Apple iPad Mini 2

Apple iPad Mini 2 – Review

— August 5, 2014

It is common knowledge that the Apple Company hardly ever fails us with its devices. Thus, the Apple iPad mini, though still as expensive, is a device that is somewhat a scaled down version of the full size version of the device. The two versions are quite identical making it harder for the users to choose on grounds of design or bezel size but are able to choose mainly in terms of portability that fits their needs.

The Apple iPad mini 2 has a 7.9” LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen with 1536 x 2048 pixels and a pixel density of 324 ppi that is oleophobic (meaning it is water and oil resistant). The device runs on dual-core A7 64-bit 1.3 GHz Cyclone with ARM version 8 and M7 motion coprocessor. This is two steps ahead of its predecessor’s A5 making it faster and more receptive to most apps.

It also has an optional GPS with A-GPS support which is only available for the Wi-Fi+Cellular model. As for its connectivity, the Apple iPad Mini 2 has the 4.0 bluetooth version and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with MIMO dual antennas. On its hardware features, the device further has an optional 2G/3G GSM, CDMA, LTE connectivity which is however only available for data only, separate models.

Having a 0.33mm difference in thickness as from last year’s iPad mini, such contrast is not really felt as much as the weight difference. To accommodate its larger battery, the iPad mini weighs 331 grams and 341g for the Wi-Fi+Cellular option.

The iPad Mini 2 is easy to handle in both portrait and landscape positions. Running on iOS7 with gesture support and a premium set of free Apple apps – iLife, iMovie, iPhoto, amongst others, the iPad mini I less different from last year’s iPad mini. The Mini 2 has a strikingly sharp new screen and the new chipset is really fast hence improving significantly on apps response.

Also, the device has an extra mic fitted for further noise cancellation. Having 1GB of RAM, the device has an internal storage of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB. It also comes with a lightning USB port, an accelerometer, and compass and three-axis gyro sensors.

The Apple iPad Mini 2 also comes fitted with stereo speakers as well as a 5MP auto-focus camera which on video has 1080p at 30fps. It also has a 1.2MP 720p secondary camera that allows for FaceTime calls.

The device though is quite expensive for a compact tablet while for extra storage is way expensive. Further, it is fixed to iTunes for uploads and has no standard USB port as well as no GPS receiver in the Wi-Fi version.