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Apple iPad mini 3

Eugene Kim
 & Eugene Kim Former Analyst, Mobile

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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The Apple iPad mini 3 is a superb small-screen tablet, but you can get essentially the same experience from its predecessor for $100 less. - Apple iPad mini 3
4.0 Excellent

The Bottom Line

The Apple iPad mini 3 is a superb small-screen tablet, but you can get essentially the same experience from its predecessor for $100 less.

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Pros & Cons

    • Beautifully built.
    • Fast.
    • Sharp screen.
    • Excellent app options.
    • Pricey.
    • Few reasons to buy over the less-expensive, still-available iPad mini 2.

Apple iPad mini 3 Specs

Battery Life 5 hours, 45 minutes (video streaming)
CPU Apple A7
Dimensions 7.87 by 5.3 by 0.29 inches
Operating System Apple iOS
Screen Resolution 2048 by 1536 pixels
Screen Size 7.9
Storage Capacity 128
Weight 11.68
All Specs

Blink and you might have missed it. The iPad mini 3 made an especially quiet debut at Apple's latest event, a mere footnote compared with the iPad Air 2. With the dust now settled, it's easy to see why—aside from a gold paintjob, Touch ID sensor, and Apple SIM, the $399 16GB mini 3 receives no substantive upgrades over last year's iPad mini 2, which gets a sizeable price cut to $299 for 16GB. One hundred bucks is a lot of money to shell out for what amounts to a small convenience or outsized vanity. New tablet buyers should snag the discounted-and-renamed iPad mini 2, one of our top picks for small-screen tablets, while existing mini 2 owners have very little reason to upgrade. 

Design, Touch ID, and Apple SIM

The iPad mini 3 is physically identical to its predecessor (7.87 by 5.3 by 0.29 inches and 11.68 ounces), save for the accent ring surrounding the new Touch ID button. There's also a new gold colorway to go along with the existing silver and space gray options. The gold here matches the gold finishes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It's no longer the thinnest or lightest tablet in town—that honor belongs to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4—but it's still arguably the best-looking and best-built small tablet.

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Final Thoughts

The Apple iPad mini 3 is a superb small-screen tablet, but you can get essentially the same experience from its predecessor for $100 less. - Apple iPad mini 3

Apple iPad mini 3

4.0 Excellent

The Apple iPad mini 3 is a superb small-screen tablet, but you can get essentially the same experience from its predecessor for $100 less.

Get It Now

Buy It Now

About Our Expert

Eugene Kim

Eugene Kim

Former Analyst, Mobile

Before joining the consumer electronics team at PCMag, Eugene worked at local news station NY1 doing everything from camera work to writing scripts. He grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2010. Outside of work Eugene enjoys TV, loud music, and making generally healthy and responsible life choices.

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