Ipad mini vs Apple iphone Xr

Ozone

Ozone

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Ozone
I'm in need of an upgrade to run my fltplan go app. My old Mini v2 (with cellular) isn't keeping up with the updates and the new mini 4 looks interesting.

However, I took a look at the iPhone Xr and the 6.1" diagonal screen seems to be within striking distance of the 7.9 inch mini screen for most aspects of using an EFB like fltplan go. Especially since the mini screen has the top and bottom cut-off whereas the iPhone Xr has pixels from edge to edge.

Plus, with trade-in, I could pick up a 128gb iPhone for $600 vs the mini with cellular (and GPS) is around $660 for the similar memory.

Has anyone else come across this dilemma and how did you make your decision?
I should say that the device needs to fit in a tight glider cockpit, so please don't try to sell me on a regular sized ipad….it wont fit.
 
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I went through this last fall and ended up with the iPad Mini 4 (128g + cellular) and haven't had any issues with speed or updates. It also runs Stratux info on ForeFlight no problem. I found I couldn't read approach plates on the phone. If your eyes are better than mine or you don't fly IFR, YMMV.
 
Fyi, the new mini is #5, you can find used 4s for sale.


Tom
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Fyi, the new mini is #5, you can find used 4s for sale.


Tom
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That's right...I meant the mini 5. I looked at the prices and I want built-in GPS in case my bad elf decides to do something funny. To get GPS, and 256gb memory (no 128 available), it's $650. Somehow I thought it was $800, must have read that on another apple product.
 
Even though the cross section is similar, the iPad has a much larger screen due to the aspect ratio. The iPhone is tall and skinny, while the iPad is short and fat. This leads to a better reading experience on the iPad.
 
If you can get away with it, you’d kill two birds with one stone having it on an iPhone.

Granted, my eyes are still young, but my iPhone XS Max works well.
 
My eyes are fine but still find I prefer my iPad over my iPhone X. Granted, the XR is slightly bigger than the X and my iPad is a 9.7” Air2 so it’s quite a big difference.

Im considering adding a Mini 5 to the mix as I do sometimes find the Air2 to be a bit difficult and/or a tight in the cockpit (its about the same time maybe marginally bigger than my kneeboard but I cant really secure it without going bigger on the kneeboard) but wouldn’t go smaller than that
 
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another thing to consider is that many EFB's (I don't know about yours) have different levels of functionality between a cell phone and iPad. you might want to see if you are going to lose something by switching to a phone.
 
Wrench978 said:
another thing to consider is that many EFB's (I don't know about yours) have different levels of functionality between a cell phone and iPad. you might want to see if you are going to lose something by switching to a phone.
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Good point. WingXPro7 on the iPhone is not as full-featured as the iPad implementation. Still good enough, though.
 
FastEddieB said:
Good point. WingXPro7 on the iPhone is not as full-featured as the iPad implementation. Still good enough, though.
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its now more functional on my phone than my iPad... I tried updating the iPad today and deleted the app, only to find out my iPad is too old for the new one... So Im SOL until I buy a new iPad...
 
KaiGywer said:
Even though the cross section is similar, the iPad has a much larger screen due to the aspect ratio. The iPhone is tall and skinny, while the iPad is short and fat. This leads to a better reading experience on the iPad.
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This. The screen real-estate on the iPad mini is about 70% more. The diagonal measurement makes it feel close, but it really isn't. I recommend the mini. Second reason for recommending the mini: less stuff to go wrong. If it's your phone, you're more likely to use it daily, abuse it, load it with a million apps, and generally degrade the stability. The iPad is likely to be a flying device, and be more reliable for its intended purpose.
 
arnoha said:
This. The screen real-estate on the iPad mini is about 70% more. The diagonal measurement makes it feel close, but it really isn't. I recommend the mini. Second reason for recommending the mini: less stuff to go wrong. If it's your phone, you're more likely to use it daily, abuse it, load it with a million apps, and generally degrade the stability. The iPad is likely to be a flying device, and be more reliable for its intended purpose.
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This. There are also generally fewer features on the phone implementations of the various apps. For example, in ForeFlight, the most frequent thing I miss when on the phone is the Altitude Advisor.

iPad all the way.
 
I love the mini 4. I think it is the perfect size for using it in flight. I also like having two separate devices. Forgot to charge the Ipad? I have my phone as a back up. Left my phone sitting on the seat in the plane in the sun for 2 hours and it overheat and needs a while to cool off? No problem, I've got my Ipad. I think the redundancy of two devices is very beneficial.
 
Clip4 said:
You really want to walk around with a phone that size?
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The Xr isn't particularly large. It's about the same size as the Xs. Both are pretty reasonable. It's the Xs Max that is huge... And I guess some people like that. :dunno:
 
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