The iPad Mini 3 stuck out like a sore thumb during its year-long existence. Whereas the iPad Mini 2 was the equal of the original iPad Air in every way but size, the iPad Mini 3 lagged behind the iPad Air 2. Apart from its Touch ID fingerprint sensor, it was otherwise identical to the Mini 2 and didn’t get the faster processor or other new features that debuted in the iPad Air 2.
That’s now been remedied in the iPad Mini 4. This new 7.9-inch tablet now closely mirrors its 9.7-inch counterpart so the differences between the Mini 4 and Mini 3 are stark.
It should be noted that the iPad Mini 3 is no longer available for purchase from retailers – Apple has opted to keep the iPad Mini 2 as their previous entry-level compact tablet. However, the Mini 3 can still be purchased second-hand.
Weight and casing
The iPad Mini 3 was 7.5mm thick, but the iPad Mini 4 now matches the Air 2 in thickness at 6.1mm. An unfortunate side effect of this more slender profile is that the Mini 4 lacks the hardware switch found on the Mini 3 for muting the tablet or locking its screen orientation (depending on your preference).
This reduction in thickness does mean the Mini 4 is a little lighter than its predecessor - 299g for the Wi-Fi-only Mini 4 versus 331g for the Mini 3.
Like the Mini 3, the Mini 4 is available in grey, white or gold. Oddly, the rose gold (ie soft pink) option for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus isn’t available for the iPad Mini 4.
Screen and wireless
The iPad Mini 3 and 4 share almost identical screens – 7.9-inch with a 2048x1536 pixel resolution and 326ppi pixel density. As with the colour of the casing, the biggest surprise is what’s missing – the pressure sensitive 3D Touch technology remains the preserve of the iPhone 6s with no sign of it on Apple’s mini tablet.
There are bigger differences when it comes to wireless connectivity, although these won’t impact a lot of people – at least in the UK. Unlike the 802.11n Mini 3, the Mini 4 now supports 802.11ac. Apple hasn’t stated what speed of 802.11ac is supported, but it’s unlikely to be the 867Mbit/s speed given the limited amount of space for aerials in the casing. In any case, you’d have to be streaming or copying something truly massive to take advantage of that speed anyway.
The 4G-enabled variant of the iPad Mini 4 also supports more LTE bands than the iPad Mini 3 so it should work at 4G speeds in more countries worldwide. Unless you live or frequently visit one of the very few areas not previously supported by Apple’s LTE band selection, though, this isn’t that big of a deal.
Processor
The biggest difference between the iPad Mini 3 and Mini 4, besides the casing, is the processor. The iPad Mini 4 eschews the 1.3GHz Apple A7 dual-core chip of its predecessor in favour of an A8 processor.
Apple hasn’t stated whether it’s triple-core like the A8X found in the iPad Air 2. Cupertino is also mum on whether memory stays at 1GB or has been boosted to 2GB to match the Air 2. We strongly suspect that the iPad Mini 4 has an almost identical processor and memory to Apple’s current flagship 10-inch tablet.
Battery life and camera
According to Apple’s specifications, there’s no difference in battery life between the iPad Mini 4 and 3 – both are rated for 10 hours of internet usage.
There is a difference when it comes to the camera, though. The five-megapixel shooter with an f2.4 aperture on the iPad Mini 3 has been superseded by an eight-megapixel camera with a wider f2.2 aperture in the iPad Mini 4. Although the new camera is still rather elderly by modern standards – it’s effectively the same camera first introduced in 2012’s iPhone 5. Still, for a tablet camera, it’s a worthy upgrade on paper.
In all, the iPad Mini 4 offers refinement and improves upon Apple's compact tablet in ways that make a far better model than its immediate predecessor.
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