Thinking about going from the first iPad Mini to a Mini Retina, is it worth it?

[sanctified Veteran]

I mainly use it for reading and class keynotes for my students.

 

I should say that despite the low resolution of the original mini I've never had a problem reading on it for hours.

 

Is the display of the new mini really that better? Is the performance worth it if my original model, while not being blazing fast, it's not slow either?

[RadishTM Veteran]

Think you answered your own question mate :p

 

If you've already used a "Retina" device on a daily basis, then you know it's hard to go back to seeing pixels ;)

[Shiranui]

How about going to your local Apple store and fiddle with one for a few minutes? Just a thought.

[sanctified Veteran]

Think you answered your own question mate :p

 

If you've already used a "Retina" device on a daily basis, then you know it's hard to go back to seeing pixels ;)

 

I've never used a retina display. That's why I'm asking. As far as I know the original mini is not Retina, or is it? O _O

[sanctified Veteran]

How about going to your local Apple store and fiddle with one for a few minutes? Just a thought.

 

Here where I live. A small town in the north of Mexico, we dont have Apple stores. Is buying online or nothing :( That's why I need your help.

[RadishTM Veteran]

I've never used a retina display. That's why I'm asking. As far as I know the original mini is not Retina, or is it? O _O

 

Ah right. Didn't you have an iPhone 4 or above before? Can't remember. Nope, the original mini isn't Retina (though many were expecting it to be at the time of launch, due to the new iPad).

[+E.Worm Jimmy Subscriber¹]

the the display is much better,  but it is not worth upgrading if you already have the old one and evnjoy reading on it.

 

why waste money.  i used the original ipad mini, and if i had it, i would not upgrade until V3

[Shiranui]

Here where I live. A small town in the north of Mexico, we dont have Apple stores. Is buying online or nothing :( That's why I need your help.

 

My apologies.

 

How long have you had your mini?

The retina not only has a better display, it is also, apparently, considerably faster,

[Dinggus]

I've had my iPad Mini since the first day it was released, now that the Retina version is out, I'm still not tempted to buy it. The screen looks good. But, playing on my wife's iPad Air and knowing that the iPad Mini Retina has the same specs, that's the only reason I'd ever upgrade.

[Brian M. Veteran]

I bought a retina mini and love it.

Personally, I'd buy it from Apple, and have a play with it for a couple of days. If you don't think it's worth it, you can return it.

[Shadrack]

I mainly use it for reading and class keynotes for my students.

 

I should say that despite the low resolution of the original mini I've never had a problem reading on it for hours.

 

Is the display of the new mini really that better? Is the performance worth it if my original model, while not being blazing fast, it's not slow either?

 

I value a nice looking display these days more than anything.  Second to that is probably weight :p.  It sounds like you are like me; I use my iPad for document crunching primarily.  For document crunchers the niceties of the display can make all the difference.

 

It would be a significant upgrade from your current hardware (IMO).

 

My iPad 3's screen is retina and I love it.  It works well for my needs and I haven't been persuaded by anything to upgrade.  The next few iPad Mini iterations will probably have the same display.  Future upgrades will probably be focused on performance increases and features like TouchID (my guess).

 

Next year's models will almost always be better but keep in mind that your current iPad Mini will only become less resell-able over time (if that is something you are interested in).

[sanctified Veteran]

I value a nice looking display these days more than anything.  Second to that is probably weight :p.  It sounds like you are like me; I use my iPad for document crunching primarily.  For document crunchers the niceties of the display can make all the difference.

 

This is what tempts me. I am a heavy reader and I have all my books in some kind of digital format. I dont like to buy paper books, the typical hippie reason. So far reading on the mini has NOT been annoying. But if a retina display will make it better, clearer and easier on my eyes, then, I think it could be a good investment.

 

It's not that expensive either. I will not go broke by spending 399.

[+virtorio MVC]

Once you get used to a HiDPI display it's difficult to go back.

[Unrealistic]

It's worth it for the screen and updated processor. It's much faster than the 1st generation (which is just a smaller iPad 2).

[MrWeenus]

I've had my iPad Mini since the first day it was released, now that the Retina version is out, I'm still not tempted to buy it. The screen looks good. But, playing on my wife's iPad Air and knowing that the iPad Mini Retina has the same specs, that's the only reason I'd ever upgrade.

Actually the iPad Mini with Retina display is clocked 100MHz slower than iPad Air. :)

[Dinggus]

Actually the iPad Mini with Retina display is clocked 100MHz slower than iPad Air. :)

 

Okay? Still faster than the first model and is 100MHz even noticeable?

[sanctified Veteran]

Got the Retina Mini. It's amazing how fast and crisp it looks. I gave away my first gen mini to a kid in the neighborhood and kept this one. While reading in the first one was not a problem, reading in the Retina Mini is sharp and a pleasure.

[RadishTM Veteran]

(Y)

[Denis W. Veteran]

Got the Retina Mini. It's amazing how fast and crisp it looks. I gave away my first gen mini to a kid in the neighborhood and kept this one. While reading in the first one was not a problem, reading in the Retina Mini is sharp and a pleasure.

 

Awesome (Y) Glad you like it. I went from a third-gen iPad to the retina iPad mini and I've been nothing but pleased. It's a bit small at first but you get used to it.