Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) vs Apple iPad Air 11-inch (2025)

The iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the one to carry everywhere: at 0.66 lb and 7.7 x 5.3 inches it fits a jacket pocket, and the A17 Pro chip with 8 GB RAM handles games, notes and reading well. The iPad Air 11-inch (M3) is the better desk and couch machine: a larger 11-inch screen, the faster M3 chip, and support for Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard make it a light laptop replacement. Both run iPadOS with Apple Intelligence, both claim 10 hours of battery, and both use Touch ID in the top button. Owners of the mini praise the size and gripe about the smaller screen for split-screen work; Air owners like the keyboard and stage-manager multitasking but note it is over twice the weight.

• Choose the iPad mini (A17 Pro) if you want a one-hand tablet for reading, travel, gaming and note-taking that slips into a bag or pocket.
• Choose the iPad Air (M3) if you want a bigger canvas for writing, drawing, video calls and multitasking, and plan to add a keyboard or Apple Pencil Pro.