Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Apple iPad Mini Review and Specification

New iPad Mini Review

Apple has finally made its move into the smaller tablet market with the iPad mini. The iPad mini has a 7.9-inch screen and many, but not all, of the features that the 9.7-inch iPad has. Read our iPad mini review to find out more.

Smaller than an iPad, but quite a bit bigger than an iPod touch, the Apple iPad mini is the long-awaited and much-rumoured in-betweener in the brave new world of tablets. Here's our full iPad mini review.

iPad Mini Screen

Although it's the same physical size as its seven-inch rivals, it packs a bigger 7.9in screen. You wouldn't think it, but this extra not-quite-an-inch gives the iPad mini around 35 percent more screen real-estate than a 7in tablet, and the difference is noticeable.

iPad Mini Build

What strikes you as you pick up the iPad mini is how light it is. It's less than half the weight of a third- or fourth-generation iPad, and 23 percent thinner. Despite this, build quality is spectacular and the mini feels as solid as a rock. The mini is also noticeably thinner and lighter than most of its 7in rivals, including the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD.

iPad Mini Cameras

Both cameras on the iPad mini are brilliant, the rear one especially so. It takes sharp photos in dingy conditions (the photo below was taken with just a table lamp lighting the room) and great-looking images with accurate colours in good light.

It's great for videos too (it has stabilisation as well), and you'll feel more at home using this smaller iPad rather than the big version for capturing what's going on. Plus, there's face recognition on both cameras for photos and videos.

iPad Mini Performance

Another similarity with the iPad 2 is the processor. The A5 chip is getting a bit old, but our benchmark results show it can still rub shoulders with the current crop of 7in tablets. Importantly - and this is something benchmarks often fail to reflect - the iPad mini feels snappy in use, whether loading apps, scrolling around maps or browsing the web.

iPad Mini Software

A slight surprise is the presence of Siri - Apple's voice assistant - as it was previously thought the processor was the reason for not including it on the iPad 2. The mini has most of the other headline iOS 6 features as well, including flyover maps and VIP mail, but doesn't get a panorama mode in the Camera app. You can, of course, download any number of apps which will automatically stitch photos together for you. Try Microsoft's Photosynth for great 360-degree vistas.

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