The most anticipated iPad Air upgrade, the iPad Air 5, has finally made its debut in the latest Apple Peak Performance event, and it is packing plenty of extraordinary improvements. With Apple’s powerful M1 chip and a blazing-fast 5G connectivity, this thing is looking promising as a portable powerhouse. But how good is it compared to the iPad Mini 6, and is going for a smaller form factor always the best option? Keep on reading this article as we compare these two head-ons and help you decide which of these iPads you should go for.
Design
The brand new iPad Air 5 follows the footstep of its predecessor with a similar form factor. It has a dimension of 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches with a weight of only about 1.02 pounds, making it a slim and lightweight tab to move around on your campus or office. iPad Air 5 comes in 5 Color variant that includes Space Gray, Pink, Starlight, Purple, and Blue. In addition, the 12 Megapixel Front-facing camera now supports Center Stage, which will come in handy for face-timing.
The iPad Mini 6 has a body structure of 7.69 inches in height, 5.31 inches in width, and only 0.25 inches of depth, which is Apple’s smallest tablet yet. In addition, it only has 0.66 Pound of weight that almost feels weightless. You get four color variants for this miniature tablet: Space Gray, Purple, Pink, and Starlight. Comparably, the new iPad Air 5 is thinner and has an additional color option which makes it appealing. However, the iPad Mini 6 is lighter than the Air 5, which also needs to be considered if you are fond of light gadgets.
Display
The 10.9-inch iPad Air 5 has been equipped with a Liquid Retina screen with a native resolution of 2360 by 1640p. As a result, it can get as bright as 500nits, and the wider P3 color gamut also makes those colors pop. The Mini 6 also has a Liquid Retina Screen with a comparably small screen size of only 8.3-inches and 2266 x 1488p resolution. However, peak brightness can reach up to 450nits, and the decent DCI-P3 color coverage also looks vibrant. These devices have a 60Hz refresh rate that looks responsive enough for the general user experience. However, you are getting more screen real state on the iPad Air, where the display is also significantly brighter.
Specs
Under the hood, iPad Air 5 is packing Apple’s M1 silicone with up to 256GB of storage availability. Another striking upgrade is the inclusion of 5G cellular connectivity which is a step up from 4G LTE in the previous iPad Air 4. Apple promises about 10 hours of battery backup from it, which is likely to vary depending on your user habit. iPad Mini 6, on the other hand, is powered by Apple’s 5 nanometer A15 Bionic chip with up to 256GB of internal storage. It also has 5G wireless connectivity and an estimated battery backup of up to 10 hours. While both of these tabs share similar specs in some criteria, the iPad Air 5 definitely packs a lot of punch due to its M1 chip integration.
Final Verdict
So which of these iPads is the perfect fit for you? Honestly, that is somewhat debatable. If you require a bigger screen with more processing power and can care less about the price, you can go for the iPad Air 5. Otherwise, the fun-sized Mini 6 will suffice for your daily grinding.
