Apple iPad Mini 4

Apple iPad Mini 4 review:

Apple's littlest iPad finally gets its upgrade

THE GOOD Overdue upgrades add faster A8 processor, better cameras, a more vivid Retina display, slightly slimmed-down design, and the ability to run split-screen apps in iOS 9. The small size is perfect for traveling and iOS remains a superior user experience on tablets.

THE BAD A lot more expensive than most 8-inch tablets on the market. Multitasking on the smaller screen isn't as useful as on the larger Air 2. Processing speed is a step below other iPads and new iPhones, and battery life takes a step down, too.

THE BOTTOM LINE The iPad Mini 4 makes the most of iOS 9 and has a number of welcome upgrades, but its high price will have some skipping straight up to larger iPad Air models.

Several years ago, I was in love with the iPad Mini. It had a 7.9-inch high-res Retina display and it wasn't much larger than a Kindle. It could handle my everyday work and was small enough to sneak along with me wherever I went. It was the perfect travel gadget. It made me wonder why I ever needed a larger iPad at all.

Now, of course, I wonder whether I even need an iPad at all, since phones are larger and laptops have gotten more versatile. But the iPad Mini 4 has caught my eye again and I've used it constantly. I like it. But I don't know if it's my favorite iPad anymore.

2014's iPad Mini 3 wasn't really an update; it was, quite literally, just a 2013 iPad Mini 2 with the addition of a Touch ID home button for fingerprint identification. The Mini 4 is the iPad I wanted last year: it has an upgraded A8 processor, better cameras, and a more vivid, color-rich Retina display, and on top of all that it's a bit thinner and lighter. It also supports split-screen apps, the coolest part of iOS 9 -- the Mini 4 joins the iPad Air 2 and the upcoming iPad Pro as the only iPads that can do it.

iPad Mini 4 to the right of iPad Air 2: Similar features, but Air 2 still has a slightly better processor.

In a lot of ways, the Mini 4 is like a shrunken iPad Air 2. But it'll cost you close to the territory of one: $399, £319, AU$569 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, $499, £399, AU$699 for the 64GB version, and $599, £479, AU$829, for 128GB.

To add LTE support -- for using cellular data when there's no Wi-Fi to be found -- add $130 (or £100, AU$160) at each price point, and adjust your cellphone billing plan accordingly. My review version is the 64GB $629 model with Verizon LTE service.

It's also worth pointing out that -- at each storage capacity -- you're saving $100 over that larger Air 2, Apple's 2014 9.7-inch model which remains in the lineup. But it begs the question: If you're spending this much on a tablet, why not get the larger, faster iPad Air 2? (With that model already seeing someimpressive holiday discounts, the question is even more relevant.)

The reverse is also true. Apple's 2013 iPad Mini 2 remains on the market, with a reduced list price of $269 (16GB) and $319 (32GB) -- £219, AU$369 or £259, AU$429, respectively -- and already seenon sale for as little as $199. Yes, it's not as zippy as the Mini 4, and it lacks the newer model's Touch ID fingerprint reader.

Reading on iPad Mini is still perfect.

But for anyone looking to handle basic tasks such as web browsing, email, Facebook and casual gaming, it gets the job done, and with the same eye-pleasing screen resolution, to boot.

The best part of the Mini was always how portable it was, without much sacrifice. That's still true here. iOS 9 feels like a perfect fit, too, and that might be the best reason to look into this iPad. If you liked the design before and don't already have a huge phone, this is a versatile little tablet.

But there's little reason to trade up from an iPad Mini 2 or Mini 3, and I don't think it's worth spending up to the top-tier Mini 4; I'd switch over to the Air 2 at those prices.

A 'tweener tablet

So, let's assume you have a 5-inch or larger phone. The extra space of a 7.9-inch tablet is nothing to sneeze at; it adds up to significantly more screen real estate than you'd expect, and its 4:3 aspect ratio fits word processing and productivity apps better than 16:9.

But the days of clear divisions between gadget screens are over. It's a gentle curve from tiny all the way up to super-big, and you pick the size that works best for you.

The Mini still feels like a superior e-reading device: it's Kindle-like and easy to tuck away in a small bag. I've taken notes on mine, too, in landscape mode. But you can do a lot of movie-watching and game-playing on larger-screened phones now, too.

The rear camera has slow-mo now.

With their 5.5-inch screens, the iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus are not the same type of device as the Mini, but they handle some of the same needs.

Compared to previous recent iPad Mini models, the screen is enhanced. It has the same 2,048x1,536 "Retina" resolution as the iPad Mini 2 and 3, and adds the same laminated display and antireflective coating as the iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro. The difference was noticeable, giving the screen a real pop -- colors seem richer and more vivid, too, matching the quality of the Air 2.

The front-facing 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera is the same one found on all current iPads (except for the addition of burst mode), but the rear iSight camera gets ramped up from 5 to 8 megapixels to match the one on the iPad Air 2.

I wouldn't want to shoot a feature film with it, but it's good for the sort of home movies that are the more common target of tablet video shoots. More importantly, it's a very solid tablet for making FaceTime and Skype video calls.