Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021) - Which is better?

Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) vs Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

50 out 100
Apple iPad 9.7
VS
67 out 100
Apple iPad mini 8.3
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) Manufactured in March, 2018, with display 9.7 with chipsetApple A10 Fusion, vs Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021), Manufactured in September, 2021with chipsetApple A15 Bionic. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
  • Larger display: 9.7in
  • Higher battery capacity: 8827mAh vs 5177mAh
Reasons to choose Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
  • Higher pixel density: 327ppi
  • Lighter design: 293g vs 469g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5 vs 4.2
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/32 GB
- 2/128 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Performance
App & system performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
vs
iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 9.7 in 8.3 in
Resolution 1536x2048 pixels 1488x2266 pixels
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Pixel density 264 ppi 327 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 500 nits 500 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 71.6 % 77.8 %
Features n/a DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
512 nits
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
439 nits
sRGB gamut97.5 %99.6 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a178600 Hz
Response time26 ms32 ms
Contrast869:11133:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 240 mm (9.45 in) 195.4 mm (7.69 in)
Width 169.5 mm (6.67 in) 134.8 mm (5.31 in)
Thickness 7.5 mm (0.3 in) 6.3 mm (0.25 in)
Weight 469 g (16.54 oz) 293 g (10.34 oz)
Area 407 cm² (63.09 in²) 263 cm² (40.77 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray		 - Gray
- Pink
- Purple
- Yellow
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
71.6 %
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
77.8 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A10 Fusion Apple A15 Bionic
Max Frequency 2340 MHz 2930 MHz
CPU Cores 4 (2 + 2) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 2/1.05 (Zephyr)
- 2/2.34 (Hurricane)		 - 4/2.02 (Blizzard)
- 2/3.23 (Avalanche)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 16 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor No Apple Neural Engine
Graphics PowerVR GT7600 Apple A15 GPU
GPU Cores 192 640
GPU Frequency 650 MHz 1338 MHz
FLOPS 249.6 GFLOPS 1712.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
872
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
2148
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
1218
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
5541
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)8722148
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)12185541
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
434565
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
1299059
CPU142302309910
GPU106599432105
Memory64054243964
UX121610313105
NanoReview Score4345651299059
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
2723
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
9334
Max Surface Temp.40.1 °C40.3 °C
Stability87 %88 %
Graphics Test16 fps55 fps
Graphics Score27239334
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 2 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1333 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity32 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 11.3 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 17.7) iPadOS 15 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)

Battery

Volume 8827 mAh 5177 mAh
Max Charging Power 12 W 20 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging No Yes (50% in 40 min)
Full Charge Time 4:20 h 1:30 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
31:27
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
23:42
Web Browsing10:25 h08:29 h
Video Playback16:30 h12:30 h
Games06:48 h04:57 h
Standby Mode184 h134 h

Main camera

Matrix 8 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution n/a 4032x3024 pixels
Flash No Quad LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion No 240 fps (1080p)
Lenses count Standard: 8 MP Standard: 12 MP
Features Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix8 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.4f/1.8
Focal length31 mmn/a
Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
AutofocusNoPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Matrix n/a 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.4
Focal length 31 mm n/a
Sensor n/a CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization No Digital
Video resolution 720p at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 4.2 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type No USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
3G Bandsn/aUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE Bands*n/aLTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66/B71)
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad 9.7" (6th Gen, 2018)
75.7 dB
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
74.7 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Mid-range
Announced March, 2018 yr September, 2021 yr
Release Date March, 2018 yr September, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 329 499
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 10 W Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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