iPad mini iPad Mini 6 vs iPhone 14 Pro Max

[d3vp0ll]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about upgrading from my iPhone 11 to an iPhone 14 promax and comparing it to the iPad mini six. I understand all of the spec differences, but I am particularly interested to know if there are any other folks out there who are making the same decision as I am right now. I work from home, and I hardly ever take my phone with me as I have an LTE series, Apple Watch, but I am wondering if anyone has decided to choose one over the other.

I am especially interested in the much larger screen real estate that the iPad mini gives you, particularly for Apple fitness workouts and video content. Has anyone else considered one or the other?

Edit - if I choose the iPad Mini route, I’d still keep my iPhone 11 out of necessity, but I wouldn’t use it - it would just be a device I charge and keep on WiFi at home so it syncs and forwards all notifications to my watch).

 

[sparksd]

I have both (and an M1 12.9). The screen size is significantly different to me, making the cellular Mini easier and better to use for most tasks. It’s a big difference for viewing video content and while I don’t use Apple fitness workouts, I do use the Mini 6 on a spinner bike for workouts.

 

[nStyle]

If it’s used mostly at home where portability doesn‘t matter then I don’t see why the Mini 6 isn’t the obvious choice in your situation.

 

[rui no onna]

If you ditch your iPhone, you won’t have the same cellphone number on the Apple Watch and the iPad mini. You would need to use a separate VoIP service on the iPad mini (e.g. Google Voice, etc).

 

[hoo-man-b-ing]

Also, I believe Apple Watches still require iPhones for setup. While you might be fine for your existing watch, I’m not sure what would happen with your next one if that requirement still exists.

The Health app and its data are also only available on the iPhone, if that matters to you.

I looked into doing this a while back and I found too many edge cases and trade offs to fully ditch my iPhone (especially in regard to the camera and cellular service/performance).

 

[d3vp0ll]

If you ditch your iPhone, you won’t have the same cellphone number on the Apple Watch and the iPad mini. You would need to use a separate VoIP service on the iPad mini (e.g. Google Voice, etc).

I’m not looking to dump my iPhone 11, just keep it as a necessary but rather inactive device (it would just be there for syncing my watch, forwarding notifications to my watch, etc.).

But rather than having one device and spending $400 ($800 in bill credits as trade in for my phone) just buy an iPad Mini 6 and use that as my primary mobile device.

 

[rui no onna]

Pocketability is an issue with the iPad mini.

Mind, I’ve been using iPads 90% of the time (personal stuff) for the past few years and almost never use my phone.

 

[BigMcGuire]

If you're into reading, I can tell you this.... I could read on my iPad Pro 11 for 6 hours non stop (breaks, restroom etc) but I do not enjoy reading more than an hour on my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have tried to go iPad-less now for quite a few months and my reading has significantly suffered.

I also stopped doing Apple Fitness completely because it just doesn't work on a tiny iPhone. I used to put my iPad on top of my car with a stand and jam out with AirPods in the garage. Haven't done a single day of Apple Fitness+ since I got rid of my iPad.

As someone who has tried to reduce my devices, I can tell you that no one device fits all.


I found call forwarding to iPads to be pretty annoying because it would forward spam calls despite me having sent unknown callers to voicemail. So I turned that feature off back when I had my iPad. Since I get a fair # of important calls, this would prohibit me from relying completely on my iPad/Watch.

But I've used an iPad Pro 11 as my primary device for the last 3 years up till earlier this year.

I dislike how if I have an iPad, my iPhone and a lot of my MBP usage goes to almost 0. Which is why I'm just Watch, iPhone, and MacBook right now.

 

[d3vp0ll]

If you're into reading, I can tell you this.... I could read on my iPad Pro 11 for 6 hours non stop (breaks, restroom etc) but I do not enjoy reading more than an hour on my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have tried to go iPad-less now for quite a few months and my reading has significantly suffered.

I also stopped doing Apple Fitness completely because it just doesn't work on a tiny iPhone. I used to put my iPad on top of my car with a stand and jam out with AirPods in the garage. Haven't done a single day of Apple Fitness+ since I got rid of my iPad.

As someone who has tried to reduce my devices, I can tell you that no one device fits all.


I found call forwarding to iPads to be pretty annoying because it would forward spam calls despite me having sent unknown callers to voicemail. So I turned that feature off back when I had my iPad. Since I get a fair # of important calls, this would prohibit me from relying completely on my iPad/Watch.

But I've used an iPad Pro 11 as my primary device for the last 3 years up till earlier this year.

I dislike how if I have an iPad, my iPhone and a lot of my MBP usage goes to almost 0. Which is why I'm just Watch, iPhone, and MacBook right now.

Great points. I might plan to buy a used Apple TV HD for my basement for like $60USD to alleviate my apple fitness+ issue, the experience is great on my living room TV but I don’t dare do more than a quick yoga routine or meditation as I don’t want to sweat in my living room. I absolutely hate watching workout videos on my iPhone 11, it’s so bad. I would think an iPhone 14 Pro Max would be better but far from ideal.

As far as reading, agreed on all fronts. I don’t read much as I don’t have a tablet to work off of, so I relegate my reading to my phone which isn’t a great experience but I manage.

Great points to consider, thanks…

 

[BigMcGuire]

Great points. I might plan to buy a used Apple TV HD for my basement for like $60USD to alleviate my apple fitness+ issue, the experience is great on my living room TV but I don’t dare do more than a quick yoga routine or meditation as I don’t want to sweat in my living room. I absolutely hate watching workout videos on my iPhone 11, it’s so bad. I would think an iPhone 14 Pro Max would be better but far from ideal.

As far as reading, agreed on all fronts. I don’t read much as I don’t have a tablet to work off of, so I relegate my reading to my phone which isn’t a great experience but I manage.

Great points to consider, thanks…

Yeah, I have a hard time paying $1000 for an iPad after spending what I do on my MBP and my iPhone.

My Apple TV is on the 2nd floor of a complex so that's why I have to do Apple Fitness in the garage (1st floor). lol. My neighbor under us would go nuts if I used my Apple TV. Which - FYI works REALLY well otherwise. .

I've been making due with my iPhone too. It's something if you work at you get used to it - slowly. lol.

A lot of people I know are ditching their iPads for MBPs - they can't afford both - especially with the cost of the iPhone these days. And yeah, most people I know are going for the Pro Maxes and using that as their primary device.

You can always airplay Apple Fitness+ to a MBP from your phone lol. But if you can do Apple TV for that, it's so much better. HIIT workouts are AMAZING.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, I have a hard time paying $1000 for an iPad after spending what I do on my MBP and my iPhone.

A lot of people I know are ditching their iPads for MBPs - they can't afford both - especially with the cost of the iPhone these days. And yeah, most people I know are going for the Pro Maxes and using that as their primary device.

For me, the iPad is my most used device so I’d gladly spend less on iPhones. I do still need a phone and a PC of some sort at home but I can just buy cheaper models of those or upgrade less frequently. Currently rocking the iPhone SE3 which I got from Walmart discounted.

I do admit to eyeing some gaming laptops recently (Lenovo Legion).

 

[alien3dx]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about upgrading from my iPhone 11 to an iPhone 14 promax and comparing it to the iPad mini six. I understand all of the spec differences, but I am particularly interested to know if there are any other folks out there who are making the same decision as I am right now. I work from home, and I hardly ever take my phone with me as I have an LTE series, Apple Watch, but I am wondering if anyone has decided to choose one over the other.

I am especially interested in the much larger screen real estate that the iPad mini gives you, particularly for Apple fitness workouts and video content. Has anyone else considered one or the other?

Edit - if I choose the iPad Mini route, I’d still keep my iPhone 11 out of necessity, but I wouldn’t use it - it would just be a device I charge and keep on WiFi at home so it syncs and forwards all notifications to my watch).

we iphone xr and ipad mini 6th gen. 6th gen got bit weird on website view sometimes and mini 5th don't have this issue.But i still use mini 6. i rarely use iphone because i hate charging. i more focus phone on call and whatsapp.

If in the future , iphone use usb c , then it will worth. Now not even worth at all to upgrade.

 

[akash.nu]

In the sense of the basic OS though, the experience between an iPad and iPhone ain’t the same. The apps aren’t designed the same way either. I don’t think they replace each other. In terms of the overall experience, choose which one you’d prefer. They both can pretty much do the same thing except for the cellular calling part.

 

[Tsepz]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about upgrading from my iPhone 11 to an iPhone 14 promax and comparing it to the iPad mini six. I understand all of the spec differences, but I am particularly interested to know if there are any other folks out there who are making the same decision as I am right now. I work from home, and I hardly ever take my phone with me as I have an LTE series, Apple Watch, but I am wondering if anyone has decided to choose one over the other.

I am especially interested in the much larger screen real estate that the iPad mini gives you, particularly for Apple fitness workouts and video content. Has anyone else considered one or the other?

Edit - if I choose the iPad Mini route, I’d still keep my iPhone 11 out of necessity, but I wouldn’t use it - it would just be a device I charge and keep on WiFi at home so it syncs and forwards all notifications to my watch).

Keep the iPhone 11 and get the iPad Mini.
It sounds like you need more of a tablet if you want to consume a lot of video content.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If you ditch your iPhone, you won’t have the same cellphone number on the Apple Watch and the iPad mini. You would need to use a separate VoIP service on the iPad mini (e.g. Google Voice, etc).

GV will allow call and text forwarding to other numbers. While OP later says they are not getting rid of their phone, anyone else interested could use 2 numbers as if they are one with forwarding. I actually have this setup right now with 2 numbers forwarding to one.

When someone texts or calls either number, it comes to the main number I tend to use most of the time.

When I chose to go this way, I ported my primary number to GV and already had a dedicated GV number. The latter is set up to forward to the former. To trustworthy contacts, I may share my primary number. To less trustworthy or text SPAM potentials, I might share the secondary number. From my perspective, it's very much like I'm using ONE number... just like anyone accustomed to using one number with an iPhone.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

For me, the iPad is my most used device so I’d gladly spend less on iPhones. I do still need a phone and a PC of some sort at home but I can just buy cheaper models of those or upgrade less frequently. Currently rocking the iPhone SE3 which I got from Walmart discounted.

If the need is only "at home" look into the obihai device... which facilitates a way to make your GV number feed wireless phones at home like you have traditional landline service. Think of this much like Vonage or similar, minus any fee after you pay for the obihai device (and assuming you live and call in North America). If you are outside of North America or have many calls outside of North America, there are some modest fees to use GV for such calls.

I've used obihai this way for years. It works really well. It doubles as my alarm system landline need and the increasingly rare but occasional need to send/receive faxes too.

Basically, when my primary GV number is called, my iPad Mini 6 "rings" and my wireless phones at home ring too. I can answer any of them and use them just like anyone uses any other phone. Nobody on the other end can tell I'm not using a cell phone at home. Calling out works much like making a call on a cell phone (or, in my case, the Mini 6) but even more like traditional landline service: just pick up any of the phones at home, hear the dial tone, dial.

 

[rui no onna]

If the need is only "at home" look into the obihai device... which facilitates a way to make your GV number feed wireless phones at home like you have traditional landline service. Think of this much like Vonage or similar, minus any fee after you pay for the obihai device (and assuming you live and call in North America). If you are outside of North America or have many calls outside of North America, there are some modest fees to use GV for such calls.

I've used obihai this way for years. It works really well. It doubles as my alarm system landline need and the increasingly rare but occasional need to send/receive faxes too.

Basically, when my primary GV number is called, my iPad Mini 6 "rings" and my wireless phones at home ring too. I can answer any of them and use them just like anyone uses any other phone. Nobody on the other end can tell I'm not using a cell phone at home. Calling out works much like making a call on a cell phone (or, in my case, the Mini 6) but even more like traditional landline service: just pick up any of the phones at home, hear the dial tone, dial.

At home was in reference to PC. I’m quite familiar with Obihai since I’m an early adopter (I think they’ve dropped support for my unit already). Never really liked it due to poor call quality at the time.

The cellphone I still use outside since it’s my point and shoot camera among other things. Besides, the iPad mini is too bulky to be lugging around a theme park. Beside, I’m not comfortable with 911 support on GV.

For someone who uses an Apple Watch (even LTE), an iPhone of some sort is still required.

 

[spiderman0616]

I use both 14 Pro Max and a mini 6. They’re very different devices in my mind and each have their ideal use cases. I think the mini 6 might actually be my favorite iPad of all time due to the all screen design and it finally makes the mini a practical device for me.

 

[M5RahuL]

Sold my 11" M1 iPP and been using my 13 Pro Max as my media ( reading, listening, watching ) device ( usually in bed ) for almost 10 months now.

Took a while to get used to the iPhone as an iPad replacement, but now I'm totally fine without the iPad!

The iPhone + Apple watch and MBP combo work perfect for me!

 

[BigMcGuire]

Sold my 11" M1 iPP and been using my 13 Pro Max as my media ( reading, listening, watching ) device ( usually in bed ) for almost 10 months now.

Took a while to get used to the iPhone as an iPad replacement, but now I'm totally fine without the iPad!

The iPhone + Apple watch and MBP combo work perfect for me!

You are much stronger than me. I didn't quite make it 10 months. I sold my iPad in April and tried to do iPhone only but saw an iPad Pro 11 open box for $200 off at BestBuy yesterday and .... did it. lol.

I could do almost everything but read books. I usually read 30-50 books a year and just couldn't make it work on my iPhone. Outside of that, iPhone was usable and doable (videos, reading articles, etc).

 

[M5RahuL]

You are much stronger than me. I didn't quite make it 10 months. I sold my iPad in April and tried to do iPhone only but saw an iPad Pro 11 open box for $200 off at BestBuy yesterday and .... did it. lol.

I could do almost everything but read books. I usually read 30-50 books a year and just couldn't make it work on my iPhone. Outside of that, iPhone was usable and doable (videos, reading articles, etc).

I hear ya! I do miss the iPad sometimes, especially for split screening !!

I definitely don't read as much as you. More into music and videos, for which the iPhone and AirPod suffices..

Although, every time I walk past the Apple section at Costco, I get the itch lol.. but then realize that I recently spent upwards of $2k on this MBP and if I bought the iPad, the MBP would just sit idle.. making me guilty for wasting $$$!

 

[d3vp0ll]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about upgrading from my iPhone 11 to an iPhone 14 promax and comparing it to the iPad mini six. I understand all of the spec differences, but I am particularly interested to know if there are any other folks out there who are making the same decision as I am right now. I work from home, and I hardly ever take my phone with me as I have an LTE series, Apple Watch, but I am wondering if anyone has decided to choose one over the other.

I am especially interested in the much larger screen real estate that the iPad mini gives you, particularly for Apple fitness workouts and video content. Has anyone else considered one or the other?

Edit - if I choose the iPad Mini route, I’d still keep my iPhone 11 out of necessity, but I wouldn’t use it - it would just be a device I charge and keep on WiFi at home so it syncs and forwards all notifications to my watch).

Update: I opted for the Mini and thus far I’m quite happy with it. Cheers everyone.

 

[happy orchard]

Update: I opted for the Mini and thus far I’m quite happy with it. Cheers everyone.

So how’s it going now? Do you leave your 11 at home mostly? How’s carrying a mini in the real world? Instead of a phone?

 

[subjonas]

I use my iPad mini as a phone replacement, only at home though. I like to consume a lot when I’m at home, so that’s where I want a big screen mobile device (my phone is a small SE1). And with Continuity I can mostly leave the phone charging.

But there are some annoyances that require me to go grab my phone:
- apps/thing that are only on the phone (eg. voice messages, saved photos, a certain messaging app I use, Dropbox because of the device limit)
- apps/things that don’t sync between iPhone and iPad (eg. alarms, a certain checkbook app I use, notifications that don’t sync when cleared).

I really wish I could remotely use my iPhone from my iPad. But overall, the setup is still worth it.

 

[E pow]

I have a 14 Pro Max, iPad mini 6 (cellular service) and iPad Pro 12.9. I do not work from home anymore, so my 12.9 Pro is used as my main personal computer at home, similar to a laptop. My iPhone and Mini 6 go everywhere with me. I use my iPad Mini out in public the most. My life consist of sitting after work at kids games, or practices as I have 3 kids playing multiple sports. I LOVE having an iPad Mini and use it more than any of my other devices.