Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Now discontinued , the iPad mini 4 is a bang-up picayune tablet if a little long in the tooth . Now supervene upon by the iPad miniskirt with its A12 Bionic CPU , we ’d only recommend getting the iPad miniskirt 4 if you may find it very crummy and do n’t require a lot of processing power .
Best Prices Today: Apple iPad mini 4
Back in September 2015 , Apple unveiled the iPad mini 4 , which go bad on sale the very same day . Despite being squeezed in between the telling 12.9iniPad Pro , anew Apple TVand the shiny Rose GoldiPhone 6s and 6s Plus , the iPad mini 4 really represented a with child update for the little pad .
As of March 2019 the iPad miniskirt 4 is discontinued . It has been replaced by theiPad mini , an update rendering with much good glasses . Read our comparison of theiPad mini 4 and the iPad miniskirt 2019 here .
Read our original iPad mini 4 followup blow to discover out more , discover what ’s good and what ’s not so - dear , and decide whether this is the pad for you .
Price and availability
The 128 GB iPad miniskirt 4 with WiFi will set consumer back £ 419 , giving Apple ’s mini iPad a high unveiling point than before the late update ( it used to offer up a 32 GB iPad miniskirt 4 for £ 379 ) .
The WiFi + Cellular iPad mini 4 will set you back a little minute more at £ 549 , although we ’d argue that most masses do n’t necessitate cellular connectivity – and even if you do , a lot of the time it ’s easier to tether from an iPhone .
The iPad miniskirt 4 with 128 GB of depot is available to buy from theApple Storeright now .
While the 128 GB iPad mini 4 is the only mini tablet available from Apple , watch out for previous iPad mini 4s from the likes ofAmazon , Currys , Argos , John Lewis , andeBay .
If you desire to compared the iPad miniskirt 4 to the other iPad model on fling , take a look at ouriPad buying guide , then check out ourbest iPad dealsto try and find the best price right now .
iPad mini 4: Design and build
The iPad miniskirt 4 is essentially a little version of the iPad Air 2 , both inside and out . It ’s certainly a much grownup update than the update between the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 was ( Apple simply added the Touch ID fingermark sensor and a atomic number 79 vividness option but leave the design and specs the same ) , with a new , slight design and loads of home improvement .
First , let ’s take a look at design and build . It ’s a really , really good - look tablet , still available in Gold , Silver and Space Grey but with a thin human body and some new Smart Cover colour options that depend fantastical ( and you ’ll need to get a young Smart Cover even if you ’ve already got one for your one-time iPad mini , because the magnets seem to have been repositioned ) . Pair that with one of Apple ’s fresh Silicone Cases for the iPad miniskirt 4 for all - round protection .
We ’ve gone for a Gold model with a Midnight Blue Smart Cover and we think it look gorgeous , with its insurance premium aluminium finish and politic rounded edges , plus its now super - slim 6.1 mm . That ’s 18 % thin than its already thin predecessor .
It is also promiscuous , at just 299 g ( or 304 universal gravitational constant if you choose for the cellular model ) , so you ’ll be able to pop this iPad into a small travelling bag or even a heavy pocket and you ’ll hardly notice it ’s there .
So all together , those measurements are 203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1 millimeter , at 299 g. That ’s compared with the iPad Air 2 ’s 240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm at 437 g , so it ’s sure as shooting more portable than it ’s bounteous sib , though of class you ’ll get less CRT screen estate at 7.9 in diagonally compared with the Air 2 ’s 9.7 in .
Aside from that , there ’s nothing specially observably dissimilar in terms of conception between the iPad mini 4 and its predecessors . It has drop off its unspoken / lock rotation slider , just like the iPad Air 2 did , but you’re able to cursorily and well access those preferences within the Control Centre panel by swiping up from the bottom of the screen .
iPad mini 4: Hardware and performance
take a cheeseparing look at that 7.9 in display on the iPad miniskirt 4 , you ’ll encounter that it ’s the same closure as the iPad miniskirt 3 and 2 , as well as the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air , at 2048 x 1536 pixels . That equalise to a 326 pixels per inch pixel density , higher than the Air and Air 2 ’s 264ppi .
That ’s not to say that the iPad mini 4 has n’t had some silver screen improvements , though . The resolution may be the same , but there ’s a novel anti - reflective coating to help with usage alfresco in the Sunday , and comfortably still Apple has remove the gap between the cover glass and LCD ( all part of the slimming process ) to make the tab feel more solid and dramatically meliorate the contrast .
The outcome is a frizzy , clear screen that extend arresting colours that is idealistic for watching video recording or playing biz . Of course , the bigger sieve on the iPad Air 2 is even better for TV , and while both tab support the fresh Split Screen feature film in iOS 9 , there ’s no doubt that running two apps side - by - side is a better experience on the bigger concealment , but it ’s a sacrifice many will be felicitous to make in exchange for more portability and a bit of a preservation when it come to cash .
Inside the iPad mini 4 is the Apple - designed A8 poker chip compare with the A7 from the iPad miniskirt 3 and iPad mini 2 , which represents a big stop number hike ( although it ’s not quite as fast as the A8X you ’ll find in the iPad Air 2 ) . That ’s pair off with an M8 Colorado - processor that require on all of the sensors to allay pressure on the A8 , helping to keep things running more efficiently .
Our Geekbench 3 CPU test found that the iPad mini 4 managed 1719 in the single - core exam and 3101 in the multi - core trial . That ’s compare with the Air 2 ’s 1816 and 4523 respectively , which reveals that apps requiring more than one processor core should be much quicker in the Air , but any that only need a single core should bleed at almost the same speed .
It ’s telling stuff for an iPad of its sizing , and in realness you ’ll get that the iPad miniskirt 4 is a smooth , speedy machine , even when draw two apps at once with Apple ’s new multitasking tools .
Graphics power is good , too , although still not as good as the Air 2 . The mini 4 managed 37fps and 15fps in the T - Rex and Manhattan GFXBench tests respectively , compared with the 52fps and 25fps achieve by the Air 2 .
But it is much truehearted than the iPad mini 2 and iPad miniskirt 3 , which grade 22fps in T - Rex and 9fps in Manhattan .
You ’ll still find the Touch ID fingerprint sensing element beneath the Home button with the iPad mini 4 , but it has n’t been upgraded to the new , ace - fast generation boasted by the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus . Still , it ’s a keen lineament for added protection and convenience , plus Apple Pay .
The iPad mini 4 , as name , is now only uncommitted in 128 Gi , despite launching with 16 GB , 64 GB and 128 GB models , along with the option of WiFi - only or WiFi + Cellular if you want nomadic connectivity .
That WiFi is 802.11ac , which can theoretically run up to 866Mbps , and there ’s Bluetooth 4.2 .
When it hail to battery life , the iPad mini 4 achieved a account of 3975 in the GeekBench 3 bombardment test . you could await the tablet to last for around 6 hours of active use but if you only use it from clock time to metre that barrage fire life can stretch to days if not weeks .
The battery benchmark score for the iPad miniskirt 4 is actually lower than the iPad miniskirt 3 ’s score of 4098 and broken than the iPad mini 2 ’s 3990 , and in fact comes in as the iPad with the worst battery animation out of all of Apple ’s range , but not my a big margin .
iPad mini 4 review: Cameras
We ’re becoming more or less more habitual to the idea of take photos on a pad , particularly when it ’s an iPad mini , so we know that many people will be proud of to listen that the rear camera has been bumped up from 5Mp to 8Mp , which is n’t bad at all . It has quick motorcar - focus and good face detection , too .
The photos below have been resized to 800×600 pixels , down from 3264×2448 ( come home for full - reticuloendothelial system paradigm )
You ’ll also get Burst mode and Slo - Mo video ( 120fps at 720p ) thanks to the A8 buffalo chip . Panoramas can be enamour at up to 43Mp and look tremendous .
Video is 1080p at 30fps , and is great quality with exact colouring material and sharp details , up until you start trying to inject in low light , and the same go for still photos , but for a tablet you ’re face at a just camera that ’ll outshine many rivals .
On the front , you ’ll bump a 1.2Mp tv camera , which is not so cracking compared to the 5Mp front facing television camera of the iPad Pro 9.7 , but it is the same as the one found in the iPad Air 2 .
iPad mini 4: Software
As can be require , the iPad mini 4 run iOS 10 , and will be upgradable to iOS 11 with no issues . We wo n’t go into detail here about the software because we could tattle about it for days , but you’re able to chance out everything you take to get it on about iOS 10 and Io 11 by following the connection below .
