Apple introduced iPad Air, a bigger 10-inch display iPad, and an iPad mini 2 with 7.9-inch Retina display. With the introduction of Retina display in iPad mini, it has become difficult to choose between the two sizes of iPad. We have compiled a detailed iPad Air vs iPad mini 2 specs comparison so you may decide which one is better for you.
If you want to see how iPad mini 2 stands against it’s Android competitors, checkout: iPad mini 2 vs Nexus 7 2013 vs Kindle Fire HDX
iPad Air vs iPad mini 2 – Which iPad should you buy?
If you’ve decided to buy an iPad, the next step is to decide which one: iPad Air or the Retina iPad mini 2? This is year Apple has made it very tough to choose between the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 as the only difference between the two is the display size and the price. iPad Air comes in 9.7-inch display vs Retina iPad mini’s 7.9-inch display. Other than the display size, the two iPads are identical in every way. Only other difference is the price point where iPad Air base price starts at $499 vs iPad mini’s $399. To see how much identical the iPad Air hardware is to the smaller iPad mini 2 variant, checkout our detailed specs comparison of the two:
iPad Air vs iPad mini 2: Specs Comparison |
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Body |
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| Form Factor | Slab | Slab |
| Dimensions | 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm | 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm |
| Weight | 469g (Wifi-only) 478g (WiFi + Cellular) |
331g (Wifi-only) 341g (WiFi + Cellular) |
| Colors | Space Gray, Silver | Space Gray, Silver |
Display |
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| Screen Size (Diagonal) | 9.7 inches | 7.9 inches |
| Resolution | 2048 x 1536 pixels | 2048 x 1536 pixels |
| Pixel density | 264 pixels per inch (ppi) | 326 pixels per inch (ppi) |
| Technology | LED-backlit IPS LCD | LED-backlit IPS LCD |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive, Multi-touch Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating |
Capacitive, Multi-touch oleophobic coating |
Hardware |
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| System chip | Apple A7 | Apple A7 |
| Processor | Dual-core, 1.3 GHz | Dual-core, 1.3 GHz |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Storage (Built-in) | 16GB / 32GB / 64GB / 128GB | 16GB / 32GB / 64GB / 128GB |
Camera |
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| Primary | 5 MP Photo: 2592 x 1944 pixels Video: 1080p@30 fps |
5 MP Photo: 2592 x 1944 pixels Video: 1080p@30 fps |
| Front-Facing Camera | 1.2 MP 720p@30fps, face detection FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular |
1.2 MP 720p@30fps, face detection FaceTime over Wi-Fi or Cellular |
Connectivity |
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| Cellular | 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO |
Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO |
| GPS | Assisted GPS (Cellular model) | Assisted GPS (Cellular model) |
| Connector | Lightening connector | Lightening connector |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Battery |
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| Music Playback | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Video Playback | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Web Surfing using Cellular Data | Up to 9 hours | Up to 9 hours |
Software |
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| OS | iOS 7 or newer | iOS 7 or newer |
| Applications | Appstore | Appstore |
Sensors |
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| Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Ambient light sensor |
Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Ambient light sensor |
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Base Price |
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| $499 | $399 | |
Other Features |
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| iMessage iCloud cloud service AirDrop iCloud Keychain Siri Facebook integration Twitter integration Photo viewer/editor iBooks Apple Maps |
iMessage iCloud cloud service AirDrop iCloud Keychain Siri Facebook integration Twitter integration Photo viewer/editor iBooks Apple Maps |
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| In the Box | Lightning to USB Cable USB Power Adapter |
Lightning to USB Cable USB Power Adapter |
As you can see from the technical specs of both the iPad, there’s no difference other than the display size. So it’s up to the buyer’s choice of display size. So which one will you be getting, an iPad Air or iPad mini 2 with Retina display?