Here’s an important lesson some of you are likely to learn the hard way this holiday shopping season. You never buy a popular tech product a day or two before a retailer like Amazon plans to kick off a sitewide sales event like Prime Day. Especially when said device is not very new and when it has been deeply discounted before.
If you do, you risk settling for a decent but not mind-blowing $100 price cut when you could have scored a towering $120 discount simply by exercising a little patience. That’s the case with Apple’s 2024-released iPad mini right now in every storage variant and color option, as well as both with and without cellular connectivity, and believe it or not, you don’t even need a Prime membership to maximize your savings on your favorite model today.
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (24%)
Wi-Fi Only, 128GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (20%)
Wi-Fi Only, 256GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (18%)
Wi-Fi + Cellular, 5G, Unlocked, 128GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (16%)
Wi-Fi + Cellular, 5G, Unlocked, 256GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (15%)
Wi-Fi Only, 512GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)
$120 off (13%)
Wi-Fi + Cellular, 5G, Unlocked, 512GB Storage, Apple A17 Pro Processor, 8.3-Inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Screen with 2266 x 1488 Pixel Resolution, 12MP Rear Camera, 12MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with Center Stage, Side-mounted Fingerprint Sensor, USB Type-C Port, All-Day Battery Life, Apple Intelligence Support, Wi-Fi 6E Connectivity, Multiple Color Options
Buy at Amazon
That being said, Amazon is making it clear that the killer new deal will go away with all the October Prime Day 2025 promotions that do require a membership, so I strongly recommend you hurry if you think that the iPad mini (A17 Pro) might be the best tablet for you.
That compact body is without a doubt the iPad mini’s key selling point for some and main weakness for others. | Image Credit — PhoneArena
With a super-compact 8.3-inch Liquid Retina screen in tow, this bad boy doesn’t have a lot of direct rivals on the market today, which makes Amazon’s latest and greatest discounts (for both Prime members and non-members) that much more attractive and harder to turn down.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the second Apple smartphone to feature the home-brewed C1 modem. It will join the iPhone 16e, which was announced in late February. Network intelligence company Ookla published a report comparing the performance of the C1 modem with the Qualcomm modem found in the iPhone 16 to show us how they stack up against each other.The C1 is a power-efficient modem, but it isn’t equipped to tap into the highest speeds offered by carriers.
iPhone 17 Air might not be the right choice for US buyers
According to Ookla’s analysis, the iPhone 16e performs similarly to the iPhone 16 in most markets. Where the iPhone 16 shines is the regions with advanced 5G standalone (SA) networks, as Qualcomm’s modem can take better advantage of them. The C1 modem in the iPhone 16e doesn’t offer the same level of performance because it’s held back by its specs.This means that in countries with capable 5G networks, such as the US, China, India, and Saudi Arabia, the iPhone 16 generally performs better than the iPhone 16e.
Better download speeds on iPhone 16 for T-Mobile and Verizon users
The iPhone 16 provides better download speeds than the iPhone 16e. | Image Credit – Ookla
T-Mobile and Verizon customers experience better media download speeds on the iPhone 16. T-Mobile users achieved a median download speed of 317.64 Mbps, while Verizon users logged a median download speed of 172.12 Mbps.The difference is seemingly so pronounced because T-Mobile is the only carrier to have a nationwide 5G SA network and has deployed advanced features such as carrier aggregation.
The company used four-carrier aggregation across more than 65 percent of its network during the first half of the year. T-Mobile will only expand the use of the spectrum-combining tech, so the iPhone’s performance will improve over time.
The size of the carriers being aggregated also matters. T-Mobile combines 217 MHz of spectrum.
AT&T mostly uses two-carrier aggregation, which both the iPhone 16 and 16e can take advantage of. It combines 120 MHz on average. Verizon is ramping up the use of two-carrier aggregation and moving toward three-carrier aggregation. It utilizes 170 MHz.
This explains why T-Mobile offers the fastest download speeds for someone with the iPhone 16.
Qualcomm’s latest flagship modems, the X80 and X85 modems, support 6-carrier aggregation for downloads and can work with more spectrum. The Samsung Galaxy S25 uses the Snapdragon X80 5G modem, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it inside all the upcoming iPhone 17 models, except the iPhone 17 Air.
The C1, on the other hand, only supports 3-carrier aggregation for downloads.
The X80 and X85 also support uplink carrier aggregation and uplink MIMO, while the C1 does not. This means that the phones with Qualcomm’s recent modems will enjoy faster upload speeds and better capacity than the C1 iPhones.
Upload speeds
Upload speeds are better on iPhone 16e for AT&T and Verizon customers. | Image Credit – Ookla
In countries with cutting-edge networks, the iPhone 16 outperforms the 16e in upload speeds, though the reverse is true in the US, but not for all carriers.
On Verizon and AT&T, the iPhone 16e provides better upload speeds, but on T-Mobile, they perform similarly.
One area where the iPhone 16e has a clear lead is for users who generally experience weak network performance due to factors such as distance from a cell tower or congestion. The iPhone 16e provides better performance in such situations, apparently because many of the users who typically get low speeds are connected to low-band 5G, which is slow but penetrates deeper. During these times, Qualcomm’s modem isn’t able to flex its muscles because there is no additional spectrum to combine.That’s especially true for AT&T and T-Mobile users, but less so for Verizon customers.
Unless you reside in an area with consistently low speeds, the iPhone 17 Air doesn’t look like a safe bet if you are with T-Mobile. Of course, the speed metrics might not matter much if that’s not your primary concern, or your need for a thin phone overrides everything else.
Even if you aren’t a T-Mobile customer, given that Qualcomm’s modems can take better advantage of advanced networks, you’d be better off with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max if your country has a capable 5G network.
“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!
Rediscover some of the most unique and memorable phones of the last two decades! “Iconic Phones” is a beautifully illustrated book that we’ve been working on for over a year – and it’s coming out in just a couple short month!
“Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips” is a must-have coffee table book for every phone lover out there. Covering the stories of more than 20 fan-favorite phones, it takes you on a memorable journey through the technological revolution that shaped our lives. Sign up now to secure an early discount price!
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