Ipad mini 5 versus 6

[BruceBotti]

I have the Mini 2 and love it. The only issue I have is that the screen on my iphone xr is too small for my 71 year old eyes. I was waiting for the ipad mini 6 to come out. Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off). My question is, is it worth it to wait for the ipad mini 6? I will primarily only use it for drone flying.
Thanks,
Bruce

 

[sarimento1]

have to be careful not to confuse the mini's!
i have DJI Air2S with same RC as the DJI Mini2.
normally fly with my iphone 12pro.
i've used the ipad mini5 with the RC, it works ok, but a bit cumbersome without an adapter, imo.
also i lose the close cellphone data connectivity of the iphone.

fwiw, my reco will be as follows...
enjoy the dji mini2 for a few more months.
wait and see what comes out from apple as well as dji by year end, then decide.
who knows, you might opt to get the air2s or even mavic 3, perhaps with an upgraded smart controller.


and, btw, my eyes are older than yours and the iphone screen is fine....that is, when it doesn't black out from overheating!!

 

[Tim99]

have to be careful not to confuse the mini's!
i have DJI Air2S with same RC as the DJI Mini2.
normally fly with my iphone 12pro.
i've used the ipad mini5 with the RC, it works ok, but a bit cumbersome without an adapter, imo.
also i lose the close cellphone data connectivity of the iphone.

fwiw, my reco will be as follows...
enjoy the dji mini2 for a few more months.
wait and see what comes out from apple as well as dji by year end, then decide.
who knows, you might opt to get the air2s or even mavic 3, perhaps with an upgraded smart controller.


and, btw, my eyes are older than yours and the iphone screen is fine....that is, when it doesn't black out from overheating!!

You can enable ‘hotspot’ in the mobile data settings & connect to the iPad? Then you get data to the iPad through your phone.

 

[brew99]

My understanding is the mini 6 ipad will be quite a change from the now couple year old mini 5. Although, I would not imagine that if you are only using it for flying, it will make much of a difference. Personally, I'd get the mini 5 for $100 off, and not worry about when the 6 is released.

And as Tim99 suggests, just hotspot your ipad to your phone to get the data

 

[eaglesurfing]

I have the Mini 5 and it works fine with this sunshade.

I made it for the plans from one our members.



Mine is uses the hotspot to my iPhone 11.

 

[JoeyThePilot56]

I have the Mini 2 and love it. The only issue I have is that the screen on my iphone xr is too small for my 71 year old eyes. I was waiting for the ipad mini 6 to come out. Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off). My question is, is it worth it to wait for the ipad mini 6? I will primarily only use it for drone flying.
Thanks,
Bruce

I sold my smart controller and went to a mini ipad 5 and couldn't be any happier. I think it will you'll also be happy with it. I'm using it with my Mavic Air 2.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

Mini 5 works flawlessly for flying. Why wait and pay more, unless you’re going to use it for something else.

 

[TwoSticks]

If rumors are true, the mini 6 will be a complete redesign but if you need something now the mini 5 is a great pick. I use one myself.

 

[MA2 317]

I have the Mini 2 and love it. The only issue I have is that the screen on my iphone xr is too small for my 71 year old eyes. I was waiting for the ipad mini 6 to come out. Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off). My question is, is it worth it to wait for the ipad mini 6? I will primarily only use it for drone flying.
Thanks,
Bruce

Hi Bruce.

I think you'll enjoy the mini 5.

I don't have one myself but started with a mini 4 in 2017.

I liked this video review of the mini 5 as it has the CPU power to handle 4k video editing.

Happy shopping. ?

 

[SethB]

I have the Mini 2 and love it… Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off).

That’s a good price on the iPad Mini 5! I just now bought one, thanks for the heads up.

I liked this video review of the mini 5 as it has the CPU power to handle 4k video editing.

This review/demo was great as well.

I’ve been flying the DJI Mini 2 with an iPad Mini 4. It works, but:
a) this is a borrowed tablet,
b) I can’t sync record video during flight,
c) I can’t do screen recording during flight.
The iPad Mini 4 just doesn’t have the processor to do it all, though it does fly

I really like the size of the iPad Mini, very much in scale with this little drone & controller. Many forum contributers seem confident that the iPad Mini 5 is fully functional with Fly. $100 off was enough to push me over the edge…

 

[SethB]

P.S. I quite like this very tiny holder for the mini on a mini

 

[BarbT]

I have the iPad Mini 5 for use with my drone and it works just fine. If you are mainly using it for your drone, I would get the 5 at the better price point as opposed to waiting for the 6.

 

[Thanohano44]

The iPad mini 5 is an amazing device. You will love it!! The iPad Air 4 costs around the same if you don’t mind a bigger screen. My daughter wanted my iPad 5 for her editing and so forth so I’m using my smart controller’s and (2) 2020 iPad Pro’s (11” and 12.9”) when flying for work.
I’m not sure how everyone else does it but i fly with Otterbox’s on my tablets so I suggest getting a adapter that can accommodate that.

 

[DroneToJoy]

all depends on the nits....

 

[Laborous]

I fly with the Mini 5 but sometimes have issues in bright sun even with a shade. I agree with DroneToJoy, the nits on apple devices are low compared to some android phones.

 

[BruceBotti]

Thanks for all the quality replies. I really appreciate it. I decided to go with the mini 5 and save $100. It will certainly work for my particular needs. Thanks again!
Bruce

 

[Sjkieffer]

I think we will all be dead before we see a mini 6

 

[Bob Mc]

I have the Mini 2 and love it. The only issue I have is that the screen on my iphone xr is too small for my 71 year old eyes. I was waiting for the ipad mini 6 to come out. Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off). My question is, is it worth it to wait for the ipad mini 6? I will primarily only use it for drone flying.
Thanks,
Bruce

Hello,
I have the iPad mini 5 and DJI Mini 2. They work very well together. The screen is a lot better for old eyes and the mini isn’t as heavy as a regular iPad, I also bought a sun shade. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GPDDCNW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[LA 2020]

I have the Mini 2 and love it. The only issue I have is that the screen on my iphone xr is too small for my 71 year old eyes. I was waiting for the ipad mini 6 to come out. Today I see the ipad mini 5 available for $299 ($100 off). My question is, is it worth it to wait for the ipad mini 6? I will primarily only use it for drone flying.
Thanks,
Bruce

I use a Mini 5 exclusively so I can actually see the screen. Some text on the screens are way too small. A big Ipad is too clunky so the Mini 5 is perfect. That price you stated seems too cheap so it's likely not a 4G with GPS anywhere but rather only WiFi. I strongly suggest you get a Mini5 with cell service and larger storage (for videos) so you have GPS maps at all times. Flying is much better with real time maps on screen

 

[wondercrew]

I would choose 5 mini