iPad mini 4 evolution

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!

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Header Cell - Column 0 iPadiPad 2iPad 3iPad miniiPad 4iPad AiriPad mini 2iPad mini 3iPad Air 2iPad mini 4
Row 0 - Cell 0 Row 0 - Cell 1 Row 0 - Cell 2 Row 0 - Cell 3 Row 0 - Cell 4 Row 0 - Cell 5 Row 0 - Cell 6 Row 0 - Cell 7 Row 0 - Cell 8 Row 0 - Cell 9 Row 0 - Cell 10
Code NameK48K94J1J65P101J72J85J85J81J96
Model NameiPad 1,1iPad 2,1iPad 3,1iPad 2,5iPad 3,4iPad 4,1iPad 4,4iPad 4,7iPad 5,3iPad 5,1
Launch OSiPhone OS 3.2iOS 4.3iOS 5.1iOS 6iOS 6iOS 7iOS 7iOS 8.1iOS 8.1iOS 9
Screen Size9.7 inches9.7 inches9.7 inches7.9 inches9.7 inches9.7 inches7.9 inches7.9 inches9.7 inches7.9 inches
Screen Resolution1024x768 (132ppi)1024x768 (132ppi)2048x1536 (264ppi)1024x768 (163ppi)2048x1536 (264ppi)2048x1536 (264ppi)2048x1536 (326ppi)2048x1536 (326ppi)2048x1536 (264ppi)2048x1536 (326ppi)
Screen TypeIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDIPS LEDLaminated IPS LEDLaminated IPS LED
System-on-a-chipApple A4Apple A5Apple A5XApple A5Apple A6XApple A7Apple A7Apple A7Apple A8XApple A8
CPU800MHz ARM Cortex-A81GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A91GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A91GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A91.4GHz 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)
GPUPowerVR SGX535PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP2PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP4PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP2PowerVR quad-core SGX554MP4PowerVR G6430PowerVR G6430PowerVR G6430PowerVR GXA6850GX6450
Co-processornonenonenonenonenoneM7 MotionM7 MotionM7 MotionM8 MotionM8 Motion
RAM256MB512MB1GB512MB1GB1GB1GB1GB2GBRow 11 - Cell 10
Storage16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB16GB/64GB/128GB16GB/64GB/128GB16GB/64GB/128GB
Cellular DataHSPALTELTELTELTELTELTELTELTE AdvancedLTE Advanced
SIMMicroMicroMicroNanoMicroNanoNanoNanoAppleRow 14 - Cell 10
Rear Cameranone1.3MP/720p5MP/1080p5MP/1080p5MP/1080p5MP/1080p5MP/1080p5MP/1080P8MP/1080P8MP/1080P
Front Cameranone0.3MP/VGA0.3MP/VGA1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p1.2MP/720p
BluetoothBluetooth 2.1+EDRBluetooth 2.1+EDRBluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.2
Wi-Fi802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n802.11a/b/g/n MIMO802.11a/b/g/n MIMO802.11a/b/g/n MIMO802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO
GPSaGPSaGPSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASSaGPS, GLONASS
SensorsAmbient 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
SpeakersMonoMonoMonoStereoMonoStereoStereoStereoStereo| Stereo
Connector30-pin Dock30-pin Dock30-pin DockLightningLightningLightningLightningLightningLightningLightning
Height9.56 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)
Width7.47 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)
Depth0.53 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)
Weight1.5 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)
Battery6600mAh6930mAh11560mAh4440mAh11560mAh8820mAh6471mAh6471mAh6471mAh7,340mAh| 5124mAh
ColorsBlackBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteBlack/WhiteSpace gray/SilverSpace gray/SilverSpace gray/Silver/GoldSpace gray/Silver/GoldRow 28 - Cell 10
Launch PriceWi-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 Date4/3/20103/11/20113/16/201211/2/201211/2/201211/1/201311/12/201310/24/201410/24/201409/09/2015

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.

iPad mini 4

iPad mini 4 (Image credit: iMore)

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.

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.