5 options I’d prefer to see in an iPad mini Professional

Apple revealed a seventh-generation iPad mini in mid-October, and I am already occurring file as disillusioned with it. It isn’t that there is something basically unsuitable — it is simply that it is spectacularly unspectacular. Its solely vital upgrades are an A17 Professional chip, extra RAM, and help for the Apple Pencil Pro, that are the naked minimal we might count on from any iPad transport in 2024. Certainly, Apple cheaped out by not utilizing the identical A18 chip discovered within the base iPhone 16.

An concept that’s been bandied round for some time now’s the thought of an “iPad mini Professional” — a pill acknowledging how individuals would possibly need high quality specs in a small type issue, say if they seem to be a skilled artist, or an engineer diagnosing equipment within the subject. There are specs the typical shopper would possibly admire, too, and I’ll cowl all of the bases on this checklist.

1 A shiny OLED show with HDR

Higher battery life, higher touring

Apple

If there’s an iPad that is as deserving of OLED as the most recent iPad Pros, it is the mini. The massive motive is battery life. By its nature, the mini does not have room for a big battery, so any energy effectivity enhancements would have a huge effect on usability. Switching to OLED wouldn’t solely get rid of the backlight wanted within the seventh-gen LCD mini, however enable particular person pixels to show off every time true blacks have been onscreen. These components are contributors to the improved battery lifetime of the Steam Deck OLED versus the unique LCD handheld.

Adopting OLED would additionally make the mini extra interesting as a media consumption gadget, particularly when touring. I typically deliver my 2020 iPad Professional alongside on flights simply to have one thing price watching films and TV reveals on, however discover that even an 11-inch display screen may be cumbersome for packing and safety screening, and that LCDs are generally blinded by daylight and even fluorescent bulbs. 8.3 inches can be a extra sensible dimension, and OLED is commonly brighter than LCD. We might additionally get wonderful HDR (excessive dynamic vary) compatibility — think about watching films in full-quality Dolby Vision, for instance.

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2 A matte display screen end

Boox and Kindle, eat your coronary heart out

Braden Newell/Pocket-lint

Talking of the iPad Professional, one of many choices on dearer configurations — these with 1 or 2TB of storage — is one thing Apple calls nano-texture glass. Actually, it is a gimmicky solution to describe a matte display screen that kills reflections, which is meant for the likes of illustrators, photographers, videographers, or simply anybody who desires to make use of their iPad exterior. Good luck studying the present mini in noon Texas solar.

Whereas it could be controversial, I believe that some type of nano-texture glass needs to be the default on the iPad mini. Whereas the tech can have an effect on sharpness and contrast, and you’ll want to watch out about the way you clear it, the mini is arguably meant for use in conditions with less-than-perfect lighting — resembling sketching outdoor or binging Masters of the Air on a flight into Austin. I will guess a mini with a matte OLED show would immediately appeal to loads of artists, pilots, vacationers, and possibly even hikers and campers wanting one thing higher than their cellphone for navigation.

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3 An M-series processor

The expertise should not even be up for debate

Apple

Did I say that Apple skimped out by not giving the brand new mini an A18 chip? Let me go a step additional and say that it should not have had an A-series chip in any respect. It ought to’ve robotically had an M-series processor, almost certainly the M2 discovered within the 2024 iPad Airs. By the point an eighth-gen mini rolls round, an M4 or M5 could also be so as.

Why? As a result of individuals shopping for a pill as costly as an iPad count on it to switch their laptop computer for lots of features. Some apps do not work nicely or in any respect on an A-series chip, like Remaining Reduce, and Apple is even stopping A-series iPads from pushing Stage Manager home windows to exterior screens. That should not fly on any new iPad mannequin, a lot much less one thing marketed as “professional.” Maybe I should not count on higher when Apple refuses to present iPadOS as a lot flexibility as macOS.

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4 An Apple Pencil constructed for the mini

No must go full-sized for a mini pill

Apple

Check out that image — it is ridiculous that mini homeowners have to make use of a stylus about so long as the pill itself. In the event you wanted any extra affirmation that Apple treats the mini as second-class, that is it. Sure, you possibly can magnetically cost an Apple Pencil Professional on it, however solely when a complete fringe of the pill is left uncovered. That most likely places a kibosh on some case sorts.

Glancing at different pill styluses on the market, Apple might most likely shave an inch or two off the Apple Pencil Professional (or the USB-C mannequin) and nonetheless have one thing completely useful. Extra importantly, we might get one thing cheaper that might retain magnetic charging and respectable case compatibility.

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5 Face ID, finally

How is Contact ID nonetheless a factor?

One other ridiculous problem is that Apple continues to order Face ID for the costliest iPads. By some means, even new iPad Air consumers are compelled to log in with a Contact ID fingerprint sensor on the sleep/wake button, regardless of Face ID having first been launched with the iPhone X seven years in the past. Absolutely, the manufacturing value for Face ID cannot be that prime anymore.

Contact ID is okay I suppose, however there isn’t any denying the comfort of Face ID if you’re attempting to get one thing executed — it could actually unlock your iPad earlier than you have even thought of it. The one motive to proceed utilizing Contact ID on any iPad is maximizing revenue margins whereas upselling some prospects, and for sure, that comes throughout as slightly grasping for one thing as important as logging in.

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