Visit Apple’s website today and you’ll see four different iPad models, each with a variety of specifications to choose from. Which of these is the best for you? Why does the iPad Pro cost so much more than the iPad Air when they look so similar? Does anyone really need an iPad mini? We answer all these questions and more.
It is important to note that all of these Apple tablets are running iOS 14 out of the box and they will all be updated to iOS 15 later this year. When it comes to what they can do on the software side, the devices are basically identical, so what you really need to know is the hardware differences.
Design and display
The iPad mini screen measures 7.9 inches (2048 x 1536); the 10.2-inch iPad (2160 x 1620); the 10.9-inch iPad Air (2360 x 1640); and the 11-inch (2388 x 1668) or 12.9-inch (2732 x 2048) iPad Pro.
Some quick math will tell you that every iPad offers a sharpness of 264 pixels per inch, except for the iPad mini, which reaches 326 dpi. From something not much bigger than an iPhone 12 Pro Max to something absolutely huge, you have a lot of screen sizes to choose from, and of course, that leads to variations in price (more on that later).
Brightness peaks at 500 nits on the iPad mini, iPad and iPad Air, and rises to 600 nits on the iPad Pro. The larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro also offers 1,000 nits of “full screen” brightness and 1,600 nits. brightness “peak”; these are the levels you can achieve thanks to this tablet’s exclusive miniLED screen. Essentially, the improved backlight technology means a brighter screen, when Apple’s XDR technology is implemented (essentially Apple’s own update in HDR).
ProMotion (variable refresh rates up to 120Hz) is only available on iPad Pro, while you will find True Tone (auto-adjusting screen temperature) and widescreen color (P3) on all iPads except iPad. Normal iPad.
When it comes to design, the iPad Pro and iPad Air have removed the home button and use Face ID, but the old fingerprint sensor is still used on the standard iPad and iPad mini for now. This gives more expensive iPads a more modern look, which may or may not matter much to you. With their slim bezels and flat edges, the iPad Air and iPad Pro are a matching pair in terms of design.
Specifications and performance
All iPads use Apple’s custom silicon. The iPad mini is powered by the A12 Bionic chip that was first seen in the 2018 iPhones, and you can get it with either 64GB or 256GB of internal storage. Apple doesn’t make it public, but there is 3GB of RAM onboard and you can choose the iPad mini with or without 4G LTE connectivity.
The standard, run-of-the-mill iPad runs on the same A12 Bionic chip as the iPad mini, and here your storage options are limited to 32GB or 128GB (you’ll almost certainly want the latter). Apple won’t tell you on their official product list, but there’s 3GB of RAM here too, and again you have the usual option of adding 4G LTE to standard Wi-Fi connectivity for a spike.
The iPad Air is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip; in fact, it made its debut on this tablet before being used on iPhone 12 phones as well, and Apple says it’s up to 40% faster than the A12 Bionic. Its storage options are 64GB and 256GB, and there is 4GB of RAM onboard. If you need more than Wi-Fi connectivity, 4G LTE models are also available.
The 11-inch iPad Pro is powered by the M1 chip that is also under the hood of the new iMac, the new MacBook Air, and the new MacBook Pro, and Apple says it is up to 50% faster than the A12Z Bionic chip (a version slightly improved from the A12). Storage options are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB, and the tablet comes with 16GB of RAM (for the 1TB or 2TB storage options) or 8GB of RAM (for the other storage options). You can go for a Wi-Fi-only model or upgrade to Wi-Fi and 5G.
Lastly, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro meets all the specifications of the 11-inch iPad Pro, from the M1 chip to the storage options and the additional 5G connectivity that you can add if desired. Even the RAM settings are the same: 8GB if you buy a tablet with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of internal storage, or 16GB if you opt for the 1TB or 2TB storage options (Apple actually explicitly sets the RAM options for the models). iPad Pro).
Additional cameras, colors and functions
Cameras aren’t always a priority on tablets, but we’ll mention them anyway: the iPad mini and iPad have an 8 MP f / 2.4 rear camera capable of recording 1080p video at 30 frames per second; The iPad Air has a 12 MP f / 1.8 rear camera capable of recording 4K video at 60 fps, and the iPad Pro comes with a dual-lens rear camera (12 MP and 10 MP) with 2x optical zoom and an ultra-mode. wide, capable of recording video at up to 4K 60fps. The iPad Pro camera also comes with a LiDAR sensor for better depth detection and augmented reality performance.
Upfront, the iPad Pro has a new ultra-wide-angle lens that supports the new Center Stage feature for video conferencing apps like FaceTime and Zoom. It uses the optical zoom and ultra-wide-angle capabilities of the front lens to ensure that the person or persons on the call are always centered in the frame.
Apple Pencil compatibility is another feature to consider. The iPad Pro and iPad Air can use the superior second-gen stylus, while the iPad and iPad mini are stuck with the rather more cumbersome first-gen model. The more expensive Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio cases made by Apple are also exclusive to iPad Pro and iPad Air.
The iPad mini and iPad feature a Lightning connector, while the iPad Air goes for USB-C, and the iPad Pro offers USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 support. For battery life, Apple offers the same duration for all your tablets: up to 10 hours to surf the web or watch videos on Wi-Fi, and up to nine hours to surf the web with a cellular connection. It’s also worth mentioning that the iPad Pro models have four speakers, while the others settle for two.
Then there are the colors, which can also have an impact on your buying decision. Your options are silver, space gray, and gold for the iPad mini; Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue for iPad Air; and silver and space gray for the iPad Pro, a tablet that’s too powerful and serious to worry about trivial things like extra colors.
Prices and verdict
Despite all the specs and features we’ve mentioned, price might be the biggest factor when deciding which iPad you want to buy. The iPad mini has a starting price of $ 399; the iPad starts at $ 329; the iPad Air $ 599; the 11-inch Pro $ 799, and the 12.9-inch Pro starts at $ 1,099. Those prices may rise quickly as you update specs – the top-of-the-line 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 5G and 2TB of storage retails for $ 2,399.
I may have missed a few things, but hopefully, now you can see the reasons behind each one. The 10.9-inch iPad Air looks a lot like the 11-inch iPad Pro, but the extra $ 200 gets you Thunderbolt 4 support, the option of 5G connectivity, a better camera setup, and the M1 processor upgrade as well. If you move to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, there are even more advantages, including that miniLED screen.
At this stage, the only real reason to buy the iPad mini is because of that compact size – it hasn’t been updated since 2019 when Apple Pencil (1st gen) support was added, and that update was somewhat of a surprise. The regular iPad is a slightly more attractive proposition, thanks to that low price, although it’s worth noting that you only get 32GB of storage for the asking price.
The iPad Air is a bridge between the cheapest iPads and the more expensive models. You get support for the newest Apple Pencil and the smartest keyboards, the latest design, USB-C connectivity, and more. At the same time, you save some money on the screen and cameras.
The iPad Pro is the complete premium iPad experience with a matching price tag, and it’s just been updated with the M1 chip. You get extra power, better audio, 5G, and more. The screen is the crucial difference between the two iPad Pro models, but keep in mind that it is not only the size that is different, the miniLED makes the difference, as we pointed out in our review.