iPad mini vs iPad: bigger isn’t always better

If you are looking for a new iPad, or even a first iPad, you might be enticed by the iPad Pro or iPad Air, with their Mac-standard chips and impressive graphics offerings, but if your budget doesn’t stretch beyond $500/£500 there are options that aren’t that far below the iPad Pro and iPad Air. The iPad mini and the standard iPad are more than enough iPad for most people and represent a saving of up to $250 on the price of the cheapest iPad Air.

Having decided to save money and buy one of the cheaper iPad models the next aspect of the decision is whether to sacrifice size for power and choose the iPad mini, or sacrifice power for size and choose the iPad.

That’s the crux of this article. Here we will weigh up the pros and cons of the iPads at the cheaper end of Apple’s price scale: currently the 11th-gen iPad model, known officially as iPad (A16), and the iPad mini (A17 Pro).

These are surprisingly different devices. On one side we have the iPad mini with it’s 8.3-inch screen and a newer and more powerful, Apple Intelligence-capable, chip, and on the other we have the bigger, iPad with its 11-inch screen, but less powerful A16 chip. Should you choose the pocket rocket iPad mini (A17 Pro) or the standard size iPad (A16)? Here’s everything you need to know when making this decision.

Size: How big is the iPad, how big is iPad mini?

As one of the primary distinctions between these two models is their dimensions, it makes sense to start there. Here’s how the two compare:

Dimensions:

• iPad (A16, 11th Gen): 9.79-inches (248.6mm) x 7.07-inches (179.5mm) x 0.28-inches (7mm)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro): 7.69-inches (195.4mm) x 5.3-inches (134.8mm) x 0.25mm (6.3mm)

Weight:

• iPad (A16, 11th Gen): Wi-Fi – 1.05lbs (477g), Wi-Fi & Cellular – 1.06lbs (481g)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro): Wi-Fi – 0.65 (293g), Wi-Fi & Cellular – 0.66lbs (297g)

As you can see, the standard iPad is quite a bit taller, wider and heavier than its more diminutive sibling. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your viewpoint.

The larger variant houses a more sizeable display which might be preferable for watching movies, editing images and video, writing emails and anything you might have done on a laptop.

Conversely, the iPad mini is a very compact and portable device which works really well as a digital notepad, e-reader, portable gaming device, and general companion that you can put in a small bag or large pocket. It’s diminutive dimensions may also be better suited to children.

It all comes down to whether you want your iPad to be bigger or more portable. 

iPad mini vs iPad: Design and Colors

Although they may be quite different in size, the design approach to both the iPad and the iPad mini is very similar. Both sport an aluminum chassis, a front panel surrounded by slim bezels that houses the FaceTime camera, landscape stereo speakers, Touch ID in the power button. You’ll also find the same 12Mp wide camera on the rear, and USB-C charging ports at the bottom.

The color-schemes for these iPads are a little different, with the mini offered in Space Grey, Blue, Purple, and Starlight.

The iPad (A16, 11th Gen) sports more playful hues, with the Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Silver liveries being more vibrant and fun.

Another less noticeable difference is that the larger iPad features the landscape positioning of the FaceTime camera, while the forward-facing iPad mini still has its camera in the portrait position.

The landscape orientation of the camera makes it a better option for video calls, which are usually made with the iPad in landscape mode, although both iPads offer Center Stage, which keeps you in the middle of the frame during a FaceTime call.

iPad mini vs iPad: Screen

The bigger size of the iPad means that you also get a larger screen, with the 11-inch Liquid Retina Display offering more visual real estate than the compact 8.3-inch panel on the mini. Actually, it’s not actually 11-inches: the so called 11-inch iPad display is 10.86-inches, but that’s near enough to 11-inches for Apple (the 11-inch iPad Air is also 10.86-inches).

Both screens offer a maximum brightness of 500 nits and feature Apple’s True Tone technology that automatically adjusts the color and intensity of the display to make it the most comfortable to read in your current environment.

However, if the quality of the display is what matters to you, the iPad mini display is superior. The iPad mini display is a sharper, with a 2,266 x 1,488 resolution that works out to 326ppi (pixels-per-inch), whereas the standard iPad has a 2,360 x 1,640 panel with a lower ppi of 264. The mini also boasts Wide color (P3) which means it can display a wider range of colors than sRGB on the standard iPad.

The other advantage of the display on the iPad mini is that it is fully laminated (meaning there isn’t the air-gap between the glass and the digital panel that you’ll find on the standard iPad), plus it comes with an anti-reflective coating to make it a little easier to use in brighter environments. 

iPad mini vs iPad: Apple Pencil compatibility

If you’re thinking of using an Apple Pencil with your iPad, then there are some important differences.

The iPad (A16, 11th Gen) display supports the original Apple Pencil (1st Gen) and the newer Apple Pencil (USB-C). So it will be great for doodling, note-taking, and using the Pencil to navigate the system. The 1st generation Apple Pencil does support pressure sensitivity which the USB-C Pencil doesn’t, which is one benefit.

The iPad mini also works with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) but is also compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, which has advanced features like Apple Pencil Hover that make it better for more advanced users that intend to work with graphical design software and art packages.  Apple Pencil Pro also supports pressure sensitivity, unlike the USB-C Pencil.

Find out which Apple pencil works with your iPad.

There are also keyboards cases designed to work with the standard iPad that won’t be compatible with the iPad mini. However, there is nothing to stop you from using a standard Bluetooth keyboard with an iPad mini.

iPad mini vs iPad: Specs

In terms of specs there are more differences than similarities.

The most notable difference is that the iPad mini is powered by a newer Apple processor. The A17 Pro inside the iPad mini comes equipped with a 6-core CPU (2x performance, 4x efficiency), a 5-core GPU and the 16-core Neural Engine. This allows the mini to offer Apple Intelligence, the new AI-tools that Apple is using as a main selling point for its latest devices. 

The iPad on the other hand features an older A16 chip with 5-core CPU (2x performance, 3x efficiency), 4-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. Crucially the A16 is not capable of supporting Apple Intelligence. It is a baffling decision on the part of Apple that the 2025 iPad doesn’t support Apple’s newest technology. Read about Apple Intelligence and what it offers.

Another benefit of the iPad mini is that it offers Wi-Fi 6E while the iPad offers Wi-Fi 6, 6E has a ‘fast lane’ and offers faster speeds and lower latency.

Both iPads offer 5G (in the cellular models) and the identical storage options of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB.   

Here’s a breakdown of the main specifications for the iPad and iPad mini:

	iPad mini (A17 Pro, 2024)	iPad (A16, 11th gen)
Colors	Blue, Purple, Space Gray, Starlight	Blue, Pink, Silver, Yellow
Screen size	8.3 inches	11 inches
Display	Liquid Retina display (2266‑by‑1488 resolution, at 326 ppi), 500 nits max, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, fully laminated display, antireflective coating, wide color (P3)	Liquid Retina display (2360‑by‑1640 resolution, at 264 ppi), 500 nits max, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, sRGB
Security	Touch ID on top button (no Home button)	Touch ID on top button (no Home button)
Dimensions & weight	7.69 x 5.3 x .25 inches, .65 pounds	9.79 x 7.07 x .28 inches, 1.05 pounds
	195.4 x 134.8 x 6.2mm, 293g	248.6 x 179.5 x 7mm, 477g
Processor	A17 Pro	A16
Storage options	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Rear camera	12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 aperture, five-element lens, True Tone flash, Smart HDR 4	12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 aperture, five-element lens, Smart HDR 4
Front camera	12MP Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Center Stage, Smart HDR 4	12MP Landscape Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Center Stage, landscape orientation, Smart HDR 4
Video	4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps; slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps	4K video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps; extended dynamic range for video up to 30 fps; slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
Charging	USB-C	USB-C
Apple accessory support	Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil Pro	Magic Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil 1, Apple Pencil  (1st Gen)
Battery life	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Bluetooth/Wi-Fi	Bluetooth 5.3, Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO	Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6
Cellular support	5G	5G

iPad mini vs iPad: Battery life

Battery life is listed as the same on both devices, with Apple promising up to 10 hours of surfing the web or watching video content. 

When we reviewed the iPad mini (A17 Pro) we ran a video that was saved to the iPad mini’s SSD on a loop, with the display set to 200 nits, and the battery eventually ran out after 9 hours and 57 minutes, matching Apple’s claim. We’ll run the same tests on the iPad (A17) and expect similar results.

iPad mini vs iPad: Price

The iPad (A16, 11th Gen) is currently the cheapest iPad in the Apple catalog, available at the following prices:

iPad (A16, 11th Gen) Wi-Fi: 

• 128GB – $349/£349
• 256GB – $449/£449
• 512GB – $649/£649

iPad (A16, 11th Gen) Wi-Fi & Cellular:

• 128GB – $499/£499
• 256GB – $599/£599
• 512GB – $649/£649

See our round up of the best iPad (A16) deals.

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) is more expensive and is available in the following tiers:

iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi: 

• 128GB – $499/£499
• 256GB – $599/£599
• 512GB – $799/£799

iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi & Cellular: 

• 128GB: $649/£649
• 256GB: $749/£749
• 512GB: $949/£949

See our round up of the best iPad mini (A17 Pro) deals.

Which iPad is best? iPad vs iPad mini

When it comes to specs there are some surprising differences between to the two devices. There are a few higher-grade components in the iPad mini – a display that’s sharper and more colorful, a superior processor, Apple Intelligence, and support for Apple Pencil Pro. But in terms of everyday performance both will get the job done. 

So, the size of display does become an important factor. If you’re older and find that your eyes aren’t quite as keen as they once were, then the larger format might be more comfortable to use. Also, if you want to use the iPad as an ersatz laptop, then again the form factor of the standard iPad could be better suited to working on documents and spreadsheets. It’s worth noting that the standard iPad is compatible with Apple’s Magic Folio Keyboard, while the mini will make-do with any Bluetooth keyboard, so if peripherals are important then there’s that to consider.

Smaller children might find the mini is better suited to their tiny hands, although it is a more expensive device to put in their hands, so again there’s a balance to be struck. If you’re after a highly portable gaming platform, then the mini has more power under that hood, which is always a good thing. So long as you’re not playing games with lots of information of the screen that needs to be read quickly, then the smaller size might be an advantage as you’ll be able to hold it for longer without your hands fatiguing. Remember the mini is almost half the weight of the standard iPad. 

With all this in mind, it’s hard to give categoric advice on which one will be the right choice for anyone in particular. They’re both great, have different strengths and deliver the classic iPad experience. In the end, you’ll need to decide what it is you’ll spend the majority of your time doing with the device. Once you’ve got that nailed down, then choosing the iPad that matches it best will be a lot easier.