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The caller iPad mini starts astatine $699 for 128GB with Wi-Fi oregon $849 with cellular successful the United States. The discontinued 2021 exemplary started astatine $499 and $649, respectively, with 64GB of storage. Both enactment iPadOS 27.2, person Touch ID successful the apical button, and are rated for up to 10 hours of web browsing implicit Wi-Fi oregon watching video. Both displays besides tally astatine 60Hz.
Display, Design, and Accessories
| 8.3-inch display | 8.5-inch display |
| Liquid Retina show with LED backlighting and IPS technology | Super Retina XDR OLED show with 2,000,000:1 opposition ratio |
| 2266-by-1488 solution astatine 326 ppi | 2316-by-1512 solution astatine 326 ppi |
| Wider show borders | 24% thinner show borders |
| 500 nits maximum brightness | 600 nits maximum SDR and full-screen HDR brightness, with up to 1,200 nits highest HDR brightness and 1-nit minimum brightness |
| Standard antireflective glass | Standard antireflective solid oregon optional nano-texture solid connected 256GB and 512GB models for $100, with a polishing cloth included |
| IP67 h2o and particulate resistance, rated for a maximum extent of 1 metre for up to 30 minutes | |
| Available successful Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, and Purple | Available successful Midnight and Starlight |
| Supports Apple Pencil (second generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C) | Supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
| Apple Pencil hover and Apple Pencil Pro features including squeeze, tube roll, haptic feedback, and Find My | |
| Polyurethane Smart Folio, besides compatible with the 2024 iPad mini | Two-panel TechWoven Smart Folio with adjustable viewing angles, disposable separately successful Navy Blue and Taupe for $79 |
| 94% fiber-based packaging | 100% fiber-based packaging and 35% recycled contented overall |
Dimensions and Weight
| 7.69 inches (195.4 mm) | 7.69 inches (195.3 mm) |
| 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) | 5.22 inches (132.6 mm) |
| 0.25 inch (6.3 mm) | 0.21 inch (5.4 mm) |
| 0.65 lb (293 grams) | 0.56 lb (255 grams) |
| 0.66 lb (297 grams) | 0.58 lb (263 grams) |
The 2026 exemplary is astir 14% thinner and 13% lighter successful its Wi-Fi configuration. The cellular exemplary is astir 11% lighter.
A15 Bionic vs. A20 Pro
| A15 Bionic | A20 Pro |
| 5-nanometer (TSMC N5P) | 2-nanometer (TSMC N2) |
| 6 cores (2 show cores and 4 ratio cores) | 128GB and 256GB: 5 cores (2 ace cores and 3 ratio cores)
512GB: 6 cores (2 ace cores and 4 ratio cores) |
| 5 cores | 7 cores |
| Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing | |
| Dedicated Neural Accelerators successful each GPU core | |
| 16 cores | 128GB and 256GB: 16 cores
512GB: Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 cores total) |
| 4GB | 12GB |
| Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, with enactment for Apple's larger on-device exemplary for much expressive Siri voices and improved dictation | |
| 64GB oregon 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, oregon 512GB |
Apple claims up to 2.2 times the CPU show and up to 4 times the GPU show of the 2021 iPad mini successful its tests. Against the 2024 A17 Pro model, Apple says it delivers much than doubly the unified representation bandwidth and up to 4.5 times the velocity successful ample connection exemplary token generation.
Cameras and Audio
| Front camera connected the representation edge | Front camera connected the scenery edge |
| 12MP beforehand camera with Center Stage and an ƒ/2.4 aperture | 12MP beforehand camera with Center Stage and an ƒ/2.0 aperture |
| Smart HDR 3 connected the beforehand and rear cameras | Smart HDR 4 connected the beforehand and rear cameras |
| Retina Flash for the beforehand camera | Retina Flash with True Tone for the beforehand camera |
| Quad-LED True Tone rear flash | Adaptive True Tone rear flash |
| Automatic papers detection and scanning successful the Camera app, with adaptive flash to trim shadows | |
| Landscape stereo speakers with outer talker holes | Acoustic Display stereo audio with display-coupled woofers and concealed tweeters, without outer talker holes |
| Dual microphones | Updated dual microphones for clearer calls and recordings |
| HEVC, H.264, and ProRes playback, with Dolby Vision and HDR10 support | Apple besides lists AV1 playback and HDR10+ and HLG support |
Connectivity, Charging, and Price
| Third-party wireless networking chip | Apple N1 wireless networking chip |
| Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Thread | |
| Third-party 5G modem (cellular models) | Apple C2 5G modem (cellular models) |
| U.S. cellular exemplary A2568 supports LTE set 46 | U.S. cellular exemplary A3596 adds 5G bands n14, n26, n70, and n75 and LTE set 106, and drops LTE set 46 |
| UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA support | UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ support |
| Nano-SIM oregon eSIM (cellular models) | eSIM lone (cellular models) |
| USB-C with USB 3 speeds up to 5Gb/s | USB-C with USB 3 speeds up to 10Gb/s |
| External show output up to 4K astatine 30Hz | External show output up to 4K astatine 60Hz |
| Extended outer show mode with iPadOS 27.2 | |
| 19.3Wh battery | 18.9Wh battery |
| Fast charging up to 50% successful astir 30 minutes with a 35W oregon higher USB-C powerfulness adapter, sold separately | |
| Now discontinued | Starts astatine $699 (Wi-Fi) oregon $849 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) |
Both the 2021 and 2026 models are rated for up to 9 hours of web browsing implicit cellular. Apple claims up to 50% faster cellular information speeds with the C2 modem compared with the 2024 iPad mini.
Should You Upgrade?
If your 2021 exemplary inactive feels responsive and lasts agelong capable for reading, browsing, and taking notes, keeping it makes consciousness for now, and if artillery beingness is your lone complaint, a artillery work whitethorn beryllium enough.
However, for galore 2021 iPad mini owners, the 2026 exemplary is simply a worthwhile upgrade. If you've had yours since launch, its artillery has had 5 years to deterioration down, and 64GB tin consciousness cramped if you support games oregon downloaded video connected it. The caller exemplary gives you a caller artillery and doubly the retention if you're coming from the 64GB version. Apple inactive rates some models for up to 10 hours erstwhile new, but the 2026 exemplary tin complaint to 50% successful astir 30 minutes with a 35W oregon higher adapter.
The OLED show and lighter plan are the changes you're astir apt to announcement each day. The surface tin get dimmer for speechmaking successful furniture and brighter for HDR video, and the little value makes the iPad mini easier to clasp one-handed for agelong stretches. Both displays tally astatine 60Hz, with nary ProMotion. The A20 Pro and other representation substance much if you play demanding games, edit photos oregon video, oregon often find that apps reload erstwhile you power backmost to them.
Some of the smaller changes substance much depending connected wherever you usage your iPad mini. IP67 h2o and particulate absorption is utile if you instrumentality it outdoors, work by the pool, oregon usage it successful the kitchen. The scenery beforehand camera is amended positioned for calls erstwhile the iPad is propped up horizontally, and extended show enactment lets you usage a show arsenic a abstracted workspace.
Which Model Should You Buy?
The discontinued 2024 iPad mini is simply a bully mediate crushed if your 2021 exemplary is showing its property and you're blessed with its display. It gives you much basal storage, Apple Intelligence, faster USB-C transfers, and Apple Pencil Pro support, and you tin reuse your existing Smart Folio. Apple lists the 128GB Wi-Fi exemplary for $509 done its Certified Refurbished store erstwhile available, with a caller artillery and a one-year warranty. Remaining caller banal from third-party retailers is besides worthy considering astatine a debased capable price.
If prices are adjacent astatine the aforesaid retention capacity, bargain the 2026 model. At $699, it makes the astir consciousness if you specifically privation the OLED display, lighter body, oregon h2o resistance. If you usage a Smart Folio, origin successful $79 for the redesigned version. The USB-C Apple Pencil works with either newer model, portion the second-generation Apple Pencil needs replacing. Both newer cellular models usage eSIM, truthful cheque with your bearer if you presently usage a carnal SIM.
A utilized 2021 iPad mini is inactive a tenable bargain astatine astir $300 oregon little if you privation a 2nd instrumentality for reading, notes, oregon streaming and 64GB is enough. Battery information matters much than cosmetic wear; if the terms of a 256GB portion oregon the outgo of a artillery work brings it adjacent to a refurbished 2024 model, the newer instrumentality is inactive the amended buy.
If you're buying the 2026 model, 128GB astatine $699 is capable for astir buyers. If you're already adjacent to filling 128GB connected your existent iPad, the $799 256GB exemplary gives you country to grow. Nano-texture solid brings that configuration to $899 and is worthy considering if you regularly contend with glare. The $999 512GB exemplary makes the astir consciousness if you request the other abstraction for games, media, oregon projects. It besides gets an further CPU halfway and a 2nd Neural Engine, which are worthy weighing if you usage apps that tin instrumentality vantage of them.
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This article, "iPad Mini 2021 vs. 2026 Buyer's Guide: Is It Worth Upgrading?" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com
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