Apple iPad mini Review

The new lightning connector

Camera
Apple has thankfully not skimped on the camera and you get the same iSight 5MP shooter from the Retina iPad. We were quite impressed with it on the iPad and it’s no different on the mini. It’s actually ergonomically a lot easier to snap a pic from the mini as it’s lighter and more maneuverable. Plus, you look less of a douche snapping a pic with it than you do with an iPad. The camera manages to capture good amount of detail along with accurate colours, just as long as there’s adequate lighting. The mini does one better and offers a FaceTime HD front facing camera capable of 720p video. 

Captures good detail

Good depth of field

Battery life
The 16.3WHr battery promises around 10 hrs of watching videos, which it easily manages to deliver. In fact, we managed to get this even after a bit of gaming thrown in as well. This is easily the best battery life we’ve come across so far for a sub-10-inch tablet.

Verdict and Price in India 
While Apple hasn’t officially pulled the wraps off the pricing yet, the latest rumors suggest a starting price of Rs 21,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version. If this actually turns out to be true then it actually makes it a very good buy and inadvertently, makes the iPod touch and the iPad 2 a bit redundant. If this price indeed sticks, then the iPad 2 would soon be phased out since the mini offers the same SoC, a better camera and pixel count for the screen in a smaller and lighter form factor. If you’re looking for a larger iPad, then it’s only logical to pay a bit more and get the newer iPad 4 instead of the iPad 2. There are a couple of things we wish could have been better like a Retina-grade screen or a more powerful SoC. Perhaps the ‘new’ iPad mini will address all these concerns.