After a decade on Android tablets, a family switches to iPad mini

At a glance:

• The El Khoury family replaced their aging 8‑inch Android tablets with the 2024 iPad Mini (A17 Pro, $499).
• iPad Mini’s flagship‑level performance and five‑to‑seven‑year OS updates beat the limited support of most Android tablets.
• Android’s strengths—custom skins, microSD expansion and multi‑user profiles—remain missing on iPad Mini, prompting a possible future Android purchase.

Why the family chose iPad mini

Rita El Khoury recounts a ten‑year journey that began with Android Honeycomb and spanned devices from ASUS, NVIDIA, Samsung, Lenovo and Amazon. By 2020 the family was using a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.4 inches to replace an aging Tab S2 8.0, but the device felt sluggish for a household that expected flagship responsiveness. Fast‑forward to early 2026, the same tablet could no longer keep up with two school‑age boys who needed smoother gaming, faster app launches, and a more portable form factor.

The decisive factor was size. The 2024 iPad Mini packs a 8.3‑inch Liquid Retina display into a lightweight chassis that “fits in one hand,” something Rita says she could not find among current Android offerings. Most Android manufacturers have shifted to 10‑inch‑plus screens—Samsung’s Tab S10 Ultra tops out at 14.6 inches—leaving only budget‑grade 8‑ or 9‑inch models that lack flagship performance.

Apple’s hardware advantage is evident in the iPad Mini’s A17 Pro processor, which delivers console‑like gaming quality and handles demanding creative apps such as Apple Pencil Pro sketching. Coupled with a starting MSRP of $499, the device offers a compelling price‑to‑performance ratio for a family that values both power and portability.

What they miss about Android tablets

Despite the iPad Mini’s strengths, the El Khourys note several Android‑centric features that are absent. First, Android’s flexibility with custom skins and deep system tweaks allowed their older son to personalize the UI—a freedom not possible on iPad OS. Second, microSD slots on many Android tablets (including the Galaxy A 8.4) let the family expand storage for “junk apps” and media, whereas the iPad Mini’s fixed internal storage forces careful management or costly upgrades.

Multi‑user support is another glaring omission. Samsung’s older tablet offered separate profiles for wife, husband and two children, enabling each user to keep apps, settings and files distinct. iPad OS currently supports only a single Apple ID per device, meaning the family now shares one profile and must consider buying a second iPad Mini when the eldest son wants his own space. This limitation also hampers the iPad’s potential as a lightweight laptop replacement for the parents.

Finally, sideloading and unverified app testing—crucial for the family’s hobbyist Android development with tools like Construct 3—are far more difficult on iPad OS. While newer Android versions have tightened sideloading rules, the process remains far simpler than the closed ecosystem Apple enforces.

Looking ahead: future tablet choices

Rita admits the iPad Mini is “better for my kids” but does not rule out a return to Android for adult use. She anticipates purchasing a larger Android tablet that can double as a laptop‑like device, likely from Samsung given its seven‑year OS and security‑update promise. The family’s experience underscores a broader market trend: Android tablets are consolidating around large‑screen, premium models, while Apple continues to dominate the sub‑10‑inch niche with regular software updates and a polished accessory ecosystem.

For consumers, the key takeaway is to match tablet size, performance and ecosystem longevity with the intended user group. If a household needs a durable, single‑handed device for gaming and creative work, the iPad Mini sets a high bar. Conversely, families that value storage flexibility, multi‑user profiles and open development environments may still find Android tablets the better fit—provided they accept shorter software‑support windows.

The El Khourys’ story also hints at future market dynamics. As Android manufacturers phase out smaller flagships, we may see a resurgence of compact, high‑end tablets from niche players or a shift toward hybrid devices that blend the best of both ecosystems. Until then, the iPad Mini remains the most polished 8‑inch tablet on the market, even if it forces families to juggle multiple devices to cover all use cases.