Apple iPad mini iPad mini 2

7owners with an opinion

83%of verdicts positive

4/1positive/negative since 2024

12 yrslongest happy owner

2happy after 3+ years

Praised for reliability and performance; criticized for software.

What owners wrote

Likes itOwned 12 years

I still use my iPad mini 2 I bought in 2014 to read books. The only problem with it is that reading books is one of the very few things I can do with it these days as Safari is no longer capable of rendering most websites, most apps are not supported, and generally iOS 12 ate most of the memory device has. So yeah, it's my bookreader still, but nothing more.

NeutralOwned 5 years

Someone replied on that thread that the iPad doesn’t quite have the same upgrade treadmill as other devices. I made do with my iPad mini 2 when it started having a video glitch during the long gap between the 4 and the 5. Then I finally bought the new one. That was almost five years for me. Another one said they were common with children, which is true. But if they grow out of them, then they also might not be replaced that often. Birth rate in the first world is steady or falling. High end device sales for children should tend to follow.

Likes it

revived an ipad mini 2 (2013), rooted it and ssh-ed in and let claude handle the tailscale setup, terminal emulator selection, and prep work. perfect form factor and can test web apps via browser.

Likes it

I recently found my ipad mini 2 (released in 2013) that had been boxed up when I moved a few years ago. After charging up the battery and booting it up, I checked for system updates. The latest system available for it was ios 12.5.7, released in 2023. It loaded fine, and I’ve been using the mini as an ereader ever since – the screen is fine, and wifi works.

Doesn’t like it

I am in the same boat. I have two ipads, one is probably ipad mini 2 if I remember it correctly and another one is the first ipad pro. Ipad pro is still usable but not fully functional because I cannot upgrade the os and many apps dropped support for old os. Ipad mini on the other hand is totally unusable. I even think it’s in a better shape than the pro one. It feels snappy when navigating. But I cannot use it in any meaningful way.

Likes itStill going

You don't need a retina display for those things, thus proving my point. It's a waste of resources. I have an iPad mini 2 and Air 2, which still work after almost a decade of use.

Likes it

I love my ipad mini 2 for the same reason. If my iphone's too small for it then the mini is the next step. I can take both just about anywhere easily. I don't know how portable the 9.7" would feel - but I'm sure the 12.9" would live firmly at home or a backpack.