Apple iPad mini 2 : Moving up the ranks


Apple iPad mini 2

Introduction

The iPad mini with Retina screen is everything the little tablet deserved to be - a more compact equal of the bigger iPad with no compromises made. And unfortunately, it's just one thing short of what we all thought a compact tablet should be - cheap. Well, Apple isn't exactly known for selling cheap, it's quite on the contrary.
Last year's iPad mini was more of a byproduct of the iPad lineup - with a significantly cheaper price, a different design and somewhat inferior hardware, the baby iPad was quite different to its full size sibling. This year marks a shift in Apple's product strategy. Now, the two new iPads are equals - with the mini being merely a scaled down version of the same spectacular screen tech and the same high-performance internals.
There's been no corner cutting this time and the new iPad mini is more expensive as a result. We guess the price hike comes only to highlight the iPad mini's new standing in the pecking order - it's no longer the budget option - it's the more portable version of the same flagship product. A lower price point would have also hurt the big iPad sales because the two tablets are not at all that different.
You would actually be amazed how identical the two look. But that's a good thing in a sense. Users no longer have to pick one of the two based on feature set or design, or bezel size for that matter. Now, you can just pick the size that's right for you. The high-end user experience is all there without any give or take.


Retina Screen

Apple iPad mini 2 press photos
Comparing it to its predecessor, the Apple iPad mini with Retina screen looks no different either, but that's until you turn it on. The new screen is impressively sharp and the new chipset is blazing fast, meaning loading times in most apps are noticeably faster now. The Wi-Fi speeds have doubled, there is a seriously bigger battery inside, there is a second mic for noise cancellation and now you have a brand new 128GB version, if you've got the money to burn - the last generation iPad mini maxed out at 64GB.

Key features

7.9" LED-backlit IPS LCD touchscreen, 1536 x 2048 pixels, ~ 324 ppi, oleophobic coating
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity with MIMO dual antennas
Optional 2G/3G GSM, CDMA, LTE connectivity (data only, separate models)
Optional GPS with A-GPS support (for the Wi-Fi+Cellular model only)
Dual-core A7 64-bit 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) chip with M7 motion coprocessor
PowerVR G6430 quad-core GPU
1GB of RAM
iOS 7 with gesture support and a premium set of free Apple apps - iLife, iMovie, iPhoto, etc.
16/32/64/128GB of inbuilt storage
Weight of 331g (341g for the Wi-Fi + Cellular option)
Bluetooth 4.0
Lightning USB port
Stereo speakers
Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
5MP auto-focus camera
1080p video recording at 30fps
1.2MP 720p secondary camera capable of FaceTime calls
23.8 Wh Li-Po battery
1080p TV-output with the Apple Digital AV Adapter (purchased separately for $49), 1080p video streaming or separate audio streaming via AirPlay
Supports magnetic cases