Why Apple's Brand New iPad Mini Is Not Worth The Extra Money

Well, only one of those iPads is "new," really. The iPad Air 2 is faster, thinner, and more secure thanks to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which will allow owners to use Apple Pay for shopping online.

The iPad mini 3 also has the fingerprint sensor. It's also sold in one new color: gold. But that's it, as far as the "new" in the iPad mini 3.

The iPad mini 3 has the same 7.9-inch Retina display, the same 7.5 mm thickness, and the same A7 chip with M7 coprocessor from last year's Retina iPad mini. Even the FaceTime and iSight cameras are exactly the same.

Don't believe it? Scroll through Apple's comparison of tech specs across the iPad family, and look at the iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2, which are side by side. The only difference between last year and this year the "fingerprint identity sensor."

And yet, the new iPad mini costs $100 more than last year's iPad mini.

So if you want a truly "new" tablet, you're better off going for the iPad Air 2, which is significantly thinner or more powerful. Unless you're obsessed with gold or you really want Touch ID in your tiny tablet, you're better off saving $100 and buying the iPad mini 2.