iPad Mini 2 Retina vs iPad Mini 5th Gen

Name: Apple iPad Mini 2 Retina
Brand: Apple
SKU: apple-ipad-mini-retina
Availability: InStock

Guide

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Guide

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Swappasaurus says...

The iPad mini 2 was released in November 2013 and the iPad mini (5th gen) was released in March 2019. The 5th gen iPad mini has several notable improvements as compared to the iPad mini 2, including a 7.9” Retina display with True Tone, an Apple A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, an 8MP wide-angle rear camera, a 7MP front camera, Touch ID, and support for the 1st generation Apple Pencil.

Price Comparison

iPad Mini 2 Retina

Low price:

$51

Avg price:

$84

How much does iPad Mini 2 Retina cost?

iPad Mini 5th Gen

Low price:

$175

Avg price:

$253

What's the best iPad Mini 5th Gen price?

iPad Mini 2 Retina vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Pricing

iPad Mini 2 Retina prices start at $51, which is cheaper than the iPad Mini 5th Gen low price of $175.

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Specs Comparison

The iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) share a similar design, and both feature a 7.9” display. But overall, the 5th gen iPad mini is more advanced. The iPad mini 2 specs include a 7.9” Retina display, an Apple A7 chip, up to 128GB of storage, stereo speakers, two microphones, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, a 5MP wide-angle rear camera, a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera, and a Lightning connector. The iPad mini (5th gen) specs include a 7.9” Retina display with True Tone, an Apple A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, up to 256GB of storage, stereo speakers, two microphones, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, an 8MP wide-angle rear camera, a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera, a Lightning connector, and Touch ID in the home button. The iPad mini (5th gen) also supports the 1st-generation Apple Pencil.

Size

Size	iPad Mini 2 Retina	iPad Mini 5th Gen
Width		135 mm 5.3 inches
Height		203 mm 8.0 inches
Depth		6 mm 0.2 inches
Weight		301 g 10.6 ounces

Measurements for the iPad mini 2 are as follows: 7.87” (H) x 5.3” (W) x 0.29” (D). In comparison, the measurements for the iPad mini (5th gen) are 8.0” (H) x 5.3” (W) x 0.24” (D). The iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) feature a 7.9” display size. The iPad mini (5th gen) is lighter than the iPad mini 2. The iPad mini (5th gen) WiFi-only model weighs 0.66 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.68 pounds. The iPad mini 2 WiFi-only model weighs 0.73 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.75 pounds.

Camera

Camera	iPad Mini 2 Retina	iPad Mini 5th Gen
Primary		8.0 MP
Resolution		3264x2448

The iPad mini 2 has a 5MP wide-angle rear camera and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera. The iPad mini (5th gen) has an 8MP wide-angle rear camera and a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera.

Screen

Display	iPad Mini 2 Retina	iPad Mini 5th Gen
Resolution		1536x2048
Screen Size		199 mm 7.9 in
Pixels Per Inch	ppi	324 ppi

The iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) feature a 7.9-inch LED-backlit multi-touch Retina display with IPS technology. Display specs for the iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) include a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 326 pixels per inch and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. The iPad mini 2 has an SDR max brightness of 400 nits, and the iPad mini (5th gen) has an SDR max brightness of 500 nits. The iPad mini (5th gen) display is also fully laminated with an anti-reflective coating and supports wide color (P3), True Tone, and the 1st-generation Apple Pencil.

Battery

Battery	iPad Mini 2 Retina	iPad Mini 5th Gen
Capacity	mAh	5124 mAh
Longevity	hours	10 hours
USB		Lightning

The iPad mini 2 is equipped with a 23.8-watt-hour battery, the iPad mini (5th gen) is equipped with a 19.1-watt-hour battery, and both models charge with the Lightning connector and a Lightning to USB charging cable. The battery capacities for the iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) can provide up to 10 hours of battery life when on WiFi or up to 9 hours of battery life when on cellular.

Processing

Processor	iPad Mini 2 Retina	iPad Mini 5th Gen
CPU		Apple A12 Bionic APL1081 / APL1W81 (T8020)

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Color Choices

iPad Mini 2 Retina

Available in 3 colors:

Black
White
Silver

Which iPad Mini 2 Retina color should you buy?

iPad Mini 5th Gen

Available in 3 colors:

Gold
Gray
Silver

Which color iPad Mini 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Mini 2 Retina vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Colors

The iPad Mini 2 Retina introduces two new colors not found in the iPad Mini 5th Gen color palette: Gold and Gray. Both the iPad Mini 2 Retina and iPad Mini 5th Gen share one color: Silver. However, the iPad Mini 2 Retina does away with Black and White, previously seen on the iPad Mini 5th Gen.

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The iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini (5th gen) are available in Space Gray and Silver. The iPad mini (5th gen) is also available in Gold. The Space Gray models have a black bezel around the display, and the Silver and Gold models have a white bezel around the display.

Storage Options

iPad Mini 2 Retina

Choose from 4 storage options:

16GB
32GB
64GB
128GB

Which iPad Mini 2 Retina storage should I buy?

iPad Mini 5th Gen

Choose from 2 storage options:

64GB
256GB

Which storage iPad Mini 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Mini 2 Retina vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Storage

The iPad Mini 5th Gen introduces one new storage option not found on the iPad Mini 2 Retina: 256GB. Both the iPad Mini 2 Retina and iPad Mini 5th Gen share one storage option: 64GB. However, the iPad Mini 5th Gen does not have options for 32GB, 128GB, and 16GB, as seen on the iPad Mini 2 Retina.

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The iPad mini 2 is available with 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage, and the iPad mini (5th gen) is available with 64GB or 256GB of storage.