Apple officially debuted the iPad mini 3 at the company's press event Thursday. The 7.9-inch tablet now boasts Touch ID and offers a new Gold color option just like the iPad Air 2.
When Apple unveiled the original iPad mini in 2012, the tablet became a huge hit with consumers. There were reports the new tablet was outselling its larger, more powerful, and Retina display-equipped fourth-generation iPad. The lack of Retina display on the original iPad mini was the tablet's biggest omission, but Apple more than made up for it when it introduced the iPad mini with Retina display alongside the iPad Air in 2013.
The iPad mini with Retina display debuted with the same specs as the iPad Air, which included the same 64-bit A7 processor and stunning Retina display. Much to everyone's surprise, Apple chose to make its new mini iPad as fast and powerful as its flagship iPad Air. The same can't be said for its just-announced iPad mini 3, although it does have some new features.
Apple spent little time speaking about the latest iPad mini at today's event because it's essentially last year's model. The iPad mini 3 features the same 7.9-inch Retina display as its predecessor, but not the thinner zero-gap display introduced with the new iPad Air 2. It's powered by the same A7 processor as last year's model and not the A8X processor Apple is using in the iPad Air 2. It also includes the same 5-megapixel iSight camera and FaceTime HD camera for video chat and selfies.
The major new feature of the iPad mini 3 is Touch ID, which lets users unlock the tablet with a fingerprint and authorize online purchases using Apple Pay. The only other new addition is that the iPad mini 3 is now available in gold, like the iPad Air 2.
The iPad mini 3 will be available for preorder on Oct. 17 and will begin shipping later next week. Pricing for Wi-Fi models is 16 GB, $399; 64 GB, $499; and 128 GB, $599. Pricing for Wi-Fi + Cellular models is 16GB, $529; 64 GB, $629; and 128 GB, $729.
