Apple iPad mini 3 vs Apple iPad mini (5th generation)

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iPad mini 3 compared with iPad mini (5th generation)

	AppleiPad mini 3	AppleiPad mini (5th generation)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	March 2019
Display
Screen size
Screen size	7.9″	7.9″
Resolution
Resolution	2048 × 1536	2048 × 1536
Sharpness
Sharpness	324 pixels per inch	324 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	500 nits
Display type
Display type	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD (IPS confirmed by Notebookcheck)
Pixel density
Pixel density	326 ppi	326 ppi
Display features
Display features	Oleophobic coating; non-laminated panel (Notebookcheck)	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating
Performance
Chip
Chip	A7	A12 Bionic
Memory
Memory	1 GB	3 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	16 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB	64 GB, 256 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	64-bit A7 with M7 motion coprocessor; 1 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit	A12 Bionic; 3 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit
AI engine
AI engine	–	Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	5 MP	8 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	1.2 MP	7 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	iSight; f/2.4 five-element lens; autofocus; face detection; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; HDR; panorama; timer	f/2.4 five-element lens; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; autofocus; wide colour and Live Photos; HDR; panorama up to 43 MP; burst; timer; auto image stabilisation
Front camera
Front camera	FaceTime HD; face detection; backside illumination; panorama; timer	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; backside illumination; auto HDR; burst; timer
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p at 30 fps with stabilisation, 3x zoom and time-lapse; front 720p	Rear 1080p; slow-motion at 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; 3x video zoom; video stabilisation; front 1080p at 30 fps
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	23.8 Wh (better)	19.1 Wh
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 Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing
Charging
Charging	Power adapter or USB computer charging	USB power adapter or USB computer charging
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; optional adapters support 1080p external video	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n with MIMO	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	LTE, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE and CDMA EV-DO; Apple SIM supplied in UK and US; cellular model weighs 341 g	Gigabit-class LTE; nano-SIM with Apple SIM support and eSIM; cellular model weighs 308.2 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	No Apple Pencil support	Apple Pencil (1st generation), sold separately
Keyboards
Keyboards	No Smart Connector	No Smart Connector
Design
Weight
Weight	331 g	300.5 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	7.5 mm	6.1 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	200 × 134.7 mm	203.2 × 134.8 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID fingerprint sensor in Home button	Touch ID in Home button
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers (Notebookcheck)	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Gyroscope; accelerometer; ambient light; compass; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure (Notebookcheck)	–
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey	Silver, Gold, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 8.1; orders opened 17 October 2014 with availability the following week	iOS 12; orders opened 18 March 2019, with shops receiving it the following week
In the box
In the box	iPad mini; USB power adapter; Lightning to USB cable (Notebookcheck)	iPad mini; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adapter