Apple’s California Streaming event wrapped up pretty quickly, all things considered. The company unveiled a handful of new products, including the iPhone 13 lineup. But arguably the star of the show was the brand new, oft-rumored, all-new redesigned iPad mini.
But, how does it compare to the fifth-generation iPad mini this new model is replacing? If you were curious, we’ve put together a quick breakdown of how it all shakes out, which you can find out below. If you have a fifth-generation iPad mini, is it worth upgrading to the newer model? This direct comparison may help with that decision.
You can also check out the full tech specs for the new iPad mini right here. But, let’s get to the comparison, shall we?
iPad mini 6 compared to iPad mini 5
Storage
iPad mini 6
- 64GB
- 256GB
iPad mini 5
- 64GB
- 256GB
Size and weight
iPad mini 6
- Height: 7.69 inches (195.4 mm)
- Width: 5.3 inches (134.8 mm)
- Depth: 0.25 inch (6.3 mm)
- Weight (Wi-Fi): 0.65 pound (293 grams)
- Weight: Wi-Fi + Cellular): 0.66 pound (297 grams)
iPad mini 5
- Height: 8.0 inches (203.2 mm)
- Width: 5.3 inches (134.8 mm)
- Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)
- Weight (Wi-Fi): 0.66 pound (300.5 grams)
- Weight (Wi-Fi + Cellular): 0.68 pound (308.2 grams)
Display
iPad mini 6
- Liquid Retina display
- 8.3-inch LED backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
- 2266 x 1488 resolution
- 326 ppi
- 500 nits max brightness (typical)
- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Fully laminated display
- Antireflective coating
- Wide color display (P3)
- True Tone display
iPad mini 5
- Retina display
- 7.9-inch LED backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
- 2048 x 1536 resolution
- 326 ppi
- 500 nits max brightness (typical)
- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Fully laminated display
- Antireflective coating
- Wide color display (P3)
- True Tone display
Processor
iPad mini 6
- A15 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture
- Neural Engine
iPad mini 5
- A12 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture
- Neural Engine
Power and battery
iPad mini 6
- Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video
- UP to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network
iPad mini 5
- Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi-, watching video, or listening to music
- Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network
Apple Pencil compatability
iPad mini 6
- 2nd-generation Apple Pencil
iPad mini 5
- 1st-generation Apple Pencil
Camera
iPad mini 6
- 12MP Wide camera
- f/1.8 aperture
- Digital zoom up to 5x
- Quad-LED True Tone flash
- Smart HDR 3 for photos
iPad mini 5
- 8MP Wide camera
- f/2.4 aperture
- Digital zoom up to 5x
- Auto HDR for photos
Video recording
iPad mini 6
- 4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps
- 3x video zoom
- Slo-mo video support for 1080p HD at 120 fps or 240 fps
- Time-lapse video with stabilization
iPad mini 5
- 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
- 3x video zoom
- Slo-mo video support for 720p at 120 fps
- Time-lapse video with stabilization
Front camera
iPad mini 6
- Ultra Wide camera
- 12MP photos
- f/2.4 aperture
- 2x zoom out
- Center Stage
- Retina Flash
- Smart HDR 3 for photos
- Extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps
- Cinematic video stabilization
- 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
iPad mini 5
- FaceTime HD camera
- 7MP photos
- f/2.2 aperture
- Retina Flash
- Auto HDR for photos
- Cinematic video stabilization
- 1080p HD video recording
Audio
iPad mini 6
- Two speaker audio landscape mode
iPad mini 5
- Two speaker audio
Cellular
iPad mini 6
- 5G
iPad mini 5
- LTE
Secure authentication
iPad mini 6
- Touch ID
- Fingerprint identity sensor built into the top button
iPad mini 5
- Touch ID
- Fingerprint identity sensor built into the Home button
Connector
iPad mini 6
- USB-C
iPad mini 5
- Lightning
So, there we have it. Some similarities, but mostly the differences in the brand new, redesigned iPad mini 6 really stand out. Do you plan on upgrading to Apple’s newest smallest tablet?