Will the advent of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus force Apple to diversify its iPad line of slates with an EVEN larger iPad Pro?
Apple finally got into the phablet space yesterday when it unveiled the iPhone 6 Plus–a 5.5-inch beast of an iPhone. But now that the iPhone has officially gone phablet, how does Apple’s super-sized smartphone compare to its shrunken down tablet, the iPad mini?
iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPad Mini 2: Specs
Here’s the specs for the iPhone 6 Plus:
- Display: 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Dimensions: 158.1 mm (H) x 77.8 mm (W) x 7.1 mm (D)
- Weight: 172 grams
- Storage: 16, 64, or 128GB
- Processors: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor
- Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 1.2 MP photos and 720p HD video.
- Rear camera: iSight camera. 8 MP photos. ƒ/2.2 aperture. 1080p video. True Tone flash.
- Battery life: Up to 12 hours mixed usage
- Touch ID: yes
- NFC: yes
- Cost: starting at £539 for the 16 GB model
And here are the specs for the iPad mini with Retina display:
- Display: 7.9-inch Retina display with 2048x1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Dimensions: 200mm (H) x 134.7mm (W) x 7.5mm (D)
- Weight: 331 grams (Wi-Fi model), 341 grams (4G model)
- Storage: 16, 32, 64, or 128GB
- Processors: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor
- Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 1.2MP photos and 720p HD video.
- Rear camera: iSight camera. 5 MP photos. ƒ/2.4 aperture. 1080p HD video.
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours usage
- Touch ID: no
- NFC: no
- Cost: starting at £419 for the 16 GB with Cellular model
iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPad Mini 2: Feature for Feature
While pitting the iPad mini with Retina Display and the iPhone 6 Plus against each other isn’t an apples to apples comparison–one is a tablet and one is a phone, after all–they both fall into that grey territory where their screen size makes it a tough choice for those who want a kinda-small/kinda-big iOS device.
We’ll get to screen size in a bit, but first lets look as the features that are easy to compare. On the storage front the iPad mini is technically superior because it gives you more options, coming in 16, 32, 64, or 128GB configurations while the iPhone 6 Plus comes in 16, 64, or 128GB configurations. You’ll notice the 32GB configuration is missing from the iPhone 6 Plus lineup. That’s the sweet spot for many users, but I can see why Apple decided to ditch that and opt for the 64GB storage option at the same price (it makes for a more compelling argument for going from the low-end 16GB iPhone 6 Plus model to the next version up –– you get 4x the storage).
But when it comes to processors the iPhone 6 Plus obliterates the iPad mini. The iPad mini has the 64-bit A7 processor and the M7 motion coprocessor. But the new iPhone 6 Plus features the 64-bit A8 and new M8 motion coprocessors.
The best thing about the A8 and M8 over their predecessors is that each chip is 50% more power efficient, which translates into improved battery life. Also the M8 motion coprocessor in the iPhone 6 Plus now includes a barometer, which allows your iPhone to know the elevation you are at–useful for tracking stair climbing or for a maps app to know which level of a building you are on.
Speaking of sensors: the iPhone 6 Plus offers the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which now, when combined with the iPhone 6 Plus’ NFC chip, allows you to make payments via Apple’s new Apple Pay system. The iPad mini doesn’t offer Touch ID or support Apple Pay in any way.
In the camera department, the rear camera on the iPhone 6 Plus is much better than the one on the iPad mini (the front cameras are almost identical). The rear iSight camera on the iPhone 6 Plus has an 8MP sensor with an ƒ/2.2 aperture and a True Tone flash. The rear iSight camera on the iPad mini has no flash, and only a 5MP with a ƒ/2.4 aperture.
As for battery, the iPhone 6 Plus manages to eek out 2 hours more, on average, battery life than the iPad mini. Part of that has to do with its smaller display, but another part of it has to do with the power efficiency of the A8 chipset.
iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPad Mini 2: Display and Size
But the real difference between the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPad mini is in its display. The iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401 pixels per inch while the iPad mini features a 7.9-inch Retina display with 2048x1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch.
No doubt about it, the iPad mini gives you more screen real estate with its extra 2.2 inches and higher vertical and horizontal resolutions. But if we are talking about the pure quality of the displays, the iPhone 6 Plus is technically superior with 401 pixels crammed into each inch versus the iPad mini’s 326 pixels.
You’ll also notice Apple calls the display on the iPhone 6 Plus a “Retina HD” display. That “HD” is there because of some newer tech inside of the display including dual‑domain pixels that give it a more accurate colour gamut, wider viewing angles, and higher contrast.
The iPhone 6 Plus also has a new vertical homescreen layout so you can tip it on its side and use iOS’s home screen in landscape view–just like you always could on the iPad mini.
The iPhone 6 Plus is also thinner than the iPad mini coming in at 7.1mm thick versus the mini’s 7.5mm thickness. Both also have different height and length dimensions due to their differing screen sizes.
iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPad Mini 2: So, which is best for you?
That’s not an easy question. Sure–if you need a phone the answer is easy: you need to get the iPhone 6 Plus because you can’t make calls on the iPad mini. But if you’re just looking for a larger-sized iOS device choosing is hard and is more a question of how large you want to go?
Want a device that can fit into your purse or pocket? Then it’s the iPhone 6 Plus. But if you want a device that gives you more screen real estate for playing games and browsing the web, the iPad mini with its extra 2.2 inches is probably better. Of course, if you want the better camera, and the latest and greatest technology like Touch ID, Apple Pay, and NFC the only way to go is the iPhone 6 Plus.
See what I mean when I say it’s not easy?
But one thing that is certain is now that the iPhone 6 Plus has arrived and Apple is firmly planted in the phablet space, the company is going to need to decide what to do with its mini tablet. Does it even fit into the iOS device lineup anymore? I’d argue it doesn’t and for this reason I wouldn’t be surprised if the slate is phased out in lieu of an iPad Air refresh and a larger, more enterprise-focussed slate in 2015.
Plenty of people have said a 5.5-inch display like the one on the iPhone 6 Plus is enough and there’s no reason they would buy both it and an iPad mini. I suspect a large majority of iPhone 6 Plus users would also feel this way about the full-sized iPad Air.
So from here on out Apple needs to take a good look at the capabilities of its tablets and see how it can differentiate them and make them appealing to the people who are going to be buying Apple’s phablets. Perhaps that means pulling a Microsoft and making the iPad line move closer to the MacBook line as a hybrid device, as all those iPad Pro rumours have suggested. That sure makes a much more compelling use case than just as a device that has a slightly larger touchscreen than the iPhone 6 Plus.