iPad mini 3 vs. the competition: Which will you hold in one hand?
The iPhone might be getting bigger with each iteration, but it's not quite at tablet size yet. There's still plenty of room for the latest 7.9-inch iPad mini, now equipped with Touch ID. But is that enough to justify buying one over other 7-inch slates? We've sized up the iPad mini 3 against some of its more popular competitors to see which tablet's specs give you the most bang for the buck. If matching the iPad mini 3 up against the Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab4 7.0 and Kindle Fire HD 7-inch isn't enough for you, make your own comparison with our handy tool and decide for yourself which tablet really comes out on top.
Price | $399 and up (WiFi), $529 and up (Cellular) | $229 and up | $180 | $139 and up |
Thickness | 7.5mm (0.29 inch) | 8.65mm (0.34 inch) | 8.89mm (0.35 inch) | 10.6mm (0.4 inch) |
Weight | 331g or 341g (0.73 or 0.75 pound) | 290g (0.64 pound) | 276g (0.61 pound) | 337g (0.74 pound) |
OS | iOS 8 | Android 4.4 | Android 4.4 | Android 4.4 |
Display | 7.9-inch IPS LCD Retina display | 7.02-inch IPS LCD | 7-inch WXGA TFT LCD | 7-inch IPS LCD |
Resolution | 2,048 x 1,536 (326 ppi) | 1,920 x 1,200 (323 ppi) | 1,280 x 800 (216 ppi) | 1,280 x 800 (216 ppi) |
Processor | 64-bit Apple A7 | 32-bit 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro | 32-bit 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 (quad-core) | 32-bit 1.2 GHz MTK8135 (quad-core 2xA15+ 2xA7) |
Memory | NA | 2GB | 1.5GB | 1GB |
Storage | 16 / 64 / 128GB | 16 / 32GB | 8GB | 8 / 16GB |
Ports | Lightning | micro-USB | microSD, HDMI | micro-USB 2.0 |
Front camera | 1.2MP FaceTime, 720p | 1.2MP | 1.3MP | VGA |
Rear camera | 5.0MP iSight, f/2.4, 1080p | 5.0MP | 3.0MP | 2.0MP, 1080p |
Cellular radio | Optional GSM/EDGE | Optional GSM/HSPA+/LTE | None | None |
WiFi | Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n | Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n | Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n |
Bluetooth | v4.0 | v4.0 | v4.0 LE | Yes |
Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes |
Gyroscope | Yes | Yes | NA | Yes |
Battery | 10 hours | 3,950mAh | 4,000mAh Li-ion | 8 hours |
Want to know how the iPad mini 3 stacks up against some notable 8-inch tablets? Check out our comparison here!
