{"id":5487,"date":"2021-10-08T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T10:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1383313"},"modified":"2021-10-08T12:54:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T10:54:14","slug":"ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power\/","title":{"rendered":"iPad mini 6 and Surface Duo 2: Is it the right time for portable power?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By George Storr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 08 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Apple\u2019s iPad mini 6 and Microsoft\u2019s Surface Duo 2 <\/span>both strike a fantastic balance between portability and computing power<\/span>. In a pre-Covid world, they were perfect for holidays and commutes. But even as the world begins to open up again, we have to wonder: have they lost some of their appeal?<\/span><\/p>\n

In Microsoft\u2019s advertisement for the Surface Duo 2, one of the main promises is that the device will \u201cunlock the productivity of Microsoft 365\u201d and provide \u201ceffortless multitasking\u201d. But is portable productivity something users will pay the Duo 2\u2019s huge \u00a31349 price for when work, travel and live events are still quite limited? Even the much smaller cost of the iPad mini<\/a> may be too much for many would-be buyers when the portability gap between a phone and a PC needs bridging less regularly right now. Both seem slightly oddly timed releases, whether or not they can stake a claim to be the best tablet<\/a>\u00a0or best smartphone<\/a>\u00a0out there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to criticise the Surface Duo 2. The new handset responds to much of the criticism levelled at the original Surface Duo, including better speakers and cameras \u2013 wide, ultra-wide and telephoto lenses \u2013 and a \u2018notification spine\u2019 that lets users know if they have a call, message, or notification and displays the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s design is an interesting take on the foldables trend. It offers a larger display area without the engineering complications and inevitable crease that come with the screen itself folding (see our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review<\/a> for more on this). There\u2019s also less of a gap between the two screens on the Surface Duo 2, making the overall experience more similar to using a tablet than it was on the original. The two screens sat very slightly too far apart for some users\u2019 liking. It\u2019s possible to pre-order the Surface Duo 2 direct from Microsoft \u2013 from \u00a31349<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""Microsoft\"<\/div>\n

One downfall of the Surface Duo 2<\/a> that is retained from the first iteration is that many apps just don\u2019t look good splayed across both screens, which is limiting. Most non-Microsoft apps aren\u2019t likely to be re-designed simply to fit the Duo 2 because its multi-screen form factor is a minority outlier. However, some Microsoft apps show the flip side of this, having had Duo-focused design tweaks. Outlook shows off just how smooth the Duo 2\u2019s layout can make multitasking, with a calendar on one side and emails on the other, or any variety of page combinations you choose.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, during the device\u2019s announcement, Apple flaunted the range of functions it sees the iPad mini 6 performing. Yes, there was a suited and booted, corporate looking figure, demonstrating the tablet\u2019s uses as an organisational tool, but there was also a reminder that the mini is a favourite with pilots, kids and creators. Above all, Apple wanted to highlight the versatility of the mini.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting too that while the two devices are comparable in many ways, such as their display size and suitability for on-the-go working, photo editing and similar tasks, they\u2019re very different as purchases. The iPad mini 6<\/a> costs \u00a3479, while the Surface Duo 2 will set you back a much more substantial sum when it\u2019s released on October 21 \u2013 starting from \u00a31349.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The iPad mini 6 is available to pre-order from the official Apple website and a variety of major retailers, including\u00a0John Lewis<\/a>,\u00a0Currys<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0AO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course, just because the Microsoft product is more productivity-targeted than the Apple one doesn\u2019t mean that it will have limited uses, but the tone of the two company\u2019s product reveals \u2013 and the track record of the brands \u2013 does suggest that the Surface Duo 2 will be a little more straight-laced and business-minded than the iPad mini<\/a>, which itself may be more widely adopted by creators.<\/span><\/p>\n

\""iPad\"<\/div>\n

Both devices sit in a strange no-man\u2019s-land between phone and tablet. The iPad mini 6<\/a> is a tablet, strictly speaking, but its 8.3-inch display means it\u2019s reasonably pocketable, at least in a jacket. The Surface Duo 2<\/a> also has an 8.3-inch display when folded fully open and two 5.6-inch displays which can be used individually. It certainly edges closer to being a phone than the mini does, but Microsoft has always resisted referring to the Surface Duos as phones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The combination of that slightly ambiguous product category (\u2018phablet\u2019 anyone?) and the fact that these aren\u2019t ideal times to sell a device that suits on-the-go productivity could be a worrying sign for both devices. When there\u2019s less need for portability and the equivalent full-size iPad \u2013 or Surface tablet \u2013 has a better battery life, then why plump for the smaller device? Of course, many use-cases will still demand this, but less of them seem to apply right now, in the world of remote working.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to be interesting to see how well-received both devices are and how well they sell. Is the need for portable power \u2013 with a larger display than a phone \u2013 too small a niche right now? Time will tell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more on the Duo 2, head over to our Microsoft Surface Duo 2 pre-order<\/a> page. Likewise, for the latest on the iPad mini 6 \u2013 and to discover how to get your hands on one \u2013 take a look at our iPad mini 6 release date<\/a> page, which will be updated regularly with all the info you need to buy Apple\u2019s latest tablet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By George Storr Published: Friday, 08 October 2021 at 12:00 am Apple\u2019s iPad mini 6 and Microsoft\u2019s Surface Duo 2 both strike a fantastic balance between portability and computing power. In a pre-Covid world, they were perfect for holidays and commutes. But even as the world begins to open up again, we have to wonder: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":5488,"template":"","categories":[8],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power.jpg",1960,1400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power-300x214.jpg",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power-768x549.jpg",768,549,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power-1024x731.jpg",800,571,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power-1536x1097.jpg",1536,1097,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/10\/ipad-mini-6-and-surface-duo-2-is-it-the-right-time-for-portable-power.jpg",1960,1400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By George Storr Published: Friday, 08 October 2021 at 12:00 am Apple\u2019s iPad mini 6 and Microsoft\u2019s Surface Duo 2 both strike a fantastic balance between portability and computing power. In a pre-Covid world, they were perfect for holidays and commutes. But even as the world begins to open up again, we have to wonder:…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/5487"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}