Introduction

Apple keeps surprising the market with its latest products. All new additions are good enough to compete with market toppers and beat their own previous models. Apple offers four different iPad lines with five different screen sizes along with various price ranges. Whether you are looking for a new iPad or upgrading the previous one, the specs can be a little confusing. The latest iPad Mini vs iPad Air war going on in the market is interesting to a lot of customers.

Apple recently introduced the 6th generation iPad Mini. It features a complete redesign, a larger display, the A15 Bionic chip, and more. Since the iPad Air 4th generation also offers many of the same features such as iPad Mini, it becomes a little difficult to choose the best one. Comparing the two becomes fun as they share a huge number of key features including design, a rear 12MP Wide camera, and a USB-C port. The more that you know about each iPad model ahead of buying, the better. Understanding the difference plays an important part as the best iPad may vary as per requirement.

Difference in the display - Screen size matters

Size is the most obvious difference between the ‌iPad Mini‌ and ‌iPad Air‌. The ‌iPad mini‌ features an 8.3-inch display, while the ‌iPad Air‌ has a larger, 10.9-inch display. This means that the ‌iPad mini‌'s display is 2.6-inches smaller diagonally, which leads to an almost 45% reduction in the total screen area. However, iPad Mini offers a higher pixel density. Both devices have slim bezels around the display for an all-screen look. The ‌iPad mini‌ is 52.2mm shorter and 43.7mm narrower than the ‌iPad Air‌. This makes it possible for most people to hold the ‌iPad mini‌ from edge to edge in one hand. The iPad Mini is also 163 grams lighter than the ‌iPad Air‌.

The iPad mini is the iPad for people who want something that’s a little more compact than Apple’s other options. The compact form factor and low weight of the ‌iPad mini‌ make it much more portable than the ‌iPad Air‌. This adds a phone factor to the iPad Mini which makes it ideal for gaming and other similar uses. The ‌iPad Air‌'s larger display is much more suited to productivity, multitasking, and watching videos, with considerably more screen space to fit app windows. However, the preference for size ultimately comes down to your personal use case.

iPad Mini front camera way ahead than iPad Air front camera

Both the ‌iPad Mini‌ and the ‌iPad Air‌ feature a 12MP ƒ/1.8 Wide rear camera with 5x digital zoom and Smart HDR 3. However, the ‌iPad mini‌ features an extended dynamic range and is able to record 1080p video at a range of framerates, as compared to just 60fps on the ‌iPad Air‌. The ‌iPad Mini‌'s rear camera is slightly more capable than that of the ‌iPad Air‌.

Among the more obvious differences between the two iPads are their front-facing cameras. The ‌iPad Mini‌ has a much more advanced 12MP ƒ/2.4 Ultra-Wide camera with 2x zoom out and an extended dynamic range. This is a huge improvement over the 7MP ƒ/2.2 ‌FaceTime‌ camera found in the ‌iPad Air‌. The ‌iPad Mini‌'s Ultra Wide front-facing camera also enables its support for Center Stage. This feature automatically keeps users perfectly framed during video calls.

Audio Quality slightly better in iPad Air in comparison with iPad Mini

The stereo speaker system built into the iPad Air and iPad Mini generates fine-quality audio. The Apple iPad Mini has positioned the stereo speakers a little differently. Both speakers are behind two grilles each and deliver incredibly rich sound. However. in iPad Air the speakers fire out from either end of the tablet. This results in proper stereo audio with both sides of your iPad contributing equally. The most obvious improvement here is a wider spread of sound. iPad Air helps give a more cinematic and immersive feel. If users want to immerse themselves in music, or audio from a TV show or movie, utilizing earbuds or headphones with the iPads will further enhance the experience.

Is the iPad Mini 6 generation performance better than iPad Air 4 generation?

The ‌iPad Mini‌ 6th generation features Apple's latest A-series chip, the A15 Bionic. However, the ‌iPad Air‌ 4th generation uses last year's A14 Bionic chip. The A15 chip is said to be around 10% faster in single-core tasks, 20% faster in multicore tasks, and 15% faster graphics than the A14. This clearly states that the A15 in the ‌iPad Mini‌ does offer better performance than the ‌iPad Air‌. The difference is marginal but the iPad Mini gets an edge because of better performance.

Which one you should select?

The best iPad depends on your needs. On one hand, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the best all-around option for the majority of users. It provides a large screen for productivity and entertainment in a slim, portable design. Whereas, the ‌iPad mini‌ leads the specs race with its newer A15 chip, 5G connectivity, improved front-facing camera, and Center Stage. Those who prefer the ‌iPad mini‌ will likely have a specific use case in mind for how they will use the device. The main reason to choose the ‌iPad mini‌ still will be its novel size perfect for almost everything. However, the final decision to select the best iPad solely depends upon the user’s requirement.