I bought the 11-inch iPad Air 4 soon after its launch in 2020. Soon after the excitement wore off, I kept it in the drawer and only used it for testing new iPadOS developer builds for the next three years. I couldn’t find a use case for a tablet in general—that is until I shifted to the 7th-generation iPad Mini.
Six months after launch, the new iPad Mini remains my travel companion for browsing and on-the-go entertainment. It’s the best iPad for me.
A complete iPad experience without any accessories
I prefer the iPad Mini for its size and the fact I don’t need any additional accessories to make the most of it. I travel frequently and want the most portable device for browsing and reading on the go. Many might argue that a Kindle would serve me better and last longer on each charge, but my reading isn’t limited to ebooks. I read a lot of articles online—browsing the web and Substack to find and save stories offline for in-flight reading. I wouldn’t be able to use a web browser on the Kindle as conveniently as I do on the iPad Mini. Plus, a color LCD screen is way better for reading comics than an e-ink display.
I’ve tried using my 11-inch iPad Air for the same use cases, but it’s just too big for reading and too small to get any considerable amount of work done. It’s big enough to add a keyboard and make it a portable productivity machine, but it feels too small for that use case. I don’t mind carrying a base iPad (it’s cheaper, after all) for just reading and no productivity, but that size isn’t convenient for my needs.
With the iPad Mini’s 8.3-inch display, I can use it as a smart home hub, an on-the-go media consumption device, an e-reader, and for online shopping—without needing an extra keyboard or Apple Pencil accessory. It’s a complete device in itself—just add a folio case, and you’re good to go. You don’t need to spend money on any other accessory to experience its best use cases. It makes the Mini a better value for money than the new 11th-gen iPad, which really needs you to buy a keyboard case to utilize it fully.
The most portable powerful tablet
The iPad Mini is unlike anything else on the market. It is thin and light enough to fit in my backpack alongside my laptop without feeling hefty. At 293 grams, it’s less than 80 grams heavier than most flagship phones in 2025. By contrast, an 11th-gen iPad or 11-inch iPad Air would set you back around 480 grams and 460 grams, respectively. There’s no similar device on the Android side either.
A small size doesn’t mean you have to settle for average performance. The latest iPad Mini isn’t as powerful as the M3 iPad Air, but it is powered by the flagship A17 Pro chipset, which is strong enough to run Lightroom (and Apple Intelligence). It gets warm to the touch after about 20 minutes of editing when connected to an SSD, but nothing to worry about. I carry a 1TB Samsung SSD and connect it to my iPad Mini for on-the-go light photo editing.
Apple also doubled the storage last year to offer a 128GB base variant, meaning you can download more content offline to watch later. Plus, there’s support for the Apple Pencil Pro for a better editing and note-taking experience, but I recommend going for a 13-inch iPad Air or Pro as the bigger slates offer a better Pencil experience.
While the iPad Mini is my favorite tablet, it’s not without flaws. Apple’s anti-reflective coating isn’t the best—it smudges easily, and I have to clean it vigorously when using in direct sunlight (I face the same issue with my iPhone 16 Pro). You also don’t get an OLED screen to really enhance visual content – but these are minor points which don’t detract from the iPad Mini’s overall allure.
I recommend it over the base iPad, and it’s $100 off right now
I’m currently using the new 13-inch M3 iPad Air for review, and I can see myself shifting to it for other use cases like heavy photo and video editing, doubling as a second screen, and more. However, the iPad Mini’s portability and convenience remain unmatched. While I’d pick the 13-inch iPad Air for productivity, the iPad Mini would be my pick for a content consumption-focused tablet. Yes, I’d pick it above the 11th-gen iPad.
I recommend buying the iPad Mini over the 11th-gen iPad despite the big $180 price difference. And if you’re looking to buy one right now, you’re in luck because Amazon’s Spring sale brings down that price difference to just $80. The iPad Mini is available for $399 instead of $499.
Apart from being more portable, the iPad Mini is also more powerful than the new iPad. As mentioned above, it runs on Apple’s A17 Pro chipset, while the $329 iPad comes with an A16 processor—the same performance gap as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 Pro. As a result, it’s more future-proof than the 11th-gen iPad, which doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. While Apple’s AI features aren’t game-changing yet, it’s better to have the option to run them on your device. They aren’t going anywhere, and I recommend spending on a device that supports them instead of a new tablet with limited functionality.
The iPad Mini isn’t like other tablets that compromise on quality for versatility. It doesn’t try to be an all-in-one device but delivers a focused feature set. The 8.3-inch screen size is perfect for browsing and reading without adding any bulk to your backpack. It also doubles as a reliable portable video consumption device when needed (in-flight entertainment). If you’re a traveler and want a new iPad for on-the-go media consumption without adding a considerable amount of weight to your backpack, the iPad Mini is for you.
