Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPad mini How much thicker and heavier is the Retina Mini over the old Mini?

X

Xeyad

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 19, 2012
344
344
I own a 1st gen Mini, and the title says it all:

How much thicker and heavier is the Retina Mini over the old Mini? I don't have an Apple Store nearby, and I'm really interested to see if it's noticeable. Is it is similar to the iPad 2 and iPad 3 difference, or less noticeable?

I would love a Retina screen, but I don't want the device itself to be compromised.

I want to hear from people with the old Mini and the new Retina Mini to tell me their experiences.
 
I believe it is 23g heavier and a pencil is about 7g, so tape three to the back of yours and you will know! :)
 
I immediately noticed it was heavier when I was holding it with one hand. But it's not thaaat bad. Totally worth it for the screen!
 
Seriously...i am the pickiest Apple user on the planet and I have to say that you wont notice a difference at all.
 
I noticed the difference only slightly when holding both.

Otherwise, I used the rMini last night exclusively and didn't notice any difference in weight while holding it to read for a few hours.

-Kevin
 
I put them on my scale. The Retina is 0.9 ounce heavier. Thickness wise, I could barely see that it's just a hair thicker and I had to look very closely. But, because of that tiny bit of extra thickness, it doesn't fit in my Poetic slim case for the regular Mini. It fits in there but won't click in place to secure it. Other cases that don't have a rigid backing should fit fine.
 
Thanks for the responses!

So I guess thickness seems to be a non-issue, and there is only a slight bump in weight.

Looks like the differences are less dramatic than it was with the iPad 2 and iPad 3.
 
Xeyad said:
Thanks for the responses!

So I guess thickness seems to be a non-issue, and there is only a slight bump in weight.

Looks like the differences are less dramatic than it was with the iPad 2 and iPad 3.
Click to expand...

WAAAY less that the iPad 2 to the iPad 3. This is barely noticeable. The 2 to 3 was a big difference.

-Kevin
 
Xeyad said:
Thanks for the responses!

So I guess thickness seems to be a non-issue, and there is only a slight bump in weight.

Looks like the differences are less dramatic than it was with the iPad 2 and iPad 3.
Click to expand...

It is certainly less dramatic than going from iPad 2 to iPad 3.
 
Xeyad said:
Thanks for the responses!

So I guess thickness seems to be a non-issue, and there is only a slight bump in weight.

Looks like the differences are less dramatic than it was with the iPad 2 and iPad 3.
Click to expand...

kbmb said:
WAAAY less that the iPad 2 to the iPad 3. This is barely noticeable. The 2 to 3 was a big difference.

-Kevin
Click to expand...

iPad mini to iPad mini 2 = 308 grams to 331 grams = 7.45% increase.

iPad 2 to iPad 3 = 601 grams to 652 grams = 8.49% increase.

I'm thinking the difference is similar. In the end though it doesn't matter. Even if you wait for next year's refresh, it will likely be the same weight (similar to how iPad 3 to 4 had the same battery size and weight). So you might as well buy it and enjoy it now.
 
Xeyad said:
I own a 1st gen Mini, and the title says it all:

How much thicker and heavier is the Retina Mini over the old Mini? I don't have an Apple Store nearby, and I'm really interested to see if it's noticeable. Is it is similar to the iPad 2 and iPad 3 difference, or less noticeable?

I would love a Retina screen, but I don't want the device itself to be compromised.

I want to hear from people with the old Mini and the new Retina Mini to tell me their experiences.
Click to expand...

it's 23g heavier. So it's like the original plus a mouse. an actual mouse
 
Kendo said:
iPad mini to iPad mini 2 = 308 grams to 331 grams = 7.45% increase.

iPad 2 to iPad 3 = 601 grams to 652 grams = 8.49% increase.

I'm thinking the difference is similar. In the end though it doesn't matter. Even if you wait for next year's refresh, it will likely be the same weight (similar to how iPad 3 to 4 had the same battery size and weight). So you might as well buy it and enjoy it now.
Click to expand...

Scale matters here...
 
AdonisSMU said:
Scale matters here...
Click to expand...

Of course. If I get 10% more food during a Thanksgiving dinner, or 10% more fries from McDonald's, obviously I get to eat more during the former. But I still notice the difference of the latter even though it is on a smaller scale.
 
Kendo said:
Of course. If I get 10% more food during a Thanksgiving dinner, or 10% more fries from McDonald's, obviously I get to eat more during the former. But I still notice the difference of the latter even though it is on a smaller scale.
Click to expand...

And now I want McDonalds fries....thanks! :p

-Kevin
 
Need advice - I am casual iPad mini user. Use it mainly for browsing. I typically prefer to upgrade because I can keep with the current offering and recover some price for older hardware. Though I'm little confused whether upgrade to retina iPad mini is worthwhile or not. What would you advice based on your experience?
 
Xeyad said:
I own a 1st gen Mini, and the title says it all:

How much thicker and heavier is the Retina Mini over the old Mini? I don't have an Apple Store nearby, and I'm really interested to see if it's noticeable. Is it is similar to the iPad 2 and iPad 3 difference, or less noticeable?

I would love a Retina screen, but I don't want the device itself to be compromised.

I want to hear from people with the old Mini and the new Retina Mini to tell me their experiences.
Click to expand...

The exact weight and dimensions are readily available. Why do people continue to ask this? Is reading really that difficult.
 
safarchand said:
Need advice - I am casual iPad mini user. Use it mainly for browsing. I typically prefer to upgrade because I can keep with the current offering and recover some price for older hardware. Though I'm little confused whether upgrade to retina iPad mini is worthwhile or not. What would you advice based on your experience?
Click to expand...

only 4,389 opinions already posted about the difference.

Retina
Better wifi
New processor

????
 
Holding the original mini and the retina mini side by side the difference is negligible. But when it comes to actual usage, I can actually feel that it's slightly heavier. This, hopefully would go away when I get used the retina mini
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back