iPad Air vs iPad Mini with Retina Display: Specs & Features Comparison and Review

Yesterday, Apple held a press conference where they revealed the new iPad Air and iPad mini. Here is how the two tablets compare.

iPad Air

The iPad Air is 43 percent smaller than its predecessor. The tablet is 7.5 millimeters thick, 20 percent thinner than earlier models, and weighs one pound, 0.4 pounds less than the iPad 4. The iPad Air keeps the 9.7-inch screen of its predecessor by removing some of the bezel that surrounds it. It will feature an A7 chip which is eight times faster than the original iPad with graphics performance that is 75 times faster. Wi-Fi will be two times faster.

The tablet will be available starting at $499 Nov 1.

iPad mini

The new iPad Mini will also feature the A7 chip, making Wi-Fi twice as fast, but not taking away from its 10-hour battery life.

iPad Mini with Retina display, an Apple-created term that means pixel density "so high the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, so text and graphics look incredibly sharp," will cost $399.

iPad mini without Retina display will cost $299, a drop from its predecessor, which cost $329.

Both iPads will be released Nov. 1 and will be available in black, white, silver and space gray.

Apple also announced news about the new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro and Mavericks during yesterday's event.