Apple iPad Air 11″ (M3) vs Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiPad Air 11″ (M3) | AppleiPad Air 13″ (M4) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | March 2025 | March 2026 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 10.86″ | 12.9″ |
| Resolution | 2360 × 1640 | 2732 × 2048 (better) |
| Sharpness | 265 pixels per inch | 265 pixels per inch |
| Panel | LCD | LCD |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 600 nits (better) |
| Display type | Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 11-inch, 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle | Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 13-inch, 12.9 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle |
| Pixel density | 264 ppi | 264 ppi |
| Display features | Wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating; no ProMotion |
| Performance | ||
| Chip | M3 | M4 |
| Memory | 8 GB | 12 GB (better) |
| Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| CPU | 8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores | 8-core CPU with 3 performance and 5 efficiency cores |
| GPU | 9-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated 8K HEVC, 4K H.264, ProRes and ProRes RAW, AV1 decode | 9-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, AV1 decode; 120GB/s memory bandwidth |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Cameras | ||
| Rear camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Ultra wide camera | None | None |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Rear camera | 12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4 | 12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4 |
| Front camera | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0 | Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0 |
| Video recording | 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p) | 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p) |
| Battery and connections | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Battery capacity | 28.93 Wh | 36.59 Wh (better) |
| Mobile data option | Yes | Yes |
| Stylus | Supported, sold separately | Supported, sold separately |
| Keyboard made for it | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life detail | Up to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data | Up to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data |
| Charging | Via USB-C power adapter (not included) or computer | Via USB-C power adapter (not included) or computer |
| USB-C | USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60Hz | USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60Hz |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO (Apple N1 chip); Thread |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 6 |
| Mobile network | 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; eSIM only | Apple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; eSIM only |
| Stylus support | Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover | Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover |
| Keyboards | Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (white) | Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (black or white) |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 460 g (better) | 616 g |
| Thickness | 6.1 mm | 6.1 mm |
| Height × width | 247.6 × 178.5 mm | 280.6 × 214.9 mm |
| Operating system | iPadOS | iPadOS |
| Biometrics | Touch ID in the top button | Touch ID in the top button |
| Speakers | Landscape stereo speakers | Landscape stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Dual microphones | Dual microphones |
| Sensors | Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor | Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor |
| Materials | 100% recycled aluminium in the enclosure | 100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 30% recycled content overall |
| Colours | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey |
| Software at launch | iPadOS 18 | iPadOS 26 |
| In the box | iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m) | iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m) |
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