9 Reviews
T3
100
The design - thinner than before, and much nicer to hold - is brilliant for having a really portable tablet, and having the same screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 is impressive given the more compact dimensions.
The screen quality is very much welcome too - being able to use this fully in almost direct light again adds to the portability.
Apple has done its usual trick of lowering the specs where it can - the older chip is annoying - and should have launched the iPad mini 4 a year ago as the mini 3. But that doesn’t stop it being great to use, and for the price it’s a nice entry point into the iPad world.
- Great screen
- Compact dimensions
- Thinner chassis
- Old chipset
- Camera unimpressive
Stuff
100
The iPad mini 4 is the tablet the mini 3 should have been – and also the best small tablet on the market
- Subtle display tweaks make it easier on the eyes
- Super portable form factor
- Longevity in battery life
- FaceTime camera is still a measly 1.2MP
- No 3D Touch
TechRadar
90
Despite being an older tablet, there’s still a lot of desire for something this small. Yes, Apple has started making phones that are pretty much this size, but the Mini 4 comes with a lot of storage and a much cheaper price tag.
- Brilliant screen
- Sleek design
- Great app library
- Older processor
- No 3D touch
Engadget
88
Some might gripe about the Mini 4’s year-old internals, but after my week of testing, I feel confident saying that it doesn’t matter much. The tablet’s entire package, from the still-snappy A8 chipset to the beautiful and almost-pocketable screen, to the incredibly sleek chassis, makes it worthy of your consideration. If you’re on the lookout for a super-portable tablet with strong fundamentals and great app support, you probably won’t find a contender better than this one. That said, if you can fit a bigger tablet into your life, you could easily upgrade into an iPad Air 2 for not much more money and get even more processing power.
- Vibrant screen
- iOS 9 is great for multitasking
- Solid performance
- Respectable battery life
- Rotation lock switch is gone
- Still less powerful than the iPad Air 2
- Base model only has 16GB of storage
Phone Arena
80
Anyone looking for a compact sized tablet will be delighted by what the iPad mini 4 brings to the table. It’s premium in its construction, nearly flawless with its processing performance, and all the new goodies included with iOS 9 undeniably elevates it to a higher level that we haven’t seen before in the series – one that finally gives us true multi-tasking, as opposed to the apps switching experience we’ve been accustomed to having. Everything about the iPad mini 4 points to a solid recommendation.
Thinner & lighter design
- Improved battery life
- Brighter & more color accurate Retina Display
- iOS 9 brings real multi-tasking
- Smooth overall responsiveness
- Still light with the camera shooting modes and controls
- No 4K video capture or slo-mo at 1080p
- Pricey cost
PCWorld
80
Don’t for a second think this is a discounted version of Apple’s famed iPad.
This tablet is thinner and lighter than the model that precedes it, and yet it is faster and more powerful. Tweaks to the display make it better at viewing content, and although the battery has gone on a substantial diet, Apple claims it’ll last just as long.
- Excellent build quality
- Fast computing hardware
- Anti-reflective screen
- Improved cameras
- Touch ID biometric finger scanner
- Expensive
- Battery drains quick under heavy use
PCMag
80
The Apple iPad mini 4 is a top-notch small-screen tablet with unparalleled build quality and app support, but it’s still hard to justify the jump in price over the iPad mini 2.
- Excellent build quality
- Upgraded hardware from last iteration
- Good camera
- Reduced screen glare
- Unbeatable app experience
- Expensive
- Occasional minor performance issues in testing
CNET
78
Unless you’re absolutely in love with the iPad Mini 4’s smaller size, opt for the faster, larger, identically priced, and still pretty portable iPad Air 2.
- Compact size
- Vivid display
- Works with split-screen apps in iOS 9
- Perfect hand feel for vacations
- Price is high for an 8-inch tablet
- Slower graphics mean some apps and games don’t feel as zippy
- Small screen makes for cramped typing and multitasking
Digital Trends
70
The iPad Mini 4 may be the best 8-inch tablet, but its older processor, cheaper competitors, and Apple’s own superior iPads make it difficult to recommend with enthusiasm.
Before you buy, you should carefully consider whether it’s really worth much more than cheaper Android alternatives, and whether another iPad would suit you better.
- Small and compact
- Strong and attractive all-metal design
- iOS 9’s multi-tasking is useful
- Faster A8 processor
- It’s pricier than Android alternatives
- iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro offer more