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Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4) vs Microsoft Surface Pro 13″ (12th Edition)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPad Air 13″ (M4)MicrosoftSurface Pro 13″ (12th Edition)
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2026June 2026
Display
Screen size12.9″13″
Resolution2732 × 20482880 × 1920
Sharpness265 pixels per inch266 pixels per inch
PanelLCDLCD
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz
Brightness600 nits600 nits
HDR peak brightness–600 nits
Display typeLiquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD; sold as 13-inch, 12.9 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle13-inch PixelSense Flow display, LCD on Snapdragon X2 Plus models or OLED on Snapdragon X2 Elite models; 3:2 aspect ratio; rounded corners, 13 inches measured as a rectangle
Pixel density264 ppi267 ppi
Brightness detail–LCD: 600 nits SDR (typical), 600 nits HDR peak, 1,300:1 contrast. OLED: 600 nits SDR (typical), 900 nits HDR peak, 1,000,000:1 contrast
Display featuresWide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating; no ProMotionDynamic refresh up to 120 Hz; sRGB and Vivid colour profiles, plus HDR mode; Dolby Vision IQ; individually colour-calibrated; adaptive colour and contrast; auto colour management; 10-point multi-touch; strengthened glass
Performance
ChipM4Snapdragon X2 Plus or X2 Elite
Memory12 GB16 GB – 64 GB
Storage128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
CPU8-core CPU with 3 performance and 5 efficiency coresSnapdragon X2 Plus with 10 cores in LCD models (sold in the UK with 16 GB and 256 or 512 GB, or 24 GB and 512 GB); Snapdragon X2 Elite with 12 cores (X2E-78-100, per Notebookcheck) in OLED models (16 GB and 512 GB or 1 TB, 24 GB and 512 GB, or 32 or 64 GB and 1 TB); LPDDR5x RAM; removable Gen 4 SSD
GPU9-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Media Engine with H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, AV1 decode; 120GB/s memory bandwidthQualcomm Adreno GPU (Adreno X2-85 on the X2 Elite, per Notebookcheck)
AI engine16-core Neural EngineQualcomm Hexagon NPU, 80 TOPS
Cameras
Rear camera12 MP10 MP
Ultra wide cameraNoneNone
Front camera12 MP3.6 MP
Rear camera12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 410 MP Ultra HD
Front cameraLandscape 12MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/2.0Quad HD (1440p) Surface Studio Camera with an ultrawide field of view, 3.6 MP (Notebookcheck); Windows Studio Effects (automatic framing, portrait blur, creative filters, eye contact, portrait light); separate Windows Hello face camera
Video recording4K 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 hoursUp to 15.5 hours
Battery capacity36.59 Wh47 Wh
Mobile data optionYesNo
StylusSupported, sold separatelySupported, sold separately
Keyboard made for itYesYes
Battery life detailUp to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video; up to 9 hours surfing the web on mobile dataUp to 15.5 hours of local video playback or 11.5 hours of web use; 47 Wh nominal (46 Wh minimum) with the LCD, 53 Wh nominal (51 Wh minimum) with the OLED
ChargingVia USB-C power adapter (not included) or computerUSB-C or Surface Connect; at least 39 W, and 60 W or more for fast charging; no charger in the UK box (Surface 65W Power Supply sold separately)
USB-CUSB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60HzTwo USB-C ports with USB4, for charging, data and DisplayPort 1.4a; one external display up to 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz or 3840 × 2160 at 120 Hz, or up to three 4K displays at 60 Hz; Surface Connect port
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO (Apple N1 chip); ThreadWi-Fi 7 (6 GHz band not available in all regions)
BluetoothBluetooth 6Bluetooth 5.4, with Bluetooth LE Audio
Mobile networkApple C1X modem; 5G (sub-6 GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; eSIM only–
Stylus supportApple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hoverSurface Slim Pen (2nd Edition), sold separately; tactile signals; Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP); stored and charged in the Surface Pro 13-inch Flex Keyboard or Keyboard with pen storage
KeyboardsMagic Keyboard for iPad Air (black or white)Surface Pro 13-inch Flex Keyboard, Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard (with or without pen storage); also works with the Surface Pro Signature, Surface Pro X Signature and Surface Pro X keyboards
Design
Weight616 g895 g
Thickness6.1 mm9.3 mm
Height × width280.6 × 214.9 mm287 × 209 mm
Operating systemiPadOSWindows
BiometricsTouch ID in the top buttonWindows Hello face recognition
SpeakersLandscape stereo speakers2 W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual Studio Mics with enhanced voice focus
SensorsThree-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensorAmbient colour sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 30% recycled content overallAnodised aluminium; 86% recycled content in the enclosure, including 100% recycled aluminium alloy; kickstand with a 165° full-friction hinge
ColoursBlue, Purple, Starlight, Space GreyPlatinum, Black, Dune
Software at launchiPadOS 26Windows 11 Home
In the boxiPad Air, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m)Surface Pro, Quick Start Guide, safety and warranty documents (no power supply)

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