A year ago, Apple announced two tablets designed to last for several years on the market.
One year later, the iPad Air and the iPad Mini 2 are still very good tablet options. The size difference is the obvious difference between the two, but there are many other factors to consider when choosing between them. We hope to help you make a decision based on the specs they offer.
Design and Display
We said one of the obvious differences is in the size. The iPad air measures at 9.7 inches, while the iPad Mini is a 7.9 inches screen tablet. However, while the iPad Air has the larger display, the screen resolution on the Mini 2 is better, sharper and crisper. Both devices have the same screen resolution, 1536×2048 pixels. However, due to the smaller screen size, the iPad Mini 2 delivers more pixel density, or 324ppi. There is not much difference in the design, as Apple has pretty standardized design when it comes to tablets. When put side by side, the size is the only difference. Being larger, makes the iPad Air the better solution for watching movies and videos. The Mini 2, on the other hand, is a much better solution for fans that love to read. Being close to the size of a paperback, the Mini 2 delivers almost the same experience like the good old fashioned reading of a book. Dimensions of the devices are as follows: iPad Air – 240x169x7.5 weighting 469 grams; iPad Mini 2 – 200x135x7.5 weighting 331 grams.
Hardware and Operating System
The hardware and OS battle is close to identical, making the decision that much harder. Both devices are powered by the same A7 chipset found in the iPhone 5S, a dual core processor clocked at 1.3GHz with 1 GB RAM memory. The built in memory options start at 16GB, and can go up to 128GB. It is worth noting that there is no option for external memory space, so you should be careful what you buy. Both tablets run on iOS 7 from the box, with possible upgrades to iOS 7.1.2 and iOS 8.0.2. When it comes to connectivity, the devices support Bluetooth 4 and 4G.
Camera
Considering the fact that the first few generations of iPad had no camera included, even the 5-MP sensor found in the back is good enough. The camera is capable of taking snaps at 2592×1944 pixels and record 1080p videos at 30fps. This applies to both the devices. Their front facing camera is a 1.2-MP shooter.
Battery
While Apple's smartphones do not offer good battery life but when it comes to tablets it is a different story. iPads have a long history of excellent battery tests. The iPad Air is equipped with 8600 mAh battery, which can handle more than 10 hours of heavy usage with Wi-Fi turned on. The Mini 2 comes with a smaller battery, but the smaller screen requires less energy, resulting in a lifespan of the battery of more than 11 hours. Just for info, the capacity of the battery is set at 6470 mAh.
Price
The price for iPad Air starts at $ 650, which is a price for a 16 GB Wi-Fi model. The price goes up by approximately $ 110 every time you require more memory space. The basic version of the iPad Mini 2 is set at $ 520 with every additional upgrade costing approximately $ 110.
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