Apple has launched the iPad mini 4 claiming that it is a mini version of the powerful iPad Air 2 which the American tech giant unveiled last year.
While its latest mini-tablet did not live up to such hype as it came out not as powerful as the iPad Air 2 given its limitations in size, the iPad mini 4 nonetheless is faster, slimmer, and more accomplished than its predecessor, the iPad mini 3.
Best of all, the compact tablet has succeeded in finding its rightful place as the premiere iPad mini of the Cupertino-based tech company, notes Pocket-lint.
The iPad mini 4 features an anti-reflective screen coating that makes it quite ideal for watching movies, playing games, as well as reading or writing while on the go.
And with iOS 9 onboard for its mobile operating system, the compact tablet also features the Split View multi-tasking, which was a widely-lauded feature of the iPad Air 2 when it was launched in October last year.
Lightest iPad mini
The Apple iPad mini 4 is the lightest among the four iPad minis that the American tech giant had launched in a span of four years. Despite being slightly wider and taller than its predecessor, the iPad mini 4 is 1.4 millimeters thinner and 32.2 grams lighter than the iPad mini 2.
The display is bright, crisp, and vibrant and offers the same 7.9-inches screen size that its predecessor compact tablets had. It also has the identical resolution of 1536 x 2048 with its predecessors.
The Apple iPad mini 4 is a huge step up with enhancements on all facets of the device. While it is not as powerful as the iPad Air 2, it still manage to hold its own in terms of a more powerful new processor, a Touch ID fingerprint scanner for quick login, the Apple Pay, among a few others, details Stuff.tv.
The iPad mini 4 has the same processor as the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, and the same storage options of 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. But there is no expandable storage option because there is no provision for microSD card.
Not cheaper than its predecessor
In order to arrest the plummeting tablet sales which have greatly affected its iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 launched in October last year, there were reports prior to its release that Apple will be reducing the retail price of its iPad mini 4.
It seems that the previous reports are not accurate because the 16GB variant of the iPad mini 4 came out with a price of approximately $493 which is practically the same as the price of the 16GB of the iPad mini 3 when it came out last year.
Technically, however, it is cheaper because the cost of money is higher today than last year’s so that is where the advantage of the iPad mini 4 over the iPad mini 3, price-wise.
Reputable industry analysts Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who is also a reliable source for information regarding Apple products, was the first to disclose that the iPad mini 4 will essentially be a mini version of the iPad Air 2.
In terms of power to the device, the Apple iPad mini 4 has a generous battery life. Streaming videos and gaming relentlessly reduces the battery life to a third. Based on video streaming tests on the Apple iPad mini 4, it is capable of providing 14 hours of playback before its sputters out for the count.
Before Apple iPad mini 4 came out of the market with its given retail price, the price of the iPad mini 3 also dropped significantly. Critics believe that discounted price on the iPad mini 3 would be for the long haul because otherwise, the future sales of the iPad mini 3 would be cannibalized by the iPad mini 4.