Apple iPad Air 13″ (M2) vs Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4)

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iPad Air 13″ (M2) compared with iPad Air 13″ (M4)

	AppleiPad Air 13″ (M2)	AppleiPad Air 13″ (M4)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2024	March 2026
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.9″	12.9″
Resolution
Resolution	2732 × 2048	2732 × 2048
Sharpness
Sharpness	265 pixels per inch	265 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	600 nits	600 nits
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 13-inch, 12.9 inches 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
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Display features
Display features	60Hz refresh (Expert Reviews); 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
Chip	M2	M4
Memory
Memory	8 GB	12 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores	8-core CPU with 3 performance and 5 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	9-core GPU per Apple's corrected specifications; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC, video encode and 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
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	16-core Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	12 MP	12 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	12 MP	12 MP
Rear camera
Rear camera	12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8; five-element lens; autofocus with Focus Pixels; up to 5x digital zoom; Smart HDR 4; panorama up to 63MP	12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera
Front camera	Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0; Smart HDR 4; Retina Flash with True Tone; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps	Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0
Video recording
Video recording	4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; cinematic video stabilisation; HEVC and H.264	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)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	36.59 Wh	36.59 Wh
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Supported, sold separately	Supported, sold separately
Keyboard made for it
Keyboard made for it	Yes	Yes
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 surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile data
Charging
Charging	Via USB-C power adapter or computer; power adapter not included in the UK box; Apple does not specify maximum charging power	Via USB-C power adapter (not included) or computer
USB-C
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	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO (Apple N1 chip); Thread
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 6
Mobile network
Mobile network	Optional 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO and Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; eSIM only, no physical SIM; GPS/GNSS on cellular models; 618g for Wi-Fi + Cellular, 617g for Wi-Fi	Apple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; eSIM only
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately; Apple Pencil hover; magnetic pairing and charging for Pencil Pro	Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover
Keyboards
Keyboards	Magic Keyboard, available in black or white; Smart Connector; sold separately	Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (black or white)
Design
Weight
Weight	617 g	616 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm	6.1 mm
Height × width
Height × width	280.6 × 214.9 mm	280.6 × 214.9 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in the top button	Touch ID in the top button
Speakers
Speakers	Landscape stereo speakers with Spatial Audio; twice the bass of the 11-inch M2 Air, according to Apple	Landscape stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor
Materials
Materials	Enclosure made with 100% recycled aluminium	100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 30% recycled content overall
Colours
Colours	Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey	Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPadOS 17	iPadOS 26
In the box
In the box	iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)	iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)