iPad Mini Starts at $699, Costing Hundreds More Than Kindle Colorsoft
A reviewer who compared the iPad mini eighth generation with Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft says Apple's tablet has become a favorite reading device. The iPad starts at $699, while the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition costs $319. The review covers price, size, build and display.
The iPad mini eighth generation starts at $699 for the 128GB model with a glossy screen. A reviewer who tested it says it has quickly become one of the favorite devices they use for reading, in a comparison with Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft.
That is notable because the reviewer has been an avid Kindle reader for more than ten years. They still call the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition a brilliant reading device.
Price and storage
The glare-reducing nano-texture display is not offered on the base model. Buyers must move up to 256GB, which adds $200 to the total cost.
The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition costs $319 with 32GB of storage and no ad support. The standard Kindle Colorsoft has 16GB and lacks the aluminum back housing. It costs $289.
Even the pricier Kindle is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the iPad mini, the reviewer wrote. Both devices cost more than their predecessors.
Design and build
Both devices have been redesigned to be thinner and lighter than the models they replace. The reviewer says that makes them easy to read on for long stretches.
The iPad mini measures 7.69 x 5.22 x 0.21 inches and weighs 8.9 ounces. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition measures 6.9 x 5.0 x 0.3 inches and weighs 8.1 ounces. It is the smaller of the two.
Apple's tablet is one piece of machined aluminum. On the Kindle, only the back housing is aluminum. Both feel sturdy and smooth in the hand, the reviewer said, and both are waterproof. The iPad mini is rated IP67.
The iPad comes in Midnight and Starlight. The Kindle comes in Fig and Graphite. The reviewer gives the iPad the more premium design overall, while calling both "elegant slabs in their own right."
Display for reading
The reviewer notes that an OLED panel and a digital ink screen are not a one-to-one comparison. They judged each on the actual reading experience instead.
The iPad mini has a larger 8.5-inch display, thinner bezels and a resolution of 2316 x 1512 pixels at 326 pixels per inch. The OLED panel delivers excellent contrast and vivid colors, according to the reviewer. Novels, comics and other content look fantastic.
Apple sent a review unit with the nano-texture display. It reduces glare and gives the screen a more paper-like feel, which brings it closer to a Kindle for reading. The reviewer still says it stings to pay $200 more for the 256GB model to get it.
The Kindle Colorsoft keeps the same 7-inch, 300 pixels-per-inch color display as the previous model. Amazon has used a new reverse-stack construction to make the move from screen to bezel more seamless.
The reviewer says the Kindle remains a fantastic e-reader thanks to its light and sturdy build, large color display and smooth integration with the Kindle ecosystem. The iPad mini, they add, is the more feature-rich of the two.
