Apple iPad mini (5th generation) vs Apple iPad mini (6th generation)

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iPad mini (5th generation) compared with iPad mini (6th generation)

	AppleiPad mini (5th generation)	AppleiPad mini (6th generation)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	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	500 nits
Display type
Display type	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD (IPS confirmed by Notebookcheck)	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	326 ppi	326 ppi
Display features
Display features	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; 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	A12 Bionic	A15 Bionic
Memory
Memory	3 GB	4 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	64 GB, 256 GB	64 GB, 256 GB
CPU
CPU	A12 Bionic; 3 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit	6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	–	5-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	Neural Engine	16-core Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	8 MP	12 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	7 MP	12 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	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	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; f/2.2; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; backside illumination; auto HDR; burst; timer	12MP Ultra Wide, 122° field of view, ƒ/2.4, Centre Stage
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p; slow-motion at 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; 3x video zoom; video stabilisation; front 1080p at 30 fps	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	19.1 Wh	19.3 Wh (better)
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Supported, sold separately	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 or USB computer charging	20W USB-C Power Adapter in the box
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack	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/ac; HT80 with MIMO	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO, up to 1.2Gb/s
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	Gigabit-class LTE; nano-SIM with Apple SIM support and eSIM; cellular model weighs 308.2 g	5G (sub-6 GHz) and LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (1st generation), sold separately	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), attaching magnetically
Keyboards
Keyboards	No Smart Connector	–
Design
Weight
Weight	300.5 g	293 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm (better)	6.3 mm
Height × width
Height × width	203.2 × 134.8 mm	195.4 × 134.8 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in Home button	Touch ID in the top button
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Landscape stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey	Space Grey, Pink, Purple, Starlight
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 12; orders opened 18 March 2019, with shops receiving it the following week	–
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