7th gen iPad Mini with a Sage Smart Folio. Wallpaper by @BreezeChai
I've been on a mission to downsize. Last year both of my personal and work laptops were 16" MacBook Pros. Now both of my machines are 14" MacBook Pros. I recently did the same with my iPad. I replaced my 11" iPad Pro with the iPad Mini. I absolutely love the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard case.. but when I'm traveling and stuffing it in an already filled backpack along with my laptop and AirPods Max, the iPad Pro really starts to feel heavy.
I had been eyeing the iPad Mini for a while but always avoided it as there was no official keyboard case. That felt like a requirement after loving my iPad Pro's Magic Keyboard case. I got the iPad Mini anyways, along with a third-party keyboard case. I quickly realized why Apple doesn't make a keyboard case for the iPad Mini. It's too small to make for a great typing experience. I tried to convince myself it was fine but I knew I wasn't going to be happy with it so I ended up returning that keyboard case and sticking with Apple's Smart Folio case.
I realized I didn't need the keyboard that much. I do gain one thing from not having a keyboard case. The iPad Mini by itself is so ridiculously light compared to my iPad Pro setup that I find myself using it differently. And the form factor lends me to using it in portrait orientation more often. It's much more akin to a large phone and that's how I've started to use it: swiping social apps, reading articles, watching videos, etc.
