iPad mini vs iPad Air: Which One Should You Buy
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With the arrival of the third quarter of 2021, and the Apple Event. Many new devices have been introduced. Some of them are:

So, it is always a bummer to choose the best device for you. Thus, here we are, to help you judge the best device according to specs, price, and value-for-money.

So, put on your learning caps and enjoy the ride as we break down everything for you.

Apple iPad mini

This is the smallest iPad in Apple's iPad lineup as well as the basic model, and it's been given some major improvements in 2021. Unfortunately, these upgrades result in a price increase compared to the previous model; the new tablet costs $499 instead of the $399 price for the version of 2019.

It weighs 0.66 pounds and is just a fraction of an inch thick. It is tiny enough to easily fit in a bag or inside a large pocket of your jacket. This is an excellent alternative for those who consider the bigger, heavier iPads are too big for you.

The iPad mini doesn't have many sacrifices in its dimensions. The new Liquid Retina display is slightly bigger than its ancestors at 8.3 inches and has an increased resolution of 2,266 by 1,488 pixels. However, it's the same 326 PPI as the previous model, so you shouldn't be expecting an increase in sharpness.

The screen doesn't feature the ProMotion technology found on the iPad Pro's screen. However, it has an identical screen with the P3 Wide Color and True Tone modes. In addition, it is fully laminated with an anti-reflective coating.

It's also a beast and can easily beat its predecessors, the iPad, in comparison to the iPad and iPad Air, thanks to its A15 Bionic chip. This is a huge leap from the prior iPad mini's A12 Bionic CPU, and Apple claims it can provide an increase of 40% in overall speed and an increase of 80 percent in graphic performance. This upgrade is most likely to be the driving factor behind the latest iPad mini's more expensive price.

The iPad mini is also equipped with brand new cameras in its most recent version. The selfie camera gets the same update as the standard iPad with a 12MP ultra-wide camera that can support Center Stage in FaceTime, panning to follow you. The camera on the rear is 12MP and comes with True Tone flash and Smart HDR.

The most exciting feature of the iPad mini will be the 5G connectivity, meaning you'll be able to connect to the most powerful cellular network. The iPad mini also has the latest Wi-Fi technology, which means it can make use of the most modern routers.

And it also includes a USB-C connection instead of a Lightning port, similar to that of the iPad Pro (though with only USB 3.1 Gen 1 and DisplayPort, it does not have Thunderbolt or USB 4).

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air can take its place in the middle between the less expensive iPad and the robust iPad Pro. It's more streamlined than the iPad Pro in design. The iPad Pro, with flat edges and a thin frame that lacks a home button. It offers the high-end iPad Pro appearance and feels for a less expensive cost (but still more expensive than tablets, like the iPad as well as the iPad mini). It starts at $599.

The screen is also almost the entire front of the tablet and moves the fingerprint sensor towards the upper edge. Its Liquid Retina Display measures 10.9 inches and features a resolution of 2,360 x 1,640 pixels with the same 264ppi quality as tablets, the iPad, or iPad Pro.

Unfortunately, it isn't yet equipped with this ProMotion technology which the iPad Pro is equipped with, for smooth scrolling. But it does have the identical fully laminated design and anti-reflective coating, as well as P3 Wide Color support with the company's TrueTone mode.

It has the Apple A14 Bionic processor that is quite efficient but has now been beaten by the iPad mini's A15 Bionic processor. It is still able to edit video in 4K on the tablet. Still, it doesn't anticipate seeing high-quality 4K video from the front camera. The 7MP sensor on it is the most basic and low-resolution of the iPads. The rear-facing camera is a 12MP camera.

iPad Mini vs iPad Air

Suppose you examine the iPad Air alongside an iPad mini on a table. In that case, they're bound to appear to be larger and smaller versions of one another. However, when you zoom out a tiny bit, you'll notice both volume and power buttons located on the top of the Mini just across from the power button and on the right side of the Air. In other words, they're almost identical.

Both models feature LED-backlit displays that have broad-color support and True Tone 500nits of brightness. However, the iPad Air is larger, sporting a 10.9-inch display, as opposed to the 8.3-inch in the Mini. This means that the Mini weighs considerably less than the Air (293 grams as opposed to. 458 pounds). In addition, the size is different.

It's true that the iPad Air, along with the iPad mini, is identical inside, too. However, there is one key difference, which is the processor. The iPad Air is equipped with the last model's processor, A14 Bionic, while the iPad mini comes equipped with a more modern A15 Bionic processor.

We don't know how much more efficient the A15 is compared to the A14 until we've tested the device. However, we know that it packs an extra graphics core that has 5 cores in total and should therefore perform better in games as well as other applications that use graphics.

One of the major differences between the two tablet models is the ability to connect to the Internet. Although the iPad Air is equipped with LTE, the iPad mini comes with 5G connectivity, but it might not be as speedy as the iPad Pro. 5G is available on the iPad mini but lacks the superior mmWave feature, which means that speeds will be just a little faster than LTE in the majority of cases.

Both have Touch ID sensors built into the power button, and include Wi-Fi 6 as well as Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C, and come with a battery designed to last for 10 hours. In addition, both models come with two storage options: either 64GB or 256GB.

Apart from its screen size, however, the main distinction between the two models is the camera. All the rear cameras are working the same now. And Apple upgraded its Mini's 8MP f/2.4 camera with the Apple Air's 12MP f/1.8 lens. Additionally, it has the quad-LED true-tone flash the Air isn't equipped with.

On the side, mini sports an impressive edge. Apple's newest tablet comes with the same ultra-wide 12MP camera as the iPad Pro, including Center Stage to keep everyone who is in the frame while making video calls. The iPad Air, with a subpar 7MP camera, could receive the same features and hardware with its next refresh. However, we're not sure when it will happen.

Winding-up

And that’s that.

Now, you can look over the given details again and choose your best fit. And be sure to order a few accessories wherever you buy a new device.

Happy Shopping Everyone!