By and large, the apple ipad Mini is okay for watching movies (as well as doing basically everything else). The processing power is nearly the same as a apple ipad 4, so there is no actual problem there also the playback is generally as easy as an android’s bottom (Star Trek gag).

The one real issue with the iPad Mini could be the deficit of a ‘Retina Display’, the stunning screen tech featured on iPad 3 – 4, iPod Touch (4th – 5th Gen) and iPhone 4 – 5 (amongst others). The iPad Mini does suffer somewhat from the deficit of a Retina Display, but it’s probably not a crisis.

There’s, evidently, the matter of the 16GB iPad Mini struggling to store data, however, but that is typically common sense

Gareth Beavis, in the official ‘TechRadar.com’ review of the Ipad mini, understood:

“The iPad mini suffers from the same thing that all the other iPads do: namely that the 16GB version, which is the poster child of the new cut-size range, is too small to really pack with the movies and apps that you want”.

 He then went on to talk the iPad Mini’s lack of file compatibility. That is, so far as I am concerned, the Mini’s main drawback as a media tablet.

“There’s the other issue here: the lack of file compatibility. The iPad mini will play .mp4 files fairly easily, but if you fancy chucking on a DivX or AVI option then that’s out of the question. There are third party applications you can use, but these can be extremely buggy and cost extra to put on your tablet…But that’s the griping out of the way – as a video player, the iPad mini is excellent. It’s just the right size and weight to hold two-handed in landscape mode, and if you’re OK with it not feeling as secure in one hand, a decent heft to hold with a single set of digits”.

 I believe that Beavis provides a pretty good rundown of the pros and cons.

Elsewhere, the Head of Technology on the Daily Telegraph, Shane Richmond, addressed the 7 inch screen size in his appraisal, when he wrote,

“In practice the smaller screen size is not much of a problem and it is because of that 0.9-inches, which gives 35 per cent more screen area than the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD”.

Additionally, the 7 inch size in fact makes the iPad Mini more comfortable to hold when watching a film; the device really uses its petite stature for a bonus. Besides, the display continues to be above sufficient. Devindra Hardawar, of ‘Venture Beat.com’, wrote,

“Movies and games don’t look as sharp as they do on Retina Display-equipped iPads, but it’s a more than worthy tradeoff. It takes a discerning eye to notice the benefits of Apple’s Retina Display, but anyone can immediately recognize how much more convenient the iPad mini is. (And naturally, that’s a problem that will be fixed in future models when Apple brings Retina Display quality to the iPad Mini.)”

All stuff considered, the apple ipad Mini is ok for watching movies, but I personally recommend you opt for the tablet with extra space for storing (and also that you keep in perspective the file type limitations of that apple ipad Mini).