1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,240 What is the difference between an iPhone and the new iPad mini? 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,680 They both have Apple's flagship A15 Bionic chip. 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:12,040 They both support 5G and, according to Apple, both fit in your pocket. 4 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:16,360 So if you like the bigger screen and the smaller price tag, is there anything stopping you 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:24,360 from loading up the iPad mini's SIM card tray and ditching the iPhone? 6 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:26,840 This might just be the future. 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:29,840 Hello? Hey! 8 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,560 Using this new iPad mini as a phone is a pretty compelling idea. 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:46,280 It is a decidedly two-handed device, not unlike a Pro Max iPhone. 10 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:52,280 But unlike the iPhone, you get a USB-C port for universal charging, video output, and more. 11 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,380 And unlike the iPhone, you can use Apple's clever second-gen pencil with its magnetic 12 00:00:56,380 --> 00:01:00,660 attachment and inductive charging. I really like holding this. 13 00:01:00,660 --> 00:01:10,220 I know this sounds weird, but I've been trying to figure this out. But I feel like Dr. Phil, Ellen, or Oprah, when holding this in landscape, you get an 14 00:01:10,220 --> 00:01:14,660 iPad! You get an iPad! You get an iPad! 15 00:01:14,660 --> 00:01:18,860 And when I tilt it into portrait, it feels like one of those daytime or notebook things. 16 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:25,720 I'm left-handed. Because it has iPadOS, it's just more powerful than an iPhone. 17 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,560 You can just do and see more all at the same time. 18 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:34,400 The only difference from any other iPad is that everything is smaller, sometimes ridiculously 19 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:40,080 so. But it works well. I found myself running three apps at the same time and even using Scribble more, though 20 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:46,800 Scribble can be really irritating. Like the latest iPhones, this iPad mini has been blessed with Apple's A15 chip. 21 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:51,360 It even gets the full 5 GPU cores from the iPhone 13 Pro. 22 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:58,120 But it has been detuned slightly, running at 2.9GHz as opposed to the iPhone's 3.2. 23 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,960 What I suspect is happening here is that Apple doesn't want the smaller, less expensive 24 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,440 iPad mini to outperform last year's iPad Air. 25 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:12,720 And iPhones, perhaps. The mini's Geekbench scores are slightly higher than the Air, but the iPhone 13 Pro 26 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:19,440 scores are even higher. In my Lightroom RAW Photo Export Test, though, the mini, and the Air for that matter, are 27 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,640 slightly faster if only because the iPhone heats up quick and throttles. 28 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:30,440 So keep your phone cool. But perhaps the most intriguing thing about using an iPad mini with cellular as a phone 29 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,480 is that it's cheaper than an iPhone 13 by about $100. 30 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,120 These both support the race to 5G, and the faster speeds I'm getting at the office now, 31 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,960 a whole 30 megabits per second, so why not try it out? 32 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,560 While an iPad can make or take phone calls, it's through Apple's Continuity Technology, 33 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,280 which requires an iPhone to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the iPad. 34 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,400 Meanwhile, a cellular Apple Watch just needs an iPhone to be on anywhere. 35 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:01,240 Oh my God, it's so windy. Let me get in here. 36 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,360 Drak, it's locked. 37 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:10,600 This is entirely an OS limitation, and let me just put in this SIM card to show you how. 38 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:16,220 In an iPhone, it has a phone number and unlimited talk and text and some data. 39 00:03:16,660 --> 00:03:22,220 On an iPad, it's data only, even though there doesn't appear to be anything in the hardware 40 00:03:22,220 --> 00:03:28,260 preventing this. There is a workaround, though you'll need to download an app. 41 00:03:28,260 --> 00:03:32,020 Google Voice is a good free option, or there's Microsoft Skype, which will cost you about 42 00:03:32,020 --> 00:03:39,460 six and a bit dollars a month. Here in Canada, these apps aren't available, so I had to settle with an app called TextNow, 43 00:03:39,460 --> 00:03:44,180 which is a free, ad-supported app within app payments that provides a phone number for 44 00:03:44,180 --> 00:03:48,820 you to receive and make phone calls and SMS messages, though my number is from Prince 45 00:03:48,820 --> 00:03:53,140 George, which is five hours away and long distance. 46 00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:56,420 The iPad isn't really a handset. 47 00:03:56,420 --> 00:04:07,820 It doesn't have a vibrate function. 48 00:04:07,820 --> 00:04:11,300 And when you get a call, you're answering in speakerphone if you don't have any headphones 49 00:04:11,300 --> 00:04:17,260 connected. 50 00:04:17,260 --> 00:04:24,060 I mean, this works. Anyone who dials this new number will reach me, and I'm notified of any SMS messages people 51 00:04:24,060 --> 00:04:31,580 send to the number as well. 52 00:04:31,580 --> 00:04:36,780 Going out with this iPad did feel weird. Because it's so big, you're more conscious of it. 53 00:04:36,780 --> 00:04:41,620 I had to fit it in my hoodie pocket, and when I took it out to scan for Starbucks points, 54 00:04:41,620 --> 00:04:46,900 I felt super conspicuous. Though, speaking of Starbucks, it reminds me of another obstacle to consider if you were 55 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:52,780 thinking about using this as your primary mobile device, apps. 56 00:04:52,780 --> 00:04:58,620 iPads have the most and best tablet apps, but consider that Facebook has famously forbidden 57 00:04:58,620 --> 00:05:02,780 Instagram and WhatsApp from developing ones, though in fairness, Snapchat doesn't have 58 00:05:02,780 --> 00:05:12,180 one available either. Still, if these jarring apps aren't available on iPad, it doesn't bode well for any of the 59 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:17,940 mobile apps you can't live without, like a calculator or a weather app. 60 00:05:17,940 --> 00:05:21,860 Even if you were able to use Instagram, it's worth knowing the cameras aren't as good 61 00:05:21,860 --> 00:05:29,340 as the ones found on the iPhone. The back camera is about the equivalent of an iPhone 8, 10R, but for an iPad, it does 62 00:05:29,340 --> 00:05:32,620 feature a quad LED flash for dark spaces. 63 00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:38,580 No night mode, though. While holding this up to take pictures is less ridiculous than a giant iPad, you're 64 00:05:38,580 --> 00:05:42,460 much better off using an iPhone if you've got a modern one. 65 00:05:42,460 --> 00:05:46,380 But there's still a major upgrade to the mini's front-facing camera. 66 00:05:46,380 --> 00:05:51,540 It now matches the iPad Pro with a 12 megapixel sensor in ultra-wide lens that enables center 67 00:05:51,540 --> 00:05:54,540 stage, something you can't get on any iPhone. 68 00:05:54,540 --> 00:05:58,620 This is especially good for the larger screen of the iPad. 69 00:05:58,620 --> 00:06:05,220 But back to that iPad as a phone thing. The economics are not as enticing as you might have thought. 70 00:06:05,220 --> 00:06:11,020 An iPad phone plan is about $10 to $30 a month if you're adding it to an existing phone 71 00:06:11,020 --> 00:06:15,340 plan. But if you're going solo, it's about the same as a phone plan. 72 00:06:15,340 --> 00:06:19,100 And you're going to need gigabytes and gigabytes of data to be able to keep up with desktop 73 00:06:19,100 --> 00:06:24,140 websites and 5G speeds whenever and wherever you get them. 74 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:29,980 So let's just say that, yes, you can use this as a phone if you live in the right place 75 00:06:29,980 --> 00:06:33,580 and are willing to live with the compromises. I'm not. 76 00:06:33,580 --> 00:06:40,060 But what about the iPad mini as a tablet? Well, despite the unimpressive speakers, I like it a lot. 77 00:06:40,060 --> 00:06:48,140 But my biggest hang-up is with the price. At $499, it's a full $100 more than the previous generation iPad mini. 78 00:06:48,140 --> 00:06:51,980 And unlike the iPhone 13, there's no increase in storage. 79 00:06:51,980 --> 00:06:58,660 Base storage is still only 64 gigabytes. This price increase matches the one the iPad Air got last year, which makes me think that 80 00:06:58,660 --> 00:07:03,420 the rounded corners of the liquid redness screen, the wireless pencil charging, and 81 00:07:03,420 --> 00:07:10,460 USB-C port must be expensive. As an already niche device, I think the iPad mini will win the hearts of those who love 82 00:07:10,460 --> 00:07:15,860 the smaller form factor, though the price increase will be a hard pill to swallow. 83 00:07:15,860 --> 00:07:19,020 But I think the hope for all of us comes in the future. 84 00:07:19,020 --> 00:07:23,140 And that feature is with folding phones. Just look at the Samsung Galaxy Fold. 85 00:07:23,140 --> 00:07:26,380 It folds out into essentially this. 86 00:07:26,380 --> 00:07:30,980 I think that those who are hoping to use the iPad mini as a phone are really just waiting 87 00:07:30,980 --> 00:07:37,460 for a folding iPhone. And after using this for a while, so am I. 88 00:07:37,460 --> 00:07:40,900 Thanks for trying to call into this Mac Address. Make sure to subscribe. 89 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:44,460 Now, if you're on Team iPad mini, give this video a like. 90 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:49,940 And if you're one of the people who's actually tried to use an iPad with a cellular connection 91 00:07:49,940 --> 00:07:53,380 as your phone for calling and texting, comment below. 92 00:07:53,380 --> 00:07:56,740 I'm curious how you did it. What it was like.