iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen

Name: Apple iPad 3
Brand: Apple
SKU: apple-ipad-3
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (5 reviews)

Guide

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Guide

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Swappasaurus says...

Apple released the iPad (3rd generation) in March 2012 and released the iPad (5th generation) in March 2017. The 3rd gen iPad features a 9.7” Retina display, a dual-core Apple A5X chip, and up to 64GB of storage. The 5th gen iPad features a 9.7” Retina display, an Apple A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M9 coprocessor, and up to 128GB of storage.

Price Comparison

iPad 3

Low price:

$70

Avg price:

$72

How much does iPad 3 cost?

iPad 5th Gen

Low price:

$77

Avg price:

$106

What's the best iPad 5th Gen price?

iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen Pricing

iPad 3 prices start at $70, which is cheaper than the iPad 5th Gen low price of $77.

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Specs Comparison

The iPad (3rd generation) key specs include a 9.7” Retina display, an Apple A5X chip, up to 64GB of storage, a 5MP iSight rear camera, a VGA-quality FaceTime front camera, and a 30-pin dock connector. Additional specs for the iPad (3rd generation) include WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, a built-in speaker, and a micro-SIM card tray with assisted GPS with GLONASS on the WiFi + Cellular model. The iPad (5th generation) key specs include a 9.7” Retina display, an Apple A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M9 coprocessor, up to 128GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera, a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera, a Lightning connector, and a home button with Touch ID. Additional specs for the iPad (5th generation) include WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, built-in stereo speakers, and a nano-SIM card tray with assisted GPS with GLONASS on the WiFi + Cellular model.

Size

Size	iPad 3	iPad 5th Gen
Width		170 mm 6.7 inches
Height		240 mm 9.5 inches
Depth		8 mm 0.3 inches
Weight		478 g 16.9 ounces

The iPad (3rd gen) measures 9.50” (H) x 7.31” (W) x 0.37” (D). The WiFi-only model weighs 1.44 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 1.46 pounds. In comparison, the iPad (5th gen) measures 9.4” (H) x 6.6” (W) x 0.29” (D). The WiFi-only model weighs 1.03 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 1.05 pounds. The iPad (3rd gen) and the iPad (5th gen) feature a 9.7” display size.

Camera

Camera	iPad 3	iPad 5th Gen
Primary		8.0 MP
Resolution		3264x2448

The iPad (3rd gen) features a VGA-quality FaceTime camera on the front and a 5MP iSight camera on the back. Camera features include auto-focus, tap-to-focus, face detection, and 1080p HD video recording. The iPad (5th gen) features a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front and an 8MP iSight camera on the back. Camera features include live photos, auto-focus, tap-to-focus, face detection, HDR for photos, 1080p HD video recording, and slo-mo video recording at 120fps.

Screen

Display	iPad 3	iPad 5th Gen
Resolution		1536x2048
Screen Size		246 mm 9.7 in
Pixels Per Inch	ppi	264 ppi

The iPad (3rd gen) and the iPad (5th gen) feature a 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen Retina display with a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, and a native resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch.

Battery

Battery	iPad 3	iPad 5th Gen
Capacity	mAh	8827 mAh
Longevity	hours	10 hours
USB		Lightning

The iPad (3rd gen) features a built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, and the iPad (5th gen) features a 32.4-watt-hour battery. The battery capacities for both models allow for up to 10 hours of battery life on the WiFi-only model, and up to 9 hours of battery life on the WiFi + Cellular models. The iPad (3rd gen) charges via a 30-pin dock connector port and the iPad (5th gen) charges using a Lightning port.

Processing

Processor	iPad 3	iPad 5th Gen
CPU		Apple A9 APL0898 (S8000)

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Color Choices

iPad 3

Available in 3 colors:

Black
White
Gray

Which iPad 3 color should you buy?

iPad 5th Gen

Available in 3 colors:

Gold
Gray
Silver

Which color iPad 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen Colors

The iPad 3 and iPad 5th Gen have completely different color choices. The iPad 3 offers three color choices: Black, White, and Gray. The iPad 5th Gen sports three different color choices: Silver, Gold, and Gray.

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The iPad 3rd generation is available in White or Black. The white and black coloring refers to the bezel color on the front and both color options feature a silver back. The iPad 5th generation is available in Silver, Gold, and Space Gray. The Silver and Gold models feature a White bezel on the front and the Space Gray features a Black bezel on the front.

Storage Options

iPad 3

Choose from 3 storage options:

16GB
32GB
64GB

Which iPad 3 storage should I buy?

iPad 5th Gen

Choose from 2 storage options:

32GB
128GB

Which storage iPad 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen Storage

The iPad 5th Gen introduces one new storage option not found on the iPad 3: 128GB. Both the iPad 3 and iPad 5th Gen share one storage option: 32GB. However, the iPad 5th Gen does not have options for 64GB and 16GB, as seen on the iPad 3.

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The iPad (3rd gen) is available with options for 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of storage space. The iPad (5th gen) is available in 32GB and 128GB storage configurations.