Apple iPad Mini 7.9" 5th Gen Space Gray 2019

The Apple iPad Mini 5th Gen remains a lovably tiny tablet that handles reading, streaming, and note-taking without breaking a sweat, but its shortfall in RAM and storage makes it feel dated for anything beyond light use. At refurbished prices under $300, it's a tempting secondary device for bookworms and Pencil dabblers. Power users and multitaskers should pass.

If you're on the hunt for a compact tablet that won't break the bank, the Apple iPad Mini 5th Gen still pops up on plenty of shortlists, especially for under $300. This 2019 tablet packs a 7.9-inch Retina display with True Tone, the A12 Bionic chip, and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil, all in a body that weighs less than a pound. It's a favorite for reading, quick note-taking, and streaming, and its small footprint makes it easy to toss in a bag without a second thought. Our database shows the Mini 5 still holds its own in a few key areas, but age is definitely catching up. You'll find a lot of refurbished units floating around, which we'll get into, but overall this is a tablet for people who value portability above all else.

We've seen a fair number of these come through as refurbs, priced between $197 and $283, and the experience can be a bit of a dice roll. The A12 chip is surprisingly capable for daily tasks like browsing, email, and even some light photo editing, but the 3GB of RAM is the big bottleneck. That's a spec that lands in the bottom 12 percent of tablets we've tested, which means multitasking isn't this thing's strong suit. If you just want a dedicated e-reader, a sketchpad for quick ideas, or a small screen for YouTube, the Mini 5 still makes a compelling argument. For anything more demanding, the cracks start to show pretty quickly.

The user sentiment around refurbished models is a mixed bag, and our numbers reflect that. On one hand, a lot of buyers are genuinely thrilled with the near-new condition and smooth performance. On the other, we've heard enough complaints about poor packaging, dings right out of the box, and a charger that gets toasty to keep us cautious. When you're shopping refurbished, you're rolling the dice a bit, and the Mini 5's value really hinges on which unit lands on your doorstep.

Apple's A12 Bionic chipset might be five years old, but it still handles everyday apps with very little stutter. In Geekbench 5, the single-core score hovers around 1100, which is enough to keep Safari snappy, messages flying, and simple games like Stardew Valley running butter-smooth. The 7.9-inch IPS display hits 500 nits, which we've found works fine indoors, but it struggles under direct sunlight. Our data places the CPU and GPU both in the mid-70s percentiles, so you're getting above-average horsepower for an older slab. That's the good news.

The bad news is the 3GB of RAM. We're seeing app reloads after switching between just a handful of tabs and apps, and anything that leans on memory hard, like complex drawing apps with dozens of layers, will chug. Battery life from the 5124mAh cell lands right around 59th percentile in our benchmarks, which translates to about 7 to 8 hours of real-world mixed use for most people. It's not awful, but it's not a two-day tablet either. And while the screen is sharp at 326 PPI, the bezels are chunky by 2024 standards, and the Lightning port feels like a relic.

At $197 to $283 refurbished, the iPad Mini 5 sits in a weird spot. You're getting a premium build, a still-respectable display, and tight integration with iOS for less than the cost of a new budget Android tablet. But that's also the price range where you start spotting brand-new alternatives with more storage and better multitasking. The built-in 64GB can feel stingy if you download a lot of movies or games, and you don't get a microSD slot to bail you out. If you score a unit in excellent condition with a good battery, it's a sweet little deal. If you get one with cosmetic damage and a sketchy charger, you'll probably feel burned. Just know that value here is tied to the lottery of refurbished supply.

Stacking the Mini 5 against the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro or Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, it's clear this iPad is fighting for a very specific person. A Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro at a similar price gives you a larger 11-inch 144Hz display, a much faster Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and 8GB of RAM, which makes light work of multitasking and gaming. The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro offers comparable specs at an affordable price, too. If you're willing to jump up in size, those are simply better tablets for most people. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is in a completely different league (and price bracket), and the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is a laptop replacement first and a tablet second. The Mini 5's only true rival in this tiny form factor is the iPad Mini 6, which is a massive leap forward but still goes for $400 and up even refurbished. So if you just want the smallest possible Apple tablet that still gets modern iPadOS updates, the Mini 5 is your cheapest ticket, but you sacrifice a lot of power to get there.

Skip the iPad Mini 5 if you need to run more than a couple of apps at once, edit high-res photos, or play graphically intense games like Genshin Impact. The 3GB of RAM is a bottleneck that gets annoying fast. If storage matters, the fixed 64GB will feel claustrophobic, especially since there's no microSD slot. Anyone who wants a future-proof tablet for school or work should look at the standard iPad 9th gen, an iPad Air, or a modern Android like the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, all of which offer better multitasking and longer software support. The Mini 5 is also a poor choice if you're not willing to gamble on refurbished condition, because the quality of what shows up can vary a lot.

Should you buy the iPad Mini 5th Gen in 2024? If you're specifically after a pocketable tablet for reading, light note-taking, and casual media, and you find a reputable seller with a good return policy, it's a solid yes at under $250. The A12 chip still has enough pep for those tasks, and the display is pleasant to stare at for hours of books or comics. But we can't ignore that 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage are serious constraints that will only get more annoying as apps bloat. For students, artists, or anyone who multitasks even a little, this thing will frustrate you. The refurbished gamble adds another layer of uncertainty. The iPad Mini 5 is a charming second screen or a dedicated reading tablet, not a primary workhorse. If your priorities are raw performance or future-proofing, spend a bit more on a newer iPad or a mid-range Android alternative.