vs
Comparison winner
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43 facts in comparison

Apple iPad mini (2024) vs Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

DesignDisplayPerformanceBatteryCamerasProductivity & connectivitySensors

Tap a category to see which one wins it.

65Points
87Points

Why is Apple iPad Air 13 (2025) better than Apple iPad mini (2024)?

  • 0.2 mm less Thickness ?6.1 mm vs 6.3 mm
  • 4.7 " more Screen size ?13 " vs 8.3 "
  • 466 px more Resolution ?2,732 px vs 2,266 px
  • 100 nits more Peak brightness ?600 nits vs 500 nits
  • 4,627 mAh more Battery capacity ?9,705 mAh vs 5,078 mAh
  • 17.29 W more Wired charging ?36.59 W vs 19.3 W
  • 0.4 f/ less Front camera aperture ?2 f/ vs 2.4 f/
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What matters to you?

Drag the sliders to weight each category and re-rank the products to suit your priorities.

Design
Display
Performance
Battery
Cameras
Productivity & connectivity
Your ranking
Apple iPad mini (2024)Your pick63
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)Your pick89

Score breakdown

Design
Apple iPad mini (2024)71
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)43
Display
Apple iPad mini (2024)38
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)85
Performance
Apple iPad mini (2024)100
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)100
Battery
Apple iPad mini (2024)14
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)100
Cameras
Apple iPad mini (2024)100
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)100
Productivity & connectivity
Apple iPad mini (2024)100
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)100
Sensors
Apple iPad mini (2024)0
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)0

Design

Weight ?
293 g
616 g

A lighter tablet is more comfortable to hold.

Thickness ?
6.3 mm
6.1 mm

A thinner tablet is easier to carry.

Build material ?
Glass front
Glass front

The frame and back materials of the device.

Biometric unlock ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Unlock with a fingerprint or face scan.

Colors ?
Space Gray, Blue, Purple, Starlight
Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Blue

The colour options the tablet is sold in.

Display

Screen size ?
8.3 "
13 "

A larger screen is better for media and productivity.

Resolution ?
2,266 px
2,732 px

The vertical pixel count; higher is sharper.

Pixel density ?
327 ppi
264 ppi

More pixels per inch produce crisper text and images.

Refresh rate ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

A higher refresh rate produces smoother motion and scrolling.

Peak brightness ?
500 nits
600 nits

Higher peak brightness is easier to read in bright light.

Panel type ?
Liquid Retina IPS LCD
Liquid Retina IPS LCD

The underlying panel technology (e.g. OLED, IPS).

OLED display ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

OLED panels offer deeper blacks and better contrast than LCD.

Laminated display ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

A laminated screen reduces glare and stylus parallax.

Contrast ratio ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

The ratio between the brightest white and darkest black.

Performance

Chipset ?
Apple A17 Pro (3 nm)
Apple M3

The system-on-chip that powers the device.

RAM ?
8 GB
8 GB

More RAM keeps more apps running smoothly at once.

Internal storage ?
128 GB
128 GB

More storage holds more apps, media and files.

Storage type ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

The storage standard (e.g. UFS 4.0); newer is faster.

Expandable storage (microSD) ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Storage can be expanded with a memory card.

AnTuTu benchmark ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

A synthetic score estimating overall performance.

Geekbench multi-core ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

Multi-core CPU benchmark score; higher is faster.

Geekbench single-core ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

Single-core CPU benchmark score; higher is faster.

RAM type ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

The memory standard (e.g. LPDDR5X); newer is faster.

Battery

Battery capacity ?
5,078 mAh
9,705 mAh

A larger battery generally lasts longer between charges.

Battery life ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad mini (2024))
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2025))

Estimated hours of mixed use on a charge.

Wired charging ?
19.3 W
36.59 W

Higher wattage charges the battery faster.

USB-C ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

A reversible, widely compatible charging and data port.

Battery type ?
Li-Ion
Li-Po

The battery chemistry (e.g. Li-Po, Li-Ion).

Cameras

Rear camera ?
12 MP
12 MP

A higher megapixel count can capture more detail.

Front camera ?
12 MP
12 MP

A higher resolution front camera improves video calls.

Records 4K video ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Captures high-resolution 4K footage.

Front camera aperture ?
2.4 f/
2 f/

A lower f-number lets in more light for video calls.

Productivity & connectivity

Stylus support ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Works with an active stylus for notes and drawing.

Keyboard support ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Pairs with a dedicated keyboard accessory.

5G support ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Connects to fast 5G mobile networks on the go.

Wi-Fi standard ?
Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi 6E

The Wi-Fi generation supported; later is faster.

Stereo speakers ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Multiple speakers deliver richer, more immersive sound.

Bluetooth version ?
5.3
5.3

A newer Bluetooth version improves range and efficiency.

NFC ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Enables contactless pairing and payments.

Operating system ?
iPadOS 18
iPadOS 18.3.2

The software platform the device runs.

Sensors

Accelerometer ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Detects motion and orientation for auto-rotate.

Gyroscope ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

Senses rotation for gaming and photography.

Compass ?
Apple iPad mini (2024)
Apple iPad Air 13 (2025)

A magnetometer for navigation and maps.

The bottom line

The Apple iPad Air 13 (2025) is the clear winner, scoring 87 to 65 on our VS Score. It leads on Display and Battery. The Apple iPad mini (2024) answers back with stronger Design. Pick the Apple iPad Air 13 (2025) unless Design matters most to you — then the Apple iPad mini (2024) is the smarter buy.

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