iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb, second Apple slate with Retina Display

After sharing my personal review about iPad Air in the previous blog post, today i also want to talk about its younger brother, iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb with Retina Display, which has been available to buy on Apple’s website several weeks ago.

iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb, known as "iPad mini 2 with Retina Display", is indeed a 7.9-inch mini iPad that comes with 64GB of storage. But what makes this Apple slate so special compared to Andoid tablets out there?

This iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb made its first debut a year ago, to be exact, the same day Apple announced the iPad 4th generation.

• Great gaming performance
• Great internal hardware
• Great battery life
• Premium design and great build quality
• Full HD display just like iPad Air
• Fast and fluid performance

• It’s a bit expensive
• It doesn’t have fingerprint scanner like the iPhone 5S

One of the best selling points of iPad mini 2 is definitely its gaming performance.

As mentioned above, iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb is packing some high-end specs on it, from a dual-core 64-bit A7 processor, 1GB of RAM and PowerVR G6430 GPU under the hood.

With this type of specs, iPad mini 2 is an ideal device for playing games. If you happen to like playing simple games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, this tablet will handle those 2 games just perfectly fine.

And if you are a type of hardcore tablet gamer, you can play any graphics demanding games across the App Store in buttery smooth performance.

So games like GTA San Andreas, Modern Combat 4, Asphalt 8: Airborne, Real Racing 3, GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience, Dead Trigger 2 or even the games that are gonna launch next year, like N.O.V.A 4, next Gangstar game (if there’s any), next Asphalt 9, next GTA game (if there’s any), Dead Trigger 3 or Real Racing 4, all can be played on iPad mini 2 perfectly with no lag whatsoever, even in full graphics setting.



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If there is one tablet that can really match the whole exact quality of iPad Air, in terms of design, build quality, tablet-optimized apps, performance, graphic processing power, and user experience, then we’re gonna bring its little brother, iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb to the table.

Similar just like the iPad Air, iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb surprisingly comes with the same exact spec sheet like the iPad Air, only in smaller package.

From the same exact full HD Retina Display with the resolution of 1536x2048 pixel, the same 64-bit A7 processor, the same 1GB of RAM, the same PowerVR G6430 GPU, the same features on iOS 7 and the same "4:3 aspect ratio" design.

iPad mini with Retina Display

With that being said, then similar like the iPad Air, i have to say that iPad mini 2 is a really great tablet for doing many things, like:

• watching movies or reading books because the screen looks really sharp,
• browsing the net because it has a great Safari browser plus a fast browsing performance
• and the most importantly, playing games because it has the best graphics processing power plus a huge catalog of tablet-optimized apps on App Store.

To be honest with you, i really think that iPad mini 2 is a perfect alternative for iPad Air given that it has the same spec sheet of iPad Air but in smaller package.

So it will come down to you as a consumer, which one of these iPads that could really attract you.


As i already told before, the design of iPad Air really resembles the iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb.

That’s not so surprising because Apple actually uses iPad mini 1st gen as the design cue for the new iPad Air.

So the regular iPad Air now adopts 4:3 aspect ratio just like the iPad mini, which is a huge departure from the 16:9 aspect ratio of original iPads.

So in the real world quality, iPad Air looks exactly like the iPad mini, or the other way around, but in different size.

Actually, that’s a good thing because now the iPad Air and iPad mini have much wider screen real estate when used in landscape model.

So things like, watching videos, playing games or browsing internet on both iPads will be such a pleasing experience in both landscape and normal modes.

When it comes to build quality, then we all know that no tablet on the market to date, can match the exact quality found on the iPad.

It’s no different with the latest gen iPad mini. This tablet still inherits the same exact premium aluminum material all over its body, making it feel sturdy and really solid in hands.

And what makes this iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb great is because it’s now smaller and it’s really light in weight, making it comfortable to hold even with only one hand.

So this iPad mini 2 will definitely be perfect to use as on-the-go device .

For me, i personally like iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb2 better than iPad Air. I know – both iPads share the same exact hardware specs and iPad Air is really thinner and lighter, bla..bla..bla.

However, what makes iPad mini better is its size.

It’s not that huge and it’s not that small just like other 7-inch Android tablets out there.

So i think iPad mini 2 is more compact and the size is just really perfect when used as on-the-go device. But it’s just a personal preference.

So at the end of the day, this will all come down to you as the customer.

If you love holding big tablet in public area, then go ahead pick the iPad Air.

On the other hand, if you’re more comfortable to hold smaller tablet in front of other people, then snatch the iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb instead.

Both are great tablets though. Just pick one that suits you well, and you’re good to go.


As i mentioned above, iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb shares the same exact internal hardware just like its bigger bro, iPad Air.

They both have the same: 64-bit A7 chipset, 1GB of RAM, PowerVR G6430 GPU, full HD display with the resolution of 1536x2048 pixels, and the same features on iOS 7.

So overall, they both will obviously have the same fast performance and graphic processing power, of course in different size.

So with this type of specs, then iPad mini 2 is great for doing simple stuff like reading books, browsing the net or listen to music, to heavy things like watching HD movies and playing games.

As a matter of fact, thanks to its 1GB of RAM, PowerVR G6430 GPU and a dual-core 64-bit A7 processor, i think iPad mini 2 is a great tablet for playing games.

However, what makes gaming on iPad mini much better than gaming on any other tablets is because iPad mini has much bigger catalog of tablet-optimized apps on App Store than Android tablets on Google Play Store.

So you’ll be able to find any kind of apps on App Store that have been well-optimized specifically for both iPads, iPad Air and iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb.

Besides, there are many apps on iPad that are still not available on Android tablets until today, like Garage Band, Infinity Blade 1/2 and many more.


If there is one sector that other competing tablets still cannot beat iPad is definitely its camera. iPad has been popularly known to have the best camera around tablet market.

And iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb is no exception.

Its 5MP camera of this tablet not only will get the job done, but it also will take some decent shots that are worth showing off on your Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

So if at some point, you forgot to bring a digital camera or smartphone at your disposal, then you can just count your life on the camera of this tablet. It just takes great shots.

iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb also comes with iSight camera feature that allows users to have complete package of professional camera settings in simple interface, making it easier for users to edit their photos without complicated learning curve.

Not to mention, the camera of this tablet is also able to take slow-mo video in case you want to make an epic video of your brother when jumping to the pool.


Besides camera, the other thing that makes iPad mini 2 superior is its battery life.

Many users experience that the battery life of this tablet is extremely powerful and could even last in solid 1 day in heavy usage, thanks to the optimizations made by Apple on the software and hardware of this tablet.

So if you happen to love gaming in marathon, then you don’t ever need to worry about recharging this tablet during the day because that’s not gonna happen.

Even if you are the type of power user, who loves playing games in the row, you can still expect to see this tablet last around 7 to 10 hours.

And if you’re that active and only leave iPad mini 2 in standby mode, this tablet could last much even longer, around 1 day in mixed usage.


When releasing iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb to the market, Apple knows perfectly that this mini iPad is gonna sell like hotcakes on the market.

It has premium design, powerful internal hardware, great full HD display, strong battery life, great gaming experience, smooth performance and bigger catalog of tablet-optimized apps on App Store specifically for this tablet.

iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb with retina display is a perfect choice for those of you who are looking for a high-end tablet that has a great premium design and powerful performance.

However, if you happen to not have enough budget that you can spend on 1 single tablet, then you can also get other great alternatives, like Google Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HX or Tegra Note 7.

These 3 tablets may not have that premium aluminum feel just like the iPad mini 2, nor the full HD 2048x1536 pixel (326ppi) display on iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb.

However, these Android tablets are still powerful tablets though and can handle any kind of graphics intense games just like iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb.

Besides, with only $199, you can grab yourself a Tegra Note 7, a powerful Tegra 4 tablet that has some awesome goodies like:

• microSD card slot for up to 32GB,
• 1GB of RAM,
• 72-core GeForce GPU,
• a stylus with a great touch response technology that can match the S-Pen on GALAXY Note 8,
• stylus-dedicated apps like draw and note,
• a huge catalog of Tegra-optimized games on TegraZone that obviously look much better graphically than games on iPad mini (more textures, well-polished graphics, more visual effects, etc),
• loud and clear sound quality on speakers,
• powerful performance,
• smooth experience with stock Android OS (no bloatware or manufacturer custom skins),
• HDMI out,
• Bluetooth gaming controller support
• and many more.

So long story short, iPad mini 2 may be a great device for media-consumption purpose.

However, Tegra Note is also a perfect device for that same reason.

And the great thing about Tegra Note is that, it’s also a great productivity tablet, where allows you to do other things besides enjoying media contents, like for writing notes or even drawing some professional paintings on this device.

I know – you can also use 3rd party stylus on iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb.

However, the touch response on Tegra Note is much even powerful than iPad mini 2 given that NVIDIA uses this touch stylus technology or known as Directstylus technology that gives a great result of touch response on Tegra Note’s stylus.

You can check out the video below on how the stylus of Tegra Note even outperforms the S-Pen on Samsung GALAXY Note 8 in comparison tests.

So you can see how the stylus of Tegra Note is not just some complement item for the tablet or some marketing gimmick.

It really works insanely great on the device.

So even with only $199, you can get a lot more goodies than $399 on iPad mini 2, although the screen on Tegra Note that only has 1280x800 pixel resolution, compared to iPad mini 2 that 2048x1536 pixel (326ppi) display.

But that’s the only thing that separates them both.


Anyway, if you still stand firm with your choice towards iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb, then go ahead.

You won’t regret it. Apple iPad mini 7.9 inch 64gb can now be had for $399 for the basic WiFi-only 64GB model.

Meanwhile, the 32GB and 128GB model of this tablet will cost you $299 and $599 respectively.

And if you want to snatch the LTE model instead, the price starts at $529 for the basic 16GB model and all the way up to $829 for the biggest 128GB model.

Have any question? Leave your comment here!