Since both the terms, 'Mini' and 'Micro', describe things miniscule, we stood both players side-by-side for a first look comparison. Standing at 104mm, the Mini is definitely 'taller' than the Micro's 84mm by a good 20mm. Even the Micro is thinner in terms of breadth (51mm as compared to 60mm), though there is a necessary thicker girth of 19mm as compared to the 15.7mm for the Mini.
On the weighing scales, the iPod Mini clocks in at a lighter 104g as compared to the 108g for the Micro, however we doubt that anyone is going to notice an extra 4g unless they happen to be the same fairy-tale princess who can feel a pea beneath ten mattresses.
We feel that the Micro is overall more pocket friendly than the Mini, with its shorter height and lack of sharp corners. It is also easier to slot into our pockets with its curvier contours than the angular edge of the iPod Mini. That said, we cannot deny the beauty of the Mini's metallic body which confers a slick designer chic that the Micro's plasticky body can never hope to match. We also find that the Mini's body is more scratch resistant than the Micro.
Despite a push toward a neater button layout in the Micro, the Mini still claims the user interface prize with its innovative ClickWheel which removes much of the clutter inherent with dedicated buttons.
Both players employ a similar LED backlight display; however the white LED employed by the Mini is still decidedly cleaner than the pale blue LED used by the Micro. In terms of screen size, the iPod edges out the Zen a little here with a display size of 31 x 24mm compared to 31 x 19mm.
So despite a big improvement from Creative, the iPod Mini still maintains its pole position as a designer icon.
Blue screen... of death?
