The iPad mini has always been an awkward member of the iPad family. Its form factor and price have made it hard to recommend. It’s also gone through periods of apparent neglect by Apple.
In 2021, however, the iPad mini entered a new era with a fresh design and a bigger 8.3-inch screen.
Now, it looks like the iPad mini is about to enter its next era … and Apple could fix its biggest problem.
My iPad mini problem
The iPad mini form factor has always appealed to me. It’s small and borderline pocketable depending on your outfit.
Despite that, I’ve struggled to find a spot for it in my life, mainly because of the display quality.
When Apple revitalized the iPad mini in 2021, the one thing it didn’t change was the screen’s quality. The screen got bigger, going from 7.9 inches to 8.3 inches, but it still used an LCD panel with a 60Hz refresh rate.
Apple boosted the iPad mini’s performance last year, but the screen remains unchanged. There were improvements to the infamous “jelly scrolling” problem, but it’s still not fully resolved.
By modern standards, the display just doesn’t cut it for me. If I’m choosing between using my iPhone and iPad mini, I’m going to pick my iPhone every time because of the better display. Even though the iPad mini has a larger screen, that benefit is canceled out by the lackluster display quality.
Basically, what I want from Apple is an iPad mini with a pro-level display. I don’t care about having an M-series chip. I just want the small iPad form factor as we know it today, but with a better screen.
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