Apple recently refreshed its iPad range after almost two years. The updated collection includes a slimmer iPad Pro and a new iPad Air. These tablets are priced at $999 and $599, respectively, and can be pre-ordered before their release on May 15th.
The updates are significant. For the first time, the iPad Pro features an OLED screen and a new M4 chip. Additionally, a 13-inch version of the iPad Air was introduced, making both models available in 11- and 13-inch sizes.
Both devices are compatible with the same styluses, including the Apple Pencil with USB-C and the upcoming Apple Pencil Pro. This gives users more choices, especially if they are looking for a large tablet for work or leisure.
Although the iPad Air and iPad Pro appear similar, their internal specifications are different enough to merit a comparison of what sets these two tablets apart.
Indeed, the iPad Pro is very thin and has a beautiful OLED screen, but is it worth spending an additional $400 if you only want a tablet for entertainment?
We have compared the basic specifications of both tablets and pointed out the key differences to help you make a well-informed choice.
We will also be posting our complete reviews of both tablets soon, so make sure to return.
Pricing and storage
Let’s begin with the simple facts. Price clearly sets the new iPad Pro apart from the iPad Air.
The 11-inch and 13-inch Wi-Fi iPad Airs are priced starting at $599 and $799. The versions with cellular connectivity begin at $749 and $949.
Each offers twice the initial storage of the 2022 version (128GB compared to 64GB), and you can choose up to 1TB of storage.
On the other hand, the Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 and the 13-inch at $1,299, with the cellular models priced at $1,199 and $1,499.
The starting storage for these models is 256GB — twice as much as the newest Air — and they can be upgraded to as much as 2TB.
Design and display
Apple’s newest tablets vary in price, design, and display technology.
We haven’t fully tested the tablets yet. However, our first impression of the iPad Pro was its slimness and lightness.
Both devices are sold in 11-inch and 13-inch versions. But the Pro model alone boasts Apple’s latest Ultra Retina XDR display, which uses two OLED panels to increase brightness.
Because of this, the iPad Pro can deliver 1,000 nits of brightness across the screen for SDR/HDR content and can reach up to 1,600 nits at its brightest for HDR.
The iPad Pro’s clear OLED screen offers better contrast and darker blacks compared to the iPad Air’s LED screen.
This means iPad Pro users won’t see blooming. Blooming happens when light from bright parts of the screen spreads into the darker areas.
The iPad Pro models with 1TB and 2TB have a special glass that reduces glare.
The iPad Pro also uses OLED screens and supports ProMotion technology and a 120Hz refresh rate, unlike the iPad Air.
Because of this, iPad Pro users will experience smoother scrolling and gaming. Digital artists will also find drawing with the Apple Pencil more responsive.
Processing power
The latest iPad Pro has Apple’s M4 chip, while the new iPad Air has the M2 chip from before.
Apple states that the M4 in the new iPad Pro is 50% faster than the previous iPad Pro with an M2 chip, and likely faster than the new iPad Air with the same M2 chip.
If you choose the 1TB model, you get an even faster 10-core M4 chip. This is the first time Apple has offered a different processor in a specific iPad model.
Even with more power, the new M4 chip uses half the energy of the older M2 chip, according to Apple.
The M4 model has better CPU performance and a stronger Neural Engine. Apple claims it is 60 times faster than its first version of the A11 Bionic from 2017.
It can handle 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS), showing how many math calculations it can do each second.
We haven’t fully tested the tablet yet, but its performance is still not as high as the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite’s 45 TOPS chip, which will soon be in Windows laptops.
The latest iPad Pro also improves its GPU and adds features like ray tracing and mesh shading. These help game developers create more detailed scenes.
For the first time, the M4 chip also supports Dynamic Caching tech on the iPad. This enhances how the tablet manages memory for professional apps and games.
Accessories
The newest iPad Air and iPad Pro models support various Apple accessories but not the second-generation Apple Pencil.
They are compatible with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) from last year and the latest Apple Pencil Pro.
This allows both Pro and Air users to enjoy the benefits of the new Apple Pencil Pro, such as Find My tracking, squeeze gestures, and haptic feedback.
With the M2 chip now in the iPad Air, artists can use the hover feature, previously only available on the iPad Pro. This feature allows you to see line strokes with the Apple Pencil before actually marking the screen.
The iPad Air can use the existing Magic Keyboard, now called the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (M2). However, it is not compatible with the new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro (M4).
This new keyboard, designed for the iPad Pro, is lighter and slimmer than earlier versions. It includes a larger and more sensitive trackpad, comes in two colors, and has additional features like a row of function keys.
Apple still provides a Smart Folio cover for the iPad Air and iPad Pro, available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes.
The older Smart Keyboard Folio, a less expensive alternative to the Magic Keyboard without a trackpad, is not available for the latest models. Yet, the 11-inch version can still be used with the sixth-gen iPad Air.
Speakers and cameras
The iPad Air features two stereo speakers and two microphones. The iPad Pro, on the other hand, comes with four speakers and four microphones.
This suggests that the new Pro models will likely provide better sound quality than the iPad Air, with louder and richer audio.
With the OLED display, the iPad Pro is expected to continue being the top choice for watching movies.
Additionally, Apple has positioned the front-facing cameras along the longer side of both tablets, which should make video calls more comfortable in landscape orientation.
Each tablet has a 12-megapixel f/1.8 camera, but only the iPad Pro includes an adaptive True Tone flash. This flash helps remove shadows from scanned documents.
By the numbers
Here are a few key distinctions between the upcoming iPad Air and iPad Pro. For a detailed comparison, check the table below which outlines all important specifications, including those of the previous iPad Air and iPad Pro models.
