Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) vs Apple iPad Pro 12.9″ (M1)

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iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) compared with iPad Pro 12.9″ (M1)

	AppleiPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)	AppleiPad Pro 12.9″ (M1)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2018	May 2021
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	Mini-LED
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	600 nits	600 nits
HDR peak brightness
HDR peak brightness	–	1,600 nits
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; rounded corners reduce the viewable area	Liquid Retina XDR display, mini-LED-backlit IPS LCD; 2596 full-array local dimming zones; 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Brightness detail
Brightness detail	1.8% reflectivity	Up to 1000 nits full-screen HDR; 1600 nits peak for HDR content only
Display features
Display features	ProMotion adjusts refresh up to 120 Hz; P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatings; Dolby Vision and HDR10 content playback	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	A12X Bionic	M1
Memory
Memory	4 GB – 6 GB	8 GB – 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Eight-core 64-bit CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores; embedded M12 coprocessor; 4 GB RAM on 64/256/512 GB and 6 GB on 1 TB (Notebookcheck)	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 8GB RAM on 128–512GB models, 16GB on 1–2TB models
GPU
GPU	Seven-core Apple GPU	8-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	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	7 MP	12 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	f/1.8; five-element lens; digital zoom up to 5x; quad-LED True Tone flash; sapphire lens cover; Focus Pixels autofocus; Smart HDR; wide colour capture	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	TrueDepth; f/2.2; Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting; Retina Flash; Smart HDR; Animoji and Memoji	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 30/60 fps and 1080p at 30/60 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; HEVC/H.264; front 1080p at 30/60 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	36.71 Wh	40.88 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, video or music; 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	USB-C power adaptor or computer; supplied 18 W adaptor is not a stated maximum charging rate	Via USB-C power adapter or computer; 20W adapter included, maximum charging power not specified by Apple
USB-C
USB-C	USB-C with USB 3.1 Gen 2 and external displays up to 5K; 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	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; 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	Gigabit-class LTE; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; nano-SIM and eSIM; data only; cellular model weighs 633 g	Optional 5G and LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; GPS/GNSS on cellular models; 685g for Wi-Fi + Cellular, 682g for Wi-Fi; mmWave limited to US models
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) with magnetic attachment, pairing and wireless charging; 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	Smart Keyboard Folio through Smart Connector, sold separately	Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately; Smart Connector
Design
Weight
Weight	631 g (better)	682 g
Thickness
Thickness	5.9 mm (better)	6.4 mm
Height × width
Height × width	280.6 × 214.9 mm	280.6 × 214.9 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Face ID through TrueDepth camera	Face ID via TrueDepth camera
Speakers
Speakers	Four-speaker audio	Four-speaker audio
Microphones
Microphones	Five microphones	Five studio-quality microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light sensor; digital compass; iBeacon; GPS/GNSS on cellular model	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
Materials
Materials	–	Enclosure made with 100% recycled aluminium
Colours
Colours	Silver, Space Grey	Silver, Space Grey
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 12; subsequently received iPadOS	iPadOS 14.5; Apple's support page was subsequently updated to iPadOS 15
In the box
In the box	iPad Pro; USB-C Charge Cable (1 m); 18 W USB-C Power Adapter	iPad Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), 20W USB-C Power Adapter