I've been an Android user since the first day the first Android phone became available, and I've been through many different devices. Of course, like many of you all, I've also owned and used iPhones, BlackBerrys, Windows phones, and all the rest of the "cool" tech because I just love cool tech.
I'm also very much a small phone guy because one of the most important things to me is how easy it is to carry something that basically lives inside my pocket. One of the reasons the Galaxy S21 is one of the best Android phones is because it's not gigantic, for example. The only time I wish my phone were bigger is when I want to veg out and just consume.
I just want to consume.
That's where tablets shine. Watching videos or playing games on something with a much larger screen is just better, ya know? Yes, I can use my phone and do those same things, and I won't try to say it's a bad experience because it's not. It's just not as good. I've been thinking about getting a smaller tablet to try it again, and Apple might just have shown me what I want in the 2021 iPad Mini.
No, I'm not some sort of "traitor" to the Android ecosystem because I owe zero allegiance to any tech company. I like the way Android works better than iOS does, but that's just me, and plenty of people feel differently. But I don't run out and buy a thing because some tech company made it. Every company needs to work for my dollars. And since Google is unwilling to remake the Nexus 7 with great new specs, I don't have a "favorite" tablet brand.
I want a tablet for all the wrong reasons, according to the companies that make them. I have no desire to replace my PC or Chromebook with a Pro tablet. I'm not going to replace my phone with a cellular tablet just because it can make calls and get messages. I like the phone and Chromebook I use, and don't see how a tablet can replace either.
Since Google isn't going to remake the Nexus 7, the iPad Mini might be the best substitute.
But the right tablet can tempt me, so long as it's on the smaller side. I have a Pixel Slate here if I wanted to use a ginormous heavy tablet, and because it has a desktop browser, it's going to be better at doing many of the things I want a tablet to do. It needs to be plenty powerful enough to play HD video without sputtering and have Wi-Fi that's strong enough to keep up. A few cool games are a plus, too. My tablet would be just for fun and not at all for work.
I've thought about foldables here, too. Something like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could work, but I'm not yet sold on how the phone side of things play out. Maybe in a couple of years, but now I think I would end up spending twice as much on a device that I would only use as a tablet. Not an ideal situation for my wallet.
I basically ignored all the talk about how artists and professionals love the iPad Mini, but what I did pay attention to has me thinking it might be the one. The power is there — forget all the XX% faster marketing stuff, but I've seen enough from Apple to know the Bionic SoC platform is going to handle things. The size is right, and even the $500 price tag isn't insane like many other Apple devices are.
Mostly though, it's the ecosystem. Yes, that word gets tossed around a lot, and sometimes my brain goes numb after hearing it, but this is one place where everything can work great for me. All of Google's services work well on iOS, so I know I'll have the experience I want from Google Photos or YouTube, and Apple does a great job at filling in the rest.
Say what you will about Apple's way of doing business, but the App Store has plenty of great tablet apps.
Yeah, Apple's walled garden sucks. Ask anyone who wants to play Fortnite on a new iPad Mini about that if you want another opinion, and I'm not a fan of a company trying to tell me what I can do with something I paid money to buy. But I can't deny that Apple has its shit together when it comes to tablet apps, and chances are I would find a few I would want to install. Google could learn a lot here.
I think an iPad Mini would complement my Android phone and my other tech in the right ways. I'm not rushing out to preorder one just yet, and I'll wait to read some reviews before I whip out the plastic. I'd also recommend any Android or Chrome user as interested in the iPad Mini as I am to do the same thing.
I've talked to a lot of you guys who use an iPad along with your Android phones, and I think I get it now. I'm not going to write it off just because it's from that fruit company. It might be what a lot of Android folks just like me are looking for.
