Almost four years after the release of the iPad mini 4, Apple released its successor — the iPad mini 5. While the market for small tablets has relatively died down, the more powerful iPad mini 5 should find a few takers. Interested in knowing how the iPad mini 5 differs from the iPad mini 4? Read our comparison to find out.

Externally, the iPad mini 5 might look the same as the iPad mini 4 but it is a massive upgrade internally which puts its performance on par with the likes of the iPhone XS and 2018 iPad Pro. But that refresh comes in the form of a higher price tag as well. 

iPad mini 5 vs iPad mini 4: What’s the Difference

Design and Display

• The iPad mini 5 and iPad mini 4 have the same dimensions — 203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1mm. The new iPad mini is heavier by a gram — 300.5gms vs 299gms — but that’s a difference most people are likely never going to notice.
• Both mini iPads feature a 7.9-inch display
  • However, the iPad mini 5 features a newer Retina Display panel with True Tone and Wide color display.
  • It is also laminated to the cover glass and features an anti-reflective coating which the iPad mini 4 lacks.

Chipset, Storage, and Apple Pencil Support

• The iPad mini 5 packs a 3x more powerful CPU and a 9x more powerful GPU than the iPad mini 4
  • While the iPad mini 4 packs a 20nm A8 chip, the iPad mini 5 features Apple’s latest 7nm A12 Bionic chip.
  • This is the same chip that’s found inside the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.
  • It has a dedicated Neural engine to speed up machine learning tasks.
• The new iPad mini is available in 64GB and 256GB storage options
  • The older iPad mini was available with up to 128GB storage space.
• The iPad mini 5 has support for 1st gen Apple Pencil
  • iPad mini 4 does not support Apple Pencil

Connectivity

• iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 5 both feature Lightning connector.
  • They also come with Touch ID.
• The iPad mini 5 comes with significantly faster Wi-Fi ac and gigabit LTE support.
  • Both iPads lack support for Smart Keyboard
• The iPad mini 5 packs Bluetooth 5.0 while iPad mini 4 has Bluetooth 4.0

Camera

• The iPad mini 5 comes with an upgraded 8MP f/2.4 shooter at the rear
• It supports Live Photos and is capable of recording Full HD videos
  • The iPad mini 4 also features an 8MP camera but it is an older sensor
• The iPad mini 5 features a 7MP camera at the front
  • The iPad mini 4 packs a mere 1.2MP FaceTime camera

Battery

• There’s no word on battery capacity yet but the iPad mini 5 and iPad mini 4 both promise up to 10 hours of battery life
  • The new iPad should offer slightly better battery life due to a more efficient chip and other components

Pricing

• This is an area where the iPad mini 4 and iPad mini 5 greatly differ
  • The iPad mini 4 was available from $249.
  • The iPad mini 5 starts from $399.

The higher price tag of the iPad mini 5 is definitely going to turn off a lot of interested folks. For someone is willing to spend $399 on the iPad mini 5, extending the budget and buying the $499 10.5-inch iPad Air will make more sense.

Like this post? Share it!

Subscribe to iPhoneHacks Daily Newsletter

Sign up for our iPhoneHacks Daily newsletter to get the top Apple news stories delivered to your inbox.