Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) - Which is better?

Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024) vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

76 out 100
Apple iPad mini 8.3
VS
68 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.9
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024) Manufactured in October, 2024, with display 8.3 with chipsetApple A17 Pro, vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020), Manufactured in October, 2020with chipsetApple A14 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 mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
  • Higher pixel density: 327ppi
  • Lighter design: 293g vs 458g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
  • Larger display: 10.9in
  • Higher battery capacity: 7606mAh vs 5078mAh
  • Includes charger

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
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 mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
vs
iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 8.3 in 10.9 in
Resolution 1488x2266 pixels 1640x2360 pixels
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Pixel density 327 ppi 264 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 77.8 % 80.1 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
506 nits
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
484 nits
sRGB gamut99.4 %99.3 %
Response time35 ms36 ms
Contrast1221:11305:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 195.4 mm (7.69 in) 247.6 mm (9.75 in)
Width 134.8 mm (5.31 in) 178.5 mm (7.03 in)
Thickness 6.3 mm (0.25 in) 6.1 mm (0.24 in)
Weight 293 g (10.34 oz) 458 g (16.16 oz)
Area 263 cm² (40.77 in²) 442 cm² (68.51 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- Purple		 - Silver
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Rose Gold
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
77.8 %
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
80.1 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A17 Pro Apple A14 Bionic
Max Frequency 3780 MHz 3000 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2.11 (Sawtooth)
- 2/3.78 (Everest)		 - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 3 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A17 GPU Apple A14 GPU
GPU Cores 768 256
GPU Frequency 1398 MHz 1278 MHz
FLOPS 2147.2 GFLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
2954
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
2161
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
7317
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
5121
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)29542161
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)73175121
Geekbench Compute (GPU)25964n/a
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
1537276
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
1049395
CPU400415314838
GPU486263370516
Memory300504154798
UX350094209243
NanoReview Score15372761049395
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
n/a
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
8602
Max Surface Temp.n/a37.6 °C
Stabilityn/a94 %
Graphics Testn/a51 fps
Graphics Scoren/a8602
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency n/a 2133 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 18 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)
OS Size 14 GB n/a

Battery

Volume 5078 mAh 7606 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 30 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (80% in 75 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:00 h 2:10 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
23:59
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
27:28
Web Browsing08:28 h09:35 h
Video Playback12:53 h13:46 h
Games05:07 h06:51 h
Standby Mode135 h158 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Flash Quad LED No
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
- Pro mode		 Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Sensor sizen/a1/3.0"
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 7 MP
Matrix 4032x3024 pixels 3472x2063 pixels
Aperture f/2.4 f/2.0
Focal length n/a 31 mm
Sensor CMOS n/a
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 6E (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 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*n/a1
SIM TypeeSIMNano
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G Bandsn/aGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
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/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B66/B71)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)
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad mini 8.3" (7th Gen, 2024)
82.9 dB
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
86.3 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced October, 2024 yr September, 2020 yr
Release Date October, 2024 yr October, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 599
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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