Apple iPad Air (3rd generation) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab A7

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

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iPad Air (3rd generation) compared with Galaxy Tab A7

	AppleiPad Air (3rd generation)	SamsungGalaxy Tab A7
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	October 2020
Display
Screen size
Screen size	10.5″	10.4″
Resolution
Resolution	2224 × 1668 (better)	2000 × 1200
Sharpness
Sharpness	265 pixels per inch (better)	224 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD (IPS confirmed by Notebookcheck)	TFT LCD, WUXGA+, 16 million colours; 10.4-inch full rectangle
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating	–
Performance
Chip
Chip	A12 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662
Memory
Memory	3 GB	3 GB
Storage
Storage	64 GB, 256 GB (better)	32 GB, 64 GB
CPU
CPU	64-bit A12 Bionic; M12 motion coprocessor; 3 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit	Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (SM6115), four CPU cores at 2.0 GHz and four at 1.8 GHz in Samsung’s original Russian launch table. Original 3 GB RAM/32 GB and 3 GB/64 GB configurations; microSD up to 1 TB for media
AI engine
AI engine	Neural Engine	–
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	8 MP	8 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	7 MP (better)	5 MP
Rear camera
Rear camera	f/2.4 five-element lens; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; autofocus; wide colour and Live Photos; HDR; panorama up to 43 MP; burst; timer; auto image stabilisation	8 MP autofocus; no flash. Full HD 1920 × 1080 recording at 30 fps
Front camera
Front camera	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; backside illumination; auto HDR; burst; timer	5 MP, positioned on the long edge for landscape video calls
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p; slow-motion at 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; video stabilisation; 3x video zoom; front 1080p at 30 fps	–
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 13 hours
Battery (mAh)
Battery (mAh)	–	7,040 mAh
Fastest charging
Fastest charging	–	15 W
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	30.2 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 Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing	7,040 mAh typical, 6,820 mAh rated in the exact South African maker footnote. Up to 13 hours in Samsung’s US family specification sheet means average expected performance under typical usage conditions, not continuous video playback
Charging
Charging	USB power adapter or USB computer charging	Up to 15 W Adaptive Fast Charging. Original maker Russian launch includes a 7.75 W charger; the 15 W adapter is sold separately
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; Smart Connector	USB Type-C, USB 2.0; 3.5 mm stereo headphone socket
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), 2.4 and 5 GHz, VHT80; Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	Gigabit-class LTE; nano-SIM with Apple SIM support and eSIM; cellular model weighs 464 g	Optional LTE SM-T505, 477 g; Wi-Fi SM-T500, 476 g in maker launch tables. One physical nano-SIM in the exact European manual
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (1st generation), sold separately	No active Samsung S Pen support in Notebookcheck’s original exact-model test
Keyboards
Keyboards	Smart Keyboard, sold separately	No dedicated keyboard connector in the exact device layout; launch accessory is a Book Cover stand. General Bluetooth keyboards are separate peripherals
Design
Weight
Weight	456 g (better)	476 g
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm (better)	7 mm
Height × width
Height × width	250.6 × 174.1 mm	157.4 × 247.6 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	Android
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in Home button	Face recognition; no fingerprint reader in exact controls and independent tests
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Four speakers with Dolby Atmos
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Two microphones in the exact European user-manual device layout
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model	Accelerometer, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall and light sensors; GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo
Materials
Materials	–	Metal body; no IP rating established in the maker sources read
Colours
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Grey	Dark Grey, Gold and Silver. Silver has a white front bezel; Dark Grey and Gold have black bezels
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 12; orders opened 18 March 2019, with shops receiving it the following week	Android 10; One UI 2.5 in Notebookcheck’s original full review and maker feature illustration. Current exact UK support publishes an Android 12 user guide. This original SM-T500/SM-T505 is separate from the later SM-T503/SM-T509 refresh and A7 Lite
In the box
In the box	iPad Air; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adapter	Tablet, 7.75 W charger, USB cable and quick-start documentation in original maker/review evidence; LTE includes an ejection pin