iPad Air (M3) vs iPad Pro (M4): differences explained

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iPad Air (M3) vs iPad Pro (M4): differences explained

Intro


Apple updated its iPad Air with a new and faster chip, and it also has a new keyboard for the Air that now has a function row, perfect for productivity. With that the iPad Air (M3) is closer than ever to the iPad Pro (M4), but what are the differences?

And does it even make sense to spend the extra cash for the Pro model?

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4 differences:


Table of Contents:

iPad Pro 11-inch M4: Save up to $710 with a trade-in

$289
$999
$710 off (71%)
The iPad Pro M4 is here! You can now get the 11-inch model with a brand-new OLED screen and a powerful M4 chipset straight from the source and save up to $710 with select trade-ins.
Buy at Apple

iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), Wi-Fi: Save 15% at Amazon

$200 off (15%)
Need a larger screen? In such a case, we suggest the larger iPad Pro M4 at Amazon. With its impressive M4 chipset, this tablet gives you the ultimate iPad experience. You can now order the Wi-Fi model with 256GB storage for $200 off its original price.
Buy at Amazon

iPad Air 11-inch M3: 7% off at Amazon

$40 off (7%)
The iPad Air 11-inch with an M3 chip is available at Amazon. The M3-powered iOS tablet was announced just a week ago, but you can buy it for 7% off at the e-commerce giant. Select colorways come with an extra $10 discount at checkout.
Buy at Amazon

iPad Air 13-inch M3: 6% off at Amazon

$50 off (6%)
Want more onboard storage and screen real estate? The iPad Air 13-inch M3 might be a better option for you. This model is 6% off its original price on Amazon. The promo isn't available on all colorways.
Buy at Amazon

Design and Display Quality

Air meet Pro


These are both sleek looking tablets, but the Pro retains its main advantage — it's incredible thin. In fact, at 5.3 mm, it's thinner than any other Apple gadget in recent history!

And that's a bit strange considering that the other product has "Air" in its name. Still, the iPad Air is a tiny bit thicker at 6.1 mm.

The iPad Pro also weighs a bit less. The 11-inch Pro model weighs 0.98 pounds (444 grams), while the same sized iPad Air (M3) model weighs 1.01 lbs (460 grams).


The other important difference is that the iPad Pro uses Face ID, while the iPad Air still relies on Touch ID. Face ID is more convenient as you don't have to reach out for the Touch ID button, which can be annoying if you are using the iPad with a keyboard.


Both the Air and Pro work with the new Apple Pencil Pro, which has squeeze control, hover control, haptic feedback, and a gyroscope for barrel rolls and angle brushing.

Both models also come with a USB-C port, but we have Thunderbolt speeds (40 Gbps) on the iPad Pro M4 line, while the iPad Air M3 has USB 3 (10 Gbps).

The bigger differentiator is screen quality. Both models come in two flavors: a smaller 11-inch model and a bigger 13-inch size.

The iPad Pro M4, however, uses the cutting edge Tandem OLED screen tech with dual layers of OLED with better color balance and double the brightness. The Pro models reach 1,000 nits of SDR brightness compared to just 500 nits on the Air M3 (600 nits on the larger 13-inch version). Plus, the Pro has 120 Hz ProMotion, while the Air is disappointingly still limited to 60 Hz refresh rate.


Display Measurements:


Aside from those bigger differences, some smaller touches are actually shared on these two. Both have a laminated construction, where the glass and the touch panel are fused for an overall thinner build; both have a special anti-glare coating too.

A pricey $100 extra that you only get on the Pro models is nano textured displays. This is only available if you opt for the 1 TB or 2 TB iPad Pro M4 models and these nano-etched screens are much better at reducing reflections, so it's easier to use the tablets outdoors.

Performance and Software

The new Air is better for gaming


The major upgrade with the new Air is the M3 chip, which brings ray tracing for the first time to the iPad Air series.

In many ways, both of these have plenty of power for both intense tasks and gaming, but the bigger question here is: are there gamers who play on an iPad? The answer is still most likely a resounding "no".

CPU Performance Benchmarks:


Geekbench 6
SingleHigher is better
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch(M3,2025)3017
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch(M4,2024)3720
Geekbench 6
MultiHigher is better
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch(M3,2025)11728
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch(M4,2024)13280


The M4 chip on the iPad Pro is the faster one in CPU performance, but the real question is whether you can find such intense applications that will make use of that. Power users, however, will appreciate the iPad Pro's advantage here.

GPU Performance


3DMark Extreme(High)Higher is better
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch(M3,2025)5177
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch(M4,2024)7311
3DMark
Extreme(Low)Higher is better
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch(M3,2025)3262
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch(M4,2024)7009

We doubt that many gamers buy an iPad, but the iPad Pro is definitely better in terms of graphics performance. Notice the thermal throttling on the iPad Air, where the performance drops sharply after a few minutes of testing, while the iPad Pro maintains stable frame rates throughout the whole 20 minutes of the 3D Mark benchmark.

For casual users, the difference that is way more noticeable is ProMotion aka 120 Hz refresh rate. This is only available on the iPad Pro and makes for much smoother and more enjoyable scrolling.

Where the Air series differs is the storage tiers. The base $600 model still gives you 128 GB of storage, while the the iPad Pro starts at 256 GB, but that also costs $1,000.

Both models also support Apple Intelligence. That has been a very slow launch with very few actually useful features, but let's hope to see AI expand and become more useful in the near future.

Camera

They are there


There is not much to say about the cameras here: you get a landscape positioned front camera with 12 MP resolution and Center Stage support on both.

On the back, you have just one 12 MP camera on both (the iPad Pro appears to have two cameras on the back but the second circle is just a depth sensor).

These are good enough for the occasional snap when you don't have your phone around. The iPad Pro can also record ProRes video, a feature not present on the iPad Air, but we doubt many people would use that.

Audio Quality


The iPad Air series features two speakers, located on the top and bottom of the tablet — or what Apple calls "landscape stereo", as they end up as left and right when you watch video.

The iPad Pro, however, takes things to the next level with four speakers and a lot more power. With this setup you get full stereo in both landscape and portrait.

We are yet to test the speakers on the iPad Air M3, so stay tuned for a more detailed comparison over the coming weeks.

Battery Life and Charging

iPads last


Most recent iPads give us around 10 hours of screen-on time, no matter whether you use the 11-inch or 13-inch model.

In other words, you get one-day battery life, unless you really push things hard.

No changes here! Apple still lists both of these with 10 hour of video playback or web surfing.

PhoneArena Battery Test Results


Battery Life
Charging
Phone Battery Life
estimate
Browsing Video Gaming
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4, 2024)
10290 mAh
5h 25min 10h 54min 8h 22min 8h 34min
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3, 2025)
7606 mAh
4h 18min 9h 35min 6h 45min 5h 12min
Phone Full Charging 30 min Charge
Wired Wireless Wired Wireless
Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3, 2025)
7606 mAh
2h 20min N/A 30% N/A
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4, 2024)
10290 mAh
2h 28min N/A 30% N/A
Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page

The iPad Pro outlasts the iPad Air in our testing, scoring an hour more on our lighter web browsing test and two hours longer with YouTube video streaming.

When it comes to charging, both the iPad Pro and iPad Air can charge at around 30W speeds.

We measured that it takes around two hours and a half to fully charge either one.

As usual with tablets, there is no wireless charging support.

Specs Comparison


Below, you can find the specs for all the iPad Air M3 and iPad Pro M4 models:


Summary



So, has Apple finally made the iPad Air substantially better?

Well, it's a faster tablet with some improvements, but the fundamental differences haven't changed. The iPad Pro still stands out with ProMotion support and that super bright and lush OLED screen. And the slim design is another welcome feature.

While the iPad Air M3 does not change too much, it is a better tablet than before with a faster chip and a better keyboard, so we are happy that Apple has broken its routine and released this one earlier than usual.

A final question you might have here is if a new iPad Pro might surprisingly drop soon? The answer is a "no" here, as the new M5 chip will probably arrive in late 2025 or might even arrive later.

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