Note: This feature was first published on 18 September 2021.
There are currently four models in Apple's iPad family.
The iPad buying dilemma
Apple’s iPad range comprises four models, the iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini. And with the completion of the recent California Streaming event, the entry-level iPad and iPad mini have been refreshed (finally in the case of the mini!), meaning they’re all new-ish!
Two general favourites have always been the iPad Air and iPad mini largely due to their go-anywhere lightness. And now with its new redesign, the iPad mini 6 now looks a lot like the iPad Air (4th Gen).
But is the new mini 6 just a down-sized clone of last year's iPad Air (4th Gen), or did it get a bump in hardware and performance? To help you figure out what suits you best, let’s compare and look at all the differences between them, including what's changed with the latest versions.
But first, let’s start with the similarities.
How are they similar?
They feature a similar design with smooth rounded corners.
Design: Both the iPad Air (4th Gen) and the iPad mini 6 have a similar flat-edged with rounded corners design. Touch ID is moved to the top in the power button. This means there is more space for the bezel to be thinner and the screen, bigger. Indeed, both sport a Liquid Retina display with True Tone.
They both support the Apple Pencil Gen 2.
Input devices: Introduced in 2015, the first Apple Pencil was called "an aid to creativity and productivity". The Gen 2 Apple Pencil launched in 2018 and largely has the same capabilities, but also has tap-sensitive zones on its sides that can be mapped to functions within apps. All iPads can also work with Bluetooth keyboards and the Apple Magic Trackpad 2. However, the iPad Air (4th Gen) can also support Apple’s Smart Keyboard, but more on that later.
USB-C opens up so much more connectivity options.
Under the hood: They have the same storage capacities. There are two Wi-Fi only and two Wi-Fi and cellular models for the iPad Air (4th Gen) and iPad mini 6 with all of them coming in 64GB, and 256GB models.
Wireless connectivity is the same with both supporting Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi with MIMO, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. The difference is in their cellular connectivity, but we’ll cover this later.
Both the iPad Air (4th Gen) and iPad mini 6 feature USB-C connectivity, replacing the Lightning port we’ve been used to for so long. This allows for fast connections to cameras, displays and more.
Both have the same battery life with up to ten hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi or watching videos. When using cellular data, you can get up to nine hours of surfing the Internet.
And now the differences
Despite smaller bezels, the iPad mini 6 still has a smaller screen compared to the iPad Air.
Screen size: The most obvious is the size with the iPad Air (4th Gen) having a 10.9-inch display compared to the iPad mini 6’s 8.3-inches (the iPad mini 5 only had a 7.9-inch screen). The iPad Air (4th Gen) has a 2,360 x 1,640-pixel resolution at 264 ppi, while the iPad mini 6 sports a 2,266 x 1,488-pixel resolution at 326 ppi.
FaceTime is so much better with 5G connectivity.
Cellular connectivity: The iPad Air (4th Gen) only supports up to 4G cellular connectivity, unlike the iPad mini 6, which can support 5G networks. When we tested in 2020, the average download speed on Singapore's 5G networks was 143.5 Mbps, while the average upload speed was 21.2 Mbps. This is double the performance of existing 4G networks, which have a download speed of 50.3Mbps and an upload speed of 14.8Mbps.
The A15 Bionic chip is Apple's fastest mobile processor.
Processor: Internally, there are some differences as well. Since the iPad Air (4th Gen) was announced in 2020, it runs on last year's A14 Bionic chip, while the iPad mini 6 uses the brand new A15 Bionic that also powers the latest iPhone 13s. Apple hasn’t released any performance improvements the A15 has over the A14, but with reviews of the iPhone 13 imminent, it should be clear just how much more powerful this generation chipset is over the last.
Unlike the iPad air, the iPad mini 6 has no keyboard stand due to the lack of a smart connector.
No Smart Connector support: The iPad Air (4th Gen) and iPad mini 6 may have the same design, but only the Air has a Smart Connector. This means that only the Air supports Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio that is a keyboard when you need it, but also provides protection for the front and back of the iPad Air when closed. It also serves as a stand with two different viewing angles.
The iPad mini 6 now supports Center Stage.
The front camera: The iPad mini 6’s front camera also gets a bigger improvement, featuring a 12MP Ultra-wide lens with Center Stage support and ƒ/2.4 aperture, whereas the iPad Air (4th Gen) has a regular 7MP FaceTime HD camera and ƒ/2.2 aperture. The iPad Air (4th Gen) supports standard 1080p HD video recording, while the iPad mini 6 can do 1080p HD at up to 60 fps.
Pricing
There are four models available for the iPad Air and iPad mini 6 at the following prices:
Model | iPad Air 64GB wi-fi only | iPad Air 256GB wi-fi only | iPad Air 64GB wi-fi and cellular | iPad Air 256GB wi-fiand cellular |
Price | S$879 | S$1,099 | S$1,079 | S$1,299 |
Model | iPad mini 6 64GB wi-fi only | iPad mini 6 256GB wi-fi only | iPad mini 6 64GB wi-fi and cellular | iPad mini 6 256GB wi-fiand cellular |
Price | S$749 | S$979 | S$979 | S$1,209 |
As it stands now
Given previous refresh cycles, we may yet see a new iPad Air soon.
So, there we are. We don’t have a timeframe on an update to the iPad Air but most analysts and rumours don’t have this happening until next year, despite the fact that there was only slightly more than a year between Apple releasing the iPad Air Gen 3 to Gen 4. We could yet see an update to it happening.
As for the iPad mini 6, it is nice to see the redesign, updated processor, and camera. We can only hope that Apple doesn’t stick to its three-year refresh cycle.
But with this the first time in years that the entire iPad product line is close to all being up-to-date, there is no better time to pick one out and find one that meets your needs.
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