Apple iPad mini (2021) vs Apple iPad mini (2026)

Read our full comparison: Apple iPad mini (2026) vs Apple iPad mini (2021)

 
  Apple iPad mini (2021) Apple iPad mini (2026)
Our Rating 5.5 9.6
Brand Apple Apple
Category Mobiles Mobiles

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Key differences

Taken from the specification table below. No scores or winners: only the stored values.

Key differences between the phones
SpecApple iPad mini (2021)Apple iPad mini (2026)
ChipsetApple A15 Bionic (5 nm)Apple A20 Pro (2 nm)
Display size8.3" 1488x2266 pixels8.5 inches, 216.0 cm2 (~82.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Weight293 g (Wi-Fi) / 297 g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (10.34 oz)255 g (Wi-Fi) / 257 g (Cellular) Difference: 38 g

Network

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) CDMA 800 / 1900 — GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 —
3G Network — HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 —
4G Network — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 —
5G Network — 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 —
Speed — HSPA, LTE-A (up to 7CA), 5G —

LAUNCH

Announced Differs 2021, September 2026, October 26 —
Status Differs Available. Released 2021, September Available. Released 2026, November 06 —

BODY

Dimensions Differs 195.4 x 134.8 x 6.3 mm (7.69 x 5.31 x 0.25 in) 195.4 x 134.8 x 5.4 mm (7.69 x 5.31 x 0.21 in) —
Weight Differs 293 g (Wi-Fi) / 297 g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (10.34 oz) 255 g (Wi-Fi) / 257 g (Cellular) —
Build — Glass front (optional nano-texture), 100% recycled aluminum enclosure —
SIMs SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. — eSIM only (Cellular models) —

Display

Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor) Differs Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 500 nits (typ) Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 600 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak HDR), 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio —
Size Differs 8.3" 1488x2266 pixels 8.5 inches, 216.0 cm2 (~82.1% screen-to-body ratio) —
Resolution Differs 1488 x 2266 pixels, 3:2 ratio (~327 ppi density) 1488 x 2266 pixels, 3:2 ratio (~326 ppi density) —
Protection Display Protection => Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind. Differs Corning-made glass, oleophobic coating Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, optional nano-texture glass —

PLATFORM

Operating System OS => Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device. Differs iPadOS 15, upgradable to iPadOS 17.3 iPadOS 26, upgradable —
Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming. Differs Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) —
CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone. Differs Hexa-core (2x2.93 GHz + 4xX.X GHz) 5-core CPU (128GB/256GB) / 6-core CPU (512GB model) —
GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. Differs Apple GPU (5-core) Apple GPU (7-core graphics, hardware-accelerated ray tracing) —

MEMORY

Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras. No No —
Internal Differs 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM (NVMe) —

MAIN CAMERA

Cameras Specs Today’s smartphones come equipped with a very comprehensive set of camera related specifications. Our smartphone, for many of us, has become our primary camera due to it being the one we always have with us. Differs 12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), AF
12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF —
Video — 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS —
Camera Features — Quad-LED dual-tone flash, Smart HDR 5, 5x digital zoom, panorama —

SELFIE CAMERA

Cameras Specs Today’s smartphones come equipped with a very comprehensive set of camera related specifications. Our smartphone, for many of us, has become our primary camera due to it being the one we always have with us. Differs 12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide)
12 MP, f/2.4, 122Ëš (ultrawide) landscape-oriented Center Stage camera —
Features — HDR, Center Stage, Smart HDR 5 —
Video — 1080p@25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS —

SOUND

Loudspeaker — Yes, with Acoustic Display embedded woofers and stereo sound —
3.5mm jack — No —

COMMS

WLAN — Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct (Apple N1 wireless chip) —
Positioning — GPS, GLONASS (Cellular model only) —
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices. — 6.0, A2DP, LE, Thread support —
Infrared Infrared connectivity is an old wireless technology used to connect two electronic devices. It uses a beam of infrared light to transmit information and so requires direct line of sight and operates only at close range. — No —
USB — USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort, charging/expansion —
NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches. — No —
Radio — No —

Features

Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device. — Fingerprint (top-mounted Touch ID), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer, ambient light sensors, Apple Pencil Pro support —

BATTERY

Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. Differs Li-Po / Si-C non-removable Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) —
Capacity Battery Capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain conditions. Differs Li-Ion 5300 mAh (19.3 Wh) —
Charging The functionality responsible for recharging batteries in portable devices, such as mobile phones, significantly influences both battery lifespan and the practicality of daily product usage.The charging process, encompassing factors like voltage, current, and completion actions, is contingent upon the battery's size and type.Contemporary battery chargers dynamically adjust charging parameters based on the battery's current charging state. Charging an empty battery poses no safety risk, allowing for a quicker charging process. Consequently, many charging speed benchmarks, including ours, specify the battery level achieved after a 30-minute session on an empty battery.Standard chargers with a power output of 5V/1A, equivalent to 5W, serve as a baseline, with anything surpassing this speed classified as quick or fast charging. — 20W wired, PD —

MISC

Colors — Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Blue —
Model Differs Apple iPad mini (2021) A3412, A3414, iPad16,1, iPad16,2 —
SAR SAR (Specific absorption rate): Each GSM handset has a radio transmitter and receiver in order to operate in the wireless GSM network. That transceiver is manufactured so that when used next to the ear and when worn on the belt, it won't exceed the limits for exposure to radio frequency energy set by the authorities.The authorities in question here are the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the U.S. Government, Industry Canada of the Canadian Government (IC), and the Council of the European Union. — 0.92 W/kg (body) —
SAR EU Each GSM handset has a radio transmitter and receiver in order to operate in the wireless GSM network. That transceiver is manufactured so that when used next to the ear and when worn on the belt, it won't exceed the limits for exposure to radio frequency energy set by the authorities.The authorities in question here are the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the U.S. Government, Industry Canada of the Canadian Government (IC), and the Council of the European Union. — 0.89 W/kg (body) —
Price Differs $550.00 $699.00 / €799.00 / £699.00 —

TESTS

Performance Differs AnTuTu: 1,180,000+ | GeekBench 6: 4,600 (Multi-core) Geekbench 6: Single-Core 3,980 / Multi-Core 10,240 | AnTuTu v10: 2,520,000+ —
Display — 1200 nits peak HDR brightness (measured) —
Loudspeaker — -24.8 LUFS (Very good) —
Battery (new) — Active web surfing / video playback: 10:45h —

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