Apple iPad mini 3 vs Apple iPad mini (6th generation)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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iPad mini 3 compared with iPad mini (6th generation)

	AppleiPad mini 3	AppleiPad mini (6th generation)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	September 2021
Display
Screen size
Screen size	7.9″	8.3″
Resolution
Resolution	2048 × 1536	2266 × 1488 (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	324 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	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	326 ppi	326 ppi
Display features
Display features	Oleophobic coating; non-laminated panel (Notebookcheck)	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	A7	A15 Bionic
Memory
Memory	1 GB	4 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	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; HDR; panorama; timer	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; panorama; timer	12MP Ultra Wide, 122° field of view, ƒ/2.4, Centre Stage
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p at 30 fps with stabilisation, 3x zoom and time-lapse; 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	23.8 Wh (better)	19.3 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 surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data
Charging
Charging	Power adapter or USB computer charging	20W USB-C Power Adapter in the box
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; optional adapters support 1080p external video	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 with MIMO	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/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE and CDMA EV-DO; Apple SIM supplied in UK and US; cellular model weighs 341 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	331 g	293 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	7.5 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 fingerprint sensor in Home button	Touch ID in the top button
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers (Notebookcheck)	Landscape 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 sensor
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure (Notebookcheck)	–
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey	Space Grey, Pink, Purple, Starlight
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 8.1; orders opened 17 October 2014 with availability the following week	–
In the box
In the box	iPad mini; USB power adapter; Lightning to USB cable (Notebookcheck)	iPad mini, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), 20W USB-C Power Adapter