iPad Mini - Is retina a must have?

RedTen · 13 Dec 2013 at 12:14

Howdy

I've seen that the original mini is around £200 now. Is the retina a real must have - is it worth the extra?

It would be a gift for my girlfriend who has no idea on specs or resolution. Day to day browsing, simple games etc.

The reviews online seem to say the retina blows it out of the water but for what it is at £200 it seems a good deal.

darwin · 13 Dec 2013 at 13:21

I recently sold my first gen Mini to upgrade to the Retina. The screen is by no means terrible on the old one, and for general browsing or gaming it is absolutely fine. The retina screen and processor improvements on the new model are certainly nice but there is not a whole lot wrong with the previous model, so I say go for it.

InfiniteNoise · 13 Dec 2013 at 14:46

I still have my original Mini, it's still good enough for me.

I don't need another device with a retina display, my retina MacBook Pro is enough (for now I guess)

RedTen · 13 Dec 2013 at 14:53

darwin said:
I recently sold my first gen Mini to upgrade to the Retina. The screen is by no means terrible on the old one, and for general browsing or gaming it is absolutely fine. The retina screen and processor improvements on the new model are certainly nice but there is not a whole lot wrong with the previous model, so I say go for it.

Idartalis said:
I still have my original Mini, it's still good enough for me.

I don't need another device with a retina display, my retina MacBook Pro is enough (for now I guess)

I think you've made my mind up. Thanks for the input.

sanofi · 14 Dec 2013 at 12:59

Price wise, at the Apple store prices, going for the Mini at £249 over the £319 retina Mini seems silly, as the CPU/screen upgrade is well worth the £70. However, if the OP is getting the Mini for £200 then maybe the difference in spec doesn't justify £120 cost difference.

Raymond Lin · 14 Dec 2013 at 13:08

sanofi said:
Price wise, at the Apple store prices, going for the Mini at £249 over the £319 retina Mini seems silly, as the CPU/screen upgrade is well worth the £70. However, if the OP is getting the Mini for £200 then maybe the difference in spec doesn't justify £120 cost difference.

I think it does, the mini retina is not 1 but 2 generations ahead in processing wise, with Apple doubling (and more) each update, it is not twice as fast but 4x faster. So it would last a couple of years longer too with OS updates before it slows to a crawl.

Brum Man · 14 Dec 2013 at 16:14

Just hope she doesn't find out you've not bought her the latest version to save a few pounds

Skyboat · 14 Dec 2013 at 17:09

Personally I've found 512MB RAM is not enough for iOS 7. This is from both a personal and professional experience from app development. £100 difference between the two generations gets you a lot more on the Retina model.

kefan77 · 14 Dec 2013 at 17:16

retina is £299 atm and if I was choosing now, I'd spend those £99 extra over 1st gen.

KIA · 14 Dec 2013 at 18:17

kefan77 said:
retina is £299 atm and if I was choosing now, I'd spend those £99 extra over 1st gen.

Me too. It's worth it for the major spec bump.

McBain · 14 Dec 2013 at 19:41

kefan77 said:
retina is £299 atm and if I was choosing now, I'd spend those £99 extra over 1st gen.

Where is it £299?

Edit: Nevermind, found it.

matt100 · 17 Dec 2013 at 10:31

I sold my 1st gen for a retina, I love the mini and the retina screen and extra oomph makes it perfect.

That said I did love the mini anyway (hence the upgrade even though I've got a retina full size) it's just the perfect tablet now IMO.