iPad mini seemed ready for goodbye, but instead today it's here in a revamped version (inside), ready for a review.
We do not hide that we felt a thrill of satisfaction by receiving it for this test because for us the launch of the iPad mini 5 or iPad mini 2019, as you want to call it, represents the return of an old friend, an almost daily life partner that we thought we would soon have to abandon. and that instead comes back vitaminized, alive and well. It is more “muscular”, brighter than before and at the same time almost identical, at least in its aesthetic aspect.
The packaging
The packaging has really remained the same , from it there are no signs that the iPad inside is the latest generation, since the writing side reads only “iPad mini”. The contents of the box are bare as usual: in addition to the iPad mini 5 there are the charger and the Lightning cable, and a series of small manuals that in fact are only the confirmation that Apple has passed the conformity tests for this device.
1 of 3 
The box of the new iPad mini 2019 
The inside of the box 
Here is the iPad mini 2019 extracted from the box
The first configuration was completed without any problem: we used the backup iPad mini 2015 and thanks to iTunes everything went very quickly in about 10 minutes, thus obtaining a clone of the old iPad. As with any new Apple device, to carry out the operation it was necessary to manually enter the password of our iCloud account, that of the Wi-Fi network and the fingerprints for the Touch ID.
Design
Looking at iPad mini 2019, the first thing that those who, like the writer, are users of iPad mini for a long time will notice, is the fact that practically nothing has changed in the forms and this not only compared to iPad mini 4, but even compared to the old first generation iPad mini.
Putting iPad mini 2019 and 2012 iPad mini next to each other, an inexperienced person would not distinguish them. An expert person to understand which is one and which is the other, could instead use the presence of Touch ID that was not there in the first iPad mini and the color of the section that houses the cellular network antennas (black in the old iPad mini , of the chassis color i the current one).
If we move the comparison between iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 5, distinguishing the two products will be even more difficult. Apart from the color of the antennas, the only three very slight distinctive features are the camera slightly shifted perhaps by a millimeter, the volume keys also shifted by a couple of millimeters and the microphones that are now central than the upper edge.
The variations are imperceptible to the naked eye, but due to the use of some cases could be a problem.
1 of 6 
Old and new iPad mini compared 
No difference at the bottom 
From this shot you can see that the volume keys are moved higher 
The headphone input 
The two iPads do not differ. The only difference from the older models is that the antenna is now in the color of the back 
iPad mini 2019 and iPad 2018
The fact that iPad mini 2019 is identical, or almost identical, to the iPad mini 2015 and in fact to the iPad mini 2012, gives the iPad mini 2019 a dated, we would say démodé look. The same large bezels as the old iPads, the same rounded corners, the same “family feeling” (as they used to say about car brands) of the old iPhones , in particular the glorious iPhone 6, seem to place the new tablet in a category of its own, different from all the rest of the Apple's world of mobile devices today.
Speaking of functional design, it is the frames the aspect in the design that convinced us least . Although we were used to iPad mini 4, we immediately perceived a regression compared to the other devices we use on a daily basis and a certain inadequacy in the relationship between device size and screen size .
One cannot help but think that with smaller frames one could have obtained a screen bigger or create a smaller device , small enough to be slipped into a jacket pocket and therefore more competitive with current phones; Just to give an example, iPhone XS Max has a 5.8-inch screen but is much smaller.
On the other hand, having kept the identical dimensions has a specific advantage for those who have invested in previous iPad mini, perhaps for corporate installations or for customer services as this means no new investment in accessories (except for some cases, as mentioned above). The same goes for those who were familiar with and liked the weight and ergonomics of the iPad mini 4; by not changing anything he will be equally well. Personally, however, we have always considered it not too easy to manage iPad mini with one hand (let's admit we have relatively small hands) and we will have preferred a reduction in size instead.
Controls, inputs, charging
A key aspect of the unchanged form factor is that all the controls and inputs you're used to on the iPad mini 4 are still where they used to be. At the top there is the power button, at the side the volume and at the bottom (well, yes …) the analog port for the headphones, in the center the old button (electro-mechanical, not capacitive as in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8) with fingerprint reader and, finally, always in the center but on the edge, there is also the Lightning port.
The choice to remain anchored to the old inputs is another aspect that raises the soul of those who had invested in accessories, on the other it contributes but to make the iPad mini 5 even less modern.
As for Touch ID instead of Face ID we confess that the only serious problem we see is that the presence of the key prevents the size of the frames from being reduced . For the rest, touching the button with the fingertip does not seem to us any more uncomfortable or slower than using Face ID. Indeed for some functions and specific use of iPad mini seems even more comfortable . For example, we can unlock the Tablet by keeping it lying on the table without “being seen” from the room. Touch ID on iPad mini 2019 for more is also very fast …
Processor and performance
If it's identical on the outside, inside the 2019 iPad mini has changed a lot, making it powerful when the new iPad Air 2019 is as fast as one of the 2018 iPhones . The credit is mainly due to the A12 processor Bionic which according to Apple should provide the iPad 5 with three times the performance of the iPad Mini 4 The GPU should instead guarantee nine times higher performance.
The processor benchmarks, ours and those of others, say that the speed is around 4800 in the single core and 11500 on the multi core, and therefore confirm the performance multiplied by three. For the graphics we can only say that iPad mini 5 performs really well in games like Asphalt 9, Fortnite, Marvel Strike Force, Alto's Odyssey. We can also add that a intensive program from the point of view of the graphic calculation like Lightroom works very well .
The benchmarks of the new iPad mini 2019
Moving away from pure numbers to make a comparison by sensation with the iPad mini 2015 appears, in all sincerity, there is a judgment merciless for the old model . After all, we are four generations of processor ahead (even more if we also consider the X variants) with an accessory improvements that we cannot define exactly. All this benefits from the ability to manage content: the Apps open faster, the contents flow much more fluidly; even Wi-Fi appears faster.
The large computing capacity suggests that the use of iPad mini 2019 is possible in areas where the old model cannot operate , for obvious technological limitations: for example, we tried some apps in VR and got excellent impressions.
These are experiments, of course, but we can safely say that iPad mini 2019 is perfectly able to act as a platform (screen permitting) for those who develop in the sector, while until a year ago a Pro model was needed. This is a great advantage which broadens and not a little the slice of the market to which this model is aimed.
Screen
In addition to the processor, the second most important component of a tablet has also been replaced: the screen. The display dimensions are the same as the previous model (7.9 inches, resolution 2.048 x 1.536 and 326 ppi) and as before it is laminated (as opposed to the iPad 2018 screen). But according to Apple, an improved anti-reflective coating is applied that improves visibility in unfavorable light conditions.
Finally we have a respectable 500 nits brightness (previously 450; iPad Pro has a 600 nits display) and the screen supports Wide Color, the name Apple gives to the DCI-P3 color space. In practice, it presents more faithful and accurate colors. Finally, there is also the True Tone technology that adapts the display to the temperature of the light.
Disabling this option makes the display cooler, however not as cool as the old iPad mini which, indeed, appears to show whites turning towards cyan (perhaps due to age). However, ProMotion is missing, the technology that, by varying the refresh parameter, improves the fluidity of image browsing.
1 of 6 
In all images iPad mini 2019 is on the right 
Technical data aside, it is quite obvious from a first glance that the screen of the iPad mini 2019 is vastly superior to that of the iPad mini 4 ; it is for image quality as well as brightness. Videos and photos are very well defined and captivating, the colors are realistic and faithful and the blacks reasonably intense. The viewing angle, thanks to the new generation screen, is also excellent.
The size of the screen deserves a separate note. If you are used to the old iPad mini you shouldn't have any problems, but if you have used a 9.7-inch iPad or perhaps one of the 10.5-inch models it is undeniable that the 7, 9 inches will look small to you . It certainly is for using applications with many controls such as Procreate, Photoshop or Lightroom. In addition, multitasking with Split view or slide over is complicated.
Cameras
Whoever buys an iPad shouldn't want to take pictures that are flawless in terms of quality. And Apple thinks this too since it hasn't updated the old 8-megapixel f / 2.4 front camera. So if you didn't like the photos that iPad mini took before, you won't like the one from the 2019 iPad mini either. We actually always thought that iPad mini photos , if taken with the right light, are not despicable . They are sufficiently defined and relatively well exposed.
Where iPad mini largely loses the comparison with a modern smartphone is in photos with low light, or with unfavorable light conditions. i (for example against the light or with strong light and shadow contrasts). Apple, in any case, must have also done something at the level of the software just for the low light shots, since the hardware is the same but when shooting in low light, the system seems to control the exposure better.
Too bad that the noise is still a bit excessive. In any case if you think that essentially this component is here to encourage the use of iPad mini as a tool for augmented reality, the camera doesn't do a bad job.
Not even the 7 megapixel front camera , definitely more than the previous 5 megapixel, is a bad guy Work. It has in fact been calibrated to support FaceTime calls or other video calling programs and for this reason it is just fine. Exposure is better controlled and there is much less noise.
1 of 4 
On the left photo with low light with the old iPad mini, on the right the one with the new one. Exposure has better control 
From the crop, however, it is noted that the increase in brightness occurs at the expense noise 
On the left the old front camera, on the right that of the new iPad mini 2019. Much less noise (as well as higher resolution) 
The crop demonstrates the large amount of noise from the front camera than the old iPad mini 2015. Much better does the iPad mini 2019
Battery
As for consumption, waiting for long-lasting impressions, these days we have not noticed a reduction in times, despite the increase in power. One day you can do it quietly , something less using apps that are particularly demanding in terms of energy such as those for VR or others that do extensive use of data via Wi-Fi: from Netflix to YouTube, from Plex to iScape, from Dropbox to Google Maps.
To understand usability, let's say we used iPad for two hours for two evenings while writing this review. Then we also watched a movie and in the end we were just under 50% battery .
The biggest defect of the battery actually lies in its capacity in relation to the Lightning port . It is a 5124 mAh component, the same as the previous model, which means that it will take at least three and a quarter hours to fully restore the charge . Three years ago they might have been acceptable, now they are not anymore.
Just think that a battery that we are testing and with a capacity of 10000 mAh with Type-C port recharges in less than three hours. But here the problem lies in the fact that Apple has chosen to keep the Lighting port instead of using a USB-C port, considered useful at the moment they are in the field of iPad Pro. It is not clear, however, why at least one fast Charge module was not used. 18W like on iPhones.
The old 12W charger slowly charges the 2019 iPad mini
Apple Pencil
The new iPad mini 2019 supports the Apple Pencil . We are talking, as is known, of the first generation Apple Pencil, therefore of the model with pairing and charging via Lighting not of the second generation. Putting aside and writing down the technical reasons that led Apple to this separate choice, this means that the pen will be charged by inserting it into the iPad mini door, bringing to the fore all the concerns expressed at the time (risk of breakage and inconvenience above all) of the launch of the original Apple Pencil.
Here indeed there is a few more, since iPad mini appears disproportionate in the relationship with the pen when it is literally stuck inside the Lightning port. This charging system was certainly not the brightest idea born in Apple's labs over the last few years and iPad mini 5 is here to make us repeat it again.
iPad mini 2019 with the Apple Pencil for charging, a bizarre dimensional match
Having said that, and assuming that the writer is not a designer, we can say that all that has been said about the functioning of an Apple Pencil can also be found on the iPad mini: the combination is very simple, the pen it is reactive and its use is fluid. If anything, it could be debated whether the screen size is suitable for a workflow that involves the use of the Apple Pencil .
Our impression is that 7.9 inches is a bit short as a “canvas” for an artist; the risk is that you will often end up zooming in on the drawing to get a precise idea of what is happening to the touch.
In any case, Apple Pencil is certainly not impossible to use on the iPad mini, although probably, unlike a larger iPad that we think the ideal as a drawing aid, typical use would be for taking notes, sketching, controlling software with small keys, underlining, signing PDF documents and filling out forms.
Conclusions
iPad mini 5 is a strange creature out of time and this is its strength and its flaw.
On the one hand does not exist today on the shaky (excluding Apple) tablet market anything It is fast and responsive, it has a very high quality screen, a long battery life. Technically, with the exception of slow charging, it is absolutely on par with what is expected from a device today. The rest of the competitors do not even come close in performance and quality to iPad mini, not to mention the constructive care.
But iPad mini denounces its anachronism in a negative sense when you consider that it keeps the same shapes and screen sizes it had when it didn't exist. the gigantic phones of today (including the iPhone XS Max). In the world of 2019, a bezel-less iPad mini with a 7.9-inch screen could fit into a much smaller chassis, increasing the portability and weight of the device; or give us an 8.5 inch screen without changing the size.
But if you leave this sort of dichotomy aside, the thing that matters is that iPad mini 2019 completes a very specific task : to deliver to fans of the old iPad mini who appreciated its size and functionality, a worthy heir capable of improving its speed and extending the life of the form factor (and its accessories) for many more years. The addition of compatibility with Apple Pencil also extends its potential use , as does a processor capable of coping with all the most modern applications.
The buying advice on an iPad mini, in conclusion, is a matter that is answered in who you are. If you belong to the school that still appreciates the old iPad mini despite being a bit out of breath and you continue to believe that performance combined with potability comes before anything else , go out and buy it now: you will certainly not be disappointed.
If you've never had an iPad, you should be wondering if a tablet of this size is really what you need for the tasks you want to assign to it. If the answer is “no”, move on to the next round, or buy an iPad Air. If the answer is “yes” and modern design is not a priority, go out with your friend who already has an iPad mini and go with him to buy the iPad mini 2019.
Pro
Cons
Price and purchases
iPad mini 2019 is available on the Apple Store online in three colors, silver, space gray and gold, and in two different memory sizes: 64 and 256 GB. The admission price is 459 euros plus another 140 euros if you also want cellular network connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi.
iPad mini can be purchased from the Apple Store online, Amazon and all Apple Authorized Resellers.
