The 11-inch iPad is the right size
I’ve used many iPads over the years:
iPad 2
iPad 3
iPad Air 2
iPad “Pro” 13-inch (2015)
iPad “Pro” 11-inch (2020)
iPad Mini (latest gen)
I used each of these for at least six months, so this is a long-term review of various iPad sizes.
I use my iPads only at home, that too in bed. When I’m lying down on my back, I put the iPad on my chest. When I’m lying down on my side, I put the iPad on the bed beside me. When I’m sitting, I prefer to use a computer.
I use iPads only as content consumption devices, since they’re too limited for work, and when you push them beyond their limit, they can be harder to use than a computer.
I’m sharing all this so that you can decide if your use cases are similar, and so how useful this review is to you.
With this background in mind, let’s see how the various iPads fare.
13-inch iPad
The 13-inch iPad is unwieldy. When I place it on my chest in bed, it exerts more pressure on my chest. When I turn to one side, I have to lift the heavy iPad, gripping it tightly, given its weight. It’s not an effortless experience, of the kind you want in bed. Then, given its size, I have to move it away from my face. If there’s no room, I have to move backward on the bed to give the iPad space.
In exchange for all this, there’s nothing you can see that’s not visible on the 11-inch iPad, like the stars in:
It’s not like an iPad vs a smartphone, where you can see a lot more detail on the iPad.
Watching videos on the 13-inch iPad does feel more immersive, but it’s a small benefit for a lot of inconvenience, and when I watch a work of art like
I prefer to watch it on my 16-inch Macbook or my 27-inch monitor, both of which are more immersive than the 13-inch iPad.
When I watch videos where they present slides, they’re perfectly readable on the 11-inch iPad.
iPad Mini
I was curious enough about the iPad Mini for years, and last year, I applied Jeff Bezos’s regret minimization framework and bought one. I was hoping its screen would be big enough, while being significantly more comfortable to use than the 11-inch iPad. That didn’t work out. I use it the same way as the 11-inch iPad: on my chest when lying on my back, and beside me when I’m lying on one side. The Mini doesn’t feel any more comfortable than the 11-inch. Yes, I can hold the Mini with one hand, but I never use iPads handheld like I do smartphones, so the single-handedness doesn’t matter, and after a while, I’d want to rest the Mini against something, anyway, which again makes it no more convenient than the 11-inch.
Watching videos on the Mini is not an immersive experience. It’s unsatisfying. When I watch a beautiful video on the 11-inch, I feel happy, like I’ve had an experience. When watching a video where they present slides, small text is hard to read on the Mini.
The 11-inch is the sweet spot
The 11-inch iPad is the sweet spot — the most benefit with the least inconvenience. The 13-inch is unwieldy while having the same benefit as the 11. The Mini offers significantly less benefit while having the same level of convenience as the 11-inch. Buy the 11-inch1.
It’s a testament to Steve Job’s genius that he chose the correct size for the original iPad — not small like 8-inch, nor huge like 13.