After weeks of speculation, stoked by Tim Cook himself earlier in the week, Apple has announced a refresh of its iPad Air, a year after it shook things up with a new 13-inch size option.
With the iPad Pro not expected to get a new version until the M5 chipset launches, buyers eager for a new Apple tablet right away have a simple choice to make: iPad Air M3 or iPad Pro M4?
We’ve outlined the key differences between the two below, so you can make an informed decision.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPad Air M3 | iPad Pro M4 |
Price | $599 (11-inch) | $799 (13-inch) | $999 (11-inch) | $1299 (13-inch) |
Display | 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) | 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2372 x 2048) | 11-inch Tandem OLED (2420 x 1668 pixels) | 13-inch Tandem OLED (2752 x 2064 pixels), ProMotion support |
Rated brightness | 500 nits (11-inch) | 600 nits (13-inch) | 1000 nits (SDR) | 1600 nits (HDR) |
Rear camera | 12MP main (ƒ/1.8) | 12MP main (ƒ/1.8) |
Front camera | 12MP (f/2.0) | 12MP (f/2.0) |
Chipset | Apple M3 | Apple M4 |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Battery | 28.93 wH (11-inch) | 36.59 wH (13-inch) | 31.29 wH (11-inch) | 38.99 wH (13-inch) |
Size | 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches (11-inch) | 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches (13-inch) | 9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches (11-inch) | 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.2 inches (13-inch) |
Weight | 1.01 pounds (11-inch) | 1.36 pounds (13-inch) | 0.98 pounds (11-inch) | 1.28 pounds (13-inch) |
Colors | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray | Silver, Space Black |
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Price
This category is really straightforward. The iPad Air M3 is significantly cheaper than the iPad Pro M4.
The 11-inch iPad Air M3 starts at $599, while the 13-inch version costs $799. Both can be upgraded with cellular connectivity and up to 1TB of storage, meaning prices can rise to up to $1,249 for the smaller version and $1,449 for the larger model.
Those prices spiral quickly, but not as fast as they do with the iPad Pro M4. The 11-inch model starts at $999, with the 13-inch version beginning at $1,299. Extra costs can take things even higher, not only with the same cellular data option as before, but with up to 2TB of total storage, and a nano-texture glass option for models of 1TB or over.
The upshot of this is that you can pay up to $2,299 for the 11-inch version, or $2,599 for the larger model.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Design and display
In terms of look, there’s not a great deal of difference between the two tablets at a glance, which is hardly surprising when the two share the same screen size. Both are sleek-looking tablets with extremely thin bezels and a front-facing camera placed on the wider edge, for easier use in landscape mode.
That said, the iPad Pro is thinner: it’s 0.21 inches thick for the 11-inch version and 0.2 inches thick for the 13-inch model, compared to 0.24 inches for both iPad Airs. It’s also lighter, weighing either 0.98 or 1.28 pounds, compared to the iPad Air’s 1.01 and 1.36 pounds.
Although the two share screen sizes and look, the underlying panel technology is very different. While the 2024 iPad Pro was the first Apple tablet to adopt OLED screen technology, the iPad Air persists with an LCD Liquid Retina panel.
The upshot of this is that the Pro model will offer better picture quality with unbeatable contrast thanks to perfect blacks and brighter brights. On top of that, while the Pro models adopt 120Hz ProMotion displays for smoother animations, the new Airs are still stuck at 60Hz, which is a big drawback.
There’s one other important design detail that will become apparent as you use it; While the iPad Pro now uses FaceID for unlocking, the iPad Air persists with TouchID via a fingerprint reader built into the power button.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Performance
Despite early predictions that the iPad Air might match the iPad Pro with the use of the latest M4 chipset, Apple has decided to merely reduce the gap rather than eliminate it completely.
The M2 chipset has been upgraded to M3 which should give it a decent boost — Apple says it will be 2x faster than the M1 iPad Air and 3.5 faster than the model with the A14 Bionic — but will still leave it lagging behind the Pro models.
While it’s not a perfect point of reference, our complete set of M-series MacBook benchmarks should give you a rough idea of what to expect in terms of performance. In single-core testing, MacBook Pros scored 2,589 when powered by M2, 3,138 for M3 and 3,807 for M4. The difference is greater in multi-core testing: 9,630 for M2, 12,018 for M3 and 15,114 for M4.
In day-to-day use, the difference may not be all that noticeable — especially as both iPads support Apple Intelligence — but if you want peak performance and comparative futureproofing, the iPad Pro is the way to go.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Camera
This is probably the least important category of all, as few people use tablets for photography.
Nonetheless, there isn’t much between the two. Both have two 12MP cameras, one on the front and one on the back. The former has a f/2.0 aperture, while the latter has a f/1.8 one.
The only real difference is that the iPad Pro version has a TrueDepth camera, which means it supports FaceID. iPad Air users will stick with TouchID via the fingerprint sensor on the power button.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Battery life
It looks like the iPad Pro will have the edge here, once again. The iPad Air has a 28.93 or 36.59wH cell, compared to the iPad Pro’s 31.29 or 38.99wH battery capacity.
How that will manifest itself in terms of hours and minutes away from the charger will have to wait for our full testing, but the iPad Air has its work cut out. In our tests, the 2024 iPad Pro went a massive 13 hours and 13 minutes, comfortably beating the M2 iPad Air’s ten hours and 39 minutes.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Verdict
In a result that should surprise nobody, the tablet with a starting price of $999 comfortably beats the one that’s just $599.
But the question is whether the differences really add up to $400 worth of value, and many would argue not. M4 power and FaceID is certainly nice, but other than the 120Hz OLED screen, most of the advantages the iPad Pro has won’t leave Air owners feeling too jealous.
In short, if you want the best, most future proof and sleekest-looking Apple tablet around, feel free to splurge on the M4 iPad Pro. But most users will be just fine with the brand-new M3 iPad Air.
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