Instead of the iPhone 12 lineup, during its first event held in September, Apple launched the new iPad Air 4 and iPad 10.2 8th gen. The iPad Air 4 just went on pre-orders and, according to benchmarks, it has even higher performance than the iPhone 12. But, if we exclude the iPad Pro targeted at professional users, the iPad Air 4 is the most expensive Apple tablet. Is it worth spending more on such a device or cheaper tablets like iPad 10.2 8th gen and iPad Mini 5 make more sense for your needs? This is a specs comparison between iPad Air 4 and other affordable Apple iPads which should let you find out.
Apple iPad Air 4 vs Apple iPad 10.2 8th gen vs Apple iPad Mini 5
| Apple iPad Air 4 | Apple iPad 10.2 8th gen | Apple iPad Mini 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm, 458 g | 250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5 mm, 490 g | 203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1 mm, 300 g |
| DISPLAY | 10.9 inches, 1640 x 2360p (Quad HD+), Liquid Retina IPS LCD | 10.2 inches, 1620 x 2160p (Quad HD+), Retina IPS LCD | 7.9 inches, 1536 x 2048p (Quad HD+), IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz | Apple A12 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz | Apple A12 Bionic, octa-core 2.5 GHz |
| MEMORY | 64 GB – 256 GB | 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 3 GB RAM, 128 GB | 3 GB RAM, 64 GB – 3 GB RAM, 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | iPadOS 14 | iPadOS 14 | iOS 12 (upgradable to iPadOS) |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Single 12 MP f/1.8 7 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Single 8 MP f/2.4 1.2 MP f/2.2 front camera |
8 MP f/2.4 7 MP f/2.2 front camera |
| BATTERY | 28.6 Wh | 32.4 Wh | 19.1 Wh |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Optional LTE, Pen support, keyboard support | Optional LTE, Pen support | Optional LTE, Pen support |
Design
You can see it even at first glance: the iPad Air 4 is the tablet with the most stunning design. Thanks to its very narrow bezels around the display, it is very elegant and futuristic. So, if you want the iPad with the best look, you know what to choose. Instead, if you need the most compact and lightweight tablet, go for the iPad Mini 5: thanks to its smaller display, it comes with smaller dimensions. Note that the iPad Air 4 also supports the keyboard and it turns into a mini-laptop. Despite its wider display, it has similar dimensions to the iPad 10.2 8th gen.
Display
The most advanced display is on board of the iPad Air 2020: it is a Liquid Retina IPS LCD panel with a 500 nit brightness and very high resolution (1640 x 2360 pixels). It is a wider display and it has the widest color gamut, as well as the True Tone technology and full lamination. Right after, we got the iPad 10.2 8th gen: unfortunately, you do not get full lamination, but it is still a pretty nice panel. Even the iPad Mini 5 is nice, but if you want the best multimedia tablet, the iPad Air 2020 has no rivals but the iPad Pro.
Hardware/Software
The iPad Air 4 has the most powerful chipset ever seen on a tablet launched by Apple to date. We are talking about the Apple A14 Bionic: the first SoC built at 5 nm and the same chipset as the iPhone 12. But the iPad Air 2020 actually provides even better performance than iPhone 12 because the Apple A14 clock is limited on the iPhone 12. In order to get a device that can beat the iPad Air 4, you have to consider the iPhone 12 Pro or the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both the iPad Mini 5 and the iPad 10.2 8th gen are fueled by the Apple A12 Bionic chipset, but there is a difference: iPad 10.2 8th gen ships with iPadOS 14 out of the box, while the iPad Mini 5 ships with iOS 12. So, expect longer software support with the iPad 10.2 8th gen.
Camera
The Apple iPad Air 4 has a way better rear camera than iPad 10.2 8th gen and iPad Mini 5. We are talking about a 12 MP rear camera which is actually the same sensor as the latest iPhones, but it is not supported by any secondary sensor and it does not come with OIS. The camera is able to record 4K videos at 60 fps and 1080p videos up to 240 fps. The iPad Mini 5 and the iPad 10.2 8th gen sport the same 8 MP rear camera, but the front camera is better on the iPad Mini 5 (7 MP vs 1.2 MP).
Battery
Unfortunately, we did not test the battery life of the iPad Air 4. iPad Mini 5 has a smaller battery than its siblings. It will be a hard fight between iPad Air 4 and iPad 10.2 8th gen. According to Apple, they both last up to 10 hours (multimedia).
Price
Apple iPad Mini 5 is actually priced less than €400/$350, iPad 10.2 8th gen costs €370/$329, and iPad Air 4 has a €640/$599 starting price. Unless you need a very compact tablet, it does not make too many sense to go for an iPad Mini 5 with the iPad 10.2 8th gen around. The iPad Air 4 wins the comparison under every point of view, but it is way more expensive.
Apple iPad Air 4 vs Apple iPad 10.2 8th gen vs Apple iPad Mini 5: PRO and CONS
Apple iPad Air 4
PROS
- Best design
- Keyboard support
- Best hardware
- Best camera
CONS
- Price
Apple iPad 10.2 8th gen
PROS
- Good price
- Bigger battery
- Ships with iPadOS 14 (unlike iPad Mini 5)
CONS
- Inferior cameras
Apple iPad Mini 5
PROS
- Compact design
- Lightweight
- Good front camera
- Good street prices
CONS
- Old iOS version out of the box
