iPad Air 2 vs. iPad mini 3: Tech Specs

BY Joe Rossignol

Published 16 Oct 2014

Just hours ago, Apple unveiled the latest two additions to its iPad lineup. The all-new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 have iterative new features over the tablets that came ahead of them, such as the addition of a Touch ID fingerprint scanner and gold color option. Ahead, we’ve prepared a side-by-side comparison of tech specs for iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.

We have already posted the full hardware specifications for both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in separate articles, but the chart below should make the results more easy to compare and help you decide which tablet is best for you. Keep in mind that the iPad mini 3 is virtually identical to the iPad mini 2, outside of Touch ID and the gold color option.

The complete list of tech specs for both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 are as follows:

	iPad Air 2	RELATED :Speed test: iPad Pro vs. every iPad ever released iPad mini 3
Models	Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular	Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular
Size	Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm) Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm) Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)	Height: 7.87 inches (200 mm) Width: 5.3 inches (134.7 mm) Depth: 0.29 inch (7.5 mm)
Weight	Weight (Wi‑Fi): 0.96 pounds (478 g) Weight (Wi‑Fi + Cellular): 0.98 pounds (444 g)	Weight (Wi‑Fi): 0.73 pounds (331 g) Weight (Wi‑Fi + Cellular): 0.75 pounds (341 g)
Display	Retina display 9.7‑inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 ppi Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating Fully laminated display Antireflective coating	Retina display 7.9‑inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology 2048-by-1536 resolution at 326 ppi Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Chip	A8X chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor	64-bit architecture, dual-core A7 chip M7 motion coprocessor
RAM	2GB (to be confirmed)	1GB (if the same as iPad mini 2)
iSight Camera	8MP photos Autofocus Improved Face detection Backside illumination Five-element lens Hybrid IR filter ƒ/2.4 aperture Tap to focus Exposure control Panorama (up to 43MP) Burst mode Photo and video geotagging Timer mode	5MP iSight camera Autofocus Face detection Backside illumination Five-element lens Hybrid IR filter ƒ/2.4 aperture Tap to focus video or still images Tap to control exposure for video or still images Photo and video geotagging HDR photos Timer mode Panorama
FaceTime Camera	1.2MP photos ƒ/2.2 aperture 720p HD video Auto HDR photos and videos FaceTime video calling over Wi‑Fi or cellular Improved face detection Burst mode Backside illumination Exposure Control Timer mode	1.2MP photos 720p HD video Face detection Backside illumination Tap to control exposure for video or still images Photo and video geotagging Panorama Timer mode
Video Recording	1080p HD (30fps) Slo-mo (120fps) Time-lapse video Video image stabilization Improved face detection 3x video zoom Video geotagging	1080p HD video recording Video stabilization Face detection Tap to focus while recording Backside illumination 3x video zoom Time-lapse video
Battery Capacity	27.3 Whr (mAh to be confirmed)	6,471 mAh (if the same as iPad mini 2)
Battery Life	Wi-Fi model: Up to 10 hours of surﬁng the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system Wi-Fi+Cellular model: Up to 10 hours of surﬁng the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music Up to 9 hours of surﬁng the web using cellular data network Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system	Wi-Fi model: Built-in 23.8-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system Wi-Fi + Cellular model: Built-in 23.8-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
Wireless	Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n; 802.11n on 2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO Bluetooth 4.0 technology	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO Bluetooth 4.0 technology
Cellular	UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz) LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)	UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz) LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26) Data only Includes Apple SIM — U.S. and UK only
Sensors	Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Touch ID Barometer	Three-axis gyro Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Touch ID
Connector	Lightning	Lightning
Colors	Silver, Space Gray, Gold	Silver, Space Gray, Gold

The main features of the iPad Air 2 are a Retina display with second-generation 64-bit architecture based on the improved Apple A8X processor and M8 motion processor, in addition to a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, gold color option, ultra-thin 6.1mm design, improved 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera and more.

Meanwhile, the iPad mini 3 is very much on the back burner for Apple as the Cupertino-based company made no improvements to the design or hardware specifications of the tablet. It remains to be seen if customers will be overly interested in the latest iPad mini, given that its only additions are a Touch ID fingerprint scanner and fancy gold color.

Which tablet do you prefer: the iPad Air or iPad mini?

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