On Thursday, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled the iPad Mini 3 along with its iPad Air 2. Surprisingly, the tech giant devoted little stage time to the iPad Mini 3 at the keynote. It fueled speculations that Apple expects the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus to eat into the iPad Mini sales. Anyway, let’s look at the differences between the iPad Mini 3 and its predecessor.
iPad Mini 3 has the same design as its predecessor
It’s a bit hard to believe, but Apple has changed nothing in terms of design. The iPad Mini 2 measured 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm and the new mini has the same dimensions. The iPad Mini 2 weighted 331g for non-cellular and 341g for the cellular variant. The iPad Mini 3 retains the same weight for cellular as well as non-cellular models. It has the same aluminum frame as the iPad Mini 2.
The only visual change you will notice between the two is that the iPad Mini 3 will be available in gold, along with space gray and silver.
iPad Mini 3 get TouchID fingerprint sensor
This is probably the biggest improvement in the new iPad Mini. The new mini has a TouchID biometric interface to unlock your device. Apple has made TouchID ubiquitous in its mobile devices, thanks to its grand plans for Apple Pay.
Display remains the same
Another shocker. The iPad Mini 3 has the same 7.9-inch Retina display with 2048 x 1536 pixels and 326ppi pixel density as its predecessor.
Camera
The iPad Mini 3 retains the same age-old 5.-megapixel iSight camera and 1.2MP FaceTime camera that its predecessors had. Camera sensors haven’t changed since the original iPad Mini. Thanks to the iOS 8, it will have support for time lapse. It doesn’t even have slow motion recording or burst mode that is found in the new iPhone 6 and the iPad Air 2.
Storage
The iPad Mini 2 was available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. With the iPad Mini 3, Apple has ditched the 32GB storage variant and added 128GB model.
Connectivity
The iPad Mini 3 is identical to its predecessor in terms of connectivity. That means it makes use of WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Finally, the iPad Mini 3 comes with the latest iOS 8.1 operating system. But you can easily upgrade your iPad Mini 2 to the new OS. There is no other difference. They both offer the same battery life, and have the same processors. No wonder some tech experts recommend users not to buy the iPad Mini 3. The only reason to go for it is the TouchID sensor.
