Apple By Russell Holly Sep. 11, 2014 9:25 am
What was once believed to be a pair of devices that complemented each other brilliantly by existing in wildly different sizes in order to offer different experiences on the same OS has become five devices in five different screen sizes. If we look at the center of this lineup — specifically the iPhone 6 Plus and the Retina iPad Mini — is there enough difference left to avoid these experiences canceling one another out?
I am not a fan of tablets that hover in the 10-inch range. I find them uncomfortable to hold with a single hand when laying on the couch or sitting on a train. The iPad Air in incredibly thin and light when compared to most other tablets, but it’s still too big for my needs. I found myself much happier with the iPad Mini, especially now that there’s a higher resolution display*available. I’m also a fan of the Nexus 7, and have enjoyed other tablets in this class. For content consumption, I think this size makes a lot more sense.
At the same time, I find myself routinely using smartphones that exist between 5 and 6 inches. Whether it’s the Nexus 5, the OnePlus One, or even Huawei’s 6.1-inch Ascend Mate 2, bigger smartphones are an inescapable part of my daily life. News that we were getting both a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 from Apple this year left me wondering which phone I would prefer, even though when it comes down to raw hardware the iPhone 6 Plus is clearly the superior choice. More important that the size of the device is the utilization of the form factor. If I have a larger iPhone, will it cause me to use the iPad Mini less?
While there’s not one answer that addresses every use case, I can say with a relative degree of certainty that if you primarily use your iPad Mini for reading or watching videos you are unlikely to stop doing so. The iPad Mini screen size is still noticeably larger, and things like text and video will still be more enjoyable on the larger device if you are planning to watch or read for a significant amount of time. There’s nothing wrong with using your phone to do these things, and the larger screen size will make grabbing a quick article or YouTube video perfectly enjoyable, but if you bought or are planning to buy the iPad Mini as a media consumption device that is unlikely to change.
The main*place you’ll*find yourself*not needing an*iPad Mini is when you*play games. The larger screen on the iPad Mini makes a lot of the higher quality iOS games incredibly enjoyable, but the larger screen on the iPhone 6 Plus will offer a solution that is much closer to a portable gaming console. The way you will hold the larger phone will make most games more comfortable on the iPhone 6 Plus, and that could have an effect on your iPad Mini usage.
Ultimately, unless you are using your iPad Mini for work you already understand that this is an entertainment device. It’s largely an accessory, and a fairly expensive one at that. With the larger price tag on the iPhone 6 Plus it may make the iPad Mini a less compelling purchase once you see that you can do everything on the phone and still enjoy yourself. Then again, if these two devices are your primary computing devices at home, the combination will wind up being a fantastic way to enjoy the Apple ecosystem exactly the way you want to.
Now read: How the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compare to the original iPhone
More...
I am not a fan of tablets that hover in the 10-inch range. I find them uncomfortable to hold with a single hand when laying on the couch or sitting on a train. The iPad Air in incredibly thin and light when compared to most other tablets, but it’s still too big for my needs. I found myself much happier with the iPad Mini, especially now that there’s a higher resolution display*available. I’m also a fan of the Nexus 7, and have enjoyed other tablets in this class. For content consumption, I think this size makes a lot more sense.
At the same time, I find myself routinely using smartphones that exist between 5 and 6 inches. Whether it’s the Nexus 5, the OnePlus One, or even Huawei’s 6.1-inch Ascend Mate 2, bigger smartphones are an inescapable part of my daily life. News that we were getting both a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 from Apple this year left me wondering which phone I would prefer, even though when it comes down to raw hardware the iPhone 6 Plus is clearly the superior choice. More important that the size of the device is the utilization of the form factor. If I have a larger iPhone, will it cause me to use the iPad Mini less?
While there’s not one answer that addresses every use case, I can say with a relative degree of certainty that if you primarily use your iPad Mini for reading or watching videos you are unlikely to stop doing so. The iPad Mini screen size is still noticeably larger, and things like text and video will still be more enjoyable on the larger device if you are planning to watch or read for a significant amount of time. There’s nothing wrong with using your phone to do these things, and the larger screen size will make grabbing a quick article or YouTube video perfectly enjoyable, but if you bought or are planning to buy the iPad Mini as a media consumption device that is unlikely to change.
The main*place you’ll*find yourself*not needing an*iPad Mini is when you*play games. The larger screen on the iPad Mini makes a lot of the higher quality iOS games incredibly enjoyable, but the larger screen on the iPhone 6 Plus will offer a solution that is much closer to a portable gaming console. The way you will hold the larger phone will make most games more comfortable on the iPhone 6 Plus, and that could have an effect on your iPad Mini usage.
Ultimately, unless you are using your iPad Mini for work you already understand that this is an entertainment device. It’s largely an accessory, and a fairly expensive one at that. With the larger price tag on the iPhone 6 Plus it may make the iPad Mini a less compelling purchase once you see that you can do everything on the phone and still enjoy yourself. Then again, if these two devices are your primary computing devices at home, the combination will wind up being a fantastic way to enjoy the Apple ecosystem exactly the way you want to.
Now read: How the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compare to the original iPhone
More...
