After a three - year wait , Apple has finally pass off some new life into its smalleriPad mini . While fans of the new 8.3 - column inch tablet may be disappointed by the deficiency of changes on the outside , it ’s what ’s under the hood that counts , and the 2024 iPad mini packs plenty of power into a tiny skeleton .

It ’s an update that leapfrog Apple ’s launching - level full - sizediPad ( 2022)in every way except for its price tag . This part raises the most authoritative question : Is the two - year - old iPad a worthwhile purchase for its larger blind , or is it worth paying $ 150 more to work on a smaller canvass ? Let ’s plunge in and see if the trade - offs are deserving it .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): specs

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): design

This class ’s iPad mini remains virtually unchanged fromits 2021 herald . That model bankrupt new ground for Apple ’s smallest tablet by embracing USB - cytosine and adopting the bound - to - edge screen design and side - push button Touch ID sensor that debuted on the anterior year’siPad Air . You ’ll have a tough prison term tell the two apart at a glance unless you know what to look for — other than a new color option , the primary visual difference is Apple ’s decision to brand the back of this year ’s model with “ iPad mini ” rather than just “ iPad . ”

The iPad ( 2022 ) was the first of Apple ’s received iPads to get the new full - projection screen discussion , bringing the entire iPad family into a unified figure linguistic communication . As a result , it looks every bit like a full-grown brother to the iPad miniskirt , with the most pregnant differences being the front - facing camera and book buttons located on the foresighted edge for use in landscape painting view .

That landscape camera locating subsequently came to the iPad Air and iPad Pro , but it ’s one area where the iPad mini remains distinct from the rest of the home . The reason for this mutual exclusiveness is n’t entirely clear , but we ’re assuming it ’s because Apple does n’t see the iPad mini as a twist that will typically be used in landscape predilection ; you’re able to pair it with any Bluetooth keyboard , but unlike the full - sized iPads , Apple does n’t produce any keyboard accessories for the iPad mini .

By contrast , the iPad ( 2022 ) supportsApple ’s Magic Keyboard Folio , along with a broad variety ofother keyboard casesdesigned for the full - sized tablet . Apple ’s keyboard links up using the Smart Connector on the rear of the iPad rather than Bluetooth , which means you never have to charge it , but it also does n’t come cheap .

Since Apple does n’t make a keyboard for the iPad mini , the smaller pad lack the Smart Connector . You ’ll discover a few keyboards amongthe good iPad mini cases(all of which should check the Modern iPad miniskirt ) , but the smaller sizing makes for an awkward typewriting experience , so they ’re not peculiarly common .

The iPad mini also supports the Apple Pencil Pro , which was acquaint alongside the unexampled iPad Air and iPad Pro exemplar , and has a lieu to dock it . The iPad ( 2022 ) debut with a peculiar Apple Pencil situation thatonly improved a year laterwhen Apple free a newUSB - C Apple Pencil . The new stylus will magnetically bind to the side of the iPad ( 2022 ) , but you ’ll still take to plug it into the USB - C port using a cable to charge it back up .

There ’s another small modification in this class ’s cellular iPad mini that could matter to some masses : As with its latest U.S. iPhone models , Apple has miss the forcible SIM card slot to goeSIM - only . That should n’t be an obstacle with most North American immune carrier , but there are other stead where eSIM is n’t as widely available . Of naturally , that ’s only relevant if you want to choose for the Wi - Fi + Cellular adaptation , but it ’s worth proceed in mind . The iPad ( 2022 ) still has a physical nano - SIM card slot , but we would n’t be surprised if that goes away in the next manikin .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): display

Like the iPhone , Apple appropriate its best displays for its iPad Pro models . Even though it ’s technically a mid - grade model , the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) has a video display that remains unchanged from its predecessor and is remarkably similar to the one on the iPad ( 2022 ) .

Both devices feature Apple ’s Liquid Retina LCD panels with very similar specs . The iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) has a 2266 x 1488 pixel resolve , while the iPad ( 2022 ) comes in at 2360 x 1640 , and both support up to 500 nits of SDR cleverness . The smaller 8.3 - inch screenland gives the iPad mini an border here , as you terminate up with a observably higher pixel denseness for crisper textbook — 326 pixels per inch ( ppi ) on the iPad miniskirt versus 264 ppi on the 10.9 - column inch display of the iPad ( 2022 ) .

The iPad mini display is laminated with an anti - reflective coating , making it easier to see in challenging kindling conditions and more natural to employ with an Apple Pencil . This twelvemonth ’s mannikin also hold up Apple Pencil hover , which adds a preview of where your stylus will land before it disturb the screen .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): performance

The iPad mini puncher well above its sizing class in carrying out . The three - year - one-time model already pack a fast A15 Bionic chip than the iPad ( 2022 ) , which only received the A14 Bionic from theiPhone 12era . This yr ’s iPad mini leap even further in the lead , moving up to the A17 Pro from theiPhone 15 ProandiPhone Pro Max .

This means the performance break between the iPad ( 2022 ) and the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) is on equation with that of the corresponding iPhone models . The iPhone 12 was no slouch , so the iPad ( 2022 ) will be equally satisfactory for quotidian job . However , the new iPad miniskirt becomes a gaming powerhouse capable of do by the AAA cabinet games that appear when the iPhone 15 Pro debut last yr .

In our review , the latest iPad mini was around 36 % quicker than its predecessor on the Geekbench single - core test , coming in around 32 % speedy in multi - core tests . It was also about 27 % more up to of handling artwork - intensive workloads , with a similar bulge in peak frame rate figures and higher stableness overall on the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme weapons platform . On the 3DMark graphics bench mark run , GPU compute art was over 30 % higher for the 2024 iPad mini .

Though we ab initio posit the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) might be a small notch behind the iPhone 15 Pro since it has one less GPU nucleus , our reviewer find that the new iPad mini fared substantially with Capcom’sResident Evil 7than the iPhone 15 Pro Max on gamy graphic preferences . It also did better on the thermals front , with its all - metallic element physique and gravid footprint seemingly dissipating heat more expeditiously .

Our reader play title likeCOD : Mobileat 60 fps on high art options without any performance hiccups , while tax titles likeWarframeran swimmingly at 60 fps without any recurring stammer or notable overheating .

However , Apple ’s master intellect for take the A17 Pro is to support its Apple Intelligence suite of AI feature . The iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) has the same 8 gigabyte of RAM as its a la mode AI - capable iPhone models and should do by all of the Apple Intelligence features just as well as an iPhone 15 Pro can .

The iPad mini ( 2024 ) also gains Wi - Fi 6E support , Bluetooth 5.3 , and a faster USB - degree centigrade port that supports USB 3 transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps . The iPad ( 2022 ) has only Wi - Fi 6 , Bluetooth 5.2 , and a USB - C port limited to 480Mbps USB 2.0 . Neither of the cellular models is equipped for mmWave 5 G —   only sub-6GHz 5 G oftenness .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): software and features

The Apple Intelligence features cross out the most significant disruption between the iPad ( 2022 ) in this year ’s iPad miniskirt . While both models can runiPadOS 18now and are potential to upgrade to iPadOS 19 and beyond , only the iPad miniskirt will be able to take vantage of the new Apple Intelligence capability .

Though Apple Intelligence launched in October , it ’s still nothing singular in its current iteration . The first release of Apple Intelligence in iPadOS 18.1 added mainly text - based features , such as writing tools , summarization of notice , emails , and audio transcripts , plus some comparatively minor Siri improvements and a unexampled Clean Up instrument in Photos that ’s fundamentally Apple ’s take on Google ’s Magic Eraser . More ripe features like AI image multiplication , ChatGPT integration , and a importantly smarter Siri are n’t coming until next iOS 18 level releases .

In our review , we noted that none of the current features were particularly commodious or reliable , and none seemed good than those offered by rivals . In special , our commentator mentioned that using Siri to access ChatGPT felt cumbersome , while notice sum-up were similarly hit - or - miss , often combine freestanding conversations into one presentment that made no sense . For now , it seems Apple Intelligence extend minuscule that ’s noteworthy to set these two devices aside .

If you ’re looking forward to succeeding iterations of Apple Intelligence , the iPad mini ( 2024 ) will have you quick for it , but if AI is n’t your loving cup of tea , you wo n’t get too many things the iPad miniskirt can do that the iPad ( 2022 ) ca n’t . Everything else in iPadOS 18 is uncommitted to both models except for feature film related to the Apple Pencil ; the iPad mini ( 2024 ) substantiate everything the newfangled Apple Pencil Pro offers , include hover and more innovative gestures with haptic feedback .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): cameras

For most tablet user , get a top - mountain pass television camera is n’t a huge precedency , and Apple ’s iPad lineup continues to reverberate this . Not only is the rear camera on the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) virtually unchanged from its forerunner , but it ’s the same as what Apple offers on the rest of the iPad batting order —   even the flagship M4 iPad Pro .

Specifically , the iPad mini ( 2024 ) and iPad ( 2022 ) sportswoman the same exclusive rear camera with a 12 - megapixel detector , an f/1.8 aperture , and a 5x digital zoom . The new iPad mini has a slight advantage with a True Tone flash that the larger iPad lacks and an upgrade to its Smart HDR 4 computational photography algorithm compared to Smart HDR 3 in the iPad ( 2022).The jury is out on whether that ’s a upright matter , but we do n’t reckon it count much on a tablet either way .

The video transcription eyeglasses are also identical , providing 4 kelvin picture recording at up to 60 frames per 2nd ( Federal Protective Service ) , extend dynamic range at up to 30 fps , and 1080p slo - minute television at up to 240 fps .

thing are slightly different around the front , but that ’s primarily due to tv camera location since the specs between the two iPads are selfsame . The landscape painting arrangement on the iPad ( 2022 ) allow a more natural experience for videoconferencing , while the iPad mini is better used in portrait orientation for casual video calls .

If you desire to use your tab for traditional picture taking , the iPad miniskirt has the obvious sharpness of being smaller and easier to hold . It ’s still pretty unwieldy compare to an iPhone or other smartphone , but it ’s much better than convey photograph with a full - sized iPad , especially in a bunch .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): battery life and charging

While you may think a bigger iPad should have elbow room for a great battery and , therefore , offer longer bombardment living , it turns out this is n’t the event for these two example .

Apple claims the young iPad mini offer 10 hr of battery life , the same battery life as the iPad ( 2022 ) , despite the latter have a smaller cell indoors . This is likely due to a combination of the more power - effective A17 Pro and a pocket-size screen that consumes less vigour .

We found the battery on the larger iPad impressive . It easy got us through two day of solid use in our recap with room to spare . Time drop with the iPad mini pick up our reviewer get around seven to nine minute out of the iPad mini ’s battery before charging , with a combination of using the gadget as a subaltern screen , stream euphony , reading cartoon strip , and playingCOD : Mobile .

Charging carrying into action for both models should also be roughly on equation , as both have a USB - C port and let in the same 20W power adaptor and lace 1 - meter USB - C tear cable .

Apple has take up some serious steps to hereafter - proof its latest iPad mini and claims its battery will keep up to 80 % of its initial capacity under normal operating condition after time 1,000 accomplished send cycles . In essence , what this mean is that the iPad mini ’s bombardment should last for three years before you necessitate to think about put back it .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): price and availability

The iPad mini ( 2024 ) is available now . The base of operations manikin come with 128 GB of storage and start at $ 499 for Wi - Fi only or $ 649 for the 5 G variant . Higher - electrical capacity 256 GB and 512 GB models are available starting at $ 599 and $ 799 for Wi - Fi or $ 749 and $ 949 for Wi - Fi + Cellular example . All rendering are available in Space Gray , Starlight , blue , and purple .

The iPad ( 2022 ) can be purchased from Apple and most other major retailers . It starts at $ 349 for 64 GB with Wi - Fi and $ 499 for 5 GiB connectivity , with the 256 GB version selling for $ 499 and $ 649 , respectively . It ’s usable in blue , pink , yellow , and Ag .

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad (2022): verdict

TheiPad mini ( 2024)sits in an interesting post in Apple ’s lozenge lineup . It features mostly the same specs as the full - sized iPad Air with a slightly less powerful scrap , a little form factor , and a $ 100 lower price tag . On the other hand , the 2021 iPad miniskirt was already a step ahead when theiPad ( 2022)debuted . The 2024 good example widen that performance col significantly .

However , the option here in all probability wo n’t be based principally on public presentation . Ultimately , the decision for most family will be whether to go for a full - sized iPad with a 10.9 - inch covert or a pocket-size and more portable 8.3 - column inch simulation . If a smaller iPad is your top priority , the iPad mini is the only game in town . However , the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ) also deliver the best price - to - performance value for those willing to hold out with a smaller screen You ’ll take to move up to the pricier iPad Air to get the best of both populace , and while that also gets a performance rise from the M2 chip , that ’s not something that most distinctive iPad drug user will notice .

Nevertheless , if you want the largest possible iPad without spending a bundle , it ’s the iPad ( 2022 ) . While there have been rumors of a unexampled model being right around the corner , Apple recently made some significant packaging variety to the iPad ( 2022 ) in Europe — a move that seems to suggest that a refresh is n’t as imminent as many believed . We probably wo n’t see a new standard iPad until at least next natural spring , and there are some report it may be slated for a fall release . So , if you ’re looking for the most low-priced iPad available today , the iPad ( 2022 ) remains a solid pick , especially since it ’s not severe to regain it on sale for an even depressed price .

grease one’s palms the iPad miniskirt ( 2024 ):

purchase the iPad ( 2022 ):