Apple iPad mini (1st generation) vs Apple iPad mini (6th generation)

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iPad mini (1st generation) compared with iPad mini (6th generation)

	AppleiPad mini (1st generation)	AppleiPad mini (6th generation)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2012	September 2021
Display
Screen size
Screen size	7.9″	8.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	2266 × 1488 (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	162 pixels per inch	327 pixels per inch (better)
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	–	500 nits
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit IPS LCD	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	163 ppi	326 ppi
Display features
Display features	Oleophobic coating	Wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating; no ProMotion (Apple's compare page)
Performance
Chip
Chip	A5	A15 Bionic
Memory
Memory	512 MB	4 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB	64 GB, 256 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core A5; 512 MB RAM confirmed by iFixit	6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	–	5-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	5 MP	12 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	1.2 MP	12 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	iSight; f/2.4 five-element lens; autofocus; face detection; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter	12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, Quad-LED True Tone flash, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 3
Front camera
Front camera	FaceTime HD; face detection; backside illumination	12MP Ultra Wide, 122° field of view, ƒ/2.4, Centre Stage
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p with video stabilisation; front 720p	4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p)
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	16.3 Wh	19.3 Wh (better)
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Not supported	Supported, sold separately
Keyboard made for it
Keyboard made for it	No	No
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing	Up to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data
Charging
Charging	USB Power Adapter included; USB computer charging supported	20W USB-C Power Adapter in the box
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; Apple lists adapter mirroring up to 720p and video playback up to 1080p	USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5Gb/s); one external display up to 4K at 30Hz
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO, up to 1.2Gb/s
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	LTE, UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA and GSM/EDGE; A1455 also supports CDMA EV-DO; nano-SIM; cellular model weighs 312 g	5G (sub-6 GHz) and LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM
Stylus support
Stylus support	No Apple Pencil support	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), attaching magnetically
Keyboards
Keyboards	No Smart Connector	–
Design
Weight
Weight	308 g	293 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	7.2 mm	6.3 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	200 × 134.7 mm	195.4 × 134.8 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	–	Touch ID in the top button
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers confirmed by Notebookcheck; Apple lists a built-in speaker without specifying channels	Landscape stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Gyroscope; accelerometer; ambient light; compass; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	–
Colours
Colours	Black and Slate; White and Silver	Space Grey, Pink, Purple, Starlight
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 6	–
In the box
In the box	iPad mini; Lightning to USB Cable; USB Power Adapter	iPad mini, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), 20W USB-C Power Adapter