iPad mini 3: Camera

The iPad mini 3’s camera is solid. It
remains 5-megapixel like its predecessor, and the test shots we took were
almost identical – unsurprising considering they use the exact same
sensor.

What
we did find in our comparison between the iPad mini 3 camera and the
iPad Air 2’s is that the former provides slightly better colour
in well-lit conditions. The sunny London skyline is brighter and the
palette more vivid in the photos taken on the iPad mini.

The
colours on the iPad mini 3 (middle) are better than on the Air 2 (left). The
pictures are almost identical between it and the mini 2 (right)

In
lower light the iPad Air 2 performs slightly better, although the iPad
mini 3 still does a decent job. Pictures are a little noisier and
colours a little washed out, but it’s still better than most tablets
we’ve tested.

Aside
from some detail and low-light performance, the main feature you miss
out on with the iPad mini 3 is slo-mo video. On the iPad Air 2 this
provides excellent 1080p video at 120fps, leading to some
slick-looking action videos.

The iPad mini 3 still has one of
the best cameras you can get on an 8-inch tablet – although we’ve not yet tested
the Nexus 9. It’s just a shame that it’s not any better than its
predecessor. Considering the emphasis Apple put on the camera of the
iPad Air 2 when it was announced, it seems odd that the same care wasn’t
taken over the iPad mini 3’s. In fact, the
improvements to the camera of the iPad Air 2 would be of even more
benefit on a smaller, more manageable tablet.  

There’s a
1.2-megapixel front-facing camera that deals with FaceTime and Skype
calling. That’s not a very high resolution, but it does a decent enough
job with video calling. It doesn’t perform as well in low light as the
new front camera on the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2, but most people will be happy
with it.