But now you’ve got the option to get the latest with an M2 chip or save some money with the previous M1 iPad Pro. However, the vast majority of users will likely find the iPad Air with an M1 and 8GB RAM to be more than powerful enough for years to come.
Thunderbolt and 16GB RAM with the iPad Pro will likely only be tempting for professionals or those who aren’t price-sensitive. With the iPad Air screen, you’re getting a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color.
11″ M2 iPad Pro 11″ M1 iPad Pro M1 iPad Air Display 11″ 11″ 10.9″ Resolution 2388 x 1668 2388 x 1668 2360 x 1640 PPI (pixels per inch) 264 264 264 Display brightness 600 nits 600 nits 500 nits True Tone ✅ ✅ ✅ P3 wide color ✅ ✅ ✅ ProMotion (120Hz) ✅ ✅ ❌ Anti-reflective coating ✅ ✅ ✅ Liquid Retina Display ✅ ✅ ✅ Apple Pencil Hover ✅ ❌ ❌ Two other small upgrades with the M2 iPad Pro are Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6E support.
Like the iPhone SE 3, the iPad Air doesn’t get mmWave 5G support with its cellular models. However, with the iPad Pro, you’ve also got a 10MP ultra wide lens plus the LiDAR Scanner, and the True Tone flash. The main difference is the M2 iPad Pro’s ability to shoot ProRes 4K video at up to 30 fps.
11″ M2 iPad Pro 11″ M1 iPad Pro 2022 iPad Air 12MP wide lens ✅ ✅ ✅ 10MP ultra wide lens ✅ ✅ ❌ Smart HDR 3 – ✅ ✅ Smart HDR 4 ✅ ❌ ❌ LiDAR ✅ ✅ ❌ 4K video ✅ ✅ ✅ ProRes video up to 4K 30 fps ✅ ❌ ❌ Extended dynamic range ✅ ✅ ✅ Slo-mo video ✅ ✅ ✅ Rear camera flash ✅ ✅ ❌ TrueDepth camera with Face ID ✅ ✅ ❌ Ultra wide 12MP front camera ✅ ✅ ✅ 2x optical zoom out ✅ ✅ ✅ Center Stage auto-tracking ✅ ✅ ✅ Stereo recording ✅ ✅ ❌ A couple of smaller differences – the iPad Pro front camera features support for Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and Animoji/Memoji while the iPad Air front camera does not. If you know you’ll often be pushing your tablet to the limit, the iPad Pro delivers the top-performing package with up to 16GB RAM and 2TB storage, 120Hz ProMotion display, Thunderbolt support, and the ability to capture ProRes 4K video, all powered by the new M2 chip.
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (2022) vs. iPad Air (2022)
While some may chide Apple for its adherence to visual tradition, most users give a thumbs up to a familiar design that works well. Each year, new iPads fresh off the assembly line get loaded with technical improvements invisible to the eye, but obvious in the hand.
iPad Pro 11-inch (2022) iPad Air (2022) Size 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm (9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches) 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm (9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches) Weight Wi-Fi: 466 grams (1.03 pounds) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 470 grams (1.04 pounds) Wi-Fi: 461 grams (1.02 pounds) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 462 grams (1.02 pounds) Screen size 11 inches 10.9 inches Screen resolution 2388 x 1668 pixels at 264 ppi 2360 x 1640 pixels at 264 ppi Operating system iPadOS 16 iPadOS 16 Storage space 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 64GB, 256GB MicroSD card slot No No Tap-to-pay services No No Processor Apple M2 Apple M1 RAM 8GB/16GB RAM 8GB Camera Rear: 12-megapixel wide and 10MP ultrawide cameras Front: 12MP TrueDepth camera system with ultrawide Rear: 12MP wide camera Front: 12MP ultrawide front camera Video ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity) 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p at 25/30/60 fps 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p at 25/30/60 fps Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.0 Ports USB-C supporting Thunderbolt/USB 4 port Smart Connector USB-C Smart Connector Fingerprint sensor No Yes Water resistance No No Battery TBC 28.6Wh App marketplace Apple App Store Apple App Store Network support All major carriers (cellular version only) All major carriers (cellular version only) Colors Silver, Space Gray Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, Blue Price $799 $599 Buy from Apple Apple Review score News 4.5 out of 5 stars
It unlocks via Face ID and features 120Hz Pro Motion tech, which makes a huge difference between the two models. The iPad Air 5th Gen sports a thin aluminum body, one camera lens on the back, and Touch ID embedded in the power button. Its pleasing rounded corners are comfortable, while the 10.9-inch LED-backlit screen with 2360 x 1640 pixel resolution is controlled by Apple’s True Tone color management system.
Differing screen refresh rates separate the Pro model from the Air in terms of quality and user experience. The new iPad Pro 11 show stars Apple’s latest M2 chip, featuring an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
The built-in Neural Engine is designed to be 40% faster than previous models to expedite machine learning and provide 50% more memory bandwidth. Pro-level users can depend on the M2 chip to facilitate creation of 3D designs, AR models, and accelerated gameplay. In terms of performance, both are admirable, but as we mentioned earlier, the ProMotion 120Hz screen refresh rate offers a better and more efficient overall tablet experience. Apple provides a 20-watt charging block and a USB Type-C cable in the iPad Air 5th Gen box, which works well but not quickly, taking 2 hours and 20 minutes to reach 100%.
The new iPad Pro 11-inch model features a stellar two-camera system with 12-megapixel wide and 10MP ultrawide cameras, the same as last year, except they have fresh upgrades. Apple traditionally offers great long-term software support so your tablet should stay current for at least four years, and probably much longer than that.
Since both tablets arrived in the same year, you can expect both to get around the same number of updates in the future, so that shouldn’t be top of your list separating the two. When you hover your Apple Pencil above the iPad Pro, it will be detected, and show a preview of where your stylus is going to touch the screen, adding a new level of precision.
In addition to the new M2 chipset, the new iPad Pro features a 120Hz ProMotion Liquid Retina screen, improved Apple Pencil support, Wi-Fi 6E support, Thunderbolt 4, a lidar camera, and multiple mics that put it into a more advanced category than the iPad Air — though both are only so-so performers in the battery department. It’s an enormously powerful tablet with a thin attractive design that will suit most professionals, students, and casual users and even act as a laptop substitute in most situations.
Apple iPad (4th Gen)
Ambient light and proximity sensors help iPad know if it’s facedown on the table, and prevents the screen from turning on, even when you receive a notification.
iPad Pro (2022) vs. iPad Air (2022): Which Apple tablet is right for you?
A few months later, the company introduced the sixth-generation iPad Pro, which stands as the most powerful and responsive tablet in Apple’s current lineup. On top of that, the iPad Pro includes Apple’s ProMotion high-refresh-rate display for a silky smooth experience when navigating and working on the tablet.
How to improve your iPad’s battery life
But there are a number of things you can do to improve the performance of your iPad battery and keep it in top working condition. When you think about it, it’s quite impressive how large a battery Apple manages to put into such a slim device. There is no “memory effect” like older Nickel Cadmium batteries, so you can charge your iPad anytime you want and even leave it on a charger overnight.
So far we’ve talked about the “battery life,” meaning how long the iPad will run on a single charge.
Again, you shouldn’t store your iPad in the airplane on a cold night, but once it warms up the battery should give you normal life. Again, you shouldn’t store your iPad in the airplane on a cold night, but once it warms up the battery should give you normal life.
If you don’t plan to use your iPad for a long time (say, a few months), store it with about a 50% charge for best performance. The best advice is to charge it to 50%, then turn the iPad completely off and store it in a cool area. The best advice is to charge it to 50%, then turn the iPad completely off and store it in a cool area. In addition to the many new features Apple adds when they update their operating system, they often include fixes and performance enhancements for the battery. In addition to the many new features Apple adds when they update their operating system, they often include fixes and performance enhancements for the battery. Adjust screen brightness and wireless radio settings for maximum battery life.
iOS is pretty good about shutting down background apps before they become real parasites, but it’s worth looking at this once in awhile. We have seen instances where aviation apps almost completely drained an iPad even after the flight was over and the screen was off.
This is a one-touch way to reduce screen brightness, animations, and background app usage. Also note that the iPad battery does meet the standards required by Advisory Circular 120-76D for use as an EFB.
iPad Pro 11‑in. (3rd generation) vs iPad Air (4th generation)
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video or listening to music
Will M1 provide better battery life in Air 5 vs Air 4 with A14?
Getting correct battery life assessments for iPads online is extremely difficult, if not impossible. The only battery life results I’ve seen are those in which people complain because battery life is abhorrent, and, typically, that is due to full brightness, which throws results very off the mark and makes them irrelevant (for me).I‘ve repeatedly seen comments saying “well, why do you want other people’s results, when every single usage pattern is different?”, which is not exactly accurate: by extrapolating the patterns in screen-on time difference between models, you can get, I’d dare to say, an extremely accurate idea. It’s very helpful, but iPads are nowhere to be found.You only have YouTube tests, heavy, continuous runtime.
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (2022) vs. iPad Air (2022)
While some may chide Apple for its adherence to visual tradition, most users give a thumbs up to a familiar design that works well. Each year, new iPads fresh off the assembly line get loaded with technical improvements invisible to the eye, but obvious in the hand. iPad Pro 11-inch (2022) iPad Air (2022) Size 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm (9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches) 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm (9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches) Weight Wi-Fi: 466 grams (1.03 pounds) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 470 grams (1.04 pounds) Wi-Fi: 461 grams (1.02 pounds) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 462 grams (1.02 pounds) Screen size 11 inches 10.9 inches Screen resolution 2388 x 1668 pixels at 264 ppi 2360 x 1640 pixels at 264 ppi Operating system iPadOS 16 iPadOS 16 Storage space 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 64GB, 256GB MicroSD card slot No No Tap-to-pay services No No Processor Apple M2 Apple M1 RAM 8GB/16GB RAM 8GB Camera Rear: 12-megapixel wide and 10MP ultrawide cameras Front: 12MP TrueDepth camera system with ultrawide Rear: 12MP wide camera Front: 12MP ultrawide front camera Video ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB capacity) 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p at 25/30/60 fps 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps 1080p at 25/30/60 fps Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.0 Ports USB-C supporting Thunderbolt/USB 4 port Smart Connector USB-C Smart Connector Fingerprint sensor No Yes Water resistance No No Battery TBC 28.6Wh App marketplace Apple App Store Apple App Store Network support All major carriers (cellular version only) All major carriers (cellular version only) Colors Silver, Space Gray Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, Blue Price $799 $599 Buy from Apple Apple Review score News 4.5 out of 5 stars It unlocks via Face ID and features 120Hz Pro Motion tech, which makes a huge difference between the two models.
The iPad Air 5th Gen sports a thin aluminum body, one camera lens on the back, and Touch ID embedded in the power button. Its pleasing rounded corners are comfortable, while the 10.9-inch LED-backlit screen with 2360 x 1640 pixel resolution is controlled by Apple’s True Tone color management system.
Differing screen refresh rates separate the Pro model from the Air in terms of quality and user experience. The new iPad Pro 11 show stars Apple’s latest M2 chip, featuring an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
The built-in Neural Engine is designed to be 40% faster than previous models to expedite machine learning and provide 50% more memory bandwidth. Pro-level users can depend on the M2 chip to facilitate creation of 3D designs, AR models, and accelerated gameplay.
In terms of performance, both are admirable, but as we mentioned earlier, the ProMotion 120Hz screen refresh rate offers a better and more efficient overall tablet experience. Apple provides a 20-watt charging block and a USB Type-C cable in the iPad Air 5th Gen box, which works well but not quickly, taking 2 hours and 20 minutes to reach 100%.
The new iPad Pro 11-inch model features a stellar two-camera system with 12-megapixel wide and 10MP ultrawide cameras, the same as last year, except they have fresh upgrades. Apple traditionally offers great long-term software support so your tablet should stay current for at least four years, and probably much longer than that. Since both tablets arrived in the same year, you can expect both to get around the same number of updates in the future, so that shouldn’t be top of your list separating the two.
When you hover your Apple Pencil above the iPad Pro, it will be detected, and show a preview of where your stylus is going to touch the screen, adding a new level of precision. In addition to the new M2 chipset, the new iPad Pro features a 120Hz ProMotion Liquid Retina screen, improved Apple Pencil support, Wi-Fi 6E support, Thunderbolt 4, a lidar camera, and multiple mics that put it into a more advanced category than the iPad Air — though both are only so-so performers in the battery department. It’s an enormously powerful tablet with a thin attractive design that will suit most professionals, students, and casual users and even act as a laptop substitute in most situations.
iPad Pro 2021 vs. iPad Air 4: Which should you buy?
But now there’s a new iPad Pro on the market, and it’s packing Apple’s powerful M1 chip, a very promising new Liquid Retina XDR display, better cameras and support for 5G. Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 – Cell 0 iPad Air 4 (2020) 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 Starting price $599 $799 $1,099 Display 10.9 inches (2360 x 1640) 11 inches (2388 x 1668 pixels) 12.9 inches (2732 x 2048 pixels) mini-LED Processor A14 Bionic M1 (16-core) M1 (16-core) Storage 64GB, 256GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB Rear Cameras 12MP wide (f/1.8) 12MP wide (f/1.8), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/2.4) 12MP wide (f/1.8), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/2.4) Front Cameras 7MP TrueDepth 12MP TrueDepth 12MP TrueDepth Dimensions 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches Weight 1 pound 1.04 pounds 1.51 pounds Port USB-C USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4 USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4 Accessories Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil (gen 2) Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil (gen 1 & 2) Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil (gen 1 & 2) Connectivity Wi-Fi 6, optional 4G Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G The cheapest iPad Pro 2021 ($799) comes with 128GB of storage, which is a much more reasonable amount of space for a modern tablet.
Pre-orders for the new iPad Pro opened April 30, and that tablet started arriving in stores in the second half of May. The iPad Air 4’s 10.9-inch (2360 x 1640 pixels) Liquid Retina display is plenty bright and beautiful enough to let you enjoy watching your favorite shows and movies on the go. It has a respectable pixel density of 264ppi, the nice thin bezels of the iPad Pro, and good color reproduction. One of the big selling points of the new iPad Pro 2021 is the inclusion of Apple’s new M1 chip, which first debuted last year. Apple also claims we’ll see as much as a 2x improvement in storage access speed over the iPad Pro 2020, which was already plenty fast.
The new iPad Pro 2021 supports USB-4 and Thunderbolt 4, which means better-than-ever bandwidth for for external devices and displays. Specifically, the iPad Air 4 packs an A14 Bionic chip with a hexa-core CPU and a quad-core GPU that makes it speedier than most tablets on the market.
Dimensions-wise, it’s basically identical to the 11-inch iPad Pro, with similarly thin bezels that make the screen pop. Both offer great performance in a thin, light package, though the added weight and size of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 may make that tablet a little more unwieldy to use, especially if you have small hands.
The iPad Pro 2021 will come with an improved 12MP TrueDepth sensor on the front which supports Apple’s Center Stage, a new feature that uses the iPad Pro’s ultra-wide camera during video calls to automatically track and zoom in on someone as they move around the frame. Thanks to the new M1 chip the new iPad Pro 2021 is shaping up to be one of the most powerful and capable tablets of the year, and we’re eager to check out how good that gorgeous-looking mini-LED screen on the 12.9-inch model looks in person. It’s also looking like the iPad Pro 2021 be one of the most expensive tablets you can buy, especially if you need more storage than the base models or want to splurge for that larger screen size.
iPad Pro 2021 Vs iPad Air 4: What’s the difference?
There have been internal and aesthetic changes to this device which has made it a perfect idea for all types of users and applications. The latest model of the iPad Pro is a powerhouse and so are the other apple devices that recently been developed. This is mainly due to its large body, efficient hardware, and enough power to be used as a laptop replacement (but you would need to pair it with a Magic keyboard). This new iPad comes with the latest Apple M1 chip, an impressive new Liquid Retina XDR Display, solid cameras and 5G connectivity.
However, the cheapest iPad Pro 2021 comes in at $799 but has 128GB of space, which is a more reasonable amount of storage for a modern device. The iPad Air 4’s 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is bright and impressive enough to let users enjoy working and watching their favourite shows and movies.
A major selling point of the iPad Pro 2021 is the installation of the new M1 chip, which was initially included in MacBooks last year. Apple also suggests that this new chip offers 2x storage access speed over its predecessor, which was already quite impressive.
But the iPad Pro 2021, is similarly rated to last for 10 hours while surfing the web or watching your favourite videos.
However, if you are willing to pay a high price for the latest hardware and top-class performance, the iPad Pro 2021 is the best choice for you.
The iPad Air Versus the iPad Pro: With the M1 Chip, the Budget Option Is Just As Powerful
iPad tablets offer the smoothness of Apple’s mobile iOS interface on a large touchscreen display that trumps the smaller screens found on iPhones. While this makes them pricier than Android or Fire OS alternatives, my experience is that iPads tend to last longer in both usability and durability than competitor tablets, which I’ve replaced on a near bi-annual basis. That’s not to say these are flawless—they don’t match the level of freedom Android offers with customizable launchers, easy side-loading of apps, or even expandable memory. If you opt to buy one, you’ll be best served by one end of the Apple tablet spectrum or the other: the lightweight and affordable , or the powerful yet pricey .
This addition boosts the Air’s battery life and speed, so much so that it rivals the iPad Pro, just in a slightly thinner format. Still, while you can now have the same note-taking, content creation, and gaming capability as the most expensive iPad for less money, that doesn’t necessarily make it a better buy.
If you want the best media streaming device, the Pro is better for high dynamic range (HDR) content that’s bursting with color and light. After Apple’s Peek Performance event, it’s clear that the Pro and Air share the same M1 chip and levels of processing power. Their strength makes them mobile-gaming powerhouses with a 16-core neural engine for rendering graphics and intelligently enhancing photos and videos. If you simply want a large touchscreen for sending out emails, browsing social media, and watching YouTube, the Air is an investment that should last you for years.
If you use your tablet for creating videos or photos, then the larger storage capacity and configurable RAM of the Pro model is best. It’s more expensive, but you’ll see more accurate colors, hear more clearly thanks to twice the number of speakers, and transfer media faster with the Thunderbolt 4 port (in addition to being able to use Thunderbolt-exclusive monitors and drives).
iPad Pro 11 (2021) vs iPad Air 4 (2020): which is the right Apple tablet for you?
It was announced in September 2020, around seven months before the latest iPad Pro arrived in April 2021. It’s fairer then to compare the 256GB specs of both versions (as you can’t get the Air with 128GB), which show the real cost difference is slightly less at $150 / £120 / AU$220. This lets the drivers act a bit like a tweeter/woofer team, one taking responsibility for the lower frequencies. The 2021 iPad Pro brings a generational shift in display tech, but you don’t get it in the 11-inch version.
Resolution is slightly different too, at 2388 x 1668 to the iPad Air 4’s 2360 x 1640, which allows for the extra 0.1 inches of screen space without trading away pixel density. You won’t sacrifice much on the screen front if you opt for the iPad Air 4 (Image credit: TechRadar) They both also have a layer that helps prevent fingers greasing up the display glass and minimizes reflections. This is still a type of LCD, but it uses far smaller backlight LEDs and, in this case, allows for something we’ve never seen in an iPad before.
This is a common feature in higher-end TVs, used to make the image look punchier and more contrasty in dimly lit rooms.
The 2021 iPad Pro 12.9 has around 10,000 local dimming zones, and these are particularly important for HDR video playback.
Apple calls this screen tech Liquid Retina XDR, named after its $5000 monitor. The iPad Pro 11 has an additional 10MP ultra-wide camera, the kind now so common in phones.
Center Stage on the iPad Pro 11 keeps the focus on you (Image credit: Apple) A feature called Center Stage automatically crops into the image to frame people involved in the chat.
We’ve tried a similar feature while testing the Insta360 One R action camera, and found it pretty neat.
The 2021 iPad Pro tablets use the same Apple M1 processors as the higher-spec version of the MacBook Air. The cellular iPad Pro 11 (2021) has 5G, although the upgrade comes with a big price bump. It’s probably worth the extra spend for digital artists who can write a new iPad off as a business expense.
Will we suddenly get a load of AAA console ports that you can play on-the-go, without an internet connection, because the Apple M1 is now used on iPads as well as MacBooks? We know Divinity: Original Sin 2 is coming, but that’s not enough to fuel an iPad gaming revolution.
These are the iPad Pro 11’s superior quad-driver speakers and the clever front cam that will zoom and pan the view to keep you (and other FaceTimers) on-screen. But at $200 / £150 / AU$250 more than the Wi-Fi version this upgrade makes us feel a little queasy, particularly as 5G phones at that price are probably not too far away.
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