I like mine so much I have to keep fighting the temptation to buy another... I know thats not logical.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad mini Do you still enjoy using your iPad mini 6?
- Thread starter gregpod9
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Love mine. I also have an M1 12.9 and I barely ever use it. If they came out with a ‘Pro’ version, with 120hz and Face ID, it would be an instant buy for me.
Yep! Using it right now! Best consumption device ever! Hardly ever use my 12.9 anymore. So much easier to hold and I take it everywhere. Smaller than a bulky iPad but larger than an iPhone so just hits the right spot for me. Can’t wait to see what the next iteration of this little guy brings and it would be an instant buy for me. Especially if it has Face ID, smaller bezels, and lastly promotion.
Seldom use my Mini 6. At home I much prefer the 11" iPad Pro. When I go out I usually make do with iPhone 11 Pro Max.
I really enjoy the size of the iPad mini. It felt much more functional for grab and go reading on the couch or before bed. Nonetheless I couldn't help but feel it was a compromised product in order to keep the price low. The screen definitely wobbled when scrolling (refreshed faster on one side in portrait), and blacks looked dark gray. Next to my iPad Pro, I couldn't justify keeping it.
I am still enjoying it very much. I use it almost every day, mainly for reading downloaded books from Apple Books and the usual internet browsing; a little dabbling in drawing with the Pencil, though certainly a larger iPad would be better suited for that ( there is likely an iPad Pro in my future ). The Mini is a perfect size for my uses and very portable. I'd recommend it to anyone.
I would recommend it to anyone as well. Even those who already have an iPad. It’s just so portable!
The only reason to upgrade to newer Mini would be more memory, this is the only limitation, 8GB would be perfect for this lovely machine.
Yeah, I’d love to see 8GB RAM on the next Mini. 4GB just reloads a lot. More app crashes, too.
I think like a lot of people I have one as a companion to the 12.9, for when I don't want to lug the beast around. It's good for that - if you can swing it financially having a spare iPad is always nice.
Love the iPad mini form factor -- not the Mini 6 specifically though.
Played with another one the other day at Apple store...just can't do the jelly
(I use portrait a lot)
Played with another one the other day at Apple store...just can't do the jelly
(I use portrait a lot)
I still love my iPad mini and I use it on a daily basis. Despite the negative perception of "jelly" - I hardly realize it happening. I do a lot of reading and scrolling in portrait mode, "jelly" is just not there for me. I guess I am not conditioning myself to see it happening.
I've had my iPad Mini for about 2 weeks and thought I'd add my comments. I eventually bit the bullet to see if it'd replace my Kindle (which I love) as well as be good enough as a general purpose device to replace my MBA while out on the road. So far it's served its purpose well and I have no regrets, although it's not perfect either:
It's not a perfect Kindle replacement. It's soooo close, but it's a bit bigger/heavier (although still light enough to be used one-handed) and in brighter outdoor light the screen on the Kindle is of course miles better. I read a lot in bed before going to sleep and there's something 'book-like' about reading from a Kindle using the light from a lamp on a nightstand. Reading at night with the Mini is fine and I don't feel any eye strain, but there's also no escaping that I'm reading from an iPad. It's difficult to articulate the distinction, but I think those that love their e-reader will know what I mean.
The screen is beautiful and it's an exceptional content consumption device, but I unfortunately notice the jelly scrolling. It doesn't bug me much, however I constantly find myself wondering why Apple made the decision to have it show in the portrait orientation when that's how I imagine most people would do their scrolling. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but I do notice it.
I have a bluetooth keyboard, but I still miss having my MBA when writing a lot of text, especially when it comes to editing. I'm just not as good at selecting and moving things around with my finger than I am with a trackpad and pointer. Perhaps I'll get better with time. There are also some things that I must forgo on the road by leaving my MBA at home, but that all falls under the iPad vs. laptop umbrella and isn't specific to the Mini.
Overall though it's been a great device - especially for the money. When I'm at home I still reach for my MBA (I'm typing this on it now) for just about everything, but the above stuff is admittedly pretty minor and the convenience of dropping the Mini into my travel bag in lieu of both my Kindle and MBA is worth the tradeoff while on the road. I've also found new enjoyment in reading content like the New York Times, which is merely adequate on my MBA and essentially impossible on the Kindle.
It's not a perfect Kindle replacement. It's soooo close, but it's a bit bigger/heavier (although still light enough to be used one-handed) and in brighter outdoor light the screen on the Kindle is of course miles better. I read a lot in bed before going to sleep and there's something 'book-like' about reading from a Kindle using the light from a lamp on a nightstand. Reading at night with the Mini is fine and I don't feel any eye strain, but there's also no escaping that I'm reading from an iPad. It's difficult to articulate the distinction, but I think those that love their e-reader will know what I mean.
The screen is beautiful and it's an exceptional content consumption device, but I unfortunately notice the jelly scrolling. It doesn't bug me much, however I constantly find myself wondering why Apple made the decision to have it show in the portrait orientation when that's how I imagine most people would do their scrolling. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but I do notice it.
I have a bluetooth keyboard, but I still miss having my MBA when writing a lot of text, especially when it comes to editing. I'm just not as good at selecting and moving things around with my finger than I am with a trackpad and pointer. Perhaps I'll get better with time. There are also some things that I must forgo on the road by leaving my MBA at home, but that all falls under the iPad vs. laptop umbrella and isn't specific to the Mini.
Overall though it's been a great device - especially for the money. When I'm at home I still reach for my MBA (I'm typing this on it now) for just about everything, but the above stuff is admittedly pretty minor and the convenience of dropping the Mini into my travel bag in lieu of both my Kindle and MBA is worth the tradeoff while on the road. I've also found new enjoyment in reading content like the New York Times, which is merely adequate on my MBA and essentially impossible on the Kindle.
Still loving it. It .is so lightweight. I use it for reading my e-books rather than using the Kindle, and for all other kinds of normal web activity when I am away from home and the iMac.
I’ve had the cellular mini 6 since release last year and it’s easily the best iPad I’ve ever had and I’ve had quite a few over the years. In fact I’d go as far to say it’s one of the best Apple devices I’ve ever owned. So much so that this year is the first for a long time that I haven’t got the annual iPhone upgrade as I use the iPad mini for almost anything. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough as a do (almost) anything device.
I’m seeing a lot of you guys in the same spot I’m in. Used my M1 12.9 for everything iPad. Then here comes mini 6. It’s perfect for reading books & web browsing in portrait which I LOVE!! I’ve actually verbally apologized to the 12.9 for neglecting it lol.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If you mean does it come with the Apple iPhone app or can you get that app, then no.
However, just like there are alternatives to pretty much ALL of the stock apps from Apple on iDevices, there are plenty of telephony + texting app alternatives too. Open the App Store and type in a search for VOIP.
Some I've used/like: Talkatone, Comcast Voice and Google Voice... but there are plenty beyond those.
Telephony is not that complicated so there are plenty of apps that can handle voice calls in and out + texting in and out. My iPad Mini 6 "rings" when someone calls me and those on the other end of the call can't tell that I'm NOT using a cell phone. When texting with Apple people, I can use Messages and when texting with non-Apple people, I text from within the VOIP app.
My favored VOIP app last few years is Google Voice. And a bonus to using that one is that with a device called Obihai, I can connect the home phone lines to the same number. So when at home, both my iPad and my house phones ring when someone calls. And when calling out, I can use either iPad (buds + mic) or the house phones to make calls. Cost of all of that mobile and home phone/fax service through GV? $0. GV via Obhai connection even works with the home alarm system.
For cell service, Mini 6 has the amazing $10 for 5GB or 5 months prepaid offering from Tmobile available. So basically, I have continuous 5G ultra cellular service including tethering for $25 PER YEAR. If I managed to burn through 5GB in less than 5 months I can simply renew the service sooner than 5 months. But that hasn't happened in 3 rounds yet, partially because I mostly live & work within free wifi zones and don't really use that much cellular anyway.
What are the bigger downsides? For me, the ONLY one is that Mini doesn't fit in a pocket (except suit jacket pocket), so it occupies a hand or I tuck it under an arm. All these "I don't see the point" stances of foldable iDevices fall on deaf ears here. If Mini could fold/roll, it becomes pocketable iPad. That would be great!
For others, certain Apple technologies pretty much require an iPhone plus much more expensive iPhone cell service: Watch & CarPlay (I prefer traditional watches and my car comes with a a pretty great CarPlay-like featureset to which my iPad mini will connect and I can do various things that are CarPlay-like with the stock system, such as make/take cell calls, play music on iPad, etc). 911 service is available (e911) but not as straightforward in terms of exact location (but most people never actually use 911 service in their entire lives, or are able to communicate with the dispatcher to convey exactly where they are, or others involved in the incident are also using 911, etc). Cameras are better on better iPhones but Mini 6 will shoot 4K too. No faceID but touchID in the power button is a terrific quick login option for me.
On the other hand, camera is almost flush (minimal bump), no notch/dynamic island because front facing camera fits (disappears) in bezel, cell service is relatively dirt cheap, the obihai option for those that want their home phones working on the same GV line (free home phone long distance & local-alarm monitoring line-fax line-etc), iPad seems to not get "long in tooth" as fast as more expensive iPhones so I expect to be using this 6 through 3-4 more generations of annual iPhone upgrade mania while still having access to every app-security upgrades-lastest iOS updates-etc. Not dropping $1000+ every year or two is a big savings vs. buying new Mini generations every 3-5 years. I used Mini 2 this way for over 6 years (or 6 generations of iPhone or about $6,000). I use eSIM but there is also a SIM slot available. Mini 6 is already USB-C. IMO, every single app we use is generally a better experience on more screen RE and Mini offers a LOT more screen RE than even the pro max ultra super duper mach 7.
To anyone intrigued but carrying doubts, it's easy enough to try this approach. Download a VOIP app to iPhone (or existing iPad) and basically "fake" it for a while. Many VOIP apps like Talkatone and GV will give you a free number. So try some VOIP for free and enlist a friend to let you call and take a call from them, text and receive some texts from them so you can experience this first hand. If you like, for the texting tests, you can text your existing phone number so you can play BOTH roles to see how it works. If you use an iPad that is wifi only, just do your experimenting while in wifi because a cellular-connected iPad will work the same when out & about.
If you find it good enough, you have a new option for your next "phone" or a backup option. If not, it didn't cost you anything to test this concept in a pretty complete way. Many people seem locked in on iPhone being the absolute core product everyone must have. However, if what makes it core is basically the phone app functionality, an iPod touch, iPad, MB or Desktop Mac can easily handle voice calls and texting too. Long before there was an iPhone, I would sometimes use Skype or similar to make/take calls with regular phones on my Laptops or Desktop. This ability for other tech to stand in for a hand-held piece of pocketable tech has been around since at least the mid 1990s. There's plenty of great apps for that.
Is this for everyone? Of course not- nothing is for everyone. But it will work fine for some. For me, I don't feel like I'm missing a thing... especially when considered against the overall economics of the very popular alternative.
Last edited: