Versus Is Apple's latest mini iPad worth the upgrade?
They're practically the same
It was only a few short weeks ago that Apple introduced us to its first ever 'phablet' - the oversized iPhone 6 Plus. With
its 5.5-inch screen and tablet-alike features, some would argue that
Apple has bitten into its own market by taking away many of the reasons
that would make Apple fans want to own both an iPhone and a 7.9-inch
iPad. There are, of course, fans of Apple's diminutive tablet out there that might currently own an ageing Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD,
and who aren't operating-system bias. For them, and Apple fans-alike,
the lure of a shiny new tablet may be too tempting to avoid.
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Design
Whether
or not you are a follower of the fruity Cupertino collective, there's
no denying that Apple has consistently got it right in the design
department of its tablet range, ever since the original incarnation
turned the idea of a chunky stylus-wielding tablet with a clunky
interface on its head. The iPad mini
3 is really only a very minor incremental upgrade from last year's
second generation slate, so minor in fact that it sports exactly the
same design, dimensions and weight as its predecessor. The iPad Mini 3 looks identical to the Mini 2That
means it's 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm and tips the scales at 331g (or 341g if
you opt for the 4G version). It's not a bad thing, as we're big fans of
the iPad mini's design, but we were hoping for even a small tweak from
Apple.
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Touch ID
Why
is Touch ID so high up the list here? Well apart from two new storage
options on the iPad mini 3 the only thing that differentiates if from
the iPad mini 2 is the presence of Touch ID on the home key. Seriously, we're not kidding, that's it. Crazy, huh? The iPad Mini 2 rocks the same screen as the Mini 3
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Display
No changed here, as Apple has stuck with the same 2048 x 1536 resolution, 7.9-inch display that was so impressive in the iPad mini 2. That
means the latest mini tablet from Apple is still packing 326 pixels per
inch. It has to be said though, it's not alone in the world of
pixel-packed 7 to 9-inch tablets, with the brand new Nexus 9 from Google & HTC packing in an equally gorgeous 2048 x 1536 resolution, while the 2013 Amazon Kindle HDX 7 and Nexus 7 both packed a perfectly sharp 1920 x 1200 resolution. The cameras are the same on both tablets
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Camera
If
you've skipped straight to this section in anticipation of some kind of
tablet wonder-snapper, then we'll bring you right back down to earth. Tablets
aren't the photographic device of choice, and generally include cameras
in order to offer video-chat and augmented reality capabilities. Apple
hasn't even bothered to upgrade the cameras on the iPad mini 3, with
the pint-sized slate sticking with the same 5MP iSight rear camera and
1.2MP front facing FaceTime HD snapper of the iPad mini 2.
Connectivity, power, battery and price
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Connectivity
Apple unsurprisingly sticks with tradition in offering both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi plus cellular versions of the iPad mini 3, and there's no advancements here over the already well-specified iPad mini 2. You
still get 802.11a/b/g/n dual-channel Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity is
the same in both tablets, with support for 3G / HSDPA, CDMA and a wide
range of LTE bands (where available). Whichever network
you're on you can rest assured that both the iPad mini 3 and mini 2 will
play nicely with their fastest available network.
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Power
After unveiling the new A8 processor at the launch of the iPhone 6, we thought the iPad mini 3 would at least be treated to that or even the A8X chip of the iPad Air 2. Alas
though, Apple has once again stuck with the same specs as the iPad mini
2, and you'll find its A7 chip with 64‑bit architecture and M7 motion
coprocessor inside both slates. Boring or what?
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Battery
Bet
you can't guess what we're going to say here... oh wait, you totally
can. That's right, the battery in both tablets looks to be the same as
well. Apple hasn't officially revealed the capacity of
either power pack, but it quotes the same "up to 10 hours of surfing the
web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music" and "up to 9 hours
of surfing the web using cellular data network" for both tablets.
iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2: Price
Finally,
some variation between the two tablets. Apple isn't ditching the iPad
ini 2, instead it's lowered the cost of the older slate, with the mini 3
inheriting the higher pricing structure. That means a
16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3 will set you back $399, £319, AU$499, 64GB
of storage costs $499, £399, AU$619 while a meaty 128GB comes in at
$599, £479, AU$739 Meanwhile the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad
mini 2 is now just $299, £239, AU$369, plus there's the option of a 32GB
model at $349, £279, AU$429. Want LTE connectivity on
your iPad mini? Well you'll have to pay out more. The 4G iPad mini 2 now
costs $429 (16GB) and $479 (32GB), while the 4G iPad mini 3 prices are
$529, £419, AU$659 (16GB), $629, £499, AU$779 (64GB) and $729, £579,
AU$899 (128GB).
Quick verdict
It's hard to see
why anyone would pay the extra money to get an iPad mini 3 when the only
extras you'll be getting over the mini 2 is Touch ID and the choice of
64GB and 128GB storage options. The iPad mini 2 is by far
the best value of the two and if you fancy picking up a mini iPad this
is the one you should go for. Unless you really, really love fingerprint scanners. source:- iPad mini 3 vs iPad mini 2
