Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) vs Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro)
The short answer
- Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro) is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 82,900 against INR 89,900.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
₹89,900launch price
|
 Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro)
₹82,900launch price
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Bottom quarter ₹70k–1L | Not yet assessed |
| Spec index | 7.8 / 10 | — |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 12GB | — |
| Processor | Apple M4 chip | Apple A20 Pro (2nm), up to 6-core CPU with 7-core GPU |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Wide camera, f/1.8 aperture | 12MP Wide, f/1.8 |
| Front Camera | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, f/2.0 aperture | 12MP Center Stage, f/2.0, on the landscape edge |
| Battery | Built-in 28.93-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery | 18.9 watt-hour lithium-polymer |
| Display | 11-inch Liquid Retina display, 2360-by-1640 pixels at 264 ppi | 8.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 2316 x 1512 |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | 11 March 2026 | Announced 26 October 2026; pre-orders from 28 October 2026; on sale 6 November 2026 |
| Operating System | iPadOS | iPadOS 27 |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Apple M4 chip | Apple A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometre process; 16-core Neural Engine (dual 16-core Neural Engine on the 512GB model) |
| CPU | 8-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 5 efficiency cores | 5-core (2 super cores, 3 efficiency cores) on 128GB and 256GB models; 6-core (2 super cores, 4 efficiency cores) on the 512GB model |
| Graphics | 9-core GPU | 7-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core; hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| RAM | 12GB | — |
| Fabrication | — | 2 nm |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit Multi-Touch with IPS technology | Super Retina XDR OLED, fully laminated, wide colour (P3), True Tone, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio |
| Screen Size | 11 inches; 10.86 inches when measured diagonally as a rectangle | 8.5 inches (measured diagonally as a rectangle; actual viewable area is less) |
| Resolution | 2360-by-1640-pixel resolution at 264 ppi | 2316 x 1512 pixels |
| Screen Protection | Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, antireflective coating, fully laminated | Antireflective coating and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating; nano-texture display glass option on 256GB and 512GB models |
| Touch Screen | Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C), Apple Pencil hover | Yes |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits maximum SDR; 600 nits maximum full-screen XDR; 1,200 nits peak HDR; 1 nit minimum |
| Pixel Density | — | 326 ppi |
| Bezel-less display | — | No; bezels are 24% thinner than the previous generation |
| HDR 10 / HDR+ support | — | Yes, Super Retina XDR high dynamic range, 1,200 nits peak for HDR content |
| Design | ||
| Height | 9.74 inches (247.6 mm) | 195.3 mm (7.69 in) |
| Width | 7.02 inches (178.5 mm) | 132.6 mm (5.22 in) |
| Thickness | 0.24 inch (6.1 mm) | 5.4 mm (0.21 in) |
| Weight | 1.02 pounds (464 grams) | 255 g (0.56 lb) Wi-Fi; 263 g (0.58 lb) Wi-Fi + Cellular |
| Colours | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray | Midnight, Starlight |
| Build Material | — | Aluminium enclosure, made with 100% recycled aluminium |
| Waterproof | — | IP67 under IEC 60529 (maximum depth of 1 metre for up to 30 minutes) |
| Main Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | 12MP Wide camera, f/1.8 aperture | Single rear camera |
| Autofocus | Autofocus with Focus Pixels | Yes, autofocus with Focus Pixels |
| OIS | No | No |
| Flash | No rear flash | Adaptive True Tone flash |
| Settings | Photos captured as HEIF and JPEG; video captured as HEVC and H.264 | — |
| Camera Features | Digital zoom up to 5x; Smart HDR 4; Up to 63MP | Smart HDR 4, five-element lens, digital zoom up to 5x |
| Video Recording | 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p HD at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p HD at 30 fps | 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps |
| Video Recording Features | 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps | Cinematic video stabilisation at 4K, 1080p and 720p; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; HEVC and H.264 recording |
| Resolution | — | 12MP Wide, f/1.8 |
| Image Resolution | — | Panorama up to 63MP; HEIF and JPEG formats |
| Shooting Modes | — | Photo, Panorama (up to 63MP), Slo-mo |
| Front Camera | ||
| Camera Setup | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, f/2.0 aperture | Single, landscape-edge Center Stage camera |
| Flash | Retina Flash with True Tone | Retina Flash with True Tone |
| Camera Features | Smart HDR 4; Center Stage; wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos; lens correction; burst mode | Center Stage, Smart HDR 4 |
| Video Recording | 1080p HD at 25, 30 or 60 fps | 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; cinematic stabilisation at 1080p and 720p; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps |
| Resolution | — | 12MP, f/2.0 |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | Built-in 28.93-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery | 18.9 watt-hour |
| Talktime | Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video | — |
| Standby Time | Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using a cellular data network | — |
| Wireless Charging | No | — |
| Quick Charging | Via power adapter or USB-C to computer system | Yes, up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 35W or higher USB-C power adapter (sold separately) |
| Type | — | Built-in lithium-polymer, rechargeable |
| Removable | — | No |
| USB Type-C | — | Yes |
| Storage | ||
| Internal Memory | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB; 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB or 512GB |
| Expandable Memory | No card slot | No |
| Network & Connectivity | ||
| SIM Slot(s) | eSIM only; not compatible with physical SIM cards | eSIM only; not compatible with physical SIM cards |
| Network Support | 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO | Wi-Fi + Cellular models: Apple C2 modem, 5G sub-6GHz with 4x4 MIMO and Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; data-only plans and Wi-Fi calling supported |
| VoLTE | No | — |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO, simultaneous dual band | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO, simultaneous dual band |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 6 |
| GPS | Digital compass, Wi-Fi and iBeacon microlocation on all models; GPS/GNSS and cellular on Wi-Fi + Cellular models | Digital compass, Wi-Fi and iBeacon microlocation on all models; GPS/GNSS and cellular location on Wi-Fi + Cellular models |
| USB Connectivity | USB-C port with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 up to 10Gb/s | USB-C connector with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); supports one external display up to 4K at 60Hz |
| SIM Size | — | eSIM (no physical SIM tray) |
| 5G Bands | — | n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79 (model A3596) |
| 4G Bands | — | FDD-LTE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71, 106; TD-LTE 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48 (model A3596) |
| 3G Bands | — | UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900 and 2100 MHz (model A3596) |
| Wi-Fi Features | — | Apple N1 wireless chip; Thread support |
| Multimedia | ||
| Loudspeaker | No | Yes |
| Stereo Speaker | — | No |
| Audio Jack | — | No |
| Audio Features | — | Acoustic Display audio system with woofers coupled through the display and custom tweeters; dual microphones for calls, video recording and audio recording |
| Sensors | ||
| Other Sensors | Touch ID: Yes, in the top button; Gyroscope: Three-axis gyro; Accelerometer: Yes; Barometer: Yes; Ambient light: Ambient light sensor; Face ID: Not supported | Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor |
| Fingerprint Sensor | — | No |
| Fingerprint Sensor Position | — | Top button |