UPDATE 25/10/2012: EE has announced that the iPad Mini and iPad 4 will work on its 4G network in the UK
Apple yesterday announced its very much expected iPad Mini. So what's the score with this latest tablet? We take a closer look.
The iPad Mini has now finally been unveiled with pre-orders due to kick off on Friday 26 October ahead of its release on 2 November.
While rumours pointed to a 7.85" touchscreen, the real-life iPad Mini has a 7.9" display. Apple is keen to point out that the device is the same size as a Google Nexus 7 by Asus but it manages to pack in a bigger screen. The outer edges of the screen bezel have, in fact, been slimmed right down, and the Mini almost feels more like an outsized iPod Touch with its 16:10 aspect ratio (compared with 4:3 for the bigger iPads).
Screen definition is the same as the first two generations of iPad, at 1024 x 768 pixels. There's no sign of a pixel-packed Retina display here, then.
Seeing as this is an Apple product, design is an important factor for the iPad Mini. Aluminium is still on the agenda, and the rear casing is strongly reminiscent of the iPhone 5 in look and feel. The iPad Mini is a sleek 7.2 mm thick and weighs 302 grammes. The main connector follows in the footsteps of the firm's smartphone, as the standard 40-pin iPad connector has been ditched for a Lightning connector (similar in size to micro-USB but with eight pins, and it can be plugged in either way around).
The iPad Mini runs on the same processor as the iPad 2—a 1 GHz dual-core A5. However, it gets its photo/video camera from the iPad "3"—a 5-Megapixel snapper filming 1080p. The iPad Mini comes loaded with Apple's iOS 6 operating system and it's surprising to see that the Siri voice assistant function is available here even though it doesn't feature in the iPad 2. It therefore looks like Apple has purposely held Siri back from iPad 2 users rather than there being some kind of technical restriction.
Wireless connectivity is covered by Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi b/g/n dual band (2.5 and 5 GHz).
The iPad Mini will be available in black or white and prices start at £269 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi-only model. The tablet's direct competitors on Android are a little cheaper, however. The 16 GB Nexus 7 can be picked up for under £200, the 16 GB Amazon Kindle Fire HD starts at £170 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is around £200.
Here's the full round-up of Apple's current iPad models and prices:
As was the case with the iPad, the "Cellular" versions of the iPad Mini aren't compatible with 4G in Europe for the time being. However, 3G Dual Carrier networking speeds should still be pretty snappy.
> See All Our Tablet Reviews
Apple yesterday announced its very much expected iPad Mini. So what's the score with this latest tablet? We take a closer look.
Apple iPad Mini
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| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Amazon mark... | 244.89 |
| Wae+ | 261.53 |
| Amazon mark... | 265.00 |
| Amazon mark... | 298.47 |
| Ebay.co.uk | 324.99 |
| Ebay.co.uk | 424.97 |
| Compare prices |
|
The iPad Mini has now finally been unveiled with pre-orders due to kick off on Friday 26 October ahead of its release on 2 November.
While rumours pointed to a 7.85" touchscreen, the real-life iPad Mini has a 7.9" display. Apple is keen to point out that the device is the same size as a Google Nexus 7 by Asus but it manages to pack in a bigger screen. The outer edges of the screen bezel have, in fact, been slimmed right down, and the Mini almost feels more like an outsized iPod Touch with its 16:10 aspect ratio (compared with 4:3 for the bigger iPads).
Screen definition is the same as the first two generations of iPad, at 1024 x 768 pixels. There's no sign of a pixel-packed Retina display here, then.
Seeing as this is an Apple product, design is an important factor for the iPad Mini. Aluminium is still on the agenda, and the rear casing is strongly reminiscent of the iPhone 5 in look and feel. The iPad Mini is a sleek 7.2 mm thick and weighs 302 grammes. The main connector follows in the footsteps of the firm's smartphone, as the standard 40-pin iPad connector has been ditched for a Lightning connector (similar in size to micro-USB but with eight pins, and it can be plugged in either way around).
The iPad Mini runs on the same processor as the iPad 2—a 1 GHz dual-core A5. However, it gets its photo/video camera from the iPad "3"—a 5-Megapixel snapper filming 1080p. The iPad Mini comes loaded with Apple's iOS 6 operating system and it's surprising to see that the Siri voice assistant function is available here even though it doesn't feature in the iPad 2. It therefore looks like Apple has purposely held Siri back from iPad 2 users rather than there being some kind of technical restriction.
Wireless connectivity is covered by Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi b/g/n dual band (2.5 and 5 GHz).
The iPad Mini will be available in black or white and prices start at £269 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi-only model. The tablet's direct competitors on Android are a little cheaper, however. The 16 GB Nexus 7 can be picked up for under £200, the 16 GB Amazon Kindle Fire HD starts at £170 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is around £200.
Here's the full round-up of Apple's current iPad models and prices:
As was the case with the iPad, the "Cellular" versions of the iPad Mini aren't compatible with 4G in Europe for the time being. However, 3G Dual Carrier networking speeds should still be pretty snappy.
> See All Our Tablet Reviews
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