The iPad mini 4 sports not only the Touch ID of last year's mini, but the higher color gamut, laminated display of last year's iPad Air 2. It's also got a speedy Apple A8 chipset and 2GB of RAM to make running Split View apps not only possible but enjoyable. Yes, the iPad mini has come a long way since it's non-Retina launch back in 2012!
| iPad | iPad 2 | iPad 3 | iPad mini | iPad 4 | iPad Air | iPad mini 2 | iPad mini 3 | iPad Air 2 | iPad mini 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Code Name | K48 | K94 | J1 | J65 | P101 | J72 | J85 | J85 | J81 | J96 |
| Model Name | iPad 1,1 | iPad 2,1 | iPad 3,1 | iPad 2,5 | iPad 3,4 | iPad 4,1 | iPad 4,5 | iPad 4,7 | iPad 5,1 | iPad 5,1(?) |
| Launch OS | iPhone OS 3.2 | iOS 4.3 | iOS 5.1 | iOS 6 | iOS 6 | iOS 7 | iOS 7 | iOS 8.1 | iOS 8.1 | iOS 9 |
| Screen Size | 9.7 inches | 9.7 inches | 9.7 inches | 7.9 inches | 9.7 inches | 9.7 inches | 7.9 inches | 7.9 inches | 9.7 inches | 7.9 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 1024x768 (132ppi) | 1024x768 (132ppi) | 2048x1536 (264ppi) | 1024x768 (163ppi) | 2048x1536 (264ppi) | 2048x1536 (264ppi) | 2048x1536 (326ppi) | 2048x1536 (326ppi) | 2048x1536 (264ppi) | 2048x1536 (264ppi) |
| Screen Type | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | IPS LED | Laminated IPS LED | Laminated IPS LED |
| System-on-a-chip | Apple A4 | Apple A5 | Apple A5X | Apple A5 | Apple A6X | Apple A7 | Apple A7 | Apple A7 | Apple A8X | Apple A8 |
| CPU | 800MHz ARM Cortex-A8 | 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 | 1.4GHz dual-core Swift (ARM v7s) | 64-bit dual core Apple A7 Cyclone (ARM v8) | 64-bit dual core Apple A7 Cyclone (ARM v8) | 64-bit dual core Apple A7 Cyclone (ARM v8) | 64-bit triple core Apple A8 Typhoon (ARM v8) | 64-bit dual core Apple A8 Typhoon (ARM v8) |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX535 | PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP2 | PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP4 | PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP2 | PowerVR quad-core SGX554MP4 | PowerVR G6430 | PowerVR G6430 | PowerVR G6430 | PowerVR GX6650 | XXX |
| Co-processor | none | none | none | none | none | M7 Motion | M7 Motion | M7 Motion | M8 Motion | M8 Motion |
| RAM | 256MB | 512MB | 1GB | 512MB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | N/A | |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB |
| Cellular Data | HSPA | LTE | LTE | LTE | LTE | LTE | LTE | LTE | LTE Advanced | LTE Advanced |
| SIM | Micro | Micro | Micro | Nano | Micro | Nano | Nano | Nano | Apple | |
| Rear Camera | none | 1.3MP/720p | 5MP/1080p | 5MP/1080p | 5MP/1080p | 5MP/1080p | 5MP/1080p | 5MP/1080P | 8MP/1080P | 8MP/1080P |
| Front Camera | none | 0.3MP/VGA | 0.3MP/VGA | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p | 1.2MP/720p |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.1+EDR | Bluetooth 2.1+EDR | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO |
| GPS | aGPS | aGPS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS |
| Sensors | Ambient light, accelerometer, compass |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, barometer |
Ambient light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, barometer |
| Speakers | Mono | Mono | Mono | Stereo | Mono | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | | Stereo |
| Connector | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning |
| Height | 9.56 inches (242.8 mm) | 9.5 inches (241.3 mm) | 9.5 inches (241.3 mm) | 7.87 inches (199.9 mm) | 9.5 inches (241.3 mm) | 9.4 inches (238.8 mm) | 7.87 inches (199.9 mm) | 7.87 inches (199.9 mm) | 9.4 inches (238.8 mm) | 8 inches (203.2 mm) |
| Width | 7.47 inches (189.7 mm) | 7.31 inches (185.7 mm) | 7.31 inches (185.7 mm) | 5.3 inches (134.6 mm) | 7.31 inches (185.7 mm) | 6.6 inches (167.6 mm) | 5.3 inches (134.6 mm) | 5.3 inches (134.6 mm) | 6.6 inches (167.6 mm) | 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) |
| Depth | 0.53 inches (13.5 mm) | 0.34 inches (8.6 mm) | 0.37 inches (9.4 mm) | 0.28 inches (7.1 mm) | 0.37 inches (9.4 mm) | 0.29 inches (7.4 mm) | 0.29 inches (7.4 mm) | 0.29 inches (7.4 mm) | 0.24 inches (6.1 mm) | 0.24 inches (6.1mm) |
| Weight | 1.5 lbs (680 g) | 1.33 lbs (603 g) | 1.44 lbs (653 g) | 0.68 lbs (308 g) | 1.44 lbs (653 g) | 1.0 lbs (454 g) | 0.73 lbs (331 g) | 0.73 lbs (331 g) | 0.96 lbs (437 g) | 0.65 lbs (298.8 grams) |
| Battery | 6600mAh | 6930mAh | 11560mAh | 4440mAh | 11560mAh | 8820mAh | 6471mAh | 6471mAh | 6471mAh | 7,340mAh| 5124mAh |
| Colors | Black | Black/White | Black/White | Black/White | Black/White | Space gray/Silver | Space gray/Silver | Space gray/Silver/Gold | Space gray/Silver/Gold | |
| Launch Price | Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699 Cellular: $629, $729, $829 |
Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699 Cellular: $629, $729, $829 |
Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699 Cellular: $629, $729, $829 |
Wi-Fi: $329, $429, $529 Cellular: $459, $559, $659 |
Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699, $799 Cellular: $629, $729, $829, $929 |
Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699, $799 Cellular: $629, $729, $829, $929 |
Wi-Fi: $399, $499, $599, $699 Cellular: $529, $629, $729, $829 |
Wi-Fi: $399, $499, $599, $699 Cellular: $529, $629, $729, $829 |
Wi-Fi: $499, $599, $699, $799 Cellular: $629, $729, $829, $929 |
Wi-Fi: $399, $499, $599 Cellular: $529, $629, $729 |
| Release Date | 4/3/2010 | 3/11/2011 | 3/16/2012 | 11/2/2012 | 11/2/2012 | 11/1/2013 | 11/12/2013 | 10/24/2014 | 10/24/2014 | 09/09/2015 |
I've updated the iPad mini 1 and iPad mini 2 to iOS 9 to see how they run, but I used screenshots to show the proper home screen look and feel for their launch years. Also not, iPad mini 4 is slightly taller than previous generations.
Space gray, as seen in the middle, is always a moving target, of course. Black is the hardest color to anodize so Apple seems to keep trying to balance durability with darkness. This year, though, I went gold. Because gold.
The thinness (which translates into lightness which translates into usability) of the iPad mini 4 is apparent when set against the previous minis. When you see it in relation to the original iPad and even the iPad Air 2, though, it's stunning.
And you can see how the iPad mini 4, like the iPad Air 2, no longer has the orientation lock/mute switch.
The iPad Air 2 and upcoming iPad Pro are certainly more powerful and productive, but for travelers or anyone who wants a light, easy to cary, full-on tablet, the iPad mini 4 is going to be nearly impossible to beat.
I'll have a full review up soon.
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