Apple iPad mini 9.7" 5th Generation Gold 2019

A cheap ticket into iPadOS, but the A9 chip is showing its age. Buy it for reading and notes, not for multitasking.

The A9 chip lands in the 35th percentile for CPU and 36th for GPU, which means it's slower than most tablets we track. That's not a surprise for a chip from 2015. But here's what did surprise us: 3GB of RAM puts it in the 11th percentile, which is rough. Multitasking will feel cramped, and newer iPadOS versions will make it work for every frame. The 64GB storage is also below average at 44th percentile. For basic tasks it's fine, but this is not a power user's tablet.

The iPad mini 5 sits in a weird spot. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 both crush it on specs, with newer chips and better displays, but they cost more. The Xiaomi Pad 7 is probably the closest competitor in spirit: a compact-ish tablet that punches above its price. But the mini 5's real advantage is iPadOS. If you're deep in Apple's software world, this is the cheapest way in. If you're not, the Android options give you more hardware for your money.

At $240, this is a budget iPad and it's priced like one. You're getting Apple's build quality and software support for less than a lot of Android tablets. But you're also getting a chip that's nearly a decade old. If you just want a reading and note-taking device, it's a decent deal. If you want to do anything more, save up.

The iPad mini 5 is a weird one. The specs listed here are all over the place, mixing 5th gen details with what looks like 6th gen marketing copy. But here's the thing: at $240, this is still a solid little tablet if you want something compact that runs iPadOS. The A9 chip is old, no way around it, but for reading, note-taking, and light browsing it gets the job done. Just don't expect it to feel like a modern iPad.

If you want a tablet for gaming, video editing, or heavy multitasking, this isn't it. The A9 chip and 3GB RAM will choke on anything demanding. Go get a newer iPad or a mid-range Android tablet instead. You'll be much happier.

The iPad mini 5 is a fine secondary device if you want a small iPad for reading, notes, or casual browsing. It's not a primary tablet in 2025. The A9 chip and 3GB RAM will frustrate you if you try to do real work. But for $240, it's hard to complain too much. Just know what you're getting into.