When Apple Inc. released its latest line of smartphone products this year, the public was both surprised and delighted with the new devices' bigger screens that could certainly compete with other handhelds in the market that offer larger displays. But many have contemplated on how the new smartphones, particularly the bigger iPhone 6 Plus, could affect the sales of another new device from the Cupertino-based company — the iPad Mini 3. 

The iPhone 6 Plus and the iPad mini 3 are packed with almost the same technology, although the first one can send and receive calls and messages while the other cannot. On the other hand, the iPad mini 3 is a lot less expensive compared to the company's flagship phablet, which happens to be the tablet's advantage in addition to its larger display. 

So how would a potential buyer choose between the two products if they only have to pick one? Here is a side-by-side comparison between iPhone 6 Plus and iPad mini 3:

Size and Display

The iPhone 6 Plus is the biggest iPhone device that Apple has released thus far, with its 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that features 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution and 401 ppi pixel density. It has an overall measurement of 6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches and weighs 6.7 ounces. 

On the other hand, the iPad mini 3 is a lot bigger compared to the iPhone 6 Plus, with its 7.9-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that packs in a 1536 x 2048 pixel resolution with 324 ppi pixel density. It measures 7.87 x 5.30 x 0.30 in all over, and weighs 11.68 ounces. 

Both devices come with the latest Touch ID fingerprint sensor technology from Apple.

Built-in features

The iPhone 6 Plus and the iPad mini 3 almost have the same internal features, with the same PowerVR GX6450 GPU and similar iOS 8 operating system that can be updated to iOS 8.1.1. Yet the iPhone 6 Plus has an Apple A8 chipset and dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) processor, while the third-generation iPad mini comes with an Apple A7 chipset and dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) processor. 

Both devices come in three memory options, which are the 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB varieties, and both have 1 GB RAM.

Camera 

For those who want to take better pictures, then the iPhone 6 Plus' 8-megapixel primary camera with optical image stabilization, dual-LED flash, and phase detection autofocus will seal the deal. Meanwhile, the iPad mini 3's 5-megapixel primary shooter with autofocus is a decent camera for those who are not particularly picky when it comes to their tablet's image capturing capabilities. 

Both Apple products feature 1.2-megapixel front-facing secondary cameras.