Can the iPad mini 6 REPLACE Your iPhone? — My Experimental Conclusion
When I first saw the iPad mini 6, one of my first thoughts were about how much I wish IT COULD BE MY PHONE. Sure, there are some drawbacks, but can it be done?
There is a fellow YouTuber that really made me think more about this setup for the iPad mini 6 in great detail. Fernando Silva (also known as @nandoprince93 on Twitter) tweeted that he was thinking about using the iPad mini 6 as a phone, or at least try to. In the end, he chose not to and you know what? I dont blame him.
I mean, how can you really avoid the issues that this setup will force you to either succumb to, compromise with, or find a work around for?
Well, there are ways to try and make this work. I know because I did a short term test to see the validity of what I had brainstormed. Just as a disclaimer, the solution I have come up with works in the United States because of a limitation that will be discussed as we go on this journey together.
The Challenges We Need To Overcome
Let’s just think about this. First, if you want to use the iPad mini 6 as your phone, you need to have some sort of cellular connection. You won’t be able to make a phone call, text, or surf the web otherwise. Second, you will need to make phone calls and text messages to people with and without an iPhone. Third, there is the issue of iMessage and Facetime with your iPhone contacts. Lastly, there is the issue with the Apple Watch.
Some challenges do not have a clear solution. That is why this experiment or experience, if you will, does not come without compromises. We will cover more about the experience later, so keep on reading. You might not expect what I will say…
What’s Needed?
If we are really doing this (we are), we will need to have a solution for the biggest issues that we face. Essentially, we need to have service and the ability to make and receive both phone calls and messages. You know, the basic functions of a phone.
Just to reiterate, this experiment comes with drawbacks and compromises. This is not a perfect solution, but it does work well enough to let you test it out for the fun and the experience.
So here is what you need:
- Mobile hotspot or cellular iPad mini 6
- Cellular plan for the hotspot or the cellular iPad
- A Gmail account
- Google Voice app on the iPad
- Bluetooth or wired headphones (just get a set of Bluetooth headphones)
Connecting your iPad to a mobile hotspot or having a cellular iPad mini with a data plan will unlock the ability of “having service” when you are out on the go. You don’t have to rely on public WiFi networks and you don’t have to worry about the security risks associated with them.
The Gmail account will unlock access to Google Voice. Google services are free of charge, so you don’t have to worry about paying extra for this on top of the data plan. Google Voice is a powerful service and it lets you get a new phone number for the area of your choice (based on the city you choose). If you want to port-in a number, you are able to do that as well, but you will need to pay $20 to do so. The steps for this can be confusing, but follow the instructions that are found here.
One limitation of Google Voice, however, is that it only works in the United States. There might be other services that offer a similar solution in your country, so I would advise you to find something suitable in your area.
Once you have your number setup with Google Voice, you can make and receive both phone calls and texts. The beauty of this service is the ease of use and the ability to essentially have a second number for free. You can setup the Google Voice number in the app on your phone as well as an extra phone number, if you need one.
Now, you may have not realized this, but the iPad mini does not have a speaker for phone calls like the iPhones do. As a result, all your phone calls are going to be on speaker phone at all times, eliminating any sense of privacy you would normally have for a phone call.
Remember those Bluetooth headphones I mentioned earlier? You will need them if you want to have privacy when talking on the phone. This way, the person next to you at the grocery store doesn’t hear the person speaking to you on the phone. Your business deal or life partner will not be speaking to you and all the people around you at the grocery store if you have your headphone with you!
There is also the issue of iMessage and FaceTime to handle. Fortunately, Apple lets you send iMessages and make FaceTime calls with an Apple ID email. This is already setup on your device if you have logged into it or even used iMessage in the past. The only catch is that you will then show up as an email address instead of a phone number and therefore, a separate message thread within the Messages app on the recipients phone.
If you have an Apple Watch, then unfortunately you will not be able to get the syncing feature out of this setup. The iPad does not have the Apple Watch app and it does not let you pair the Apple Watch to it. So, you essentially can forget about using this setup if you heavily rely on your Apple Watch.
The Setup in Action
The practicality of this setup is obviously not the best, but the experience is loads of fun. If you have ever wanted a large iPhone with Apple Pencil support, this is the closest thing we have in 2021. It is a glimpse of what will hopefully come in the future.
I tested this out by going over to my local grocery store. I used my phone as the mobile hotspot to give myself service and had my Beats PowerBeats Pro as my headphone of choice.
Before walking into the store, I pulled out the iPad mini and wrote down (with the Apple Pencil) my shopping list in a note-taking app called Notability. This way I can cross each item off as I grab them in the store. Having the ability to have this sized larger device, that resembles a smaller notepad, was great. I was able to search for product reviews of an item I saw in store using the hotspot connection and it worked great. I had access to the full desktop website and the screen was large enough to not feel cramped. I can’t stress how much nicer it is to use the FULL DESKTOP website when you need to in a rush!
The screen size is something that is great for desktop level browsing. On a phone, even the Pro Max iPhone models, buttons are just too small to click on when using desktop websites. Not to mention, the iPad mini CAN FIT IN YOUR POCKET. Not all pockets, but you can figure out which pockets will work for you.
The most underrated aspect of this experience, or just the experience with the iPad mini in general, is the typing experience. Yes, THE TYPING EXPERIENCE! The width and size of the keyboard is fantastic for typing on the device while in portrait orientation. Less typos. Less frustration. It is just easier and MORE fun.
You might be thinking about the call quality, so let’s cover this as well. When it comes to the quality of the call, it will come down to the strength of your signal. I didn’t have any issues using the phone calling feature, but if you use a set of Bluetooth headphones, you really need a pair that have a good microphone system. Since my PowerBeats Pro don’t have the best microphones, the call quality suffered a bit. However, I heard the other person perfectly fine and when I used the iPad mini on speaker, the other person heard me perfectly fine too. Yes, the iPad itself has better speakers than my expensive headphones. That is just a testament to Apple’s quality for their products. Not the same can be said for my headphones, but let’s save those details for another day.
Should You Try This?
First, let me just bring up this infamous quote that Steve Jobs wrote for an Apple advertisement:
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” — Steve Jobs
Think about what two words in that quote that will help you with this experiment. Go on, do it!
Did you do it? Well, even if you didn’t, I will tell you what I am talking about. The words “crazy enough” are going to be the key to this experiment. There are a lot of drawbacks with this setup, but if you are crazy enough, you can force yourself to testing this out.
In reality, if you want to test this out, then just create an extra number and test out how you like the overall experience and use your phone as a hotspot. It will bring up challenges, but it gives you a glimpse of what a future foldable product would feel like. Imagine an iPhone that functions much like the Samsung Galaxy Fold phones do. The iPad mini is essentially what the inside, larger screen will be like.
Overall, I could not see myself having this setup for a long term solution and I do not have the confidence in this setup to use it full time. I would love to, but I also rely on my Apple Watch and I just recently and the iPhone is just easier to carry around.
There are a lot of benefits to this setup, but until the carriers in the US support it better with cellular plans and Apple gives us the Phone app and ability to use a number specific to the iPad, then we can dream.
If more people ask for this, we will one day get it. So, let’s be crazy people, let us think we can make this change, and let’s go out and change the world!
