At the company's October 2014 media event in Cupertino, Apple today announced the iPad mini 3, the successor to the iPad mini with Retina. Apple's third 7.9-inch tablet is now finally official.
iPad mini with Retina | iPad mini 3 | |
|---|---|---|
Storage | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB | 16GB, 64GB, 128GB |
Price | $399, $499, $599, $699 | $399, $499, $599 |
Price with LTE | $529, $629, $729, $829 | $529, $629, $729 |
Display | 7.9‑inch, 2048×1536, 326 ppi | 7.9‑inch, 2048×1536, 326 ppi |
Processor | 64-bit A7 | 64-bit A7 |
Rear Camera | 5MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture | 5MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture |
Video Recording | 1080p | 1080p |
Front Camera | 1.2MP photos, 720p video | 1.2MP photos, 720p video |
Fingerprint identity sensor | None | Touch ID |
Assistant | Siri | Siri |
Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Browsing time on cellular | Up to 9 hours | Up to 9 hours |
Browsing time on Wi-Fi | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
Height | 7.87 inches (200 mm) | 7.87 inches (200 mm) |
Width | 5.3 inches (134.7 mm) | 5.3 inches (134.7 mm) |
Depth | 0.29 inch (7.5 mm) | 0.29 inch (7.5 mm) |
Weight for Wi-Fi | 0.73 pound (331 g) | 0.73 pound (331 g) |
Weight for LTE | 0.75 pound (341 g) | 0.75 pound (341 g) |
Connector | Lightning | Lightning |
Colors | Space Gray, Silver | Space Gray, Silver, Gold |
Pre-orders begin tomorrow (October 17), and the devices will ship by the end of next week. Before you put down your credit card though, assuming you're not enthused by what's coming in Android 5.0 Lollipop or Windows 10, you might want to see what exactly you're getting. The comparison table below shows you exactly what Apple has changed between the iPad mini with Retina and the iPad mini 3.
Just like the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3 has gained the same price reduction when you want more storage, but it's neither thinner nor more powerful (it has the same processor as iPad mini with Retina). It doesn't seem worth the upgrade just to get Touch ID. If you're a new buyer, both the original iPad mini and the iPad mini with Retina make a lot more sense at their newly reduced prices, $249 and $299 respectively.