Apple iPad mini with Retina Display: Reviewed
by Anand Lal Shimpi on November 16, 2013 8:00 AM ESTCamera
The iPad mini with Retina Display features the same 5MP iSight rear facing camera and 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera as the iPad Air. Both are quite good for a tablet, aided by iOS’ excellent camera UI and the A7’s high performance ISP. The cameras also benefit from the same dual-mic setup of the iPad Air. I won’t talk too much about quality here as it’s no different than the Air, which I've already gone over in greater depth.
| Rear Facing Camera Comparison | |||||||
| Sensor | Resolution | Aperture | Focal Length | ||||
| Apple iPad Air | 5MP | 2592 x 1936 | f/2.4 | 3.3mm | |||
| Apple iPad 4 | 5MP | 2592 x 1936 | f/2.4 | 4.3mm | |||
| Apple iPad 3 | 5MP | 2592 x 1936 | f/2.4 | 4.3mm | |||
| Apple iPad 2,4 | 0.7MP | 960 x 720 | f/2.4 | 2.0mm | |||
| Apple iPad mini | 5MP | 2592 x 1936 | f/2.4 | 3.3mm | |||
| Apple iPad mini (Retina) | 5MP | 2592 x 1936 | f/2.4 | 3.3mm | |||
| Front Facing Camera Comparison | |||||||
| Sensor | Resolution | Aperture | Focal Length | ||||
| Apple iPad Air | 1.2MP | 1280 x 960 | f/2.4 | 2.15mm | |||
| Apple iPad 4 | 1.2MP | 1280 x 960 | f/2.4 | 2.18mm | |||
| Apple iPad 3 | 0.3MP | 640 x 480 | f/2.4 | 1.8mm | |||
| Apple iPad 2,4 | 0.3MP | 640 x 480 | f/2.4 | 1.8mm | |||
| Apple iPad mini | 1.2MP | 1280 x 960 | f/2.4 | 2.2mm | |||
| Apple iPad mini (Retina) | 1.2MP | 1280 x 960 | f/2.4 | 2.15mm | |||
WiFi & Cellular
The iPad mini with Retina Display inherits the same Qualcomm MDM9615 modem and 2-stream dual-band 802.11n from the iPad Air. The move to 2-stream 802.11n more or less doubles peak WiFi performance compared to last year’s mini. The mini's peak WiFi performance is pretty close to that of the iPad Air as well.
Lately I’ve really begun to appreciate the flexibility offered by tablets equipped with cellular modems. Especially now that it’s not terribly expensive to add a tablet to a shared data plan (or even free), the $130 LTE adder for the iPads is something worth seriously considering. The convenience of being able to pull out your tablet, wake it up, and immediately hop on the web/check email/tweet/etc… is awesome. Qualcomm's MDM9615 is a well known quantity at this point. I didn't run into any issues with its performance on the iPad mini.
| iPad Cellular Speeds | ||||||
| Property | iPhone 3G/3GS/iPad 1 3G | iPhone 4 / iPad 2 (GSM/UMTS) | iPhone 4 / iPad 2 (CDMA) | iPad 3 | iPad 4/iPad Mini | iPad Air/iPad Mini w/Retina |
| Baseband | Infineon X-Gold 608 | Infineon X-Gold 618 | Qualcomm MDM6600 | Qualcomm MDM9600 | Qualcomm MDM9615 w/RTR8600 |
Qualcomm MDM9615 w/WTR1605L |
| Max 3GPP Release Feature | Release 5 | Release 6 | Release 7 | Release 9 | Release 9 | Release 9 |
| HSDPA Category | Cat.8 - 7.2 Mbps | Cat.8 - 7.2 Mbps | N/A | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps | Cat. 24 - 42 Mbps |
| HSUPA Category | None - 384 Kbps WCDMA only | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | N/A | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps | Cat.6 - 5.76 Mbps |
| EVDO | N/A | N/A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A | 1x/EVDO Rev.A |
| LTE | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 | 100/50 UE Cat. 3 |
The new iPad mini, like the iPad Air, is extremely flexible from a mobile operator standpoint. Regardless of what operator you choose at the time of purchase, you can switch to others as long as you have an activated nano SIM (there’s apparently an exception for Sprint, but AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon should all be easily switchable). The unlocked nature of the device makes it ripe for global use, especially with support for a total of 14 LTE bands (1,2,3,4,5,7,8,13,17,18,19,20,25 and 26).
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emoemeka - Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - link
And how many of those have ASUS sold? Nobody wants a convertible tablet! People buy tablets because they want tablets. Those who want laptops buy laptops.beggerking@yahoo.com - Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - link
go to slickdeals and search T100. amazon reviews,also surface pro /pro 2
dell venue pros
people buy them to replace both their laptops and tablets.
RadarTheKat - Monday, November 18, 2013 - link
You mentioned the price to buy a new one, but failed to mention the resale price associated with iGadgets. There are always two prices. When both are considered, the value is relatively greater for some products versus others. Please keep this in mind in the future when comparing apple products to their competition.tech4tac - Monday, November 18, 2013 - link
"which *literally* everyone else can see"hmmmm... Must be why Apple had to print an apology.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
The mini was a reactionary product to counter the growing success of Android 7" tablets--a size which Jobs was adamantly against as he saw the 8.9" form factor as perfect. Both OS developers "borrowed" from each other over the years but the last few iOS versions (i.e. 5, 6, 7) make the two devices look even more similar. Features that appeared on Android prior to iOS (such as notifications bar, control center, and the similar-looking default wallpaper) make the two difficult to distinguish from afar. That said, just buy what works best for you & be done with it.
So calm down & have some Koo-laid. This one's on me.
EarFull - Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - link
Question for those in the know: Would a Firmware or Software update remedy this color gamut issue? I use a lot of Photoshop, Aperture, Lightroom AND associated plug-ins and can change a LOT about a photo digitally. Also, with Spectraview I can change the characteristics of my displays.Thank you
Patrick
JC86 - Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - link
This is just my personal observation/hope but I wouldn't recommend the iPads this generation because they seem like stop-gap iteration refreshes before next year's model that will likely include TouchID sensors throughout the lineup.The TouchID sensors that Apple introduced this year with the the iPhone 5S is clearly where the future of the entire iOS lineup is headed. My guess is that Apple didn't include the TouchID sensor with this generation's iPad lineup because of 1) component costs/supply and more importantly 2) iOS 7 has yet to support multiple user accounts. A feature that I believe will be coming in iOS 8. Since the iPhone is a much more personal device compared to an iPad that is often shared with family members, having TouchID setup with the ability to recognize who just unlocked the iPad and customize the settings and apps accordingly seems like the natural evolution of the TouchID hardware/software integration. Which is why even though my iPad 2 is getting a little old in the tooth, I'm still going to hold out and not upgrade until next year so I don't have significantly obsolete hardware within a few months.
blue meanie - Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - link
Agreed. Between the Touch ID and "retro" color gamut, it looks like I'll hold onto my chunky iPad 3 another year and wait for the iPad mini we all wanted last year. Given the "non-modular" (polite way to put it) nature of tablet manufacturing, key parts really should be of the same, contemporary caliber. I would argue that the display and processor need to be at the top of that list. I would not feel great about a significant investment (LTE and appropriate, yet overpriced, storage) in this iPad if they come out with a proper mini next year.Why is 16GB still an option? $399 should really get one 32GB.
brianlee - Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - link
I'm interested in comparing the sRGB color gamut between screens from Sharp and LG. Since the iPad Mini Retina in this article did not have the artifact issue (marco.org), it must be the display from LG. Does the Sharp display have better colors despite the artifact issue?hummerchine - Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - link
Some of the comments here kill me! There must be some huge Apple haters out there...I fully admit to being the opposite. But man...slagging on Anand? His reviews are far more detailed, thorough, and unbiased than anything out there. He tells what is great...and what isn't...about the new iPad mini with RD.What exactly do you want him to do? The guy is RIGHT ON!
Satyajit - Friday, November 22, 2013 - link
Any clue as to when we can expect a review of the refreshed macbook lineup?