iPad mini 4: What we want to see
Update: There's talk that the iPad Mini 4 could launch alongside the iPhone 6S on September 9.
We don't know about you, but personally we like to see more from a new device than the addition of a minor feature and an inflated price tag, but that's exactly what we got with the iPad mini 3.
Given that the iPad mini 2 is still one of the best slates around it was almost forgivable, but it has meant that Apple will now need to do something really special with the iPad mini 4 to redeem itself.
Whether it will and what form that specialness will take remains to be seen, but we can't wait to find out. In the meantime we've listed some of the key things we want to see from the iPad mini 4, along with what we've heard about it so far.
News and rumors
We may not have long to wait for the iPad Mini 4,with some sources claiming we could see it at Apple's September 9 event. Even if we don't see on September 9 given past form an October or November launch is likely.
While we haven't heard much about the iPad mini 4 we may have seen its chassis. If we have then it looks pretty similar to the iPad mini 3, with cut-outs for speakers and the lightning port pretty much where we'd expect to find them.
But there's no sign of the mute switch found on the iPad mini 3. The switch was cut from the iPad Air 2 so that makes sense and suggests that the iPad mini 4 will be slimmer than the mini 3, possibly shrinking to 6.1mm thick like the iPad Air 2.
Slimming it down would already be a bigger change than we saw on last year's model, so it bodes well for a proper refresh.
Another more recent rumour suggests that the iPad mini 4 will be a lot like a shrunk down iPad Air 2. Considering how much we liked the iPad Air 2 this would certainly be a very good thing.
According to the rumor the iPad mini 4 will come with an A8 processor and an 8MP iSight camera. It will also feature 2GB of RAM and iOS 9, and will be capable of split-screen multitasking. The body is set to be thinner than the iPad mini 3, dropping from 7.5mm to just 6.1mm.
Touch ID, LTE connectivity and 16GB to 128GB storage capacities are also hinted at appearing, though no rumors so far make a mention of Force Touch, the new technology found in the Apple Watch and which is rumoured to be coming to the new iPhone.
There aren't many other rumors, but there are some things we're likely to see. For example the iPad mini 4 will almost certainly have a 7.9-inch display, just like previous tablets in the range and we doubt the resolution will change either, so expect a 324ppi 1536 x 2048 screen.
Assuming it launches this year we can also be confident that it will run iOS 9. It's due a processor upgrade too. At a minimum we'd expect to see the A8X chip used by the iPad Air 2, but we're hopeful it will have a faster A9 processor, to make it more of a match for the impending iPad Air 3.
It's likely to get a RAM boost too, up to 2GB like the iPad Air 2 has, which is possible with the rumors we've heard so far.
It's not known what the iPad mini 4 will cost, but it could well retail for what the iPad mini 3 costs now, which would give it a starting price of £319/$399/AU$499.
What we want to see
1. More changes
Our biggest complaint about the iPad mini 3 was that it's basically the mini 2 with a Touch ID scanner and a much higher price tag.
While still a great tablet in its own right that made it hugely disappointing and questionable value for money, so we really want to see big changes and upgrades on the iPad mini 4. We'll get into specifics below, but the important thing is that it's more than just a tweaked iPad mini 3.
2. A faster processor
The iPad mini 3 has an Apple A7 processor, which is the same as the iPad mini 2 and more than a little dated given that the iPad Air 2 has an A8X chip.
The mini range is smaller than the Air, but it needn't be lower end, so we want the iPad mini 4 to have a chip upgrade and use either an A9 or an A9X, preferably whichever one the iPad Air 3 has.
3. 2GB of RAM
A well as having the same processor as the iPad mini 2 the iPad mini 3 has the same amount of RAM at just 1GB. That's not quite such an issue as the iPhone 6 only has 1GB of RAM too, but the iPad Air 2 has been boosted to 2GB, so we'd like to see the same improvement made to the iPad mini 4.
4. A lower price
The iPad mini 3 starts at £319/$399/AU$499 which is pretty pricey for a compact slate. It's especially hard to justify given how underpowered it is, but even with a specs boost we'd like to see a slightly lower price, otherwise unless you particularly want a smaller tablet it would make more sense just to pay a little extra and get a full size iPad Air.
5. Improved speakers
The iPad mini 3 doesn't necessarily have bad speakers but there's certainly room for improvement and on such a media focussed device strong speakers are especially desirable.
We want louder, crisper sounds from the iPad mini 4 and moving the speakers to the front of the slate could help too, since then the sound is more likely to be flowing out towards you.
6. A superior battery
The iPad mini 3 can supposedly withstand up to 10 hours of multimedia use, which is a pretty good figure, but doesn't apply to gaming, an activity which will decimate the battery.
Even if you're not much of a gamer though there's room for improvement, so we'd like to see better battery life from the iPad mini 4. We want to be able to use it all day and beyond for any activity without having to plug it in.
7. Yes to 32GB, no to 16GB
You can already get a 128GB iPad mini 3, which should still be plenty by the time the iPad mini 4 comes around, but 16GB models are no longer particularly viable and yet Apple still offers them.
It's such a borderline pointless size that we'd like to see it retired with the iPad mini 4 and in its place for there to be a 32GB option as the smallest size.
8. Screen improvements
The iPad mini 3 doesn't have a bad screen, in fact it's as high resolution as the iPad Air 2, but shrunk down for even sharper visuals.
But it's also the same screen as we saw on the iPad mini 2, so a boost in resolution for the iPad mini 4 would be appreciated.
More than that though we hope it has a zero gap construction like the iPad Air 2, hopefully bringing with it superior color accuracy, richer images, greater contrast and lower reflectivity.
9. Make it slimmer
We're not saying the iPad mini 3 is fat, but at 7.5mm it's a lot thicker than the 6.1mm iPad Air 2, so we'd like to see it get slimmed down, especially as portability is a key selling point of Apple's more compact slate.
The good news is that this may well happen judging by a leaked chassis purportedly belonging to the iPad mini 4.
10. Give it Force Touch
Force Touch is one of the more innovative features of the Apple Watch. It allows it to tell a light tap from a more forceful press and responds differently accordingly. You could think of it as a smarter alternative to the different options that long presses provide now on many devices.
The difference with Force Touch is that you don't have to press for longer, just harder, speeding up your interactions with the device and it's a feature we'd love to see included in the iPad mini 4.
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