The iPad mini in a Folding iPhone World

The iPad mini is one of my all-time favorite Apple devices. Despite some skepticism when the company first split the iPad line by introducing a smaller size, I quickly got onboard when the second generation went retina, and the mini was my trusty companion throughout grad school classes and beyond. In 2021, the mini entered the modern iPad era with an all-screen redesign, prompting me to upgrade to a device I still use today and have only come to love more and more with time. You’ll hardly catch me without it.

It’s the ideal device for so many of the things I do every day. Whether it’s reading books, taking notes in a meeting, catching up on the news, reviewing old photos, watching YouTube videos, or proofreading article drafts, there are so many tasks that lend themselves towards the iPad mini’s expansive yet graspable size. It’s bigger than the biggest iPhone, which makes it capable of handling the more complex app layouts available on iPadOS, but it’s not too big to hold comfortably in one hand for an extended period of time, something that can’t universally be said of the 11” iPad Pro or iPad Air.

I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that the iPad mini holds a special place in my heart and my daily routine. I love that tiny thing.

And if rumors are to be believed, it’s on the cusp of another big upgrade: OLED. One of the most common complaints I hear about the mini is that it uses older, cheaper LCD screen technology rather than the latest and greatest like the iPad Pro and iPhone. Although the mini’s LCD screen does hold its own, an OLED upgrade promises to bring improved color, increased brightness, and possibly even a thinner overall design, so I’m very interested to see what that looks like. Given that my A15 iPad mini likely won’t get software updates for much longer, the debut of a redesigned OLED version seems like the perfect time for me to upgrade and pass my mini along to the next generation of iPad mini fan (namely, my kid).

The complicating factor in that decision, of course, is the folding iPhone, currently dubbed the iPhone Ultra by the Apple blogosphere. Remember when I said the iPad mini is bigger than the biggest iPhone? That’ll still be true once the folding iPhone is released, but the gap will be much narrower than before. The iPhone Ultra is rumored to have a 7.8” screen when unfolded with an aspect ratio similar to and only slightly smaller than the iPad mini’s 8.3” display. I’ve seen a similarly-sized screen in person on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it seems like it could be a great size for the sorts of things I do with the iPad mini.

The iPhone Ultra will have the benefit of being always with me, folded in half and living in my pocket when I’m not using it but always ready to be unfolded at a moment’s notice. It’ll also have the latest screen technology available from Apple, likely even exceeding the capabilities of the upcoming OLED iPad mini in terms of brightness and refresh rate. It’ll have a cellular connection and thus be always up-to-date. And did I mention that it’ll fit in my pocket? I’ve tried carrying my iPad mini that way, and it just isn’t practical; the mini necessitates a bag if I want it with me.

That isn’t to say the iPhone Ultra will be a perfect iPad mini replacement. For one, it’s likely to cost multiple times the price of the iPad mini at over $2,000, and I probably won’t be keeping it around for years like I have my trusty tablet. We have no idea how durable the folding iPhone will be. I can’t imagine Apple would release a product – especially a premium one – that couldn’t last several years, but folding screens inevitably suffer wear and tear while traditional screen technology has proven its longevity. Then there’s that half inch of screen real estate that will be lost going from the iPad mini to the iPhone Ultra. Will that be a deal-breaker? Not necessarily, but it all comes down to one thing: software.

And that’s the part of the story that I’m most intrigued by. We don’t yet know how iPhone apps are going to translate to the iPhone Ultra’s larger screen. Apple introduced resizable layout technologies at WWDC to help developers prepare their apps for such a future, but how those adaptive layouts will work in practice and how quickly developers will adopt them has yet to be seen. Will apps on the larger screen act more like iPad apps, with multi-pane sidebars and rich toolbars, or just enlarged iPhone apps, with full-screen views and bottom-anchored navigation? I’d very much prefer the former, but the jury is currently out.

I have no doubt that the iPhone Ultra will be an incredible piece of technology, and I already know that Apple’s going to hype the thing up in its announcement video to the point that I’ll be desperate to try one in-hand as soon as possible. But the thing I’m really going to be interested in is the software story, both in terms of app layouts and multitasking. I’m hoping the iPhone Ultra will act more like an iPad mini than a large iPhone when it’s unfolded, and if that’s the case, that’ll make the argument for the iPhone Ultra even stronger.

Where does that leave the iPad mini? It’s a mixed bag. For most people, a folding iPhone isn’t even a consideration, especially at the high prices that have been rumored. But the iPad mini is already a niche product, and I imagine the folding phone will cut into its customer base at least a little bit. Apple isn’t shy about selling multiple products with overlapping screen sizes and use cases (see the three 11” iPad models currently for sale), so I’m sure the iPad mini and iPhone Ultra can peacefully coexist. But how they’re differentiated and marketed to their target audiences, I’m not sure.

I’m even less sure what it all means for me personally. I really want to give the folding iPhone a try, but I have no idea whether it’ll be the right solution for me long-term. If the software leans more in the iPad direction, I could see myself loving it and never going back to a slab phone. Then again, I’m a registered iPhone Air weirdo, so there’s a distinct possibility I live the folding phone life for a time as an experiment and ultimately go back to the Air – or switch things up totally and move to the 20th anniversary bezel-less iPhone that’s been rumored for next year. It’s a weird time for iPhones, and I don’t have a clear picture yet of which direction I’m going to go. It’ll be impossible to know until I’ve lived with the folding iPhone for a while.

Behind the haze of that confusion, the shining light of the impending OLED iPad mini looms. I don’t feel like there’s space in my personal setup for both a folding iPhone and an iPad mini. They’re just too similar in size and use case for me to justify paying for one of each. The smart financial move would be to upgrade my iPad mini this fall and my iPhone Air in the spring. I could pick up both for less than the rumored cost of the iPhone Ultra. I just don’t think I’ll be able to resist the adventure of trying a new form factor like the folding iPhone, though. It’s a mystery, but it’s one I feel I must explore.

Realistically, I’m probably going to spend at least a year with the folding iPhone. If it works for me, that’ll be great. I’ll know I’m a folding phone person, and I can put my thoughts of the iPad mini behind me. And if I end up going back to a slab iPhone down the road, the OLED iPad mini will still be there waiting to welcome me back – if I can afford it after the expensive folding phone experiment, of course.

My future with the iPad mini is going to be determined, I think, by the folding iPhone’s software. If it acts like an iPhone with a bigger display, I don’t think that’s going to replace iPadOS for me. But if it’s truly an iPad mini I can fold in half and carry with me everywhere, then that’s the dream of the one-handed tablet brought to its logical end point, and it’ll be a beautiful thing indeed.

No matter what, the iPad mini’s essence will live on in my setup for years to come, whether that’s as a small tablet I carry in a bag or as a phone I can pull out of my pocket and unfold into a small tablet anytime I want. I don’t know which way it’ll go, but I can’t wait to find out. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of small Apple tablets.

Saying Goodbye to MacStories

I’m writing this on a Friday morning, a time I normally block off for editing the weekly MacStories member newsletter. A creature of habit, I find routines both comforting and very hard to break, which partially explains why I’m staring at a cursor in a text editor on a Friday morning when there are no stories for me to work on anymore.

The full explanation is this: I left my position at MacStories yesterday, and writing this is my way of letting you know about that decision and – with any luck – processing it a bit myself. So bear with me.

Being a part of MacStories over the past two and a half years has meant the world to me. I’ve been a fan of Federico and John’s work covering Apple, apps, and Shortcuts for a very long time, and I’ve always aspired to reach their level of quality and enthusiasm in my own writing. When they invited me to join the MacStories team – first as a podcaster alongside my partner in crime Sigmund and later as a writer and editor – it felt like an affirmation of all the work I’d put into my own projects over the years. I got to work with my personal heroes, walking among giants in my eyes.

The first time I saw my name on a MacStories byline, I could hardly believe it. It felt unreal that I would get the chance to write for a site I so admired, much less be a regular contributor. Imposter syndrome tried to rear its ugly head, but the encouragement so generously offered by colleagues and readers helped me overcome that nonsense. Eventually, I was able to wrap my mind around the reality of it all and just enjoy the ride.

The best part of the job by far was the camaraderie among the team. I love writing, but I adore collaborating with other writers as an editor, helping them tell their stories to the world. The experience of being part of a writing team was a first for me, and it’s one I’ll never forget. Working alongside Jonathan, Niléane, and the rest of the crew was a pure joy. I’ll miss the teamwork – especially the frenzy of covering an Apple event together – most of all.

It was also my first time writing for an audience beyond my small but loyal group of blog readers, as well as my first time publishing anything that people paid to read, and the gravity of that responsibility was a lot to carry at first. It would have been enough to petrify me if the MacStories and Club MacStories community hadn’t been so welcoming and kind. The feedback from readers was endlessly positive and interesting; it made the writing process that much more meaningful.

From covering Apple events to writing two reviews of major visionOS versions to editing over 550 stories for the site and the Club, I loved everything I got the privilege to be a part of at MacStories. The experience taught me so many things, most of all my love for editing – digging into a thought or phrase and finding just the right way to convey it with clarity, impact, and often a dash of humor. My passion for tech writing and editing has only grown as a result of my time at the site.

Stepping away from MacStories was my decision, even though the circumstances leading up to it were outside of my control. It’s hard to let go of something that made me so proud to be a part of and brought me such a deep sense of joy, fulfillment, and accomplishment. It played a huge part in how I saw myself as a creative professional, and I’m really, really going to miss it.

So Friday mornings are going to feel hollow for a while. I have no doubt that my fingers are going to find themselves instinctively reaching for the keyboard to get to work on… I don’t know what. In time, I’ll figure out what that is. For now, though, I’m doing my best to direct that energy not towards missing what once was or wishing that things were different, but being thankful for the experiences I’ve had, the wonderful people I’m blessed to have in my life, and the hope of what’s to come.

OS Beta Pros and Cons

With the public betas of iOS 27 and its corresponding updates on Apple’s other platforms now available, I broke down the reasons for and against installing the betas on your devices for the Club MacStories Monthly Log. It’s a question I’ve thought about a lot over the years, and there are compelling reasons both for and against jumping on the beta train, so if you’re on the fence, I invite you to check out the story.

visionOS 27 Preview

With the public betas for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and tvOS 27 releasing yesterday, the team at MacStories shared a collection of preview stories to offer a glimpse at what it’s like living with the updates. visionOS 27 is only available as a developer beta, but I previewed the new version nonetheless. Early adopters – like Vision Pro owners – are also prime candidates to be beta testers because they like to get the latest and greatest before anyone else.

If you’re considering jumping on the beta train, check out my preview and those from the rest of the team to see how they’re working out in day-to-day use.

It Just Works

My new story for Club MacStories is a throwback to my early days as an Apple user and an expression of hope that this fall’s software updates for Apple devices might recapture some of that magic through simplicity and reliability. “It Just Works” is a slogan that the company has long applied to the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and its other products. I think this year might be the year it becomes a reality in a way we haven’t seen in quite some time.

I’d love it if you checked out the story in the Monthly Log.