The recently launched 9.7 inch iPad is an affordable, powerful, and capable device, thanks to Apple bringing in the A10 processor and the Apple Pencil support to the main iPad. But if you already own an iPad or iPad Mini, are these upgrades worth the money?
Instead of upgrading to the iPad Pro, if you are considering buying the 6th gen iPad or an iPad Mini 4, it is undoubtedly a great budget choice. The iPad Pro retails at a whopping price of $649 whereas the new iPad starts at $329 and the iPad mini 4 starts at $399. If you are still confused about which model is best suited for your needs, check out the below comparison before spending your well-earned money.
The new 9.7 inch iPad comes with a 2048×1536 Retina display with a 264 PPI, while the iPad mini 4 features a 7.9 inch screen with 2048×1536 display and 326 PPI. The mini also sports a fully laminated display along with an anti-reflective coating. Although the iPad Pro and the older generation tablets feature both the laminated and anti-reflective display, the 2018 iPad is the only model that still lacks the lamination.
Coming to performance, the new iPad sports an A10 64-bit processor and M10 coprocessor along with a 2 GB RAM, whereas the mini 4 has the slowest processor of the modern iPad line with the 64 bit A8 and M8 coprocessor. Even though the 2018 iPad is an incredible upgrade for just about every older generation of iPads, it slightly lags behind when it comes to running heavy-duty apps and multiple operations, but serves well for most users.
In today’s tech-savvy world, Touch ID is practically a necessity on Apple’s devices. Both the new iPad and the iPad Mini 4 features Apple’s first generation Touch ID sensor. If you are looking to upgrade to a Touch ID model, both the iPad 2018 and iPad Mini 4 are the cheapest available options for such a purchase.
Both the iPad and the iPad Mini 4 come with some of the most advanced iPad antenna technology available in the market. Both support 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi, MIMO connections and LTE. They also ship with the Apple SIM which makes it easier to pick a carrier on the go.
The rear and front camera feature on the iPad line have now become a standard. Both the devices have an 8 MP rear camera with a f/24 aperture, and software features like live photos, video recording and image stabilization. The front camera is a 1.2 MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture. The A10 processor in the new iPad improves ISP even further by providing a better low light image and video.
For the first time ever, Pencil support has come to the base iPad line. The new iPad has full support for Apple Pencil opening the digital drawing, sketching, writing, and calligraphy options to a much wider audience. It is also the only Apple tablet to support the Logitech Crayon, which uses Apple Pencil to provide pressure-free stylus experience. Although the iPad Mini 4 does not support Apple Pencil, it can use third-party capacitive and Bluetooth styluses.
In conclusion, the users who want a smaller tablet with full weight iOS should go for the iPad Mini 4. Whereas if you want a larger tablet but don’t have a budget for the iPad Pro, the 2018 iPad is a great option.