Along with Apple’s iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3 also hit store shelves during a silent weekday release. If you don’t currently own an iPad mini, it’s probably a better time than ever to pick one up, but I wouldn’t really recommend getting Apple’s latest and greatest. Let me tell you why…

Inside of the iPad mini 3, you’ll find a dual-core Apple A7 chip clocked at 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM, a quad-core PowerVR G6430 GPU, and a 6,470 mAh battery. The iPad mini’s Retina display is 7.9-inches with a resolution of 1,536 x 2,048 (324 ppi). On the back side you’ll find a 5-megapixel shooter, while the front side is home to the 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera. If any of these specifications sound familiar, it’s because they were also inside of the iPad mini 2.

Apple’s iPad mini 3 is nearly identical to its predecessor. In fact, the only difference between the iPad mini 2 and 3 is the addition of Touch ID and a gold color option. Aside from that, you won’t find any new and exciting hardware. Is this a disappointment? If the iPad lover within you needs to have a gold mini with Touch ID, that’s totally fine, but in my opinion you’re better off purchasing the iPad mini 2 as it’s available for $100 less.

Check out our iPad mini 3 unboxing and first impressions video below:

Keep in mind, the base iPad mini models only come in 16GB configurations. If you’re planning on loading it up with apps and other media, you might want to opt for a 64GB mini 3 at $499 or get a 32GB iPad mini 2 for $349. Apple’s iPad mini 2 is now the only place you’ll find a 32GB configuration for the mini lineup and it might be the best deal if you don’t care about Touch ID.

I’m not sure that the iPad mini 3is worth upgrading to over the second generation. Here’s my advice: If you’re in the market for a new Apple tablet, save $100 and buy a 16GB iPad mini 2 for $299 or get the 32GB model for $50 more. What do you think about the iPad mini 3?

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