Apple iPad Air (5th generation) vs Apple iPad Pro 11″ (M1)

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iPad Air (5th generation) compared with iPad Pro 11″ (M1)

	AppleiPad Air (5th generation)	AppleiPad Pro 11″ (M1)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2022	May 2021
Display
Screen size
Screen size	10.9″	11″
Resolution
Resolution	2360 × 1640	2388 × 1668 (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	264 pixels per inch	265 pixels per inch (better)
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	120 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	600 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle	Liquid Retina display, LED-backlit IPS LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Display features
Display features	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating	ProMotion up to 120Hz (TechRadar); wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Performance
Chip
Chip	M1	M1
Memory
Memory	8 GB	8 GB – 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	64 GB, 256 GB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 8 GB RAM	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 8GB RAM on 128–512GB models, 16GB on 1–2TB models
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC video decode and encode	8-core GPU
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	10 MP
Front camera
Front camera	12 MP	12 MP
Rear camera
Rear camera	Wide; f/1.8 five-element lens; autofocus with Focus Pixels; digital zoom up to 5x; wide colour and Live Photos; Smart HDR 3; panorama up to 63 MP; auto image stabilisation; burst; geotagging; HEIF and JPEG	12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, autofocus with Focus Pixels; 10MP Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4, 125°; five-element lenses; 2x optical zoom out, up to 5x digital zoom; True Tone flash; Smart HDR 3; sapphire crystal lens cover
Front camera
Front camera	Ultra Wide; 122° field of view; f/2.4; Centre Stage; Smart HDR 3; lens correction; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; auto image stabilisation; burst	12MP TrueDepth Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4, 122°; Center Stage; Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting; Smart HDR 3; Retina Flash; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; stabilised time-lapse; cinematic stabilisation; continuous autofocus; HEVC and H.264; front 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps	4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps (Wide); 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; stereo recording
Depth sensor
Depth sensor	–	LiDAR Scanner
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	28.6 Wh	28.65 Wh (better)
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 Wi-Fi browsing or video; nine hours cellular browsing	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	20W USB-C power adapter supplied; charging via adapter or computer	Via USB-C power adapter or computer; 20W adapter included, maximum charging power not specified by Apple
USB-C
USB-C	USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; one external display up to 6K at 60 Hz; Smart Connector	USB-C with charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40Gb/s, USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10Gb/s; one external display up to 6K at 60Hz
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); simultaneous dual band; HT80 with MIMO	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz, HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	5G (sub-6 GHz) and Gigabit LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; cellular model weighs 462 g	Optional 5G and LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; GPS/GNSS on cellular models; 470g for Wi-Fi + Cellular, 466g for Wi-Fi; mmWave limited to US models
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately; USB-C Pencil compatibility added after launch
Keyboards
Keyboards	Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately	Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately; Smart Connector
Design
Weight
Weight	461 g (better)	466 g
Thickness
Thickness	6.1 mm	5.9 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	247.6 × 178.5 mm	247.6 × 178.5 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Touch ID in top button	Face ID via TrueDepth camera
Speakers
Speakers	Landscape stereo speakers	Four-speaker audio
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Five studio-quality microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium enclosure	Enclosure made with 100% recycled aluminium
Colours
Colours	Space Grey, Starlight, Pink, Purple, Blue	Silver, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPadOS 15	iPadOS 14.5; Apple's support page was subsequently updated to iPadOS 15
In the box
In the box	iPad Air; USB-C charge cable (1 m); 20W USB-C power adapter	iPad Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), 20W USB-C Power Adapter