iPad comparison
iPad mini (7th gen) vs iPad Air M3
Compare iPad mini (7th gen) vs iPad Air M3 side by side — chip, memory, storage, display, ports, launch price and how each fits in Apple history.
iPad mini (A17 Pro, 7th generation)The pocketable iPad gains the A17 Pro and 8 GB of RAM specifically to run Apple’s on-device AI, plus Apple Pencil Pro support.
iPad Air (M3)A speed bump to the M3 (in both 11" and 13"), adding ray tracing and a faster GPU while keeping the Air’s value pricing.Specs side by side
| Spec | iPad mini (A17 Pro, 7th generation) | iPad Air (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Release | October 23, 2024 | March 12, 2025 |
| Launch price | $499 | $599 |
| Price today | $504 | $605 |
| CPU | Apple A17 Pro · 3.78 GHz | Apple M3 · 4.05 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Display | 8.3" Liquid Retina, 2266×1488 | 11" or 13" Liquid Retina, up to 2732×2048 |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Operating system | iPadOS 18 | iPadOS 18.3 |
Method note: historical pricing uses approximate US CPI. CPU clock comparisons are clock-only and do not represent full real-world performance.
Why each matters
iPad mini (A17 Pro, 7th generation)
First mini to run Apple Intelligence, thanks to the A17 Pro and 8 GB of RAM.
iPad Air (M3)
Brought hardware ray tracing and dynamic caching to the Air via the M3.
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Last updated: 2026-07-04