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Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) vs Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) ($500) vs Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro) ($699) — side-by-side specs, weight, pros and cons to help you pick the right pro tablet.
Spec-by-spec
| Spec | Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) | Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $500 | $699 |
| Weight | 682g | 255g |
| Chip | Apple M1 | A20 Pro |
| Display | 12.9" Liquid Retina XDR, mini-LED, 120Hz ProMotion | 8.5" OLED Super Retina XDR, 2316 x 1512 |
| Port | Thunderbolt / USB 4 | — |
| Camera | 12MP Wide + 10MP Ultra Wide, LiDAR | — |
| Pencil | 2nd generation Apple Pencil | — |
| Weight | 682g (Apple published, Wi-Fi) | 255 g Wi-Fi, 263 g Cellular (Apple published) |
| Brightness | — | 600 nits, 1200 nits peak (HDR) |
| Accessories | — | Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
| Connectivity | — | Wi-Fi 7, USB-C 10Gb/s |
Pros & Cons
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1)
- Mini-LED XDR display, still one of the best screens ever put in a tablet
- M1 chip handles anything current iPadOS asks of it
- Thunderbolt/USB 4 for external displays and fast storage
- LiDAR and the full Pro camera system
- 682g plus a keyboard case is a genuine laptop-weight bag addition
- Mini-LED can show blooming around bright text on dark backgrounds
- Costs noticeably more used than the 11-inch M1 Pro for the display upgrade alone
- Several generations behind current M-series Pro silicon now
Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro)
- OLED in a 255 g tablet
- Apple Pencil Pro support with hover
- Wi-Fi 7 and 10Gb/s USB-C
- Nano-texture glass option for glare
- Starts at $699 for 128GB
- Nano-texture glass costs $100 and starts at 256GB
- Cellular adds $150
- 8.5 inches is cramped for split-screen work
Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation, M1) is the better value at $500. If weight matters most, Apple iPad mini (A20 Pro) carries lighter at 255g. Both are part of our curated pro tablet index — tap through to check current pricing.
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