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iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen

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Swappasaurus

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 vs iPad 5th Gen Pricing

Prices for used iPad 5th Gen start at $77. Pricing data for iPad 3 is not available at this time.

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)

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.
Swappasaurus

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.
Swappasaurus

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.

Reviews

iPad 3

No reviews at this time

iPad 5th Gen

No reviews at this time

iPad 3 vs iPad 5th Gen Reviews

Reviews are not currently available for iPad 3 or iPad 5th Gen.

More Comparisons


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