iPad mini with Retina Display vs. iPad mini
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the new iPad mini with Retina Display (left) and the original (non-Retina) iPad mini
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If you already own an iPad mini, is it worth upgrading to the
new model with Retina Display? Or maybe you're considering buying your first iPad mini, and are wondering if it's worth saving a few bucks on
last year's model?
Let Gizmag help, as we plop the first two generations of the iPad mini
into our magical comparison machine, and see what happens.
Release date
The Retina Display iPad mini launches sometime in November. The
original model hit stores last November, and is sticking around for
another year.
Size
Nothing shocking here. Though it is worth noting that the Retina iPad
mini is a little thicker. That's the same thing that happened to the
full-sized iPad when it got a Retina Display.
Weight
Not a great start for the Retina model, as it's also a bit heavier
compared to the original iPad mini. Seven percent heavier, to be exact.
Build
Same aluminum build in both models.
Colors
The Retina iPad mini gets the same Space Gray color from the
iPhone 5s,
and Apple updated the original model with the new hue as well. If you
bought a first-generation iPad mini before the new models were
announced, then you might have the "black & slate" color instead.
Display
Same 7.9-inch display size for the new model, but the big news is its
shift to a Retina Display. It has four times the pixels of the original
model, making for a much denser screen. Expect razor-sharp text and
crisp, clear images.
Processor
Performance should be another huge upgrade in the Retina iPad mini.
Its 64-bit A7 chip is two generations ahead of the old A5 (originally
found in 2011's iPad 2) in the non-Retina iPad mini.
RAM
We don't yet know how much RAM the Retina iPad mini has, but we'd bet
on 1 GB. The mere 512 MB found in the 1st-gen version just barely cuts
it. Backgrounded apps and browser tabs will need to refresh more often
than they do on devices with more RAM.
Storage
The first mini was originally available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB
models, but now that it's sticking around for a second year, it's only
sold in a 16 GB flavor.
Cameras
Same resolution in the cameras this time around, but Apple did boast of some upgraded sensors in the new batch of iPads.
Battery
Above are the watt hours for the batteries. If you're more concerned
with uptimes, then Apple is estimating that the Retina version will last
the same ten hours (while surfing the web on Wi-Fi).
Wireless
Both models are sold in both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi with LTE versions.
The cellular models cost an extra US$130 over their Wi-Fi only
counterparts with the same amount of storage.
Software
Both iPad minis run the new iOS 7, with the App Store's stacked selection of tablet apps.
Starting prices
Apple actually jacked the Retina model's price up by $70, hitting the
$400 price point for 16 GB Wi-Fi only. It then shoots all the way up to
$830 for a 128 GB cellular model.
On announcing the new iPad mini, Apple also dropped the first-generation model's price down to $300.
Wrap-up
If the Retina iPad mini had stayed at $330, this would have been a
no-brainer. Not only does it have a much sharper screen, but its
performance will be head and shoulders above last year's model.
But at $400, the Retina mini is now inching closer to Apple's new full-sized iPad, the
iPad Air.
With that added to the non-Retina model's price drop, we can see some
customers preferring to save a few bucks and live with the
lower-resolution screen.
On the flip side, the new iPad mini's specs are pretty much
toe-to-toe with the iPad Air, so you're getting a much more powerful
tablet than you did last year. It even has a sharper display than the
iPad Air, owing to the same amount of pixels scrunched onto the smaller
screen.
For more on the new iPads, you can see how the
Retina iPad mini compares to the iPad Air, and you can also check out the
iPad Air vs. the older 9.7-inch iPads.
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