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iPad mini Mini 3 vs 4

F

fre3way

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2014
66
4
I am looking to buy an iPad mini. Based on what I read, the mini 4 is a slight upgrade from the 3 but it does have 2 gigs of ram and a faster processor (thus increasing its longevity). Is the mini 4 worth the extra price?

Here is the price I'm getting the mini's at:
iPad mini 3 + 4G: $250
iPad mini 4 Wifi: $320
 
Definitely mini 4. The A7 + 1GB + 2048*1536 just isn't a particularly good combo in 2017, four years after the A7's initial release.
 
I would get the 4. I have an iPad mini 3 and although it's definitely usable, it's a bit on the slow side. I'm not the type to want the newest and best, but I'm considering upgrading to mini 4 to get a smoother performance. The problem is that's kind of old too. Hopefully Apple releases an update soon.

Oh also the mini 4 seems noticeably lighter than the 3 if that matters to you.
 
i had the 3, now i got the 4. It is quite a bit better.

the 3 got too slow for my liking.
 
I had a mini 2 before, which is identical to the mini 3 minus Touch ID. Here is my observation:
In addition to the performance improvement being significantly more than you would expect going from an A7 to and A8 (the 2 GB of ram makes a big difference I suspect), the screen is also much better (fully laminated and 100% sRGB). I also wouldn't be surprised if iOS 11 is the end of the line for the mini 2/3. The mini 4 is worth the extra $ in my opinion.
 
Mini 4 also gives you multitasking in iOS which is not supported in earlier versions.

Definitely get the mini 4. I've owned both mini 2 and mini 4. I sold the mini 4 last week upgrading to the new Pro 10.5".
 
petsk said:
Mini 4 also gives you multitasking in iOS which is not supported in earlier versions.
Click to expand...

To be clear, mini 3 supports slide over and pip, just not split screen. But on a screen that small, I've never wanted actual split screen. I use slide over and pip quite a bit though. Not sure how much of the new multitasking features in iOS 11 it will support.
 
I too had the Mini 2 before the 4. The TouchID is great but for me the other big bonus of the 4 is the laminated screen. Feels much better to use than the previous versions. I didn't like the screen on my Mini 2 & the colours are far better on the 4. I'd not consider the 2017 iPad either, having used the non-laminated screen before
 
fre3way said:
I am looking to buy an iPad mini. Based on what I read, the mini 4 is a slight upgrade from the 3 but it does have 2 gigs of ram and a faster processor (thus increasing its longevity). Is the mini 4 worth the extra price?

Here is the price I'm getting the mini's at:
iPad mini 3 + 4G: $250
iPad mini 4 Wifi: $320
Click to expand...

Yes. The extra ram more than anything has seriously helped especially with the newer gen of apps.
 
fre3way said:
How does the iPad Air 2 compare with the 9.7'' iPad going for $329?
Click to expand...
Air 2: better display
2017 iPad: better performance in most tasks

Both have similar performance in games and highly multithreaded tasks.

If the display matters a lot to you, go with Air 2. Otherwise, go with the new iPad.
 
rui no onna said:
Air 2: better display
2017 iPad: better performance in most tasks

Both have similar performance in games and highly multithreaded tasks.

If the display matters a lot to you, go with Air 2. Otherwise, go with the new iPad.
Click to expand...

The thing is right now I have a choice of getting an iPad mini 4 wifi 128gb or an iPad Air 2 cellular 16gb for $320. If I was to buy the 2017 iPad, it would cost me a total of $350. Given these price points, which one would be the best buy? I would like to keep the iPad for atleast 3 years.
 
fre3way said:
The thing is right now I have a choice of getting an iPad mini 4 wifi 128gb or an iPad Air 2 cellular 16gb for $320. If I was to buy the 2017 iPad, it would cost me a total of $350. Given these price points, which one would be the best buy? I would like to keep the iPad for atleast 3 years.
Click to expand...
16GB is just way too small given how large apps are nowadays. My vote goes to the 2017 iPad. Note, I did buy a 2017 iPad for my dad to replace his iPad 3 and he loves it. Given his usage (Facebook, photo viewing and solitaire), it's probably gonna last him forever.
 
fre3way said:
The thing is right now I have a choice of getting an iPad mini 4 wifi 128gb or an iPad Air 2 cellular 16gb for $320. If I was to buy the 2017 iPad, it would cost me a total of $350. Given these price points, which one would be the best buy? I would like to keep the iPad for atleast 3 years.
Click to expand...

For the sake of longevity I would suggest the 2017 iPad. The little extra spent will be worth the performance and support. The extra RAM and storage will be necessary in 3 years. The Air 2 is an okay option but at the cost per storage, I lean toward the newer iPad.

Always the caveat: if you get a chance to compare the devices hands-on you may form your own opinion of what's more important to you!
 
fre3way said:
The thing is right now I have a choice of getting an iPad mini 4 wifi 128gb or an iPad Air 2 cellular 16gb for $320. If I was to buy the 2017 iPad, it would cost me a total of $350. Given these price points, which one would be the best buy? I would like to keep the iPad for atleast 3 years.
Click to expand...

If you're going purely for price and longevity, I would go with the 2017 iPad.

If you want the smaller form-factor (which I love, it's super-convenient), I would definitely go with the mini4 over the mini3. I just replaced my mini 2 (same internals as mini 3) with the Mini 4, and the 4 feels like a HUGE upgrade.

Whenever I use my wife's ipad air 2, it feels like a monster compared to my mini, and not in a good way. But obviously most people like the bigger screen with the full sized ipads.
 
marty1980 said:
For the sake of longevity I would suggest the 2017 iPad. The little extra spent will be worth the performance and support. The extra RAM and storage will be necessary in 3 years. The Air 2 is an okay option but at the cost per storage, I lean toward the newer iPad.

Always the caveat: if you get a chance to compare the devices hands-on you may form your own opinion of what's more important to you!
Click to expand...
I dont believe the 2017 ipad has extra ram over a mini 4. Just processor.
 
I recently got a nice deal on a used Mini 4 32GB cellular to go with my Air 2 64GB cellular. I can't really notice any speed difference so far. I got the Mini 1 before the Air 2, and really like the form factor of the Mini. Just couldn't justify upgrading the Mini 1 to a Mini 4 at full retail price and as I had the Air 2. But then this deal came up and I thought why not.

To the OP I would say go for the Mini 4 over the older 2 or 3.
 
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