iPad Mini vs iPad Mini 5th Gen

Swappasaurus says...
The iPad mini (1st gen) was released in November 2012, and the iPad mini (5th gen) was released in March 2019. The iPad mini (1st gen) and the iPad mini (5th gen) are similar in size and design, but the 5th gen iPad mini has several key improvements. The iPad mini (5th gen) features include a 7.9” Retina display with True Tone, up to 256GB of storage, an Apple A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, and Touch ID.
Price Comparison
iPad Mini vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Pricing
Specs Comparison
The iPad mini (1st gen) feature set includes a 7.9-inch display, a dual-core Apple A5 chip, and up to 64GB of storage. Additional specs include a home button for navigation, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, a Lightning connector, a built-in speaker, a microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 1st generation iPad mini also features a rear-facing 5MP iSight camera and a front-facing 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera. The iPad mini (5th gen) feature set includes a 7.9-inch Retina display, an Apple A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, and up to 256GB of storage. Additional specs include a home button with Touch ID, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, a Lightning connector, stereo speakers, dual microphones, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 5th generation iPad mini also features an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 7MP FaceTime HD front-facing camera, and support for the 1st generation Apple Pencil.
Size | iPad Mini | 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 are as follows: 7.87” (H) x 5.3” (W) x 0.28” (D). The WiFi-only iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.69 pounds. To compare, the iPad mini (5th gen) measures 8.0” (W) x 5.3” (W) x 0.24” (D). The WiFi-only iPad mini (5th gen) weighs 0.66 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.68 pounds. The iPad mini and the iPad mini (5th gen) feature a 7.9” display size.
Camera | iPad Mini | iPad Mini 5th Gen |
---|---|---|
Primary | 8.0 MP | |
Resolution | 3264x2448 |
The iPad mini has a 5MP iSight camera on the back and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front. The iPad mini (5th gen) has an 8MP camera on the back and a 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front.
Display | iPad Mini | iPad Mini 5th Gen |
---|---|---|
Resolution | 1536x2048 | |
Screen Size | 199 mm 7.9 in | |
Pixels Per Inch | ppi | 324 ppi |
The iPad mini (1st gen) and the iPad mini (5th gen) feature a 7.9-inch display. Details for the 1st gen iPad mini display include a resolution of 1024 x 768 at 163 pixels per inch and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. Details for the 5th gen iPad mini display include a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 326 pixels per inch, a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, an anti-reflective coating, wide color (P3), a 500 nits max brightness, and True Tone. The 5th gen iPad mini display also supports the 1st-generation Apple Pencil.
Battery | iPad Mini | iPad Mini 5th Gen |
---|---|---|
Capacity | mAh | 5124 mAh |
Longevity | hours | 10 hours |
USB | Lightning |
The iPad mini is powered by a 16.3-watt-hour battery and the iPad mini (5th gen) is powered by a 19.1-watt-hour battery. The iPad mini (1st gen) and the iPad mini (5th gen) battery capacities can provide up to 10 hours of battery life when on WiFi or up to 9 hours of battery life when on cellular, and charge via the Lightning connector paired with a Lightning to USB charging cable.
Color Choices
iPad Mini 5th Gen
Available in 3 colors:
-
Gold
-
Gray
-
Silver
iPad Mini vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Colors

The iPad mini is available in two colors, which include Slate with a black bezel on the front and Silver with a white bezel on the front. In comparison, the iPad mini (5th gen) is available in three colors, which include Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. The Space Gray model has a black bezel and the Gold and Silver models have a white bezel.
Storage Options
iPad Mini 5th Gen
Choose from 2 storage options:
-
64GB
-
256GB
iPad Mini vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Storage

The iPad mini (1st gen) is available in three storage configurations and the iPad mini (5th gen) is available in two storage configurations. The storage options on the 1st gen iPad mini include 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, and the storage options on the 5th gen iPad mini include 64GB and 256GB.
iPad Mini vs iPad Mini 5th Gen Reviews
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