What are all the differences between the iPad 4th Gen (Late 2012) and the iPad 3rd Gen (Early 2012) that it replaced?

Please note that the iPad 3rd Gen (Early 2012) and iPad 4th Gen (Late 2012) both have been discontinued. However, this Q&A has been updated subsequently with current iOS support and more and is quite useful for anyone buying or selling one of these models on the used market.

With even a fairly detailed physical evaluation of the iPad 4th Gen models -- the iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi Only), iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS), and iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/Verizon & Sprint/GPS) -- and the iPad 3rd Gen models replaced -- the iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi Only), iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular AT&T/GPS), and iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular Verizon/GPS) -- it would be easy to mistake the two lines for one another. Both effectively look identical from the front and even dimensions and weight are the same.

However, there are several external and internal differences that are important as well as useful identification differences.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

External Similarities & Differences

Both the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen models use cases with either a black or white glass front and an aluminum back (with a black plastic area for configurations with cellular data connectivity) and have a multitouch, glossy, IPS LED-backlit 9.7-inch 2048x1536 (264 ppi) "retina" display. They also have a mono speaker, built-in microphone and support system-wide video mirroring and up to 1080p video out. Both the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen models support the magnetic "Smart Cover," too.

Both lines have front and rear mounted cameras. The rear "iSight" camera on both lines is the same with a 5 megapixel sensor and support for still photographs as well as HD video recording (1080p up to 30 FPS with audio). The front-mounted cameras, however, are different. The iPad 3rd Gen models have a "FaceTime" camera that takes VGA quality photos and video up to 30 FPS. The iPad 4th Gen models, on the other hand, have a "FaceTime HD" camera with a 1.2 megapixel sensor and takes videos up to 720p.

Wired connectivity is a major point of differentiation. The iPad 3rd Gen models have the older, "long and flat" Dock Connector port, whereas the iPad 4th Gen models have a smaller, rectangular "Lightning" port that is faster but not compatible with the earlier standard.

Internal Similarities & Differences

The iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen lines both originally shipped with 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of storage (and a 128 GB option was added to the iPad 4th Gen line later) as well as an accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, an ambient light sensor, and a digital compass. As confirmed by the third-party Geekbench benchmark, both lines have 1 GB of RAM, too.

However, there are significant internal differences, as well. The iPad 3rd Gen models are powered by a 1 GHz dual core Apple A5X processor whereas the iPad 4th Gen models have a faster 1.4 GHz dual core Apple A6X processor. Both have quad core graphics processors.

Connectivity is substantially different. Both lines support Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, but the iPad 4th Gen models support dual band/dual stream 802.11n on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies.

The iPad 4th Gen models also support true global 4G/LTE coverage -- the iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS) on bands 4 and 17 and the iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/Verizon & Sprint/GPS) on bands 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25. By contrast, the iPad 3rd Gen models have much more limited "4G" support. In fact, in response to criticism from consumer groups and government agencies, Apple formally changed the advertising of iPad 3rd Gen from "Wi-Fi + 4G" to "Wi-Fi + Cellular."

Battery life is estimated as the same for both lines. The iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen lines each provide an estimated ten hours of battery life "surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video or listening to music" and 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data on capable models.

Identification Differences

Although it is quick to visually differentiate the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen models by the Dock Connector and Lightning ports, respectively, on the bottom each line, it is not possible to visually differentiate between the cellular capable models in each line.

Consequently, the Model Number typically is one of the best methods of external identification:

iPad	Model Number
iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi Only)	A1416
iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular AT&T/GPS)	A1430
iPad 3rd Gen (Wi-Fi/Cellular Verizon/GPS)	A1403
iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi Only)	A1458
iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS)	A1459
iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/Verizon & Sprint/GPS)	A1460

The iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen models can be differentiated by other identifiers as well, such as the Order Number, which can be located by selecting the Settings app and pressing General > About and scrolling down to what is specified as "Model" within the iOS.

To pinpoint a specific iPad 3rd Gen or iPad 4th Gen by a variety of different identifiers -- including its Serial Number -- please refer to EveryiPad.com's Ultimate iLookup feature.

iOS Support Differences

The iPad 3rd Gen models originally shipped with iOS 5.1 and the iPad 4th Gen models with iOS 6. Both models essentially are fully supported by iOS 6, except that Panorama is not supported on either iPad (or any other iPad).

Both the iPad 3rd Gen and the iPad 4th Gen support iOS 7, and both devices support all iOS 7 basic functionality, which includes Control Center, Notification Center, and Multitasking, as well as Safari and iTunes Radio. Both devices continue to support Siri, but still do not support Panorama.

Additional feature support varies accordingly:

	AirDrop	Filters In Camera	Filters In Photos	Swipe to Capture
iPad 3rd Gen	No	No	Yes	Yes
iPad 4th Gen	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Running iOS 7, the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen both support Filters in Photos and more advanced photo functionality that Apple calls "square and video formats and swipe to capture."

However, the iPad 4th Gen also supports AirDrop whereas the iPad 3rd Gen does not. Neither device supports "Filters in Camera."

Both the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen support iOS 8, as well, but support is minimal with no advanced features for the iPad 3rd Gen. By contrast, the iPad 4th Gen is fully supported by iOS 8 with the exception of the "Health" and "Apple Pay" features.

Both the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen support iOS 9, too. Support is minimal for the iPad 3rd Gen. It's a bit better for the iPad 4th Gen, with the majority of functionality supported -- including Spotlight and Siri improvements -- but the advanced multitasking features -- Slide Over and Split View -- are not supported.

Finally, the iPad 4th Gen supports iOS 10, but it lacks support for Raise to Wake, Rich Notifications, and Ride-Booking and does not support iOS 11 or later versions of the iOS. The iPad 3rd Gen does not support iOS 10 or later.

None of these models support the current version of the iOS.

Original Pricing Differences

As originally shipped, the iPad 3rd Gen and iPad 4th Gen models were offered at the exact same price points:

Capacity:	16 GB	32 GB	64 GB
Price with Wi-Fi:	US$499	US$599	US$699
Price with Wi-Fi, Cellular Data & A-GPS:	US$629	US$729	US$829

The final 16 GB configurations of the iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi Only) were US$399 and the (iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS), and iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/Verizon & Sprint/GPS) were US$529 until they were discontinued on October 16, 2014.

For pricing details in dozens of other countries, please refer to the iPad specs page for the device of interest as well as EveryiPad.com's Global Original Prices section.

Comparison Chart

The major differences between the iPad 3rd Gen and the iPad 4th Gen are summarized below:

	iPad 3rd Gen	iPad 4th Gen
Display Size:	9.7"	9.7"
Resolution:	2048x1536 (264 ppi)	2048x1536 (264 ppi)
Processor Speed:	1 GHz	1.4 GHz
Processor Cores:	Two	Two
Processor Type:	Apple A5X	Apple A6X
RAM:	1 GB	1 GB
Storage:	16, 32, 64 GB	16, 32, 64, 128 GB
Data Networks:	Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi & Cellular Data	Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi & Global 4G
Bluetooth:	4.0	4.0
Dual Stream Wi-Fi:	No	Yes
Front Camera:	VGA	1.2 MP
Rear Camera:	1080p (5 MP)	1080p (5 MP)
A-GPS:	No/Yes	No/Yes
Data/Power Port:	Dock Connector	Lightning
Max Battery Life:	9-10 Hours	9-10 Hours
Original iOS:	iOS 5.1	iOS 6
iOS 7 Support:	Yes (Partial)	Yes (Complete*)
iOS 8 Support:	Yes (Minimal)	Yes (Complete*)
iOS 9 Support:	Yes (Minimal)	Yes (Basic)
iOS 10 Support:	No	Yes (Basic)
iOS 11+ Support:	No	No
Color Options:	Black or White	Black or White
Dimensions (In):	9.50 x 7.31 x 0.37	9.50 x 7.31 x 0.37
Weight (Lbs):	1.44, 1.46	1.44, 1.46
Model Numbers:	A1416/A1430/A1403	A1458/A1459/A1460
Original Price:	US$499-US$829	US$499-US$829

* The iPad 4th Gen models completely support iOS 7 with the exception of the minor "Panorama" and "Filters in Camera" photographic features and iOS 8 with the exception of the "Health" and "Apple Pay" features.

Comparison Summary

Ultimately, when the iPad 4th Gen was released, those who owned an iPad 3rd Gen model were unlikely to see a reason to upgrade (unless the global 4G coverage and/or AirDrop support were sufficient reasons alone).

However, the iPad 4th Gen does provide (1) faster performance, (2) enhanced data connectivity, (3) a better camera, and (4) more advanced, and current, iOS support. These certainly were worthy improvements for those with an older iPad or those who were buying an iPad for the first time.

Just compared to one another, and ignoring newer models, the iPad 4th Gen is the better choice for most users. Nevertheless, the iPad 3rd Gen models have the "legacy" Dock Connector for compatibility with older accessories, which some with increasingly vintage accessories could find worthwhile, too.

Of course, because the iPad 3rd Gen does not support iOS 10 or later and the iPad 4th Gen does not support iOS 11 or later, neither is capable of running a modern version of the iOS. At this point, most users would be better off with a newer iPad.

iPad Purchase Options

There are at least dozens of places to buy a used iPad. However, purchasing from a quality company with extensive Apple knowledge -- and after sales support -- will provide the best experience and save you money and time, too.

In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new iPad models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb iPad models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. Finally, if you need to sell an iPad, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPad with an instant quote and prompt payment.

In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs has a large number of used and refurbished iPad models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.

Please also see EveryiPad.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPad to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad (new or old alike).