Apple’s ‘California Streaming’ event unveiled some interesting developments. The much-anticipated releases finally happened which includes the iPhone 13 we were able to see a slew of products by the Silicon Valley Company and can’t wait to test it out.
One of the biggest reveals is the iPad mini. The latest iPad mini has been completely revamped. The device has been surely received a major makeover when it comes to cameras, processors, and more. We may even go as far as saying that the iPad mini is way better than the iPad Air in various ways.
iPad Mini
The new iPad mini, which was unveiled yesterday, is a significant upgrade over the company’s fourth-generation iPad Air, which was released last year. Unfortunately, Apple chose to maintain selling the current iPad Air alongside the new iPad mini rather than upgrade it with these updates. We’ll carry out comparisons between the two products to highlight the differences.
The FaceTime camera is the first significant difference. Like the new iPad Pros, the iPad mini includes a new 12MP super-wide front-facing camera with center stage capability. The iPad Air has a normal FaceTime HD camera with a resolution of 7MP. The front camera on the iPad mini now has a bigger f/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom out, video with increased dynamic range, and 1080p recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, and 60 fps.
The iPad mini’s back camera is the same 12MP as the iPad Air’s, but it now has a quad-LED True Tone flash. This is most likely owing to the iPad mini’s smaller size and portability. The video camera’s capabilities have vastly enhanced. The iPad mini now can record 1080p HD video at 25 and 30 frames per second, as well as a new expanded dynamic range for video at 30 frames per second.
Another significant hardware difference is the onboard processor. The iPad mini features the new 5-nanometer A15 Bionic chip, which is also included in the iPhone 13, while the iPad Air retains the A14 chip from last year. The A15 appears to be a slight improvement over the A14 chip, according to multiple sources, users will be able to carry out functions such as SMS Share with ease.
Furthermore, the iPad mini cellular variants support 5G, whereas the iPad Air only supports LTE. Apple has also introduced support for two more gigabit LTE bands. While 5G may not be noticeable to many people, it will be for those who reside in places where 5G is prevalent and quicker than LTE.
While the size of the displays on the iPad mini and iPad Air differs significantly, the quality of those displays also differs. The iPad mini sports a Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 22661488 pixels per inch and a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. The iPad Air’s display has a resolution of 2360×1640 pixels and a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch. The iPad mini has a far higher pixel density than the iPad Air.
Whereas, The color selections are the only visual differences between the iPad Air and the iPad mini. In addition to the standard space gray, the iPad mini now comes in three new colors: pink, starlight, and purple.
Summing Up
The iPad mini costs $499, which is $100 cheaper than the iPad Air. It’s a fantastic deal, especially with the enhanced technical characteristics. The only significant disadvantage of the iPad mini is the lack of compatibility with the smart keyboard folio and magic keyboard. It comes in the same 64GB and 256GB capacities, with cellular connectivity as an option. Overall, it a quite impressive device when compared to its other variants and predecessors.