The new iPad mini and the new Kindles

On October 15, via press release, Apple announced the introduction of the new, 7th-generation iPad mini. The following day, Amazon announced the new Kindle lineup, comprised of:

the new Kindle Colorsoft, the first Kindle in colour. 7‑inch display. $280;

the new iteration of the Kindle Scribe. 10.2‑inch display. $400;

the new iteration of the Kindle Paperwhite. 7‑inch display. Regular edition: $160, Signature edition (32GB of storage, double the Regular edition; auto-adjusting front light sensor; wireless charging capability): $200;

the new iteration of the regular Kindle. 6‑inch display. $110.

Saying that I was ‘in the market’ for a new iPad mini and a new Kindle is stretching it a bit, because these aren’t primary or even secondary devices for me. I have an 8th-generation iPad, which is almost overkill for what I use it for. Recently I also purchased a used second-generation iPad mini for €30, and after updating it to its maximum supported iOS version (12.5.7), I found it to still be a surprisingly capable device.

As for the Kindle, I have an older Kindle Paperwhite (7th generation, a.k.a. Kindle Paperwhite 3), plus a 9.7‑inch Kindle DX Graphite, which was the best and last of the big Kindle DX line, released in 2010. Despite the Paperwhite being much more advanced and more portable, I tend to enjoy the bigger DX more, which is still a great device for reading and perusing PDF documents, magazines, typeface catalogues, and any digital publication that takes advantage of the larger format.

So, despite me not needing a new iPad mini or Kindle, I was keeping an eye on both products. The iPad mini has intrigued me since the major redesign introduced with the 6th-generation model. I have extensively handled it several times in various stores, truly astounded by its lightness, size, and display clarity, and especially by its potential of being a really handy digital sketchbook/notebook.

On the Kindle front, I’ve been tempted to get an Oasis, due to its form factor, which I’ve found very nice to hold and operate, and especially due to it having physical buttons for navigation. My Paperwhite is nice and compact and all, but when it comes to touch interaction it’s no Apple device (credit where credit’s due) and it’s a bit awkward to use.

So, as time passed, I was telling myself that I should wait for the introduction of the next generation of both of these devices before making decisions or impulse purchases I would end up regretting.

Now that the new iPad mini and the new Kindles are out, I can tell you that they both have one thing in common: they have sold me on the previous generation of their respective models or product lines.

The 7th-generation iPad mini is essentially a gentle speed bump of the previous model, and little more. By comparing it with the 6th-generation iPad mini on Apple’s site, the only differences I’ve found are these:

iPad mini 6 | iPad mini 7
A15 Bionic chip | A17 Pro chip
Does not support Apple Intelligence | Supports Apple Intelligence
Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E
Supports Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) and Apple Pencil (USB‑C) | Supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB‑C)
Capacity: 64GB, 256GB | Capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Does not support Apple Pencil Hover | Supports Apple Pencil Hover
Camera has Smart HDR 3 for photos | Camera has Smart HDR 4 for photos
Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3
|

The rest of their tech specs are identical: same camera technology, same display, same size and weight, same battery life. And as you can see, the differences are actually nothing to write home about. I suspect that the iPad mini 7 has also more RAM than the 6, given that it supports Apple Intelligence and the 6 doesn’t. So I guess the biggest difference — for those who absolutely care — is the chip and Apple Intelligence support. The ‘problem’ is that today’s iPads are all fast enough for normal use, and from what I hear, even Pro iPads are more than fast enough for pro users. Their speed and performance differences can only be appreciated by looking at artificial benchmarks. I still have to try an iPad mini 7 in person, but I suspect I won’t be saying, Oh, it’s noticeably faster than the previous model, because when I picked up the older iPad mini 6 in a store three days ago, everything I was doing with it felt instantaneous and lag-free.

The only two practical advantages of choosing the newer iPad mini over the previous one that I can see are:

Newer chip always means longer software support, so an iPad mini 7 purchased today will last longer with updated system software.

The iPad mini 7 comes with more base storage (128GB) than the previous model (64GB).

Given that I still use older iOS devices with older iOS/iPadOS versions, and that they’re still working great, advantage №1 is somewhat tempered for me. My iPhone 7 Plus is updated to its maximum supported system, iOS 15.8.3, and all the apps I use are still working fine. When it comes to app functionality, in day-to-day use I virtually see no difference between this phone and my main iPhone, an SE 3 running iOS 17.6.1. My iPhone 8, purposefully left on iOS 12 (long story), still works fine for the most part — there are a few apps I can’t update anymore because they require later versions of iOS, but the core functionality is still there; if it weren’t for work and for the fact that the battery has severely deteriorated, I would probably still be using this iPhone today.

As for advantage №2, in my case it’s not significant, either. If I think of what I would use an iPad mini for, 64GB are plenty. Both my iPhone SE 3 and iPad 8 have 128GB of storage: on the iPhone I still have about 50GB free, while on the iPad I still have almost 90GB free. On the iPhone, most of the storage is taken by thousands of photos, and that’s the only reason why I have ‘only’ 50GB left.

But at this point, the most appealing feature that makes me prefer the iPad mini 6 over the 7 is the fact that it doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Even if Apple Intelligence appears to be an opt-in feature on supported devices, its complete absence gives me a special kind of peace of mind, you know? Call me old-fashioned if you like. I’ll take that as a compliment.

As for the new Kindles, I’m not saying they’re bad devices. The Colorsoft looks nice enough, and I’m sure the Scribe has improved over the first iteration. But when it comes to personal preferences, I’m with Michael Tsai:

Sadly, the Kindle Oasis was not updated and is, in fact, discontinued. This was my favorite design, as it had physical page-turn buttons, a more comfortable shape to hold, and the lightest weight (131g without the cover).

I imagine that, from a manufacturing standpoint, devices with physical buttons may be annoying because they have parts and components that are subject to stress and wear. But physical buttons in ebook readers — especially when well placed — are crucial and make for a much more pleasant experience; they’re exactly where your thumbs rest while holding the device, and turning pages becomes a frictionless action; you click the button instinctively, without having to constantly move your hand away from holding the device to tap on the screen (hopefully in the right place). Amazon should have kept at least one Kindle with physical buttons instead of going touch-only across the whole lineup. Last week, at the local second-hand electronics shop I frequently visit, I’ve seen a Kindle Oasis at a good price, so I guess I’ll go with that.