Here's our breakdown of how the iPad Mini 2 stacks up against the iPad Mini 3.
Prices:
Following the release of the iPad Mini 3, the pricing of iPad Mini 2 has decreased too.
$300 for the 16GB model of the iPad Mini 2 and $350 for the 32GB model. Prices for cellular capable models have also dropped and are now $430 for 16GB and $480 for the 32GB variant.
The iPad Mini 3 is priced at $399 for a 16GB model, $499 for a 64GB model and $599 for a 128GB model. Models with cellular connectivity cost an additional $130 for each model.
Deals:
Get the iPad Mini 2 for as low as $277 from one of these dealers.
Get the iPad Mini 3 for as low as $277 from one of these dealers.
Pros and Cons of the iPad Mini 2:
The Apple iPad Mini 2 with 2,048 x 1,526 pixel Retina display has a beautiful body and is
powered by a powerful 64 bit CPU with Apple's A7 chip, which makes it as powerful as the iPad Air. It has a brilliant high-resolution display that offers incredible pixel density. Improved Wi-Fi, LTE connectivity, good battery life and Dual microphones wrap up the deal.
Prices starting at $399 make it much more expensive than its competitors. Its size causes it to be a little uncomfortable to hold. Also, it lacks the innovative Touch ID fingerprint sensor earlier seen in the iPhone 5S.
Pros and Cons of the iPad Mini 3:
The iPad Mini 3 has the same 7.7-inch 2048 x 1536 pixel Retina display. It has excellent battery life. An added feature is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. This adds to the security. With the new iOS 8, Touch ID can be used with third party applications. Apple Pay and health kit are also available. The display is t op-notch and the device is now available in a gold variant too.
The screen and camera have not seen any change. The only additions to the Mini 2 are the Touch ID and gold option, which do not justify the $100 price hike. There is no option to add an external micro SD memory card. The camera still does not have flash and results in very grainy darker lighted photos.
Specs:
The Apple iPad Mini 2 comes in two versions, the Wi-Fi model and a cellular version. It has a LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive screen of 7.9 inches with oleophobic coating. It runs on iOS 7, upgradable to iOS 8.1.3 Dual-core 1.3 and a GHz Cyclon processor. The iPad Mini 2 has a 6470 mAh battery and the primary and secondary cameras are 5 MP and 1.2 MP respectively. Some other features are active noise cancellation, iCloud cloud service, and audio/video player/editor.
The Apple iPad Mini 3 runs on iOS 8.1, upgradable to iOS 8.1.3 operating system and dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) processor. It has 1 GB RAM and comes in variants of 16, 64 and 128 GB. There is a 5 MP iSight HD primary camera with FaceTime, time lapse mode, autofocus, face detection in still images etc. and 1.2 MP secondary camera. It has a 2048 x 1536 multi-touch screen with retina display and fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating. The Mini 3 sports a fingerprint reader for added security.
Talking Points:
Although the sales of the iPad Air 2 have not been as strong as that of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the iPad Air 2 is still dominating the tablet market. Recently, there have been many deals on various websites regarding the new tablet, as we showed you above. Now is a great time to buy an iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3. Apple has pretty much saturated the market in the United States for the device, so that many retailers are pricing the tablet quite aggressively to get people to consider buying it.
Apply has quoted a high price for the iPad Mini 3, a device that is essentially last year's device with a few updates. At this price, just another $100 will fetch the much more powerful and considerably larger iPad Air 2.
Conclusion:
Up front, the biggest difference between the two tablets is the size. Beyond that, the Mini 3 does not have many upgrades to justify the hike in price. The specifications render the iPad Mini 2 almost identical to its newer cousin and the cheaper price tag makes it the more appealing choice.
