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Apple iPad mini 3 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs Apple iPad mini: size and specs comparison

posted by Peter K. / Oct 16, 2014, 2:14 PM

Apple iPad mini 3 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs Apple iPad mini: size and specs comparison

Apart from treating us to a refreshed iPad, Apple also announced the iPad mini 3 with Retina today. Powered by the same old A7 chipset that can be found inside the iPad mini 2, there are just a few differences between the new and the old generations of Apple's munchkin tablets. Apart from a slightly improved camera features and Touch ID on board, it's hard to say that the iPad mini 3 is a worthy upgrade over the iPad mini 2.

Are these a a good enough reason for an upgrade? This is an especially relevant question for those who don't care about the rest of the goodies that are on board, especially Apple Pay. We asked ourselves the same question, so we decided to roll our sleeves and make a brief specs comparison between the three generations of small iPad tablets.

Check the comparison below and form your own opinion whether you should upgrade or not.

Apple iPad mini 3 vs Apple iPad mini 2 vs Apple iPad mini

Display

Display size

7.9 inches

Resolution

2048 x 1536 pixels

1024 x 768 pixels

Pixel density

324 ppi

162 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

71.82 %

Colors

16 777 216

Camera

Rear

Yes

Main camera

5 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal length: 32 mm

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal length: 33 mm

Software Features

Digital image stabilization, HDR, Panorama, Face detection, Exposure compensation, Touch to focus, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging

Digital image stabilization, HDR, Face detection, Exposure compensation, Touch to focus, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging

Digital image stabilization, HDR, Face detection, Exposure compensation, Touch to focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging

Video recording

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Recording format

H.264, MOV

Features

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

Front

1.2 megapixels

Video capture

1280x720 (HD) (30 fps)

1280x720 (HD)

Design

Dimensions

7.87 x 5.30 x 0.30 inches (200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm)

7.87 x 5.30 x 0.28 inches (200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm)

Weight

12.03 oz (341 g)

11.01 oz (312 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Apple A7

Apple A5

Processor

Dual-core, 1300 MHz, Cyclone, 64-bit

Dual-core, 1000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9

GPU

PowerVR G6430

PowerVR SGX543MP2

RAM

1 GB LPDDR3

0.5 GB DDR2

OS

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x)

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x)

iOS (9.x, 8.x, 7.x, 6.1, 6)

Battery

Capacity

6350 mAh

6471 mAh

4440 mAh

Cellular

LTE (FDD)

Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26

Bands 4, 17

UMTS

850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz

850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz

GSM

850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz

CDMA

800, 1900 MHz

Data

LTE, HSPA, UMTS

LTE Cat 3 (100/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, UMTS

Multimedia

Screen mirroring

TV-out

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 729

$ 829

$ 659

Options

7 Comments

1. KingDingaLing

Posts: 324; Member since: Oct 11, 2013

Really surprised they stuck with the A7 and 5MP camera. Too bad.

posted on Oct 16, 2014, 2:17 PM 1

2. MrKoles

Posts: 368; Member since: Jan 20, 2013

Practically it is the same, just +1 GB RAM and TouchID...but you pay 100 dollars more. lol

posted on Oct 16, 2014, 2:21 PM 1

7. JMartin22

Posts: 2327; Member since: Apr 30, 2013

"so many innovations, you'll love it even more"

posted on Oct 16, 2014, 7:10 PM 2

3. xondk

Posts: 1904; Member since: Mar 25, 2014

It seems hoping that apple would pick up a bit and make better competition would make for users getting something better, they do this. It is just....sad. And naturally they are going to sell a ton of them anyway..

posted on Oct 16, 2014, 2:28 PM 0

4. dmakun

Posts: 382; Member since: Jun 06, 2011

That moment when incremental upgrades go soar. Good job Apple. Now let all our iFans defend Apple's policy of giving them what they want in a "premium" package. Lol! Not sure I know another manufacturer who would have the audacity!!