Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) vs Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

68 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.9
VS
67 out 100
Apple iPad mini 8.3
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 10.9 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021), Manufactured in September, 2021with chipsetApple A15 Bionic. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
  • Larger display: 10.9in
  • Higher battery capacity: 7606mAh vs 5177mAh
Reasons to choose Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
  • Higher pixel density: 327ppi
  • Lighter design: 293g vs 458g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
vs
iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 10.9 in 8.3 in
Resolution 1640x2360 pixels 1488x2266 pixels
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Pixel density 264 ppi 327 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 500 nits 500 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 80.1 % 77.8 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
484 nits
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
439 nits
sRGB gamut99.3 %99.6 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a178600 Hz
Response time36 ms32 ms
Contrast1305:11133:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 247.6 mm (9.75 in) 195.4 mm (7.69 in)
Width 178.5 mm (7.03 in) 134.8 mm (5.31 in)
Thickness 6.1 mm (0.24 in) 6.3 mm (0.25 in)
Weight 458 g (16.16 oz) 293 g (10.34 oz)
Area 442 cm² (68.51 in²) 263 cm² (40.77 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Rose Gold		 - Gray
- Pink
- Purple
- Yellow
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
80.1 %
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
77.8 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A15 Bionic
Max Frequency 3000 MHz 2930 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)		 - 4/2.02 (Blizzard)
- 2/3.23 (Avalanche)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Apple A15 GPU
GPU Cores 256 640
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1338 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 1712.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
2161
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
2148
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
5121
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
5541
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)21612148
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)51215541
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
1049395
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
1299059
CPU314838309910
GPU370516432105
Memory154798243964
UX209243313105
NanoReview Score10493951299059
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
8602
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
9334
Max Surface Temp.37.6 °C40.3 °C
Stability94 %88 %
Graphics Test51 fps55 fps
Graphics Score86029334
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 15 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)

Battery

Volume 7606 mAh 5177 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 20 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes (50% in 40 min)
Full Charge Time 2:10 h 1:30 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
27:28
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
23:42
Web Browsing09:35 h08:29 h
Video Playback13:46 h12:30 h
Games06:51 h04:57 h
Standby Mode158 h134 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Flash No Quad LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 12 MP
Features Bokeh effect Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Sensor size1/3.0"n/a
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 12 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.4
Focal length 31 mm n/a
Sensor n/a CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzn/a
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66/B71)
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
86.3 dB
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (6th Gen, 2021)
74.7 dB

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced September, 2020 yr September, 2021 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr September, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 599 499
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 20 W Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

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