Apple iPad Air 13″ (M2) vs Apple iPad Air (1st generation)

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iPad Air 13″ (M2) compared with iPad Air (1st generation)

	AppleiPad Air 13″ (M2)	AppleiPad Air (1st generation)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2024	November 2013
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.9″	9.7″
Resolution
Resolution	2732 × 2048 (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	600 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 13-inch, 12.9 inches diagonally as a rectangle	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD
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	Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Performance
Chip
Chip	M2	A7
Memory
Memory	8 GB (better)	1 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 A7; M7 motion coprocessor; 1 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit
GPU
GPU	9-core GPU per Apple's corrected specifications; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC, video encode and decode	–
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	12 MP (better)	5 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; up to 5x digital zoom; Smart HDR 4; panorama up to 63MP	iSight; f/2.4 five-element lens; autofocus; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; HDR; face detection
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	FaceTime HD; backside illumination; face detection
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	Rear 1080p with video stabilisation, face detection and 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	36.59 Wh (better)	32.4 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 or computer; power adapter not included in the UK box; Apple does not specify maximum charging power	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; optional adapters support 1080p external video
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 4.0
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	LTE, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE and CDMA EV-DO; nano-SIM; cellular model weighs 478 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately; Apple Pencil hover; magnetic pairing and charging for Pencil Pro	No Apple Pencil support
Keyboards
Keyboards	Magic Keyboard, available in black or white; Smart Connector; sold separately	No Smart Connector
Design
Weight
Weight	617 g	469 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm (better)	7.5 mm
Height × width
Height × width	280.6 × 214.9 mm	240 × 169.5 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in the top button	No Touch ID
Speakers
Speakers	Landscape stereo speakers with Spatial Audio; twice the bass of the 11-inch M2 Air, according to Apple	Stereo speakers (Notebookcheck)
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; ambient light; compass; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model (Notebookcheck)
Materials
Materials	Enclosure made with 100% recycled aluminium	Aluminium enclosure (Notebookcheck)
Colours
Colours	Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Grey	Silver, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPadOS 17	iOS 7
In the box
In the box	iPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)	iPad Air; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adapter