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iPad Mini 2019 vs. iPad Mini 4: New specs, same design, now with Pencil support

The iPad Mini lives again, this time with new components and Pencil support.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Joseph Kaminski Senior Associate Technology Editor / Reviews
During my almost twenty years at CNET, I handled benchmark testing/methodologies for both Mac and PC systems and, sometime after, integrated testing for micro-mobility (e-bikes, electric scooters and EUCs), which is a passion of mine. Transitioning from a BMX background to this field was seamless. Despite testing numerous products, each new one brings the same excitement as my first.
Dan Ackerman
Joseph Kaminski
apple-ipad-mini-8901-001.jpg

The last-gen iPad Mini, but a dead ringer for the new model. 

Josh Miller/CNET

Just when you thought it was a near-extinct dinosaur, the Apple iPad Mini comes roaring back to life in a new, updated edition. It's the first entirely new iPad Mini since the Mini 4 launched in 2015 (although that's been updated over the years). 

Still, it looks the same from the outside, and the main differences include a big jump in mobile processor, a True Tone display, better front-facing camera and support for the Apple Pencil (only the first-gen Pencil, though). 

Starting price stays steady at $399. The tablet will start at £399 in the UK and AU$599 in Australia.

Also new is the 2019 version of the iPad Air, which you can see compared to the mainstream 9.7-inch iPad and the iPad Pro here

And if bigger screens are your thing, Apple also has new iMac desktops in 21.5-inch and 27-inch versions. 

With all this hardware out of the way, you can expect only software and services at the upcoming Apple event on March 25

iPad Mini (2019) vs iPad Mini 4

Specs Apple iPad Mini (2019)Apple iPad Mini 4
Display size and resolution 7.9-inch True Tone display 2,048x1,5367.9-inch Retina display 2,048x1,536
Pixel density 326ppi326ppi
Dimensions (inches) 8x5.3x0.248x5.3x0.24
Dimensions (millimeters) 203.2x134.8x6.1203.2x134.8x6.1
Weight 0.66 pounds (300.5 grams)0.65 pounds (298.8 grams)
Camera 8-megapixel 8-megapixel
Video capture 1080p HD video recording 1080p HD video recording
Front facing camera 7-megapixel, 1080p1.2-megapixel, 720p
Processor A12 Bionic A8
Storage 64GB128GB
RAM 3GB2GB
Battery 19.1-watt-hour lithium-polymer batteryLi-Ion 5124 mAh
Fingerprint sensor Touch IDTouch ID
Connector Lightning connector Lightning connector
Headphone Jack YesYes
Apple Pencil support First-genNone
Base price off contract $399, £399, AU$599$399 (now discontinued)

The evolution of Apple iOS

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Watch this: Apple updates iPad Mini and iPad Air