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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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
iPad Air (M3)
iPad Pro (M4)
Weight (11-inch model): 1.01 lbs (460 g)
Weight (11-inch model): 0.98 lbs (444 g)
Weight (13-inch model): 1.36 lbs (616 g)
Weight (13-inch model): 1.28 lbs (579 g)
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.
The iPad Air (on top) uses Touch ID
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.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
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".
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.
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.
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:
iPad Air M3 11"
iPad Air M3 13"
iPad Pro M4 11"
iPad Pro M4 13"
Size, weight
9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 in (247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm) 1.02 lbs (462g)
11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 in (280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1 mm) 1.36 lbs (618 g)
9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches (249.7 x 177.5 x 5.3 mm) 0.98 lbs (446 g)
11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches (280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4 mm) 1.28 lbs (582 g)
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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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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