Skip to main content

Apple iPad Mini 3 review

The iPad Mini 3 is an amazing tablet and an atrocious waste of money

Apple iPad Mini 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple iPad Mini 3
MSRP $399.00
“This is a fantastic iPad Mini, but it’s a terrible deal. We recommend you buy a cheaper 32GB iPad Mini 2 and wait a year to get a fingerprint sensor.”
Pros
  • Touch ID sensor
  • High-quality retina screen
  • Great size for reading
  • As good as any
Cons
  • Limited upgrade over iPad Mini 2
  • Last year’s specs offer little incentive to upgrade
  • Entry-level model’s 16GB of storage doesn’t cut it

Typically, the launch of a new iPad is a big deal — not so with the iPad Mini 3. The latest small iPad from Apple has only really changed in two respects: it’s now available in gold and has a Touch ID sensor. Everything else – from design and dimensions to specs and performance – is exactly the same.

Recommended Videos

The iPad Mini 3 comes with an upgrade that’s as modest as can be. Of course, Touch ID adds more than just an element of security to the Mini 3. It can also be used to pay for in-app purchases with Apple Pay. That nifty new feature will cost you an extra $100, though. Is it worth it? We took a look at the third-generation iPad Mini to find out.

Gold finish and Touch ID add flare to original Mini’s design

Apple may have shaved a few millimeters off the iPad Air 2, but it didn’t diminish the Mini 3’s dimensions at all. The 7-inch iPad still measures 200 × 134.7 × 7.5 millimeters and weighs 331 grams – just like last year’s model. The volume buttons and rotation lock are positioned on the right-hand side and the two rows of speakers remain at the bottom of the iPad Mini 3.

Apple iPad Mini 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We picked up a gold review unit to see how the new color option looks on an iPad and we really liked the way it shines. The gold accent encircling the Touch ID fingerprint sensor looks truly beautiful. However, if gold bling’s not your thing, the silver and space-gray color options are still available.

As always, the smaller iPad feels great to hold. Like every Mini before it, the iPad Mini 3 is ideal for reading ebooks and browsing the Web. Its 7.9-inch screen hits a real sweet spot – not too big, not too small. Although the Mini 3 doesn’t have a sharper screen that its predecessor, its 2,048 × 1,536 pixel resolution screen contains 326 pixels per inch, which is higher than that of the iPad Air 2.

Still, it’s lower than the nearly 360 pixels per inch Samsung crammed onto the Super AMOLED screen on its Galaxy Tab S 8.4. That said, the Mini 3’s screen looks just as good if not better than that of the Galaxy Tab S, which tends to over-exaggerate colors sometimes. While watching TV shows on Netflix, the Mini 3’s retina display faithfully displayed the colors and minute details appeared sharp.

Same old specs hold the Mini 3 back

If there was any doubt as to which iPad Apple considers a priority — and which wagon to hitch your wallet to — it should now be crystal clear. While the iPad Air 2 received a massive processor upgrade with the A8X chip and M8 motion coprocessor, the Mini 3 was left behind in the dust with the same old A7 processor and M7 coprocessor.

It’s not that the processor is slow or out of date. In fact, the Mini 3 performs Web searches, streams videos, and handles other common tasks without incident. We streamed Netflix videos in Full HD and the Mini 3 didn’t stop to buffer once. However it’s certainly not up to snuff in comparison with the iPad Air 2.

Like every Mini before it, the iPad Mini 3 is ideal for reading ebooks and browsing the Web.

Like the Air 2, the entry-level iPad Mini 3 comes with just 16GB of storage. At this point, it’s unacceptable to offer such a limited amount of space on a tablet, especially given the lack of MicroSD card slot for memory expansion. People like to watch movies and TV shows on their tablets and videos take up a lot of space. Unless you stream all your videos, you’ll probably start dreaming of the 64GB Mini 3, even though it’ll cost you $100 more.

For those of you who are curious about the numbers, the iPad Mini 3 scored 14,064 on the 3D Mark Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark test. In comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S 8.4 managed just 13,070 points. However, the iPad Air 2 completely outclassed the Mini 3 in this benchmark test. The Mini 3 performed well in the Geekbench 3 test with a single-core score of 1375 and a multi-core score of 2478. Even last year’s iPad Air bested this year’s Mini in that test. Needless to say, the Air 2 blew the Mini 3 out of the water.

Related: The best part about the new iPads is Apple’s deal on old ones

Benchmarks aren’t everything; unless you play heavy games on your iPad you probably won’t notice the difference. But it’s hard to justify spending $100 more on a device with last year’s specs. The only real improvement made to the iPad Mini 3 is the addition of Touch ID. Touch ID is a great security measure for those who share a single iPad with the entire family, those who carry sensitive info on their tablets, and users who want to shop online. Thanks to iOS 8.1, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor may not let you tap to pay at the register, but it does allow for easy purchasing online with Apple Pay in specific apps.

At this point, Apple Pay for apps is still pretty limited, but once it makes its way to restaurants and more big-name retailers, it may become the killer app for online shoppers. The addition of Touch ID sweetens the deal, but it doesn’t make the iPad Mini 3 a must-buy.

iOS 8 also offers subtle improvements over iOS 7 and looks great on the Mini 3. You can now choose any third-party keyboard you want, share apps and other iTunes purchases with Family Sharing, monitor battery life, and use Apple Pay to make purchases. Apple also boasts that there are 675,000 different iPad-specific apps on its App Store that are optimized for its tablets.

No camera upgrades for you

The iPad Air 2 may have one of the best cameras of any tablet, but the Mini 3 is stuck with the same 5-megapixel iSight camera on the back. It takes decent photos compared to any other non-Apple tablet, but in comparison with shots we took with the iPhone 6’s camera, the Mini 3’s photos are noticeably less detailed and not as sharp. The details of buildings photographed at a distance were neither blurry nor perfectly crisp. The camera’s not a standout, but it’s not a disaster either, which is more than we can say for most tablet’s cameras.

Apple iPad Mini 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Mini 3 has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera too, which works well enough for Skype calls and video chats.

Battery life

The iPad Mini 3 sports a 23.8-watt-hour battery that Apple says should last 10 hours. We’ve only had our hands on the Mini 3 for a day, so we can’t tell you how long the battery lasts just yet. We will update this post after we’ve used the Mini 3 for a while.

Conclusion

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably noticed that there’s almost no incentive to buy the iPad Mini 3. In fact, it’s a much better deal to buy the second-generation Mini instead, since Apple cut its price by $100. You can get an iPad Mini 2 with 32GB of storage for $350, but a Mini 3 with just 16GB of storage will cost you $400 and a 64GB model costs $500.

It’s a no-brainer: the iPad Mini 2 is the better deal. Touch ID is great and gold is a very attractive color, but neither feature is worth the extra money.

Related: See all the specs: Pad Air 2 vs. iPad Mini 3

If you want an iPad Mini, the second-generation model is the best choice.  Those of you who might want a larger screen should absolutely check out the iPad Air 2, but be aware that you’ll pay a premium for it.

Operating system agnostics should also look into the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4. It offers a slightly bigger screen, fast processor, sleek design, and all the perks of Android. Samsung positioned the Tab S line to compete with Apple’s iPads, so both models are worth a look.

The iPad Mini 3 is undoubtedly a fine tablet – it just doesn’t offer enough compelling new features to tempt us.

Highs

  • Touch ID sensor
  • High-quality retina screen
  • Great size for reading
  • As good as any

Lows

  • Limited upgrade over iPad Mini 2
  • Last year’s specs offer little incentive to upgrade
  • Entry-level model’s 16GB of storage doesn’t cut it
Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
This iPhone prototype has a feature Apple hasn’t released yet
A close-up of the iPhone 14 Pro's camera module.

Before the iPhone 15 Pro launched, a lot of people suspected Apple would ditch its physical buttons in lieu of haptic feedback buttons. As we now know, that didn't happen, nor did any of the iPhone 16 lineup receive this feature. Now, a video of an iPhone 14 Pro prototype has surfaced that shows a working haptic volume and power button — so why didn't it release?

An anonymous source told Android Headlines that Apple isn't yet ready to add the feature into its existing lineup. Haptic controls — supposedly code=named internally as "Bongo" — have been in development for quite some time, even before the launch of the iPhone 13 series. The prototype iPhone 14 is said to have been built in May 2021, and though it does have some interesting features, it isn't fully functional.

Read more
Apple’s latest Find My feature taps airlines to rescue lost luggage
Share Item Location feature introduced with iOS 18 beta 2 update.

Apple’s Find My platform for item location is one of the most lucrative elements of its ecosystem. Now, the company is introducing a new feature called Share Item Location, which allows users to securely share the location of any accessory (or item with an AirTag attached) with friends or commercial airline service providers.

To that end, the company has joined hands with over 15 airline service providers operating across North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe to help passengers locate their lost items. The airline partners will kick-start their respective tracking assistance services in the coming months.

Read more
How to use iOS 18 FaceTime gestures (and what they look like)
Video reactions in macOS Sonoma, with the balloons effect in use.

Apple iOS 17 brought FaceTime gestures to the iPhone last year, livening up the FaceTime experience for all users. FaceTime gestures are even more useful now with iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence. Once it’s set up correctly, you’ll be able to send 3D animations to your friends and family during FaceTime video calls. You’ll even be able to trigger the animations with physical gestures.

Getting your phone ready for action doesn’t take much time or effort, but we put this guide together to walk you through the process nonetheless. 
How to make a FaceTime gesture in iOS 18

Read more