14 DAY TRIAL // “So many innovations but it still fits perfectly in your hand.” We’re not sure if this is the same marketing text that Apple used last year for the iPad mini 2, but they might as well have.
The “new” iPad mini 3 is essentially just an iPad mini 2 with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor and a gold option at $399 / €389, a price point inherited from the iPad mini 2 yesterday. The second-generation model has dropped by $100 / €100, making it the logical choice for people who don’t necessarily want to unlock their tablet with their fingerprint.
New-generation tablet, nearly-identical specs
Apple would do itself a favor by cutting down on the “innovation” promos, especially when the media is up in arms over its barely noticeable improvements in some product lines. The iPad mini 3 is the perfect example of why sometimes the media has every right to pick on the Cupertino behemoth.
Released alongside the visibly improved iPad Air 2 yesterday, the iPad mini 3 got little to no stage time and for good reason too. There was nothing to show. The tablet is essentially just an iPad mini 2 with the same design, the same A7 processor and RAM, same camera, same display, same I/O, and (perhaps most importantly for some people) the same expiration date as far as iOS compatibility is concerned.
In other words, it will be one of the first iDevices to drop out of the race when iOS 10 is out. That’s nothing to worry about, but when you consider the $100 / €100 price difference between the iPad mini 2 and the iPad mini 3, the least you could get for your extra buck is another generation iOS upgrades.
Touch ID and Gold
Admittedly, the iPad mini 3 does bring a couple of extras that for some people might make a difference. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor, as you may know, isn’t there just for unlocking the device faster and more conveniently.
It also serves as a padlock for your iCloud, a quick way to make purchases on the device, and some even regard it as a coolness factor. Couple that with the gold color option and the iPad mini 3 offers enough incentive for some die-hard Apple fans.
Make no mistake though, buying the iPad mini 3 believing it’s newer-therefore-faster is a mistake. If you care about the specs and not so much about fingerprint scanning, get the 2 for $100 / €100 less (€299 / €289).