes typing much more convenient. Secondly, there is no normal WordPress application for iOS that will not confuse the publication time and accidentally post articles to the site (which has happened to me several times). And thirdly, iOS itself is simply not suitable for such things. On a MacBook you can simultaneously write text and look at its English original, but on an iPad you constantly switch between applications, and this, again, is an inconvenience.

This idea has been said by everyone, it is banal and obvious, but it is worth noting again: the iPad mini is an ideal device for consuming content, not for creating it. Although, if you really want to, you can dodge it by buying an external keyboard. But this will not solve the software problem.

iPad mini is the perfect device for consuming content, not creating it

Air or mini?

Despite some differences in specifications, the only significant difference between the Air and mini Retina is the size of the tablet. IN You must clearly answer the question - which size is preferable for you? Because there is practically no difference in the other capabilities of tablets. If you like full-size tablets, take the iPad Air; if you like compact ones, take the iPad mini Retina. Our infographics will help you make your choice.

conclusions

Despite all the disadvantages and shortcomings of the iPad mini Retina, I was more than satisfied with my purchase. The iPad mini Retina is a pleasant and easy-to-use tablet that, in the vast majority of cases, copes with its tasks with a bang. Many shortcomings are associated with the unstable operation of iOS 7 itself, which will be corrected very soon in the final version. iOS version 7.1.

The iPad is still a great device for consuming content, but not a great device for creating it. But as I said above, it is capable of solving simple work tasks.

iPad mini with Retina display

Small miracle.

The iPad mini is great, no matter how you look at it. And the stunning Retina display is just the beginning. iPad mini with Retina display new processor A7, advanced wireless technology and powerful apps built into iOS 7. Now you have more options than you ever imagined. It looks like the iPad Air in every way. Except for the ultra-portable design that fits easily in one hand.

7.9-inch Retina display.

Four times more pixels.

Same size.

Now iPad mini looks even more brilliant in your hand. The Retina display has over 3.1 million pixels, which is one million more than an HDTV screen. It has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is four times that of the previous generation iPad mini. The pixels are so close that they cannot be distinguished by the eye. So videos, photos and text all look incredibly clear. After all, the best pixels are those that are not visible.

Thin and light body.

Filled with lots of technology.

And still fits in one hand.

The new iPad mini brings together many great new features. Stunning Retina display, incredibly powerful A7 processor, advanced wireless technology, and more. But it is still the same “mini”: thin and light. Its thickness is only 0.74 cm, and its weight is less than a third of a kilogram. You have even more options at your fingertips, but you won't feel the slightest increase in weight.

Incredible performance.

The Mini is getting more powerful.

The new Apple-designed A7 processor brings desktop-class 64-bit architecture to iPad. This means its processor is up to 4x faster and its graphics performance is up to 8x faster to get the job done. And you still have up to 10 hours on a single charge - for studying, working, gaming, creating and whatever else you love.

A7 processor

The A7 processor takes iPad to new heights of power and speed. The A7 processor makes apps run faster. Game responsiveness improves. Everything about the iPad mini feels faster. Because he really got faster. Up to four times faster, to be exact. But that is not all. It supports the OpenGL ES standard version 3.0 - this provides graphics detail and visual effects previously only available on desktop computers And game consoles. And the 64-bit architecture of the A7 processor opens the door to even more complex and powerful applications. This means you have even more options with iPad mini.

M7 Motion Coprocessor

iPad mini is designed for a dynamic life. This is why the M7 coprocessor is so important. It measures the movement of your iPad mini by getting data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. Therefore, many applications become even more realistic. The A7 processor could also perform this task. But the M7 handles it more efficiently and saves energy.

Still a long-lasting battery

iPad mini is designed to be powerful yet energy efficient. Although it's up to four times faster than the previous generation iPad mini, it still lasts up to 10 hours on a single charge.1 That's because the A7 is not only a powerful processor, but an efficient one, too. Wherever you go with iPad mini, you'll always have enough battery to go further.

Advanced wireless technologies.

Strengthen connections everywhere.

Your favorite app, book or movie. Your FaceTime conversation or iMessage. With superfast wireless, everything you love is always close to you on iPad mini. It's easier than ever to stay informed and connected.

Superfast Wi-Fi

On iPad mini, connection speed Wi-Fi networks has become up to two times higher thanks to two antennas and MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology. WITH Wi-Fi connection 802.11n in two bands (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and MIMO support, download speeds can reach 300 Mbps - twice as fast as the previous generation iPad mini. Now, whenever you want to download a movie, send documents or photos via AirDrop, or simply open a website, the connection will be even faster.

More ranges

iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular lets you connect to the Internet even where there's no Wi-Fi signal. iPad mini supports even more bands and even more cellular data networks around the world.2 Now you can connect at truly fast speeds in most places—in some cases, faster than a broadband connection. And with flexible pricing plans, you don't have to sign a long-term contract.

Great apps for free.

Ready for work and rest.

iPad mini is the perfect everyday companion. Because it comes preloaded with apps that will make your daily tasks—like checking your email or calling your parents on FaceTime—a pleasure. And now you can download iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for free on iPad mini.3 You can write a great novel, create a great presentation, and score your home movie—right on iPad mini. All these applications are optimized for 64-bit architecture. That's why they work quickly and smoothly, giving you even more features on iPad mini. From the moment you turned it on.

FaceTime and iSight cameras.

Even more reasons to smile.

FaceTime HD Camera

Sometimes you want to talk face to face. FaceTime video calls on iPad mini make your communication even better. Start a video call over Wi-Fi or cellular - and share everything on a stunning display.4 The FaceTime HD camera now features the latest light sensor with more pixels. It brightens up all your FaceTime conversations, self-portraits, and group Photo Booth shots—even in low light.

5MP iSight camera

Dual microphones

iPad mini hears which side you're talking from. After all, he has two microphones. They don't just capture more sound - they work together to capture better quality sound and suppress sound from sources you don't point them at. This way, you can hear your FaceTime callers better due to the lack of background noise. And the sound on video recordings becomes even clearer.

iPad mini and iOS 7.

Together they reveal their best sides.

iOS 7 is designed for iPad mini, so it looks and performs great. iOS 7 comes with great new features like improved multitasking, AirDrop, and Control Center. With them it will be easier and more pleasant for you to cope with everyday activities. Everything you love about iOS. With improvements you'll love even more.

iCloud.

All that is needed.

Wherever you need it.

iCloud syncs content across all your devices - automatically. The service is integrated with your devices, so you can create a document in Pages on your Mac and then edit it on your iPad mini. Photos you take on iPhone appear instantly on your iPad mini with iCloud Photo Sharing. Or start watching a movie on iPad mini on the train and pick up where you left off at home on Apple TV.

On October 22 of this year, Apple introduced the second model of an 8-inch tablet, the iPad mini 2, which received a high-resolution Retina display and a 64-bit A7 processor in tandem with an M7 coprocessor.

New gadgets from Apple are becoming the subject of numerous discussions, both in the press and among admirers of the famous brand. Such information is especially useful for those who want to update outdated devices, but are not sure about the advisability of such a step. To dispel all doubts and show the advantages of the new iPad tablets, we will take a detailed look at all the innovations from a practical point of view.

The design of devices can tell a lot about their functionality, so let's start the review with that. The new iPad mini 2 has gained some weight compared to the older model - its thickness is 7.5 mm versus the previous 7.2 mm. The remaining dimensions remained unchanged - 200x134.7x7.5 mm (for comparison, the iPad mini is 200x134.7x7.2).

The same can be said about device weight– compared to the previous model, it has “gained weight” by 29 g, that is, 341 g (version with a SIM card and Wi-Fi) versus 306 g, respectively. Despite the almost 10% weight gain, it can be considered unnoticeable.

The front panel of all models is covered glass with oleophobic coating, which prevents fingerprints from spoiling appearance. Below the screen, as always, is the Home key, and above it is the front camera lens.

Despite the expected “golden” iPad mini 2, the manufacturer does not provide such a color for the case. The new tablet will be available in two versions - white with a silver back panel and black (back panel in color Space Gray), while the predecessor was completely white and black. The bezel of the matrix remains quite wide, so the tablet is comfortable to hold in your hands without touching the touch screen.

Both versions have a volume rocker and a Mute slider on the right side. Left (for versions with module mobile communications) there are slots for Nano-SIM cards (iPad mini and iPad mini 2). At the top end there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack, a power button and a plastic cover for cellular antennas, to the left of which the main camera lens is mounted.

At the bottom end of the tablets there is a miniature 8-pin reversible Lightning connector, which can be inserted on either side. iPad mini and iPad mini have speakers built into both sides of the interface and deliver exceptional sound quality.

Screen

Unlike the outdated tablet of the previous model, iPad mini 2 received Retina display worthy of all praise. With the same diagonal – 7.9 inches, the new display has a resolution of 2048×1536 versus 1024×768. The pixel density has increased from 163 PPI (iPad mini) to 326 PPI (iPad mini 2).

Visually, the pixels became indistinguishable to the eye, and even the text began to look as if drawn with ink, not to mention the photographic images, more like a picture from a glossy magazine.
The manufacturing technology of IPS matrices remains the same, so the display of the new tablet has a maximum viewing angle and a natural color gamut. Although a closer comparison reveals a warmer color scheme and improved image detail. In addition, the new display is distinguished by precise positioning of the capacitive sensor and best quality oleophobic coating of protective glass.

Functionality and speed

The first version of the iPad mini tablet used a dual-core A5 processor with ARM Cortex-A9 crystals (1.0 GHz) and a PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics chip, which provided acceptable operating speed. But 32-bit technology did not allow developing sufficient power when running “heavy” applications.

The new iPad mini 2 with Retina display is equipped with a new product - 64-bit A7 processor working in pairs with M7 coprocessor, which provides all the calculations and monitoring of information coming from the tablet’s various sensors. This “division of labor” made it possible to allocate the freed-up power of the A7 to perform other tasks. It is worth noting that the energy consumption of the M7 is significantly lower than that of the main processor, and this has a positive effect on the battery life of the gadget.

The use of new crystals ensured serious increase in productivity. So, according to Apple, new CPU is 4 times more powerful previous processor, and raffic accelerator – 8 times. This was enough to provide the Retina display with sufficient processor power and significantly increase the performance of the entire system.

Nowadays, when HD video and “heavy” content such as 3D games are becoming more widespread, devices require large amounts of memory. In this regard, the developers of the iPad mini 2 have expanded the line of tablets with a model equipped with 128 GB of memory. For comparison, the iPad mini line was more modest: 16, 32 and 64 GB.

Data transmission in the new tablets is carried out via Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) using a dual MIMO antenna, which allows you to automatically switch between both modes. Thanks to this, users will be able to work at speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s, which seems incredible and has so far been confirmed purely theoretically.

The new gadget, like the previous model, uses the new Bluetooth 4.0. The 4G LTE module installed in tablets is not yet relevant in our country. The parameters of LTE networks used in Russia are not compatible with its protocols, so gadgets can only work in 3G mode.

operating system

Unlike the iPad mini, a new OS iOS 7, ensuring compatibility of new chips to maximize performance. At the same time, the operating system interface has become simpler and incredibly intuitive, so it does not require much getting used to.

The developers responded more thoughtfully to consumer requests, which led to the removal of unnecessary decorative elements and the reworking of existing options.

So, for more convenient perception, the Control Center panel has become horizontally oriented. Now, to see frequently used programs, you only need to lightly touch the panel on the screen.

Compared to the old Camera app, the shutter button has been moved from the bottom of the screen to the sidebar. This is where the thumb is located when shooting, so using the program has become more convenient.

The new interface uses translucent background and realistic animations, making even simple apps like weather forecast fun. The new button design, streamlined color palette and improved fonts are pleasing to the eye, creating a special harmony in the interface elements.

Camera

Both models have good optics, allowing you to take high-quality photographs and shoot decent videos. They have two cameras: front and main. Front-camera FaceTime HD with 1.2 MP The matrix has a facial recognition function and allows you to make FaceTime video calls over Wi-Fi or 4G networks. In addition, it supports video recording in 720p HD quality.

The main camera uses a device called iSight. It is built on 5 megapixel CMOS sensor from the Omnivision company, which was used in the iPhone 4, but additionally it has new 5-element optics. The camera supports the following functions: autofocus, focusing by tap on the screen and face recognition. It has a built-in hybrid IR filter and backlighting. In addition, it allows you to shoot videos in HD quality: 1080p/30 fps with image stabilization.

The quality of pictures and videos is quite high, which meets the new trends in using the tablet as a photo and video camera. This year, it was quite common to see young people shooting videos on Apple tablets.

An additional option when shooting videos is 3x zoom, which is used for the first time on tablets of this class and will be a real gift for iPad mini 2 owners.

Nutrition

The use of a Retina screen, double the resolution and the use of a 4G module required an increase in the power of the iPad mini 2 hardware, which significantly increased power consumption. But, as you know, Apple tablets have always been distinguished by long-term battery life, so the developers were given the goal of increasing battery capacity with minimal changes in weight and size characteristics.

The iPad mini comes with battery at 16.3 Wh (4430 mAh), the power of which was quite enough for long-term operation of the device. In the new model, despite the introduction of special energy-saving functions, a more powerful battery was needed, which led to a slight increase in the thickness of the case and the weight of the device - by only 3 mm and 29 g, respectively.

Thanks to the use of innovative technologies, Apple engineers managed to maintain the same operating time of the device on a single battery charge. It amounts to:
Mode for listening to audio recordings and watching videos – up to 10 hours;
Active work on the Internet via Wi-Fi – up to 10 hours;
Surfing the Internet over a 4G cellular network – up to 9 hours.

Comparison of characteristics of iPad mini 1 and 2 models:

Retina screen, A7 64-bit processor, Silver and Space Gray colors... I've already heard this somewhere. And not even just once. While frantically thinking about what to write about the second generation iPad Mini, I realized clearly and clearly that apart from an endless string of comparisons with last year's eight-inch iPad, with the recently reviewed iPad Air, with the iPhone 5s, with all the other iPads, I have nothing special to say. what are personal impressions. And even those are blurred by the too short period of use. With the realization of this fact, sadness came over me. How so? An excellent device on review, but there is nothing to write about it. Maybe it’s not the new iPad that’s to blame, but late autumn? Nevertheless Since Apple doesn't care about bored reviewers, bored reviewers will take care of themselves and write short review essentially.

Specifications iPad Mini 2 Retina

Box

No surprises. She's white. With a photo of the device, indicating which version we have: Black, without 4G/LTE, memory capacity 32 gigabytes. It can be less: 16. But it can also be more: 64 and 128 GB.

There is an envelope with papers and stickers, but without iPaper, since our version does not have a slot for 3G cards. There is a Lightning-USB cable and an unimaginable folding plug, perhaps the least elegant complete thing I have ever seen. We probably got the Hong Kong build. Naturally, you will have to purchase an adapter for a European socket separately.

Design

Here he is, beautiful-faced, in front of me. Black (black) turned out to be the same Space Gray (“space gray” or “wet asphalt”) from the back. Black color is concentrated in the frame around the screen. It is exactly the same in thickness as the first-generation iPad Mini, and has the same proportions as the iPad Air. Let me remind you that before the Air, ten-inch iPads had thicker frames, especially on the “long” sides. Our Mini did not have a plastic strip at the top; it is typical only for 3G models.

The iPad Mini Retina is good-looking, thin, light, elegant... But there was no Wow effect from communicating with it. Let's say Air, I was more impressed. Like last year’s Mini model, being the first of its kind, it earned tons of touching reviews like “look, what a nice little IP!” In the second generation, the eight-inch iPad became 23 grams heavier than the “nice little iPad” and as much as 0.3 millimeters thicker. That is, its mass is 331 grams. Not bad for an eight-inch tablet - small, but not 478 grams of a ten-inch Air.

However, this does not make the iPad Mini 2 any worse, and the new one - dark gray - is perhaps the color I like more than others: it is discreet and noble. Although perhaps the novelty factor comes into play.

This is the bottom line. There are stereo speakers and a Lightning connector.

The left side is empty, on the right there are volume buttons and a sound on/off toggle switch. At the top there is an audio jack and a power button, and also microphone holes.

Actually, here are photos of two generations of small iPads lying side by side. The design and placement of connectors and buttons are exactly the same (as with the Air).

Most readers already know the main differences: hardware and screen. Let's move on to the last one.

Display

At first a person rejoices in good things. Then he perceives it as the norm. Afterwards, he begins to look for shortcomings. That's how it was with my perception. iPad screen Mini 2. In principle, no one doubted that the second generation Mini would be equipped with a Retina display. There was no surprise. Nevertheless, the pixel density of 326 ppi is amazing (will it really become hopelessly archaic in just a couple of years, and our trained eyes will meticulously peer into individual pixels on a 7.9-inch screen with a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels?). Although, to be honest, I didn’t notice the increased smoothness of the picture in comparison with the iPad Air, which shocked me a little earlier (the Air has the same resolution, but the pixel density is lower due to the larger screen size: 264 ppi). But what I noticed even by eye was a slightly lower color, confirmed by a colorimeter: it does not reach sRGB. Dark and light shades practically do not differ in temperature and are only slightly above the norm of 65K. But for some reason the image feels warm. The maximum brightness of white color was 343 cd/m2 (versus 364 for Air). The difference is felt at its maximum: in the case of the Air, the screen seemed too bright (although this is not a record), and I mostly worked at about 60%, in the case of the Mini 2 - somewhere around 80%.

Together with some other eight-inch tablet, with a first-generation iPad Mini rejection screen

The 3:4 screen aspect ratio was a topic that caused controversy in the comments to the iPad Air review. I will repeat in this review: I really like these proportions; they are well perceived when performing the vast majority of tasks performed on the tablet. In my opinion, it’s not at all scary if, when watching a 16:9 movie, the screen frame at the top and bottom visually becomes slightly larger due to the black bars. But websites, most toys and books look great (the difference is especially visible if you compare the fonts).

System and performance

About operating system We read about iOS 7 in the iPhone 5c review, and about the architecture in the iPhone 5s review. Here we talk about the differences and features. “Just” (according to many Android OS fans) a dual-core 64-bit A7 processor and 1 GB of RAM, an M7 coprocessor and quad-core PowerVR G6430 graphics. The filling is the same as that of the Air or iPhone 5s, with the only difference being that the first core operates at a frequency of 1.4 GHz, the second - 1 GHz, but the hero of this review has a frequency of each core of 1.3 GHz. Thus, it is just a little slower than the iPad Air. Benchmarks see this, but not people. I didn't notice any difference in speed.

You can briefly describe the work of the iPad Mini 2 without numbers: it is smooth, fast, and for all the games that are in the AppStore, it is more than sufficient, no matter what Apple haters say, those of them who do not believe in benchmarks and software optimization, but sacredly reveres four cores and 2 GB of RAM. I would also like to draw your attention to one pleasant feature: when you first launched the AppStore, the store kindly offered to download a number of free applications, among which were products for creating, viewing and editing office documents Numbers, Pages and Keynote, designed, respectively, for working with spreadsheets, texts and presentations. To be honest, I don’t know if this happened on other iPads.

Camera

No one doubts that a camera for shooting in a tablet is not the main thing. However, if shooting with a ten-inch is completely inconvenient, then with the eight-inch version everything is not so bad. However, Apple decided not to develop the direction of tablet photography for now, and put in the Mini 2 the same five-megapixel sensor with autofocus and without flash, which we can see in both the Air and the first small iPad. If something happens, you can capture some things in good lighting. But not more. The 1.2 megapixel front camera, designed primarily for Skype communication, copes with its function perfectly.

Autonomy, sound, heating

The declared autonomy is 10 hours, as in the iPad Air. Two days of our communication with the iPad Mini 2 after a full charge passed without touching the outlet. These days I played games on it for about an hour, watched a movie (the same amount), surfed the Internet, listened to music, and ran tests. In a word, it was a decent load. It seemed to me that the Mini got a little hotter than the Air: during games or running tests, the entire right half of the tablet was warm. The sound from the speakers feels cleaner than the first generation Mini and is about the same in volume. But with a landscape grip, the speakers are much easier to cover with your hand than with the larger Air. I’ll say more: it’s hard not to block them.

Bottom line

Last year, some Apple technology lovers regretted that the new small iPad was equipped with somewhat outdated hardware from the iPad 2 and the same display as its one, only small. Nevertheless, the experiment with the transition to a compact form factor was a success. This is confirmed not only by the successful sales of the first one, but also by the appearance of a new device. A device that no longer plays a catch-up role, but is on the same level as its older brother iPad Air, having almost the same hardware and screen resolution. Actually, it is the Air that competes with the Mini 2. On the older side, it has a slightly better screen, while the younger one wins over its compactness. As with the iPad Air, there will always be people who will consider the changes to the iPad Mini Retina to be unimportant and unworthy of the premium segment. However, the sixfold acceleration of work can hardly be considered as such graphics system between generations and a fourfold increase in processing power. And, of course, the screen resolution: there are also four times more dots on it than on the iPad Mini of 2012. And all this without a decrease in battery life and practically without an increase in weight and size characteristics. In short, everything has become much better, in line with the generation, and in our opinion, this tablet is the best in its form factor. This is the verdict gg .

8 reasons to buy an iPad Mini 2 Retina

• Great screen;
• compact size, light weight;
• good design;
• high speed;
• battery life;
• you love Apple and don't have an iPad;
• you love Apple and have an old iPad;
• you love Apple and want an iPad, but the Air is too big for you;

3 reasons not to buy an iPad Mini 2 Retina

• You don't like Apple and/or prefer Android;
• you love Apple but want Air;
• you don't need a tablet.

1. The amount of available space is less than stated and depends on various factors. The standard configuration (including iPadOS and pre-installed apps) takes approximately 10 to 13 GB, depending on the device model and settings. Pre-installed applications take up about 4 GB; they can be deleted and downloaded again. The amount of available space may vary depending on the device and software version.
2. Size and weight vary depending on device configuration and manufacturing process.
3. To communicate using FaceTime, both users must have FaceTime-enabled devices and be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Availability of FaceTime over cellular networks varies by carrier; Data charges may apply.
4. Data plan required. Gigabit Class LTE networks and Wi-Fi calling are not available in all regions or with all carriers. Speeds are based on theoretical throughput and may vary depending on local conditions. For more information about LTE network support, contact your carrier or visit.
5. Cellular plan must be purchased separately. The model you purchase is configured to work with a specific cellular network technology. For availability information tariff plan cellular service and compatibility, please contact your carrier.
6. Not all carriers support apple cards SIM and eSIM. Contact your carrier for more information. Not available in mainland China.
7. Voice assistant Siri may not be available in all languages ​​or regions. Siri capabilities may also vary. Internet access required. Cellular data charges may apply.
8. Testing was carried out by Apple in February 2019 on preproduction iPad mini (5th generation) units with pre-release software. Testing included draining the battery completely while performing the following tasks: playing video, playing audio, and browsing websites while connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular data network. The video was a 2 h 23 min repeat film purchased from the iTunes Store. The audio content playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store. Internet browsing via Wi-Fi and cellular data was tested using a dedicated web server and email server, simulating browsing 20 popular web pages and checking email hourly. Default settings were used, except for the following: Wi-Fi connection (enabled, except for surfing the Internet via a cellular data network); request to connect to Wi-Fi networks (disabled); automatic brightness adjustment (disabled); brightness (level set to 50%); WPA2 encryption (enabled). Battery life depends on device settings, usage conditions, and many other factors. Battery testing was conducted on specific iPad test units; actual results may vary.
9. Broadband recommended wireless connection; charges may apply.

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