iPad mini 4
A laminated anti-reflective display and the A8, then three and a half years on sale untouched, the longest Apple has left any iPad.
Released September 9, 2015 · Discontinued March 18, 2019 · From $399 (16 GB, Wi-Fi)
The forgotten mini. Apple gave the fourth generation a proper update with the A8, a laminated display with an anti-reflective coating and 2GB of RAM, then left it on sale for three and a half years without touching it. That is the longest Apple has gone without updating any iPad. The hardware itself was good. Laminating the screen fixed the air gap the earlier minis had, the anti-reflective coating cut glare, and the A8 was adequate for everything the small iPad was used for. By 2018 it was being sold new alongside phones with several times the processing power, which was awkward for everyone involved.
Reviews & Reception
The mini finally caught up to the Air 2 in build and silicon, a year later than reviewers wanted.
The tablet's entire package, from the still-snappy A8 chipset to the beautiful and almost-pocketable screen, to the incredibly sleek chassis, makes it worthy of your consideration.
If you're on the lookout for a super-portable tablet with strong fundamentals and great app support, you probably won't find a contender better than this one.