Should I choose a 32GB or a cellular enabled 16GB iPad Mini?

All else aside, I'd go for the convenience of anywhere connectivity and  go for the wi-fi + cellular over wi-fi only, but having made that point,  I always find that larger storage is never wasted. I'd highly recommend you look at the Google Nexus 7 (by Asus) before you make a final decision, it is a very worthy competitor, and it's 16:9 widescreen is a better screen shape for movie viewing, while typically also being ~$100 cheaper on a comparable spec basis to the iPad Mini Retina. So for me it would be a choice between the 16Gb wi-fi/LTE iPad Mini Retina at $529, $499 for the 32Gb wi-fi only model or the $439 32Gb wi-fi/LTE Nexus 7. I have mostly Apple OSX/iOS hardware, but I'm very happy with the Nexus 7, I've had it for about six months.

Legend: 16GB, 32 GB Wifi : 16W, 32W 16GB, 32 GB Cellular: 16C, 32C I too was stuck between these choices, and proceeded to buy 16W. I have been using it for 6 months without any regrets. If you will mostly use the device in your home, the 16w is sufficient. However, if your usage does not involve heavy usage of the processor, the iPad may be an overkill. But if you insist on an iPad, let's see your options: If you are a movie/video junkie, store a large number of photos or will use a lot of heavy games like Asphalt, Batman Arkham City etc that go beyond 700MB, it's better to opt for 32W. The extra storage will definitely benefit your wifi only device. If you have a smartphone with a decent internet pack, I think the cellular version is quite unnecessary unless you want to stream HD videos on the run. If you want you can always create a hotspot for the iPad from your smartphone. (If you are aiming at buying a high end device like iPad, I take the liberty of assuming that you already have, or will soon buy a smartphone). If you do not have a smartphone, and using GPS and casual internet surfing on the go is a must for you,  check out the 16C. If casual movies, reading and web surfing at wifi enabled places like home is your main use case, then even the 16W will easily suffice. Also you do not seem to use heavy games that take up a lot of space so it should suit you fine. But, the camera quality is not too great and I find quite a bit of noise in low light. Check out pictures from the internet, to judge for yourself. If you want a better camera, I recommend that you wait until October when the new iPads are expected to come out. The new iPads will also most likely Posssess the Touch ID and an 8MP camera, definitely worth waiting a bit. But keep in mind that in India, these devices will mostly come in the first week of December, so if you are in a hurry, ignore the last point. (I am assuming you are an Indian as you have written about plug n play pocket hotspots, rather a rage in Indian ads these days) The iPad mini with retina display is an awesome product and you cannot go much wrong with any of these choices!

The iPad mini with retina display is an awesome device. Amazing performance, beautiful screen and extremely portable! It sounds like you'd be OK with 16GB. Nothing you listed sounds like a real storage-filler. Photos and Apps will use up space the quickest. iOS 8 will help with Photos storage. http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/photos/ Keep in mind that once you get your iPad you may start to use it for things you didn't expect! The Apple store has a very good exchange policy which can be helpful. Regarding cellular connectivity - consider how many hours a week you spend out of Wifi range. Personally I spend the vast majority of time in Wifi range - and when I'm not I typically use my iPhone. I can even share my iPhone's LTE connection with my iPad if I'm traveling. For someone who is not typically near good Wifi, having an iPad with cellular connectivity is a game changer. LTE from any of the major carriers is blazing fast and inexpensive. T-Mobile even offers the first 200MB for free just for having a sim card! An iPad is also makes an amazing hot spot while still getting 10 hours of battery life. I would definitely recommend an iPad with LTE if you're often outside of WiFi coverage and or do not have an iPhone. Since you're a Comp Sci major make sure to check out Textastic to read and write code on the go… http://www.textasticapp.com

A celluler 16 gb would be perfect. Let me explain why. A 16 gb ipad mini offers you 12.8 gb of user space. As per your needs you specified, it doesn't seem like you are fond of heavy games. This way you will be saving lot of space as all heavy games Asphalt8, Fifa14 come over a GB. Secondly in iPad mini retina you will get apps Keynote, Pages and Spreadsheet that comes real handy for a college student. Older iPad versions don't offer these Apple propietary apps for free. Third, Internet on the go. If buy a wifi only version of iPad and you use a phone with wifi hotspot as I do, the phone's juice ends up fast. You can enjoy internet only at your home with wifi but not always when you are out of your home for a long time. Moreover Maps don't work without an Internet. Ipad has a compass, a GPS chip, but a wifi only IPad can only find routes if its connected to the hotspot. But a cellular iPad would do. I think this would answer your question.