The iPad mini has almost everything the iPhone has, but for a lower price cost
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You make slightly fewer phone calls than before, but pay over a thousand dollars for the phone. It might be time to switch from iPhone to iPad mini.
We get this question more often than you might think. We receive a lot of emails asking which is better for each specific use case: iPhone or iPad mini.
It all comes down to a key point. Very simple: answer phone calls — not audio or video FaceTime — Step out of sight for a moment and the iPad mini will do everything you need. However, the devil is in the details.
iPad mini is the perfect combination of a big, but not too big screen. This is the right size for quickly checking your calendar before a meeting — and for subsequent preparation of the protocol.
It's as good for reading books as any iPad, but it's small enough to take with you anywhere. You'll barely notice it in your carry-on luggage, but you can even draw on it with your Apple Pencil.
Email, web browsing, reading books, watching videos – there's really nothing the iPhone 15 can do that the iPad mini can't – — and he'll do it all for $300 less.
Unfortunately, if these price savings make the choice seem so obvious, it's the iPad mini. There are quite a few small differences between devices, so your decision depends on some very fine lines.
In particular, there is a form factor, there are moments in which the iPhone is better — and, of course, there's the question of whether you'll ever want to make phone calls.
iPad mini vs iPhone 15 – Characteristics Analysis
| iPad mini | iPhone 15 | |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | USD 499 | USD 799 |
| Price for 256GB and Cellular | $799 Best prices on iPad mini |
$899 Best deals on iPhone |
| Screen size (inches) | 8.3 | 6.1 |
| Screen type | Liquid Retina | Super Retina CDR |
| Resolution | 2266×1438 at 326ppi | 2556×1179 at 460ppi |
| Processor | A15 Bionic | A16 Bionic |
| Year | 2021 | 2023 |
| Apple Pencil | Yes (2nd generation and USB-C) | No |
| Biometric | Touch ID | Face ID |
| Camera (rear) | 12 MP wide | Two cameras, including 48 MP |
| Camera (front) | Ultra-wide screen 12 MP | TrueDepth 12 MP |
| Dimensions (inches) | 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 | 5.31 x 2.82 x 0.31 |
| Weight (ounces) | 10.4 | 6.02 |
iPad mini vs iPhone 15 — calls
iPad mini can't make regular cell phone calls, and nothing can change that. Except it can make voice calls over the web, through FaceTime, through Messages, and through many third-party apps like Slack.
All this makes the need for an actual cell phone call even less, if not eliminates the need entirely. But all of this also means that this is a case where it's probably necessary to have a cellular-capable iPad mini.
This would mean virtually the same connectivity as with the iPhone, but it also closes the $300 price difference. iPad mini with cellular starts at $649, which is just $150 less than the iPhone 15.
iPhone 15
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iPad mini vs iPhone 15 — storage capacity
The base iPad mini has 64 GB of internal storage, which is anemic, if not meager, for early 2024. This is especially true when you consider that the iPhone 15 starts at 128GB. Buy the next one — and only — Upgrade and get a 256GB iPad mini for $799.
Memory is perhaps a bigger issue for any iPad than it is for any iPhone. That's because you can replace your iPhone annually, or at least often enough to know how much storage space you need.
And the iPad will likely last you for many years longer than the iPhone. So you are stuck with the storage you bought in the beginning, and that storage also fills up with years of use.
However, the price of additional storage may be enough to keep you from comparing the two devices. Now, the 256GB cellular iPad mini costs the same as the iPhone 15.
However, the 128GB iPhone 15 isn't that great either. And if you bump it up to 256GB to match the iPad mini's only other storage option, that iPhone 15 now costs $899.
So the price difference remains, and it is in favor of the iPad mini. But the choice really depends on your specific device needs.
It all depends on whether those needs would be better served by the larger iPad mini or the higher-spec iPhone 15.
iPad mini vs iPhone 15 — screen and body size
No iPhone can match the size of the iPad mini's 8.3-inch screen, which has serious implications for people with visual impairments. The iPhone 15's display is 6.1 inches, while even the larger iPhone 15 Plus only has a 6.7-inch display.
However, every other iPad in this line is larger than the iPad mini in size. From the regular iPad with a 10.9-inch screen to the new iPad Pro M4 with a 13-inch display, they're all significantly larger than the iPad mini.
Every iPad is bigger than any iPhone, but iPad mini can still be used with one hand
But with a larger screen, you get a larger device. Even the iPad mini measures 7.69 by 5.2 inches and is a quarter of an inch thick. By comparison, the iPhone 15 measures 5.31 by 2.82 inches, although it is thicker at 0.31 inches.
The size difference is so great that the iPad mini won't fit in your pocket as easily as the iPhone 15. But it's smaller than any other iPad, so it'll fit in any bag or purse — and it can still be held in one hand.
The situation is similar with the weight of the two devices. The iPad mini is heavier at 10.4 ounces compared to the iPhone 15 at 6.02 ounces, but in practice it's not a significant difference.
iPad mini vs iPhone 15 – display quality
Perhaps the difference will be significant, but perhaps not noticeable, is in the quality of the screen. The iPhone 15 has a significantly higher resolution of 460 pixels per inch compared to the iPad mini's 326ppi.
Consequently, the iPad mini's larger screen isn't as sharp as the iPhone 15's display. The situation is made worse by the fact that the iPad mini has a Liquid Retina display, while the iPhone 15 has a superior Super Retina display. .
Specifically, the iPad mini has a resolution of 2266 x 1438 pixels, and the iPhone 15 has a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels.
So when the iPad mini's larger screen is placed side by side, it may look a little softer or blurrier than the iPhone 15's smaller display, but at that resolution and at typical viewing distances it's incredibly difficult to differentiate.
In practice, this means that the iPhone 15's screen has a much higher contrast ratio, displays true blacks and generally brighter colors.
If screen quality is a deciding factor, then it's important to note that neither device has ProMotion. This makes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro displays noticeably better.
But few users are likely to spend much time holding an iPad mini and, say, an iPhone 15 Pro next to each other. Despite the differences, despite the iPad mini's inferior display, both it and the iPhone 15 have very good screens.
iPad mini and iPhone 15 — capabilities
It's true that the iPhone 15 can't really do anything that the iPad can't do, but it's a matter of degree. And there is one area where calling this difference controversial is true, but generous.
Both devices have cameras, but the iPhone 15 has significantly better ones. The iPhone 15 has dual rear cameras, including a 48-megapixel camera, while the iPad mini only has a single 12-megapixel rear camera.
The iPad mini's 12MP wide-angle camera has an f/1.8 aperture and 5x digital zoom. By comparison, the primary of the iPhone 15's two cameras is a 13mm ultra-wide-angle camera with an F/2.5 aperture.
It has optical zoom as well as 2x digital zoom. iPhone 15 features portrait effects, including focus and depth control, and uses Apple's Deep Fusion computational photography feature.
So there is no comparison between them in terms of cameras — if you ever take advantage of the iPhone's advanced camera features. The iPad mini is good for simple photography or, more usefully, a simple Zoom or FaceTime call.
iPad mini can be used with Apple Pencil, which no iPhone can do
However, there is another difference between the capabilities of the devices and this is due to the fact that what you can do with photos or other media once they've been captured or recorded. The iPad mini can be used with the second-generation Apple Pencil or USB-C, but the iPhone 15 cannot.
iPad mini 6
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iPad mini vs iPhone 15 — processing power
The iPad mini is equipped with the A15 Bionic processor, released in 2021, that is, at the time of the last update of the device. For comparison, the iPhone 15, released in 2023, has A16 Bionic
Tests using Geekbench show that the iPad mini performs about the same as the iPhone 12 Pro Max in single-core testing. The iPad mini scored 2211 points in this test, compared to 2096 points. the larger iPhone released a year earlier Geekbench single-core tests
In multi-core use, the iPad mini received a score of 5331. The closest iPhone to this indicator is the iPhone SE. third generation, which will receive 5261.
In comparison, the iPhone 15 scores 2,556 points in single-core mode and 6,337 points in multi-core mode. Benchmark results don't give much insight into real-world performance, but the iPad mini is only a hair behind the iPhone 15.
Geekbench multi-core benchmarks
The fact that It's only slightly superior to the 2020 iPhone 12 Pro Max, which can be useful for assessing whether it'll be powerful enough for you. But then you can look at it from the other side — This iPad mini is as powerful as the top-end iPhone was a year before it was released.
With the rather important exception that the iPad mini has an A15 Bionic processor and the iPhone 15 has an A16 Bionic processor, these two devices have a lot in common. It seems like every element of the processor gets better every year, but both devices have a 6-core processor with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.
They both also have a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. This Neural Engine powers iPad mini's machine learning and photography-related features.
All in all, this adds up to a difference that probably doesn't really matter, except in the moment. The iPad mini is approaching three years old at this point, which likely means it could be getting an update soon.
In fact, we're expecting a new iPad mini in the fall, around the same time as the iPhone 16.
Apple's oldest iPad model
The latest update to the iPad mini in 2021 was particularly strong, but now it's showing its age — and Apple still sells it for the same price.
iPad cameras never match current iPhones, but that doesn't mean they're trash
But if Apple is in no hurry to update the iPad, so users tend to use what they have for much longer than an iPhone. The device you buy today will last for years to come, even if it hasn't changed since it was released in 2021.
Of course, there have been fairly constant rumors that a new iPad mini is coming soon. It’s just that it doesn’t last long now and stretches into years.
In October 2023, it was announced that the so-called iPad mini 7 would be released by early 2024. Although this did not happen, the same rumor also claimed that there is a big difference between the current iPad mini and any new one.
Specifically, the latest rumor about the next iPad mini claims that only the processor will be upgraded. This will affect its test scores and after all these years you will probably notice a difference.
But there are rumors that, for example, there will be no ProMotion on the iPad mini 7. It won't be as big an upgrade as the current iPad mini is over its predecessors.
However, no matter what is included in the new iPad mini 7 or not included in its package – — whenever it is released — may not mean much to you. Even the fact that the iPad mini you can buy today is three years old may not be as big of a criticism as it seems.
Instead, the age of the device may even be the deciding factor in favor of the iPad over the iPhone. Not only does the iPad mini cost less than the iPhone today, but if you add up the cost over the years, the iPad mini is becoming a better and better deal.
Where to buy Apple's iPhone 15 or iPad mini
Apple's iPhone 15 is available from wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon, with aggressive iPhone deals now running (often reducing the cost of the device to the lowest possible level) . like free credits after invoicing and exchange benefits).
Meanwhile, the iPad is also on sale, with the price of the iPad mini dropping to $469 at press time. You can compare sales at popular retailers in our price guide and roundup of iPad deals.
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