WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.240 What is the difference between an iPhone and the new iPad mini? 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:07.680 They both have Apple's flagship A15 Bionic chip. 00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:12.040 They both support 5G and, according to Apple, both fit in your pocket. 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 00:00:16.360 --> 00:00:24.360 from loading up the iPad mini's SIM card tray and ditching the iPhone? 00:00:24.360 --> 00:00:26.840 This might just be the future. 00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:29.840 Hello? Hey! 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:41.560 Using this new iPad mini as a phone is a pretty compelling idea. 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:46.280 It is a decidedly two-handed device, not unlike a Pro Max iPhone. 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. 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:56.380 And unlike the iPhone, you can use Apple's clever second-gen pencil with its magnetic 00:00:56.380 --> 00:01:00.660 attachment and inductive charging. I really like holding this. 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 00:01:10.220 --> 00:01:14.660 iPad! You get an iPad! You get an iPad! 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. 00:01:18.860 --> 00:01:25.720 I'm left-handed. Because it has iPadOS, it's just more powerful than an iPhone. 00:01:25.720 --> 00:01:29.560 You can just do and see more all at the same time. 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:34.400 The only difference from any other iPad is that everything is smaller, sometimes ridiculously 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 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. 00:01:46.800 --> 00:01:51.360 It even gets the full 5 GPU cores from the iPhone 13 Pro. 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. 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:02.960 What I suspect is happening here is that Apple doesn't want the smaller, less expensive 00:02:02.960 --> 00:02:06.440 iPad mini to outperform last year's iPad Air. 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 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 00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:23.640 slightly faster if only because the iPhone heats up quick and throttles. 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 00:02:30.440 --> 00:02:35.480 is that it's cheaper than an iPhone 13 by about $100. 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, 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:43.960 a whole 30 megabits per second, so why not try it out? 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:48.560 While an iPad can make or take phone calls, it's through Apple's Continuity Technology, 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:52.280 which requires an iPhone to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the iPad. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:56.400 Meanwhile, a cellular Apple Watch just needs an iPhone to be on anywhere. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:01.240 Oh my God, it's so windy. Let me get in here. 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.360 Drak, it's locked. 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. 00:03:10.600 --> 00:03:16.220 In an iPhone, it has a phone number and unlimited talk and text and some data. 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 00:03:22.220 --> 00:03:28.260 preventing this. There is a workaround, though you'll need to download an app. 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 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, 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:44.180 which is a free, ad-supported app within app payments that provides a phone number for 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:48.820 you to receive and make phone calls and SMS messages, though my number is from Prince 00:03:48.820 --> 00:03:53.140 George, which is five hours away and long distance. 00:03:53.140 --> 00:03:56.420 The iPad isn't really a handset. 00:03:56.420 --> 00:04:07.820 It doesn't have a vibrate function. 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 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:17.260 connected. 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 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:31.580 send to the number as well. 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. 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, 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 00:04:46.900 --> 00:04:52.780 thinking about using this as your primary mobile device, apps. 00:04:52.780 --> 00:04:58.620 iPads have the most and best tablet apps, but consider that Facebook has famously forbidden 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:02.780 Instagram and WhatsApp from developing ones, though in fairness, Snapchat doesn't have 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 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:17.940 mobile apps you can't live without, like a calculator or a weather app. 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 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 00:05:29.340 --> 00:05:32.620 feature a quad LED flash for dark spaces. 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 00:05:38.580 --> 00:05:42.460 much better off using an iPhone if you've got a modern one. 00:05:42.460 --> 00:05:46.380 But there's still a major upgrade to the mini's front-facing camera. 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 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:54.540 stage, something you can't get on any iPhone. 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:58.620 This is especially good for the larger screen of the iPad. 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. 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 00:06:11.020 --> 00:06:15.340 plan. But if you're going solo, it's about the same as a phone plan. 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 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:24.140 websites and 5G speeds whenever and wherever you get them. 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 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:33.580 and are willing to live with the compromises. I'm not. 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. 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. 00:06:48.140 --> 00:06:51.980 And unlike the iPhone 13, there's no increase in storage. 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 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:03.420 the rounded corners of the liquid redness screen, the wireless pencil charging, and 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 00:07:10.460 --> 00:07:15.860 the smaller form factor, though the price increase will be a hard pill to swallow. 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:19.020 But I think the hope for all of us comes in the future. 00:07:19.020 --> 00:07:23.140 And that feature is with folding phones. Just look at the Samsung Galaxy Fold. 00:07:23.140 --> 00:07:26.380 It folds out into essentially this. 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 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:37.460 for a folding iPhone. And after using this for a while, so am I. 00:07:37.460 --> 00:07:40.900 Thanks for trying to call into this Mac Address. Make sure to subscribe. 00:07:40.900 --> 00:07:44.460 Now, if you're on Team iPad mini, give this video a like. 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 00:07:49.940 --> 00:07:53.380 as your phone for calling and texting, comment below. 00:07:53.380 --> 00:07:56.740 I'm curious how you did it. What it was like.