Achi news desk-
The iPad Air is now available in two size options, just like the iPad Pro. Yet, after a significant update to the iPad Pro that introduces a thinner design and OLED displays, how different are the two product lines and which should you buy?
The introduction of the fourth generation iPad Air in September 2020 brought the device much closer to the iPad Pro in terms of design, and with the latest model, the iPad Air gained the same M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover support as the iPad previous Pro, bringing them even closer together. The latest iPad Pro models introduced a large number of significant new changes, such as the M4 chip, OLED displays, and a higher price point, and it means that the high-end iPad models are now further differentiated from the iPad Air than from the front.
Should you consider buying the iPad Air to save money, or do you need the high-end features of the iPad Pro? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two iPads is best for you.
| iPad Air (M2, 2024) | iPad Pro (M4, 2024) |
|---|---|
| Liquid Retina Display LED backlit Multi-Touch Display with IPS technology |
Ultra Retina XDR Display Tandem OLED |
| ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz | |
| SDR brightness: 600 nits max | SDR brightnesss: 1,000 nits max XDR brightness: 1,000 nits maximum full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only) |
| Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models | |
| M2 chip (5nm, N5P) | M4 chip (3nm enhanced, N3E) |
| 8-core CPU | Up to 10-core CPU |
| Hardware accelerated ray tracing | |
| Hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC | Hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW |
| ProRes encoding and decoding engine AV1 decoding |
|
| 100GB/s memory bandwidth | 120GB/s memory bandwidth |
| 8GB of memory | 8GB or 16GB of memory |
| Improved thermal design with graphite and copper sheets | |
| Touch ID in the top button | TrueDepth camera system for Face ID |
| Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control | |
| Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High Key Mono) | |
| Animoji and Memoji | |
| LiDAR scanner | |
| True Adaptive Tone Flash | |
| Rear ambient light sensor | |
| ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB capacity) | |
| ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording | |
| Two microphones | Four studio quality microphones |
| Sound amplification | |
| Stereo recording | |
| Landscape stereo speakers | Four audio speakers |
| Pressure: 462 grams or 617 grams | Pressure 444 grams or 579 grams |
| Depth: 6.1 mm | Depth: 5.3 mm or 5.1 mm |
| USB-C connector | USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4 |
| Supports Magic Keyboard | Supports Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4) |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage |
| Available in Space Grey, Starlight, Purple, and Blue | Available in Space Black and Silver |
| Price starts at $599 | Price starts at $999 |
Overall, the iPad Air is the best option for most users, simply on the basis of value for money. For most people, the extra $400+ needed to buy the iPad Pro to get things like Face ID, four-speaker audio, and a ProMotion OLED display with refresh rates up to 120Hz isn’t justified.
Some iPad Pro features, such as LiDAR, up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity are only practically useful to a small niche of users and most will never use some of these high-end capabilities. Many users may not make meaningful use of many features such as sound amplification and stereo sound recording.
Professionals with a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, a matte display, Thunderbolt connectivity, and OLED for HDR content will clearly benefit from purchasing the iPad Pro. That said, prosumer style customers who just want the best iPad will enjoy features like ProMotion 120Hz for smoother scrolling and gaming, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the OLED display, and the True Adaptive Tone flash for scanning documents, even if they are not necessary.
Beyond these individual circumstances, the iPad Air is the best value for money and will more than suffice the needs of most users. With the iPad Air, users can get a modern all-screen design, the M2 chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with Apple’s core accessories at a price well below the price of the iPad Pro.
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