Head-To-Head: Apple's New iPad Vs. iPad Mini 4

iPad Face-Off

This week, Apple shook up its tablet line with the introduction of a new model, simply called iPad. The tablet will take the place of the iPad Air 2, phasing out the iPad Air line. Apple also made some moves with its iPad Mini 4 at the same time. Which of the two iPads is the better fit for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares Apple's new iPad vs. the iPad Mini 4 on price and specs.

Display

The main difference between the new iPad and the iPad Mini 4 is around the size of the display. Apple is going with a 9.7-inch display for the new iPad, which is the same as the iPad Air 2 (and also the most popular size in the tablet line, the company said). The iPad Mini 4 display, meanwhile, measures roughly 19 percent smaller, at 7.9 inches.

The tablets both feature Apple's super bright Retina display, with the same resolution on both displays – 2,048 x 1,536. But the iPad Mini 4 ends up with a higher number of pixels per inch, at 326 ppi vs. the new iPad's 264 ppi.

Weight & Thickness

Not surprisingly, the iPad Mini 4 easily wins in the category of overall portability. The tablet weighs two-thirds of a pound, compared to about a pound for the new iPad. And the iPad Mini 4 is a bit thinner too, at 0.24 of an inch thick, versus 0.29 of an inch thick for the new iPad.

Processor

The iPad Mini 4 was originally released in the fall of 2015, and Apple hasn't updated its processor since then. The tablet uses the A8 processor, which is a few generations old at this point (clock speed of 1.4GHz). It's the same processor found in the iPhone 6. The new iPad also doesn't go with the latest processor, but it's still a newer and faster. That would be the A9 processor (clock speed of 1.85GHz), which was also the processor used in the iPhone 6S.

Battery Life

Both the new iPad and the iPad Mini 4 come in Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi/cellular models and battery life will vary based on whether you're on Wi-Fi or cellular service. Apple promises the same battery life for the two tablets, however. For Wi-Fi usage, both the new iPad and iPad Mini 4 promises up to 10 hours of battery life on a charge. For cellular data usage, that drops to a maximum of nine hours of battery life for both tablets.

Storage

Apple's update to the iPad Mini 4 this week was its storage. The company said it will now offer the 128GB model at the same price it had previously been charging for an iPad Mini 4 with just 32GB. The 32GB model, meanwhile, has been phased out, leaving only the 128GB version.

For storage on the new iPad, Apple is offering both 32GB and 128GB models.

Price: Wi-Fi-Only

As mentioned, Apple is offering a Wi-Fi-only model of both tablets, as well as a model that connects to both Wi-Fi and cellular data service. The Wi-Fi-only version of the new iPad has a starting price of $329. That's cheaper than the starting price of the iPad Mini 4, which is $399. However, the iPad Mini 4 includes 128GB of storage, whereas the base $329 model of the new iPad has 32GB. For the new iPad with a comparable amount of storage to the iPad Mini 4, you'll pay $429. Still, it’s worth mentioning again that you’re getting a 19-percent larger display and a faster processor with the new iPad compared to the iPad Mini 4 – making the new iPad’s pricing look like a pretty good deal.

Price: Wi-Fi/Cellular

You'll pay a bit of a premium to get the Wi-Fi/cellular models of the new iPad or iPad Mini 4. The price for this version of the new iPad is $459 (for 32GB of storage) or $559 (for 128GB of storage). The Wi-Fi/cellular version of the iPad Mini 4 (with 128GB of storage) is priced in between – at $529.