Redesigned iPad Mini Has Increased 4GB of RAM, iPad 9 Remains at 3GB

Apple this week introduced a redesigned sixth-generation iPad mini that looks much closer to the current iPad Air, with slimmer bezels, a Touch ID power button, a USB-C port, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.

ipad mini purple
The new iPad mini is equipped with the same A15 Bionic chip as iPhone 13 models, and while Apple doesn’t advertise the amount of RAM in the device, MacRumors can confirm that the new iPad mini has 4GB of RAM, an increase from 3GB of in the previous iPad mini. We can also confirm the ninth-generation iPad has the same 3GB of RAM as the eighth-generation model. These amounts were revealed in strings contained within the Xcode 13 beta.

For comparison, the iPad Pro is available with up to 16GB of RAM depending on storage capacity, while the latest iPad Air has 4GB of RAM.

The same type of Xcode strings accurately revealed the amount of RAM in iPhone 12 models last year and in several previous iPhone generations. Teardowns and regulatory filings should provide further confirmation in the coming days.

The new iPad mini and iPad models are available to order now on Apple's website and launch on Friday, September 24.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...

Top Rated Comments

tgwaste Avatar
57 months ago
ipad mini stole the show. bought it immediately.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Channan Avatar
57 months ago

Apple never advertises the amount of RAM in iPads
Never?



Attachment Image
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mthomas184 Avatar
57 months ago

Wow, talk about stingy in 2021. My 10.5 iPad Pro can barely keep an app open with 4 GB of ram.
I call straight BS. My iPad Pro has 0 issues keeping ANY apps open.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TSE Avatar
57 months ago
The mini was the real winner at this announcement.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
specious Avatar
57 months ago
This is the iPad to beat now. Pair it with a cheap external monitor, BT keyboard and Magic Trackpad and you have a mobile office workhorse. Ordered Purple, my first non-black or white electronic device potentially ever.

Would have preferred 8GB of RAM tho. But still, it'll do.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mi7chy Avatar
57 months ago

I call straight BS. My iPad Pro has 0 issues keeping ANY apps open.
There’s no such thing as keeping apps open since iPadOS 14 limits background time to at most 1 minute. Down from 2 minutes and 7 minutes with older versions. It restores a screenshot when restoring app with static content to foreground so it looks transparent but dynamic content will reload. To see for yourself, go to https://www.time.gov/ with browser, put in background, wait 5 secs, restore to foreground and watch it reload. Works properly on other OS’ MacOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)