Apple iPad Air 11″ (M3) vs Apple iPad Air 2

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iPad Air 11″ (M3) compared with iPad Air 2

	AppleiPad Air 11″ (M3)	AppleiPad Air 2
Overview
Released
Released	March 2025	October 2014
Display
Screen size
Screen size	10.86″	9.7″
Resolution
Resolution	2360 × 1640 (better)	2048 × 1536
Sharpness
Sharpness	265 pixels per inch (better)	264 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 11-inch, 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Display features
Display features	Wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating	Fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Performance
Chip
Chip	M3	A8X
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	2 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (better)	16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores	64-bit A8X; M8 motion coprocessor; 2 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit
GPU
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	–
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	12 MP (better)	8 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	12 MP (better)	1.2 MP
Rear camera
Rear camera	12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4	iSight; f/2.4 five-element lens; autofocus; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; auto HDR; panorama up to 43 MP; burst; timer; auto image stabilisation; face detection
Front camera
Front camera	Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; backside illumination; auto HDR; burst; timer; face detection
Video recording
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)	Rear 1080p at 30 fps; slow-motion at 120 fps; stabilised time-lapse; video stabilisation; 3x video zoom; front 720p
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	28.93 Wh (better)	27.3 Wh
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Supported, sold separately	Not supported
Keyboard made for it
Keyboard made for it	Yes	No
Battery life detail
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 Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing
Charging
Charging	Via USB-C power adapter (not included) or computer	Power adapter or USB computer charging
USB-C
USB-C	USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60Hz	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 4.2 (current Apple UK specifications)
Mobile network
Mobile network	5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; eSIM only	LTE, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE and CDMA EV-DO; nano-SIM with Apple SIM support; Wi-Fi calling; cellular model weighs 444 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover	No Apple Pencil support
Keyboards
Keyboards	Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (white)	No Smart Connector
Design
Weight
Weight	460 g	437 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm	6.1 mm
Height × width
Height × width	247.6 × 178.5 mm	240 × 169.5 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in the top button	Touch ID in Home button
Speakers
Speakers	Landscape stereo speakers	Built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium in the enclosure	–
Colours
Colours	Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey	Silver, Gold, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPadOS 18	iOS 8.1; orders opened 17 October 2014, with availability the following week
In the box
In the box	iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)	iPad Air 2; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adapter