Apple iPad mini (2024) vs. iPad Air (2024): Which one to buy?

Apple launched a bunch of iPads in 2024, including the much-awaited iPad mini refresh and a new iPad Air, which was the first to be available in two screen sizes. The company’s tablet portfolio is now bigger than ever, which can be confusing if you are in the market for a new great tablet. Even if your priorities are clear with size and price, there are a number of overlapping models, which can make decision-making difficult.

Do you need a more pocketable iPad or a more powerful tablet? Are you fixated on a specific screen size? Are you confused about how much power is required to run your creative tasks? Which is the best iPad overall? Don’t worry if you don’t have answers to any of these questions right now. This comparison between two of our favorite iPads from 2024 will help answer them so you can make an informed decision.

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): specs

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): design and display

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The new iPad mini is a similar-looking product to its predecessor. It sports the same sleek design and an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2266 x 1488 resolution at 326 pixels-per-inch (ppi). It’s as pocketable as before, so you can toss it inside your backpack or carry it with you for reading on commutes without any issues.

The 2024 iPad Air introduced two variants. Apple borrowed the iPad Pro approach for the iPad Air (2024) and offers it in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch.

Depending on the screen estate you need, you can choose one of the three iPads mentioned above. While we recommend the iPad mini (2024) for reading and browsing, the iPad Air (2024) is the better product for creatives. Both the iPad mini and Air support Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C, but you’ll get better brightness (600 nits versus 500 nits) on the 13-inch iPad Air.

These screens don’t support Apple’s ProMototion technology, so you get a 60Hz refresh rate. You can get any of the three screen sizes in four colors: Space Gray, blue, purple, and Starlight.

It’s a tie here because each of these products appeals to a different user base.

Winner: Tie 

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): performance

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This year, Apple focused on making the iPads more powerful than ever. Both the new iPad mini and iPad Air feature good performance upgrades. Apple also increased the base storage capacity on the mini to 128GB (finally).

Starting with the iPad mini (2024), it gained the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chipset. As per Apple, the upgrade results in 30% faster CPU performance and 25% faster graphics. However, in our usage, we experienced the tablet getting warm to the touch when running Lightroom with an SSD connected.

If you are a power user, you should opt for the iPad Air (2024) because it packs the MacBook-grade Apple M2 chipset. If you use your iPad for creative tasks such as editing videos or creating art with the Apple Pencil Pro, you’ll be more at home with the M2 iPad Air.

The iPad Air (2024) is more powerful than the iPad mini (2024) and wins this round.

Winner: iPad Air (2024) 

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): cameras and battery

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

While you might not use the rear camera on an iPad much, it’s useful to quickly scan documents or take a copy of your notes. And a good quality camera is always better, more so on the front because you could be using your iPad to attend meetings and take work calls.

Both the iPad mini (2024) and the iPad Air (2024) feature a 12-megapixel camera on the back and a 12MP Center Stage camera on the front. The iPad Air now sports the front camera in the landscape orientation for a better experience.

As for the battery life, both of these models are expected to last the same number of hours. Apple promises nine to 10 hours of battery backup on a single charge. But expect to get better standby battery life on the M2 iPad Air.

Winner: Tie

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): software

Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

The 2024 models of the iPad Air and iPad mini run iPadOS 18 and support Apple Intelligence. The latter is focused on delivering AI-powered features for writing, focus, and communication. Apple recently rolled out a smarter Siri with ChatGPT integration, which might be useful for ideation.

Both of these products can be expected to receive at least five years’ worth of software upgrades.

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): price and availability

Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

The iPad mini (2024) starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi-only variant and costs $649 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

The Wi-Fi-only 11-inch iPad Air costs $599 and the Wi-Fi + Cellular option is $749. The most expensive of the lot, the M2 iPad Air 13-inch ,starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi-only variant, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model will set you back at $949. All of these products are available in multiple storage configurations, with the base model starting at 128GB.

These products are available from the Apple Store, as well as through third-party retailers.

iPad mini (2024) vs iPad Air (2024): Which one to buy?

Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

The iPad mini (2024) is for those who want a tablet for reading and browsing on the go. If your foremost priority is portability, the iPad mini (2024) should be your choice. You get a compact iPad with a powerful processor and a display that supports the Apple Pencil Pro.

However, if you are a creative who values performance over portability, the iPad Air (2024) should be your go-to choice. The M2 chipset paired with an up to 13-inch sharp display with Apple Pencil Pro support, reliable OS, and a good battery life makes the iPad Air (2024) a good choice for power users.