The Apple iPad Mini 4 Review
by Brandon Chester on October 28, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Apple
- Mobile
- iPad Mini 4
Software
iOS 9 released roughly one month ago. I released my review of it on the day it launched, and my impressions of the OS were mostly positive. In particular, I felt that the additions Apple had made to enable various forms of multitasking possible on the iPad were much needed improvements to the iPad experience. However, I also voiced my frustration at the fact that Apple's history of shipping as little RAM as possible had led to the new split view feature being excluded from every tablet except the iPad Air 2, which includes the iPad Mini 3 that was still the flagship iPad Mini almost right up until release.
Shortly before iOS 9 was released, the iPad Mini 4 was unveiled, and it was confirmed to have all the multitasking features of the iPad Air 2. Of course, while the iPad Mini does use the same application layouts as the larger iPad, the physically smaller screen size has an impact on how you use the device, and during my time testing the Mini 4 I tried to make note of how my behavior differed from when I was testing multitasking on the larger iPad Air 2.
The first thing I noticed about my usage patterns is that I used the 50/50 split in landscape mode very infrequently, while on the Air 2 I use it roughly as much as the ~70/30 mode. This is simply due to the smaller size of the display. While the 50/50 view is drawn using the name number of pixels on the Air 2 and the Mini 4, the smaller screen size of the Mini 4 means each side is physically pretty small. That isn't to say that it's unusable by any means, but I felt far less comfortable doing a 50/50 split between Safari and an Office document than I did when using the Air 2. My usage tended more toward the ~70/30 split, although I didn't use it as often as on the Air 2 where I almost always have Skype or Tweetbot on the right side.
My reduced usage of split screen mode on the Mini 4 was in line with my predictions. I'm confident it will also be true that iPad Pro users spend almost all of their time with two active applications, and so the Air 2 will be to the iPad Pro what the Mini 4 is to the Air 2. It's simply easier to work in a split view when your screen is physically larger in size. What also fell in line with my prediction is an increased utilization of the slide over feature. Slide over is a good way to check an application quickly and return to what you were doing without having to sacrifice horizontal space in the active application, and I found myself using it to check Skype and Tweetbot instead of keeping the apps pinned to the side constantly.
As for the performance of multitasking, there are a few things to keep in mind. Since the iPad Mini's A8 SoC is paired with 2GB of RAM I don't think users will run into any issues that the iPad Air 2 doesn't as far as memory is concerned. In fact, I would say that because the Mini 4 does tend more toward content consumption than heavy productivity apps you're unlikely to ever run into significant memory pressure unless you simply have a lot of Safari tabs open, and in that case some will just eventually be evicted from memory. I have noticed a few things that suggest Apple is pushing the SoC to its limits though.
iPad Air 2 top, iPad Mini 4 bottom
The first change I noticed going from the Air 2 to the Mini 4 is the removal of the blur effect in the multitasking app switcher. You can see above how this looks on the Air 2 and how the Mini 4 changes it. Essentially Apple has removed the blur effect, and so the menu looks like how the OS generally looks with the reduce transparency option on. While it's not a big deal, it's a clear indicator that Apple doesn't feel A8's GPU performance is fast enough to achieve a high level of performance with this menu overlay active while also blurring part of the open application below it. This isn't surprising when one considers the GPU results earlier in the review and how the A8X SoC in the Air 2 has what is really the best GPU in an ARM tablet.
One other performance-related observation I made while using the Mini 4 in split screen mode is that there is sometimes a pause before applications become usable again after enabling split screen or changing the ratio of the split between applications. I knew this couldn't be related to loading assets from RAM because the issue doesn't happen on the Air 2, and examining CPU performance at those times revealed no reason to suspect that the CPU was the culprit. Ultimately I think this is actually due to the GPU being slower than A8X as well. When switching the split between apps the interface of both applications needs to be re-rendered to suit the new layout, and I think this is just a point where the GPU can't always do all the necessary work in only a few frames. The issue definitely wasn't that bothersome, and I only picked up on the fact that it was slower because I have experience with the Air 2. Nonetheless, I felt it was important to point it out, if only because it's interesting to see cases where even really good mobile GPUs can have some trouble keeping up with the demands being made of them.
While the iPad Mini 4 may not have the sheer power of the iPad Air 2, the multitasking experience on it is still great. I think the way most users will use the features differs from owners of larger iPads simply due to the difference in screen real estate, but the features are all there and fully functional on the iPad Mini 4 for anyone who needs them. The 2GB of RAM certainly helps to prevent apps from being evicted from memory as well, which was a serious issue on iPads that shipped with 1GB of RAM.
As far as the rest of the OS goes, you're really getting the same iOS 9 experience as all of the other iOS devices. If you're looking for a more in depth look at iOS 9 I recommend my review, as it goes into more detail on the workings and performance of iPad multitasking. If you're a fan of iOS then I think you'll find iOS 9 is the best release to date, and a very big release for the iPad. If you're not a fan of iOS then iOS 9 probably won't sway your feelings. The iPad still has a clear platform advantage over Android tablets as far as tablet-specific features and third party apps goes, and that's always something to keep in mind and to weigh against parts of the OS that you may not be fond of.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
98 Comments
View All Comments
Speedfriend - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
Any idea why this uses the 8 and not the A8X? Does that imply the chassis is not capable of dissipating the higher TDP of the A8X?michael2k - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
I imagine they would have needed a bigger battery to offset the performance cost of the faster GPU and additional CPU core. Throw in a bigger battery and you have to make the iPad a fractional bit thicker, maybe 0.7mm, and another 14g heavier.And throw those three changes (more expensive CPU, more expensive battery, heavier iPad) and you need to bump the cost up just slightly, reducing margins just slightly, on top of the changes in the display that already increase the cost, and it makes sense why they sacrificed performance slightly. This is especially true when the A8 is already and still class leading a year later.
ThomasS31 - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
This has nothing to do with cost... its just a decision to keep everything as thin and light as possible to appeal to the fans and consumers.Ivy said not long ago, they could make a thicker iphone to last longer (battery), but they do not want as it will not appeal as much to the consumers as the current thin phones.
Nothing to do with cost or price... just a decision, some of us like, and some of us not. :)
michael2k - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
None of the outward justification is cost, of course, but they have to hew to a budget like everything else in the world. They increased the cost of the SoC, the memory, the cameras, and the screen, as is. Throwing in the more expensive A8X, the battery for said A8X, and the thicker shell to support both means they would have, as you said, lose the design goal of thinner and lighter. So there would be three reasons to stick to the A8:1) Thinner
2) Lighter
3) Cheaper
GC2:CS - Thursday, October 29, 2015 - link
Considering how energy efficient the Apple chips are, het deffinitelly isn't a problem.You has A8, even if a bit underclocked in an 6,1mm iPod touch. There it can almost perfectly sustain it's peak 1,1 Ghz CPU clock and GPU performance. iPad mini is just a much bigger device, there is more than enough room to dissipate heat, even if it would mean an A8X has to throotle a bit more aggressively than in Air 2.
A8X is a three billion transistor monster, it's big, it's pricey and since it's an X there is no stacked memory on it. That might be the reason - all iPad minis used PoP to save space and so I think that a possibility of an X chip in any iPad mini is quite small.
Also it uses a quite lot of power. If you look at that Gfx bench battery life test above, maybe Apple wanted to match them in terms of battery life under load.
And then while mini might be cappable of dissipating enough heat, Apple possibly didn't wanted the temperatures to go that high. iPad mini 4 is found to be rather cool running even under load.
But I doo agree that an A9 would be much better match. Even though it doesn't have 128-bit memory interface (What has it by the way ?) it bassically matches the performance of A8X, while being much smaller and lower powered, much more efficient than even A8.
Apple said that it's an shrunken down iPad Air 2. In terms of battery life, features, design, cameras display yes.
But with smaller size (and less matter to built a tablet from) there has to be compromise somewhere. Apple didn't matched the performance of Air 2, because it would require more advenced tech (A9) to do so in smaller device. But that would make it more advanced than an shrunken down Air 2 in terms of used tech. Bassically they built the best small tablet possible with let's say the same genertion of technology as iPad Air 2.
iPad mini 2 got smaller color gamut, iPad mini 4 got lower performance. And unless Apple invents a way to make those devices bigger from the inside, they can't defy physics.
Pneumothorax - Thursday, October 29, 2015 - link
Here's the thing, the A9 would've been an easy drop in the Mini 4 and would've matched/exceeded the Air 2 in most benchmarks along with giving better battery life and much less heat. Apple is just being Apple - milking the cow for all it's worth.NetMage - Saturday, October 31, 2015 - link
The mini's considerable price drop versus the Air or phone means giving up something.Drumsticks - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
Thanks for the review. I always enjoy reading Anandtech reviews of Apple products. While I'm an Android/Microsoft guy (any hints on when to expect your 6P review? I'm sure it's a ways off but I'd love a hint!), I have a lot of respect for Apple's hardware engineering and SoC design teams. They do really, really great work, and it almost disappoints me that I dislike iOS (and to an extent, Apple. This is an opinion that is fully subjective and not looking to start a fight! There's plenty of reasons to like Apple).Apple has, for the last several years been a major driver of innovation in the whole industry, which is great. It's awesome to see (in my opinion) both Microsoft AND Google doing the same nowadays. All three of the big guys are driving the industry forward, and it's good for us all :D
amdwilliam1985 - Thursday, October 29, 2015 - link
Same here, I recommend Apple products to others(my parents and my brother all use iPhones), but when it comes to personal device, I'll go with Android/Nexus, will be picking up a Nexus 6P soon, when it's available in Hong Kong.ps: Personally, I want to support Google/Alphabet, don't want to give my money to Apple and then have it sit in their bank doing nothing(besides earning interests ;). It's just a personal believe, I believe with great power comes great responsibilities(Apple should be doing more to help the [tech] world). Luckily, there are always companies like Google who pushes on with crazy projects like Project Loon, Project Fi, Project Soli, Project Jacquard and etc...
I watch Apple WWDC and Google IO live every year, Google's event is just so much more exciting and inspiring to the tech geek in me. Apple's show is more about how they are the best and if you can't join them, then you're a loser kind of show, lol.
Knowing my money helps Google to help improving the world/tech helps me sleep better at night, lol.
lucam - Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - link
The A8 is still a good decent Soc from what I can see and I have a suspicion that in the Apple TV for not having similar thermal constrains and no battery it can go even faster...