Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced the all-new, thinner and lighter iPad Air, and along with it, a new iPad Mini with Retina display. Both the newly announced devices are powered by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor, but apart from that, they both share the same screen resolution, which is 2048 x 1536. While they both do share some features, they’re intended for different audiences.
The iPad mini with Retina display is suited for those who want something smaller, lighter, but a powerful tablet that they can always carry around. The iPad Air on the other hand is a full-sized tablet, with the same processor as the iPad mini Retina display model (also known as the iPad mini 2). The WiFi+Cellular model of the iPad Air adds numerous LTE connections, which means compatibility all over the world.
Currently, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) offers four different models of iPad: the iPad Air, iPad 2, iPad mini with Retina display and iPad mini. With all these models, it is easy to get confused, and hence a comparison between them will definitely help to clear out your doubts.
The below table better describes the difference between technical specs of the iPad Air, iPad mini 2 (second generation) and iPad mini (first generation).
[table]
Specs, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini
Display, 9.7-inch (2048×1536 resolution), 7.9-inch (2048×1536 resolution), 7.9-inch (1024×768 resolution)
PPI, 264ppi, 326ppi, 163ppi
Processor, A7 chip with M7 motion coprocessor, A7 chip with motion coprocessor, Dual-core A5 chip
RAM, 1GB, 1GB, 512MB
Rear camera, 5MP iSight camera, 5MP iSight camera, 5MP iSight camera
Front camera, 1.2MP, 1.2MP, 1.2MP
Video recording, 1080p HD video recording, 1080p HD video recording, 1080p HD video recording
Capacity, 16/32/64/128GB options, 16/32/64/128GB options, 16GB
Dimensions, 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29 in, 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.29 in, 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28 in
Weight (WiFI model), 1 pound (469 g), 0.73 pound (331 g), 0.68 pound (308 g)
Connector, Lightning, Lightning, Lightning
Battery, Up to 10 hours, Up to 10 hours, Up to 10 hours
Siri, Yes, Yes, Yes
3.5mm jack, Yes, Yes, Yes
Colors, “Space Gray, Silver”, “Space Gray, Silver”, “Space Gray, Silver”
Price (16GB WiFi), $499, $399, $299
[/table]
