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iPad Air, iPad Mini (Retina) specs vs. iPad 4, iPad Mini specs

Trying to determine if the new iPads are worth an upgrade? Our handy charts will clearly show the differences between the new tablets and last year's models.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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Jessica Dolcourt
Eric Franklin
3 min read
The new iPads have a lot more in common with each other than you may think. CNET

Apple's pair of refreshed tablets -- the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display -- have a lot more in common with each other than you may think.

The Air completely replaces last year's fourth-generation iPad, its most relevant new features being the faster A7 processor, a new iPad Mini-inspired design, and coming in at a light 1 pound.

Clearly, the second-generation Mini got more elbow grease out of the two. It receives a higher-resolution Retina Display, which ups the pixel density by quite a bit. It also benefits from Apple undercutting the original Mini with the now ancient -- by CPU standards -- A5 chip. As a result, the new Mini gets a healthy upgrade with the A7 processor, but it doesn't come cheap. The new starting price for the Retina Mini is $70 more than the original price of the Mini and $100 more than the Mini's new $299 -- for 16GB -- price.

The following charts should help better illustrate what's new and what's changed from last year's iPad crop to this year's reboots.

iPad Air iPad 4
Wi-Fi capacity and price 16GB ($499), 32GB ($599), 64GB ($699), 128GB ($799) 16GB ($499), 32GB ($599), 64GB ($699), 128GB ($799)
Wi-Fi and cellular 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), 64GB ($829), 128GB ($929) 16GB ($629), 32GB ($729), 64GB ($829), 128GB ($929)
Colors and material Silver, space gray; aluminum Black, white; aluminum
Dimensions 9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29 inches 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.37 inches
Weight 1 pound (Wi-Fi);
1.05 pounds (cellular)
1.44 pounds (Wi-Fi);
1.46 pounds (cellular)
Display 9.7 inch IPS;
2,048x1,536 pixels (264ppi)
9.7 inch IPS;
2,048x1,536 pixels (264ppi)
Processor A7 chip (64-bit architecture);
M7 motion coprocessor
Dual-core A6X chip
GPU Unconfirmed Quad-core PowerVR SGX554MP4
Rear camera 5-megapixel camera;
1080p HD video
5-megapixel camera;
1080p HD video
Front-facing camera 1.2-megapixel;
720p HD
1.2-megapixel;
720p HD
RAM Unconfirmed 1GB
Battery life Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi, 9 hours cellular Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi, 9 hours cellular
SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM
Connector Lightning Lightning

iPad Air hands-on (pictures)

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iPad Mini with Retina Display iPad Mini
Wi-Fi capacity and price 16GB ($399), 32GB ($499), 64GB ($599), 128GB ($699)
16GB ($329), 32GB ($429), 64GB ($529)
Cellular and price 16GB ($529), 32GB ($629), 64GB ($729), 128GB ($829)
16GB ($459), 32GB ($559), 64GB ($659)
Colors and material Space gray, silver; aluminum Black, white; aluminum
Dimensions 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28 inches 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28 inches
Weight 0.68 pound (Wi-Fi);
0.69 pound (cellular)
0.73 pound (Wi-Fi);
0.75 pound (cellular)
Display 7.9-inch IPS;
2,048x1,536 pixels (326ppi)
7.9-inch IPS;
1,024x768 pixels (163ppi)
Processor A7 chip (64-bit architecture);
M7 motion coprocessor
Dual-core A5 chip
GPU Unconfirmed Dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2
Rear camera 5-megapixel camera;
1080p HD video
5-megapixel camera;
1080p HD video
Front-facing camera 1.2-megapixel;
720p HD
1.2-megapixel;
720p HD
RAM Unconfirmed 1GB
Battery life Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi, 9 hours cellular Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi and cellular
SIM Micro-SIM Micro-SIM
Connector Lightning Lightning

Apple's crisp and clear iPad Mini with Retina Display (pictures)

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