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InnoReviews

iPad Air (A12) vs iPad mini (A15)

WINNER
iPad Air (A12)
45.1Inno Score
VS
iPad mini (A15)
44.7Inno Score
38.2chipPerformancechip51.2
32.9Display39.1
38.1Battery22.7
85.8Portability86.1
61.2Features42.4
4 spec wins — iPad Air (A12)5 spec wins — iPad mini (A15)

InnoReviews verdict

This one is close to a dead heat: iPad Air (A12) scores 45.1 against 44.7 for iPad mini (A15). Pick by the categories that matter to you — iPad Air (A12) edges ahead in features and battery, or by price.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the iPad Air (A12)

  • Stronger battery score: 38 vs 23
  • Stronger features score: 61 vs 42
  • 60% higher capacity: 8,134 mAh vs 5,078 mAh
  • 27% higher Screen size: 10.5 ″ vs 8.3 ″
  • Has Keyboard support — the other doesn't

Reasons to pick the iPad mini (A15)

  • Stronger performance score: 51 vs 38
  • Stronger display score: 39 vs 33
  • 71% higher Front camera: 12 MP vs 7 MP
  • 50% higher Rear camera: 12 MP vs 8 MP
  • 36% lower weight: 293 g vs 456 g

Display

Display comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
Screen size10.5 ″+27%8.3 ″
Panel typeRetina IPS LCDLiquid Retina IPS LCD
Resolution2224x16682266x1488
Pixel density264 ppi326 ppi+23%
Refresh rate60 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness500 nits500 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
ChipsetApple A12 BionicApple A15 Bionic
RAM3 GB4 GB+33%
Storage options64GB / 256GB64GB / 256GB

Battery

Battery comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
Capacity8,134 mAh+60%5,078 mAh
Charging—20 W

Design

Design comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
Weight456 g293 g+36%
Thickness6.1 mm+3%6.3 mm
MaterialAluminumAluminum

Camera

Camera comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
Rear camera8 MP12 MP+50%
Front camera7 MP12 MP+71%

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth5.05.0
CellularLTE optional5G optional
USBLightningUSB-C (5Gbps)

Features

Features comparison: iPad Air (A12) versus iPad mini (A15)
SpeciPad Air (A12)iPad mini (A15)
StylusApple Pencil (1st generation)Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Keyboard supportYesNo
SpeakersStereoStereo
Operating systemiPadOS 26iPadOS 15

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