As the mobile device market becomes increasingly competitive, consumers are presented with a wide range of product options. In this review, we will compare two standout models, iPad Air 5 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro. While both devices offer unique features, there are notable differences in terms of design, display, performance, camera, connectivity features, battery, and price.
Design
iPad Air 5 features a sleek and elegant design. With its clean and modern lines, it measures 178.5mm in width, 247.6mm in length, and just 6.1mm in thickness, resulting in a stylish appearance. Its slim profile, combined with its lightweight construction, offers significant portability advantages. Additionally, it offers five color options: Blue, Pink, Purple, Gray, and Silver, allowing for personalization. Each color choice provides an opportunity for users to express their style and customize the device to their preferences.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro offers an aesthetic design despite its larger dimensions. Measuring 254mm x 165.2mm with a thickness of 6.5mm, the device maintains an elegant appearance. Xiaomi has managed to strike an excellent balance between the large screen, slimness, and portability. This combination provides users with ample viewing space while allowing the device to be carried comfortably. The expansive screen of Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro enhances both entertainment and productivity experiences, while its stylish design is also eye-catching.
Weight
iPad Air 5 weighs only 461 grams, making it a remarkably lightweight and portable device. On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro weighs 490 grams, which is still competitive in terms of lightness. Both devices offer comfortable portability and user-friendly experiences for daily use.
iPad Air 5 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro cater to users preferences with different design approaches. The slim and lightweight design of iPad Air 5 provides a minimalist and stylish appearance, while Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s large screen stands out. The choice between these devices’ designs will help reflect your personal style and best accommodate your needs.
Display
iPad Air 5 features a 10.9-inch display that strikes a balance between portability and viewing experience. With a resolution of 2360×1640 pixels, it delivers clear images and sharp details. The display’s pixel density of 264 PPI provides rich image quality. A brightness of 500 nits ensures clear visuals even in outdoor settings.
The Liquid Retina panel provides vibrant colors and contrast, while DCI-P3 color gamut support offers a wider range of colors. The support for the 2nd generation Apple Pencil allows for creative expression directly on the tablet. Fully laminated glass reduces reflections and improves readability, while True Tone support adapts the display to ambient lighting conditions for a more natural viewing experience.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro boasts a larger 11-inch display with a resolution of 2880×1800 pixels. This resolution delivers stunning details and vibrant images. The pixel density of 309 PPI ensures sharp and clear visuals, while a brightness of 550 nits provides exceptional display performance even in bright lighting conditions.
The 144Hz refresh rate ensures smooth and fluid animations, particularly noticeable in dynamic content. DCI-P3 color gamut support and Dolby Vision display enhance color vibrancy and realism. HDR10+ support and the Avi Light Filter further enhance content details and contrast. Gorilla Glass 3 offers durability and protection against scratches.
While both devices use IPS LCD display technology, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro offers more vivid and bright visual experiences. Its higher resolution, pixel density, brightness, and wide color gamut provide users with a visually captivating experience. If visual quality and vibrancy are important to you, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s display is likely to satisfy your preferences.
Performance
iPad Air 5 is powered by Apple’s custom-designed M1 chip. Built on a 5nm process, it includes four performance-focused Firestorm cores clocked at 3.20GHz and four efficiency-focused Icestorm cores clocked at 2.06GHz. Apple M1’s GPU features an 8-core Apple GPU running at 1.3GHz. Additionally, a 16-core Neural Engine accelerates AI tasks.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro is powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. Manufactured using a 4nm process, it features one ARM Cortex X2 (kryo) core clocked at 3.2GHz, three ARM Cortex-A710 cores clocked at 2.8GHz, and four ARM Cortex-A510 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. Its Adreno 730 GPU runs at 0.90GHz.
Both devices come with 8GB of RAM, but Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro also offers a 12GB RAM option, providing greater multitasking capability and smoother performance.
In terms of storage, iPad Air 5 offers options of 64GB and 256GB, while Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro offers 128GB and 256GB storage options. Both devices provide ample storage for files, media content, and applications.
Benchmarks
According to GeekBench 6 test results, Apple M1 chip in iPad Air 5 delivers impressive performance. It outperforms Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, scoring 2569 in the Single-Core test and 8576 in the Multi-Core test. Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 scores 1657 (Single-Core) and 4231 (Multi-Core), placing it behind Apple M1.
Both tablets offer strong performance and storage options. Apple M1 chip excels in performance with high-speed cores and advanced graphics capabilities, while Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 offers competitive performance with high-speed cores and a powerful GPU. However, Apple M1 chip clearly delivers significantly higher performance. Differences in RAM and storage options allow users to make a choice that suits their needs. Evaluating which device’s performance features are more suitable for you will help you choose the best device for your needs.
Camera
iPad Air 5 is equipped with a 12MP main camera. This camera has a wide f/1.8 aperture, allowing you to capture clear and bright photos in various shooting conditions. Main camera features 1.8 wide-angle support, 4K video recording, 5x digital zoom, and Smart HDR 3 support, among other features. Focus Pixels are used for autofocus. It offers panorama mode up to 63MP and Live Photos for creative shots.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro stands out with its high-resolution main camera boasting 50MP resolution. This camera, with an f/1.8 aperture and the ability to record 4K30FPS videos, enables you to capture detailed and vibrant images. The True Tone-supported Dual-LED flash provides brighter and more balanced lighting even in low-light conditions. Additionally, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro features a second rear camera as well. This 2MP resolution camera with an f/2.4 aperture is used to add depth effects and other special effects.
The front camera of iPad Air 5 is equipped with a 12MP resolution and a wide-angle lens with an f/2.4 aperture. This lens is ideal for detailed selfies and wide-angle group photos. Retina flash, Smart HDR 3, QuickTake Video stabilization, and various other features allow for more creative and high-quality selfies.
The front camera of Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, on the other hand, has a resolution of 20MP and an f/2.4 aperture. This camera allows you to capture clear and detailed selfies, and it supports 1080p video recording for high-quality videos as well.
While both devices offer strong camera capabilities, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro stands out with its 50MP main camera, offering higher resolution and detail. iPad Air 5, on the other hand, excels with a wider range of both rear and front camera features. The camera performance of both devices should be evaluated based on users’ needs and preferences. If higher resolution and a wide range of camera features are important to you, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro might be the more attractive option.
Connectivity
iPad Air 5 is equipped with Wi-Fi 6 technology, providing faster data transfer speeds and support for more connected devices, resulting in an improved connectivity experience. On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro comes with more advanced Wi-Fi 6E technology. Wi-Fi 6E expands upon the advantages of Wi-Fi 6, offering more channel usage and less congestion. Dual-Band Support Both devices offer Dual-Band (5GHz) support, providing faster and more reliable connections, reducing network congestion.
While iPad Air 5 uses Bluetooth 5.0 technology, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro features the newer and more advanced Bluetooth 5.3 technology. Bluetooth 5.3 offers advantages like faster data transfer, broader coverage, and lower power consumption, leading to faster and more reliable connections between devices.
Both devices offer advanced connectivity features, but Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro stands out with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, offering newer technologies that enhance data transfer speed, lower latency, and more reliable connections. If connection speed and reliability are important to you, the connectivity features of Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro might be more appealing.
Battery
The battery capacity of iPad Air 5 is stated as 10.2Wh. Apple claims that the device offers approximately 10 hours of battery life under normal usage conditions. This duration is suitable for tasks like web browsing, video watching, and other basic tasks. iPad Air 5’s efficient energy management and battery optimization provide advantages for prolonged use.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro features a large battery capacity of 8600mAh. While Xiaomi hasn’t provided an official battery life duration, they highlight the 67W Fast Charging support. This allows the device to charge quickly, providing users with extended usage time. Lithium-polymer battery technology enhances energy density and longevity, improving battery performance.
Battery performance offers different advantages in both devices. iPad Air 5 offers optimized energy management and around 10 hours of battery life, suitable for daily use. Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, with its large battery capacity and fast charging support, ensures longer usage periods. To determine which device’s battery performance is better suited to your needs, consider your usage habits and expectations.
Prices
Apple iPad Air 5 is priced at $549 as of its launch on August 11, 2023. With its unique design philosophy, high-quality materials, and advanced technology, iPad Air 5 offers integration advantages within the iOS ecosystem and Apple ecosystem as a whole. This price point might be appealing to those looking to access Apple’s premium tablet features.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro starts at $365, positioning itself competitively in terms of pricing. Xiaomi aims to cater to a broad consumer base with its affordable devices, and Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro is a reflection of this strategy. Offering high performance and features at a lower price, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro might be especially attractive to budget-conscious users.
Beyond the price comparison, it’s important to consider the features, design, and performance of both devices. iPad Air 5 presents an option that reflects Apple’s unique design philosophy and strong performance, while Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro targets a wider user base with its affordable price and solid performance.
Overall Evaluation
iPad Air 5 comes with strong performance and unique features, accompanied by a higher price tag. This model draws attention with its original design, advanced processor, and other features. If your budget allows for an Apple iPad Air 5, you can enjoy higher performance and advanced features.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro offers a more budget-friendly option with a lower price. This model could be an attractive alternative for those seeking an affordable tablet. With competitive performance and features, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro comes with a more economical price tag.
When making a decision, it’s important to consider your needs and budget. If you’re looking for high performance and advanced features, Apple iPad Air 5 might be the right choice for you. However, if you have a lower budget and are seeking good performance, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro could be a more suitable option.
Both devices have their own advantages, and your decision should be based on considering your budget and needs. The extra features and strong performance of iPad Air 5 might justify the price difference.
