Alongside the new iPhones, Apple also renewed its lineup of iPad, including the affordable one. Despite retaining the older form factor, Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen brings a lot of optimization allowing for a better user experience. But for less money, you can now find another high-end tablet with the Android operating system and similar specifications: the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5. Is it able to replace the new iPad or you still get more by going for an Apple tablet? This is a comparison between Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen and the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 which will help you to find it out.

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen (2021) vs Xiaomi Mi Pad 5

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen 2021 Xiaomi Mi Pad 5
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 250.6 x 174.1 x 7.5 mm, 487 grams 254.7 x 166.3 x 6.9 mm, 511 g
DISPLAY  10.2 inches, 1620 x 2160p (Quad HD+), Retina IPS LCD 11 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), IPS LCD
PROCESSOR Apple A13 Bionic, octa-core 2.65 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 860, octa-core 2.96 GHz
MEMORY 3 GB RAM, 64 GB – 3 GB RAM, 256 GB 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 256 GB
SOFTWARE  iPadOS 15 Android 11, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY 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 8 MP f/2.4
12 MP f/2.4 front camera		 Single 13 MP f/2.0
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY 8557 mAh 8720 mAh, fast charging 33W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Optional LTE, stylus support, keyboard support Pen support, keyboard support

Design

With its aluminum back and aluminum frame, the Apple iPad 9th gen provides a better build quality than Xiaomi Mi Pad 5: it is sturdier and it also comes with a scratch-resistant and oleophobic glass. But if you are looking for the most beautiful design, then go for the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 without thinking twice. It has narrower bezels around the display and a higher screen to body ratio. That is the reason why, even though it has a wider panel, the dimensions are similar to the Apple iPad 9th gen. Further, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 is thinner as it is just 6.9-mm thick instead of 7.5 mm. Both the tablets support the stylus and the magnetic physical keyboard, but if you want to use the Apple Pencil with the iPad 9th gen, you must choose the old-generation one.

 

Display

Despite the image quality provided by the iPad 9th gen is excellent, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 has a more interesting display. It is an IPS panel, but it is able to show up to one billion colors. It supports the Dolby Vision standard and it has the HDR10 certification. Last but not least, it comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a Quad HD+ resolution. With a diagonal of 11 inches, it is even wider than the display of the iPad 9th gen. Thanks to an active digitizer, both displays can be used with a pen. Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 does not provide any advanced authentication method, while the iPad 9th gen has the Touch ID with a fingerprint scanner placed right below the display.

 

Specs & Software

Both Apple iPad 9th gen and Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 are equipped with a high-end hardware department. The Apple iPad 9th gen is fueled by the Apple A13 Bionic chipset that is the processor of the iPhone 11 series, paired with 3 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of native storage. Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 860 mobile platform which sits in the middle between Snapdragon 855+ and 865, paired with up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. On the software side, the iPad 9th gen is more advanced as a tablet thanks to iPadOS supporting more productivity-oriented features. Further, the better optimization of iPadOS allows the iPad 9th gen to provide better performance. However, both tablets can be used to run the most demanding games.

 

Camera

The Apple iPad 9th gen comes with a great 8 MP rear camera and an even better 12 MP front camera. The photo quality is very good if we consider other tablets, but not so great if we also bring smartphones in the comparison. The camera of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 is a sensor with a 13 MP resolution which is not able to reach the quality of the iPad 9th gen, but it records videos with a higher 4K resolution and it is paired with a dual-LED flash.

 

Battery

The battery of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 is slightly larger than the one found on the Apple iPad 9th gen, but the iPad lasts more on a single charge. On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 has a faster charging tech with a power of 33W.

 

Price

The iPad 9th gen has a starting price of €389/$451 in Europe, while you can find the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 for €299/$347 thanks to the best deals. Overall, the iPad is a more advanced tablet due to its operating system supporting more productivity features, and it wins this comparison, but Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 can let you save money.

 

 

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen (2021) vs Xiaomi Mi Pad 5: PRO and CONS

Apple iPad 10.2 9th gen

PRO

  • iPadOS 15
  • Great cameras
  • Longer battery life
  • eSIM
  • Optional LTE

CONS

  • Bezels

 

Xiaomi Mi Pad 5

PRO

  • Faster charging
  • Narrow bezels
  • Wider display
  • 4K video recording
  • More affordable
  • 120 Hz refresh rate

CONS

  • Nothing particular

 

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