iPad Air and iPad mini 2019 review: Apple’s tablets strike an ideal balance

These are clearly more appealing to most people than Apple's 2018 iPad or iPad Pro.

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[Prestige]

The benchmarks are great but one major iPad model is missing : the 2017 10.5" Pro that the new Air is mostly based upon.

I wouldn't normally include a product in the benchmarks that is both no longer part of the current lineup, nor a device a reader is likely to be considering upgrading from. But the refurb store/aftermarket is kind of an edge case.

I'll share them with you here though... here are all the benchmark slides with the 2017 iPad Pro included. That said, just note that these results are from our benchmark database and were done in iOS 10.13.2, not iOS 12.2, which could have an impact. (I don't have a 2017 iPad Pro to test presently, I'm sorry.)

Geekbench single-core: https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... ingle.jpeg
Geekbench multi-core: https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... multi.jpeg
Geekbench Compute: https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... mpute.jpeg
GFXBench Metal: https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... Metal.jpeg
Browser (Octane): https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... ctane.jpeg
Browser (Kraken): https://meincmagazine.com/wp-content/uplo ... raken.jpeg

Thanks Samuel, that's very interesting data. Thanks for providing the updated graphs.

With the caveat that the 2017 Pro was tested on a different version of iOS, the new Air beats the Pro 10.5 by a healthy margin in most tests, losingout only in OpenCL, and the memory tests (likely due to the Pro's extra RAM, but it's close)

I guess it shows that the gains in processor more than offset the small reduction in RAM, and the new Air is likely the better machine for most people. Unless you really want the 120Hz display and 4 speakers.

Well, the 2017 beats the new Air in GPU related tests while the Air beats the old Pro in CPU related benchmarks.

 

[davesan]

I do not get it - too many iPads (and iPhones)

 

[salamanderjuice]

Whether people "like" Chevrolet or Ferrari is irrelevant, the facts are that Chevies sell more than Ferraris because they do what people need more than a Ferrari and a price they are willing to pay. Now I am not saying an Android tablet is more practical than an iPad, but for what the majority of people want a tablet for, the Android tablet is a cheaper option that with headphone jacks and micro-sd slots has more flexibility than the Ipad

Only the pro option doesn't have headphone jacks. The rest do. And Apple has a tablet for 329USD. Functional android tablets are actually more expensive from a quick search.

This narrative is mentioned all the time. I cannot recommend android tablets because they simply do not work as well as an iPad and the iPad is cheaper in total cost of ownership and upfront costs now.

Simple google search:

Ipad mini 256GB $549
Samsung tab s2 + 400GB $419. Which is only $20 more than the Ipad mini 64GB (you could probably get a good 256GB + the tab s2 for less than the new Ipad mini).

No matter how you cut & dice it, an Android tablet (and the Samsung is one of the more expensive ones) is significantly cheaper than the Ipad in upfront costs. Whether an Android tablet or an Ipad works best for you really depends on what you use it for. If like most people it is media consumption, web browsing, emails, ebooks then the Android is more than adequate.

If you use it for business and your business server only allows access using the Ipad not an Android tablet then the Ipad is the only choice - that was not the market I was suggesting most people who buy tablets are interested in

No pen support. Stylus input changes how you use the device and how you can use the device. It offers far more flexibility than what an SD slot provides. It's a game changer on tablet ownership. To get an Android tablet with pen support costs more than the iPad, plus you still have to deal with worse optimized tablet apps.

I've used Windows tablets, Android tablets, WebOS tablets. iOS still has the best tablet apps and the best pen support for the money. I don't need to carry around 200 hours of HD TV. A digital notebook, sketchbook, PDF markuper, with better eReading apps is well worth the small premium compared to other tablets.

 

[uhuznaa]

Whether people "like" Chevrolet or Ferrari is irrelevant, the facts are that Chevies sell more than Ferraris because they do what people need more than a Ferrari and a price they are willing to pay. Now I am not saying an Android tablet is more practical than an iPad, but for what the majority of people want a tablet for, the Android tablet is a cheaper option that with headphone jacks and micro-sd slots has more flexibility than the Ipad

Only the pro option doesn't have headphone jacks. The rest do. And Apple has a tablet for 329USD. Functional android tablets are actually more expensive from a quick search.

This narrative is mentioned all the time. I cannot recommend android tablets because they simply do not work as well as an iPad and the iPad is cheaper in total cost of ownership and upfront costs now.

Simple google search:

Ipad mini 256GB $549
Samsung tab s2 + 400GB $419. Which is only $20 more than the Ipad mini 64GB (you could probably get a good 256GB + the tab s2 for less than the new Ipad mini).

No matter how you cut & dice it, an Android tablet (and the Samsung is one of the more expensive ones) is significantly cheaper than the Ipad in upfront costs. Whether an Android tablet or an Ipad works best for you really depends on what you use it for. If like most people it is media consumption, web browsing, emails, ebooks then the Android is more than adequate.

If you use it for business and your business server only allows access using the Ipad not an Android tablet then the Ipad is the only choice - that was not the market I was suggesting most people who buy tablets are interested in

No pen support. Stylus input changes how you use the device and how you can use the device. It offers far more flexibility than what an SD slot provides. It's a game changer on tablet ownership. To get an Android tablet with pen support costs more than the iPad, plus you still have to deal with worse optimized tablet apps.

I've used Windows tablets, Android tablets, WebOS tablets. iOS still has the best tablet apps and the best pen support for the money. I don't need to carry around 200 hours of HD TV. A digital notebook, sketchbook, PDF markuper, with better eReading apps is well worth the small premium compared to other tablets.

I would fully agree, but for some people all they want to do is viewing video and for that they then buy dirt cheap tablets (like those from Amazon) and couldn't care less about pencil support, software updates, Android versions or apps. You get what you pay for, but if you don't want much at all paying less may be reasonable.

 

[spacekobra]

Whether people "like" Chevrolet or Ferrari is irrelevant, the facts are that Chevies sell more than Ferraris because they do what people need more than a Ferrari and a price they are willing to pay. Now I am not saying an Android tablet is more practical than an iPad, but for what the majority of people want a tablet for, the Android tablet is a cheaper option that with headphone jacks and micro-sd slots has more flexibility than the Ipad

Only the pro option doesn't have headphone jacks. The rest do. And Apple has a tablet for 329USD. Functional android tablets are actually more expensive from a quick search.

This narrative is mentioned all the time. I cannot recommend android tablets because they simply do not work as well as an iPad and the iPad is cheaper in total cost of ownership and upfront costs now.

Simple google search:

Ipad mini 256GB $549
Samsung tab s2 + 400GB $419. Which is only $20 more than the Ipad mini 64GB (you could probably get a good 256GB + the tab s2 for less than the new Ipad mini).

No matter how you cut & dice it, an Android tablet (and the Samsung is one of the more expensive ones) is significantly cheaper than the Ipad in upfront costs. Whether an Android tablet or an Ipad works best for you really depends on what you use it for. If like most people it is media consumption, web browsing, emails, ebooks then the Android is more than adequate.

If you use it for business and your business server only allows access using the Ipad not an Android tablet then the Ipad is the only choice - that was not the market I was suggesting most people who buy tablets are interested in

You had to stretch 4 years to find a cheaper tablet. Why?

If a 4 year old tablet is acceptable then there's 2-3 year old iPads with 128gb for 309. That's insanely better than the Samsung one. And 100$ cheaper. Less storage sure but reliability is much higher, as is UX.

Crappy android tablets was what made me try an iPad. Android is just not good on tablets. Which is unfortunate.

 

[whquaint]

I can live with 64 GB and the (vintage?) bezels do offer my clumsy meat claws some purchase, but the lack of stereo sound in landscape mode is absolutely disappointing for me. What year are they living in?

Can I assume that people who want landscape stereo loud speakers spend a lot of time alone? Or they do some kind of multi-person watching of content? In other words, in what use case are you listening to audio tracks out loud? Assuming most of us are non-D-bags, aren't we using headphones for 99% of audio time? At least I am.

 

[jaberg]

I can live with 64 GB and the (vintage?) bezels do offer my clumsy meat claws some purchase, but the lack of stereo sound in landscape mode is absolutely disappointing for me. What year are they living in?

Can I assume that people who want landscape stereo loud speakers spend a lot of time alone? Or they do some kind of multi-person watching of content? In other words, in what use case are you listening to audio tracks out loud? Assuming most of us are non-D-bags, aren't we using headphones for 99% of audio time? At least I am.

Sitting at my desk at home. Sitting at the breakfast bar. Plenty of use in landscape mode and not alone per say, when I’m not reaching for earphones. So far nobody here has called me a d-bag. (That being said, in most of these cases I don’t actually care if the sound is “stereo” or not.)

I will say that the stereo sound from my iPad Pro is “good enough” that I no longer throw a travel speaker into my luggage. The built in sound is more than adequate for listening to tunes in the room—at lease AFAIC.

 

[Boopy Boopy]

The Apple Pencil section was confusing. Several paragraphs pass but the text never states "the 2nd gen Apple pencil DOES NOT WORK WITH THIS"(?). Then there's a concluding sentence for the section that says "It's too bad it doesn't work." I re-read and skimmed it repeatedly. The section praises the 2nd gen Apple pencil, which is confusing when it's not clearly that it doesn't work with the products under review until the last couple lines.

Anyway, yes, the darn old Mini hardware design. The bezels are bad today, but what is worse that is the angled strip of cheap-looking shiny plastic that intervenes between the screen glass and the side/rear shell. It looks terrible and cheap, it has always looked terrible. I'm in disbelief about that part every time I look at my iPad Mini or the new iPad Minis at the store. That part is stunningly un-Apple-like. What I really want is new iPad Mini that has the same curved sides as the iPhone 6 - iPhone 8.

The "64 or 256" option is trolling. Clever, but trolling.

Might look cheap to you, but I don’t think that’s plastic. Polished aluminum I believe. Part of the rear housing too I think if we’re talking about the same thing.

It absolutely is polished aluminum, and saying that it's "un-Apple-like" reveals an ignorance of the history of Apple design. The chamfered edge of the iPhone 5/5S/SE is cited as one of the important elements of its critically-acclaimed design.

Do link me to a reputable design award that specifically cites or details the polished chamfered edge.

The new 2019 versions deleted the polished shine on the edge (I was mistaken about this in my earlier post because I had only seen photos and hadn’t seen it up close yet), rightfully, so it couldn’t have been too special.

The “ignorance of Apple history” comment is an insulting and drastic fundamental attribution error. I’m talking about my personal take on one single tiny element. And specifically the shiny polish by the way, not the edge itself. I’ve been buying Apple products for 15 years, used them at school for 30 years, and none of them had what looks like a strip of shiny tin foil wrapping an edge with non-shiny matte right next to it. The mirror-shiny part seems to exaggerate scuffs/dings on the edge, this is what made me incorrectly think it was plastic, in addition to the shine resembling fake plastic chrome on a toy. Anyway, it’s like shiny chrome rims on a car, it’s not automatically a good thing unless it works with what is right next to it, and it’s out of place with what I love and have come to expect with my iPods, iPhones, and MacBook Pros. In my opinion the polished shiny metal strip is also a terrible example of “OOOH, SHINY MEANS QUALITY, RIGHT?” superficiality which is a fail in this one case, like an obnoxious chrome or gold gun skin in Call of Duty. Meanwhile shininess is executed perfectly fine aesthetically in a different case, like the back of the great iPhone 4 in my opinion.

I think you’re not paying close enough attention if you’re not able to see and understand a person’s hot take on one single tiny design element, even if you disagree with the judgment.

“You’re ignorant of Apple design” is a religious-like statement that can be used with completely different meanings to dismiss any possible criticism. It can mean “that design element ISN’T out of place, you’re too ignorant to realize it” or also “that design element IS out of place, you’re too ignorant to know that Apple sometimes does an unexpected detail, out of place is good here.”

 

[jeffhot]

Nice distinction. Defensive but appropriately defensive of rational discourse and debate.
EDIT: quote failure on my part.