iPhone 15 vs iPad mini: specs, costs, options

The iPad mini has virtually the whole lot an iPhone does, however for a decrease value

We get this query much more than you suppose we’d. We get loads of emails asking if an iPhone is best, or an iPad mini for any given use case.

It boils right down to a key level. Very merely, take precise cellphone calls — not FaceTime audio or video — out of the image for a second and the iPad mini does the whole lot you want. The satan is within the particulars, although.

The iPad mini is that sweet-spot mixture of getting a big however not too massive display. It is the correct measurement for rapidly checking your calendar earlier than a gathering — and for writing up the minutes on afterwards.

It is as glorious for studying books on as any iPad, but it surely’s additionally sufficiently small that you could take it anyplace. You will barely discover it in your carry-on baggage, but you’ll be able to even sketch on it with an Apple Pencil.

Emails, looking, studying books, watching movies, there is not actually something that the iPhone 15 can try this the iPad mini cannot — and it’ll do all of it for as much as $300 much less.

Sadly, if that worth saving makes the selection appear so very clearly in favor of the iPad mini. There are simply sufficient small variations between the units that your choice is dependent upon some very fantastic traces.

Particularly, there’s the shape issue, there are the methods through which the iPhone is simply higher — and naturally there’s the difficulty of whether or not you ever wish to make cellphone calls.

The iPad mini can’t make common cellphone calls and there’s nothing that may change this. Besides, it will possibly make voice calls over the web, over FaceTime, over Messages, and over many third-party apps similar to Slack.

All of this makes the necessity for an precise cellphone name even much less, if it does not take away that want solely. However then all of it additionally implies that that is one case the place it’s in all probability important to have a cellular-enabled iPad mini.

That may imply being virtually as linked as with an iPhone, but it surely additionally cuts into that $300 worth distinction. An iPad mini with a cell connection begins at $649, or solely $150 lower than an iPhone 15.

The bottom iPad mini has 64GB of storage, which is anemic, to not say miserly in early 2024. That is very true when you think about that the iPhone 15 begins at 128GB. Purchase the subsequent — and solely — tier up and get an iPad mini with 256GB storage for $799.

Storage is maybe extra of a problem with any iPad than it’s with any iPhone. That is since you would possibly change your iPhone yearly, or no less than typically sufficient that you just study what space for storing you want.

Whereas you are prone to maintain an iPad for a few years greater than you’d an iPhone. So that you’re caught with no matter storage you purchased in the beginning, and that storage can be being crammed up with years of use.

Nonetheless, the worth of extra storage could possibly be sufficient to cease you evaluating the 2. Now a mobile iPad mini with 256GB is identical worth as an iPhone 15.

Nonetheless, the 128GB of the iPhone 15 is not precisely nice, both. And should you up that to 256GB to match the one different storage choice of the iPad mini, that iPhone 15 now prices $899.

So there stays a worth distinction, and it’s within the iPad mini’s favor. However the alternative actually comes right down to your particular wants for a tool.

It comes down as to if these wants are higher served by the larger-size iPad mini, or the higher-specification iPhone 15.

No iPhone comes near the 8.3-inch measurement of the iPad mini display, which has important implications for the vision-impaired. The iPhone 15’s show is 6.1 inches, and even the bigger iPhone 15 Plus solely will get you a 6.7 inch one.

Equally, although, each different iPad within the vary beats the iPad mini for measurement. From the common iPad with its 10.9-inch display to the brand new M4 iPad Professional with its 13-inch show, they’re all considerably bigger than the iPad mini.

Each iPad is larger than any iPhone, however the iPad mini can nonetheless be used one-handed

However with any bigger display measurement comes a bigger machine. Even the iPad mini is 7.69 inches by 5.2 inches, and is 1 / 4 of an inch thick. That compares to five.31 by 2.82 inches for the iPhone 15, though that’s thicker at 0.31 inches.

The scale distinction is sufficient that the iPad mini is not going to match as simply right into a pocket because the iPhone 15. Nevertheless it’s smaller than every other iPad, so it is going to match into any bag or purse — and it will possibly nonetheless be held in a single hand.

It is a related scenario with the burden of the 2 units. The iPad mini is heavier at 10.4 ounces, in comparison with the iPhone 15’s 6.02 ounces, but it surely’s not a dramatic distinction in follow.

The place it is doable that there shall be a dramatic distinction, but maybe imperceptible, is in display high quality. The iPhone 15 has a considerably increased decision, at 460 pixels per inch in comparison with the iPad mini’s 326ppi.

Consequently, the bigger display on the iPad mini just isn’t as sharp because the show on the iPhone 15. That is exacerbated by how the iPad mini has a Liquid Retina display whereas the iPhone 15 has the superior Tremendous Retina Show.

Particularly, the iPad mini has a decision of 2266 x 1438 pixels, whereas the iPhone 15 is 2556 x 1179 pixels.

So when positioned facet by facet, the bigger display of the iPad mini might look slightly softer or blurrier than the smaller show of the iPhone 15 however at these resolutions and at typical viewing distances, it is extremely laborious to discern.

Extra virtually, what this implies is that the iPhone 15 display has a a lot increased distinction ratio, it reveals true black, and general extra vibrant colours.

If display high quality is a dealbreaker, although, then it is necessary to notice that neither machine has ProMotion. This makes the iPhone 15 Professional and iPad Professional shows noticeably higher.

However few customers are prone to spend a lot time with each an iPad mini and, say, an iPhone 15 Professional subsequent to one another. Regardless of the variations, regardless of the poorer show on the iPad mini, the screens of that and the iPhone 15 are each superb.

It’s true that there actually is not something that the iPhone 15 can try this the iPad cannot, however it’s a query of levels. And there’s one space the place calling the distinction debatable is true, however beneficiant.

For each units do have cameras, however the iPhone 15’s ones are considerably higher. The iPhone 15 has twin cameras on the rear, together with a 48MP one, whereas the iPad mini has solely a single 12MP rear digicam.

The iPad mini’s 12MP Broad digicam has an f/1.8 aperture and digital zoom as much as 5x. Compared, the primary one of many iPhone 15’s two cameras is an Extremely Broad 13mm, F/2.5 aperture digicam.

It comes with optical zoom in addition to twice the digital zoom functionality. The iPhone 15 comes with portrait results together with focus and depth management, and it makes use of Apple’s Deep Fusion computational images characteristic.

So there’s actually no comparability between the 2 by way of cameras — should you ever use the additional options of the iPhone’s digicam. For simply taking an informal picture, or maybe extra usefully for simply being on a Zoom or a FaceTime name, the iPad mini is ok.

The iPad mini can be utilized with an Apple Pencil, the place no iPhone can

There may be one different distinction between the capabilities of units, although, and it is to do with what you are able to do with photographs or different media when it has been taken or recorded. The iPad mini can be utilized with a second-generation or USB-C Apple Pencil, and the iPhone 15 can’t use both.

The iPad mini has an A15 Bionic processor from 2021, which is when the machine was final up to date. Compared, the iPhone 15, launched in 2023, has the A16 Bionic.

Benchmarks utilizing Geekbench present that the iPad mini performs across the identical as an iPhone 12 Professional Max in single core testing. The iPad mini scores 2211 in that take a look at, in opposition to 2096 for the bigger iPhone, which was launched the earlier 12 months.

Geekbench single-core benchmarks

For multi-core use, the iPad mini is available in with a rating of 5331. The closest iPhone to that rating is the third era iPhone SE, which will get 5261.

Compared, the iPhone 15 scores 2556 single-core, and 6337 multi-core. Benchmark scores do not give a lot of a way of real-world efficiency, nonetheless the case that the iPad mini lags only a hair behind the iPhone 15.

Geekbench multi-core benchmarks

The truth that it solely simply beats 2020’s iPhone 12 Professional Max could also be helpful in assessing whether or not it is prone to be highly effective sufficient for you. However then you’ll be able to have a look at it the opposite method — this iPad mini is as highly effective as what the highest of the iPhone vary was the 12 months earlier than it was launched.

With the moderately necessary exception that the iPad mini is on the A15 Bionic processor the place the iPhone 15 is on the A16 Bionic, the 2 units have rather a lot in frequent. It appears as if each ingredient of a processor will get improved annually, however each units have a 6-core CPU with 2 efficiency cores and 4 effectivity ones.

They each have a 5-core GPU, too, and a 16-core Neural Engine. That Neural Engine powers the iPad mini’s Machine Studying, and options to do with images.

Usually, all of that is collectively a distinction that in all probability is not crucial, besides maybe in the meanwhile. For proper now the iPad mini is approaching three years previous, which seemingly means it could possibly be up to date quickly.

The truth is, we’re anticipating a brand new iPad mini within the fall proper across the identical time because the iPhone 16.

The iPad mini’s newest refresh in 2021 was a very sturdy one, however it’s now exhibiting its age — and Apple remains to be promoting it for a similar worth.

The iPad’s cameras by no means match the present iPhone’s, but it surely’s not as in the event that they’re garbage

However then if Apple takes its time updating iPads, so customers have a tendency to stay with what they have for for much longer than they do iPhones. The machine you purchase at present will final for years, even it’s unchanged since its 2021 launch.

There have, after all, been pretty fixed rumors {that a} new iPad mini is coming shortly. It is simply this shortly is now extending for years.

In October 2023, it was claimed that what’s known as the iPad mini 7 can be launched by early 2024. Whereas that did not occur, the identical rumor additionally claimed that there will not be a terrific distinction between the present iPad mini and any new one.

Particularly, that newest rumor concerning the subsequent iPad mini claims that it’s solely the processor that shall be up to date. That can make a distinction to its benchmark scores, and after so a few years, it is prone to make a distinction that you’ll discover.

However the rumor is that there will not be, for example, ProMotion on the iPad mini 7. It will not be as important replace as the present iPad mini was over its predecessors.

But no matter does or does not include a brand new iPad mini 7 — every time that’s launched — might not matter very a lot to you. Even the truth that the iPad mini you should purchase at present is now three years previous, that may not be as a lot of a criticism because it appears.

As an alternative, the age of the machine may even be the clinching argument for the iPad over the iPhone. For not solely is the price of an iPad mini lower than that of an iPhone at present, when you determine the price over a few years, the iPad mini turns into increasingly of a discount.

Apple’s iPhone 15 is accessible at wi-fi carriers AT&T and Verizon, with aggressive iPhone offers in impact now (typically bringing the price of the machine right down to as little as free after invoice credit and trade-in incentives).

The iPad, in the meantime, can be on sale, with iPad mini costs dipping to as little as $469 at press time. You may evaluate gross sales throughout widespread retailers in our Value Information and iPad offers roundup.