Apple iPad Pro 12.9″ (M1) vs Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch

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iPad Pro 12.9″ (M1) compared with iPad Pro 9.7-inch

	AppleiPad Pro 12.9″ (M1)	AppleiPad Pro 9.7-inch
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	March 2016
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	Mini-LED	LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	120 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	600 nits	–
HDR peak brightness
HDR peak brightness	1,600 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Liquid Retina XDR display, mini-LED-backlit IPS LCD; 2596 full-array local dimming zones; 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio	Retina; LED-backlit LCD
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Brightness detail
Brightness detail	Up to 1000 nits full-screen HDR; 1600 nits peak for HDR content only	–
Display features
Display features	ProMotion up to 120Hz (TechRadar); wide colour (P3); True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings
Performance
Chip
Chip	M1	A9X
Memory
Memory	8 GB – 16 GB (better)	2 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB (better)	32 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 8GB RAM on 128–512GB models, 16GB on 1–2TB models	64-bit A9X; M9 coprocessor; 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM confirmed by iFixit
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU	–
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	12 MP	12 MP
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	10 MP	None
Front camera
Front camera	12 MP (better)	5 MP
Rear camera
Rear camera	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	f/2.2; Focus Pixels autofocus; True Tone flash; Live Photos; wide colour capture; sapphire lens cover
Front camera
Front camera	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	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; Retina Flash; Live Photos
Video recording
Video recording	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	Rear 4K at 30 fps and 1080p at 30/60 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 120 fps or 720p at 240 fps; front 720p
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	40.88 Wh (better)	27.5 Wh
Battery (mAh)
Battery (mAh)	–	7,306 mAh
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 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; 7,306 mAh and 27.91 Wh battery label reported by iFixit, compared with Apple's 27.5 Wh specification
Charging
Charging	Via USB-C power adapter or computer; 20W adapter included, maximum charging power not specified by Apple	Power adaptor or USB computer charging
USB-C
USB-C	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	Lightning; USB 2 data (Ars Technica); 3.5 mm headphone jack; Smart Connector
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz, HT80 with MIMO	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 4.2
Mobile network
Mobile network	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	LTE Advanced; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; CDMA EV-DO; embedded Apple SIM and nano-SIM; cellular model weighs 444 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately; USB-C Pencil compatibility added after launch	Apple Pencil (1st generation), sold separately
Keyboards
Keyboards	Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately; Smart Connector	Smart Keyboard through Smart Connector, sold separately
Design
Weight
Weight	682 g	437 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	6.4 mm	6.1 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	280.6 × 214.9 mm	240 × 169.5 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iPadOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	Face ID via TrueDepth camera	Touch ID in Home button
Speakers
Speakers	Four-speaker audio	Four-speaker audio
Microphones
Microphones	Five studio-quality microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass	Gyroscope; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model
Materials
Materials	Enclosure made with 100% recycled aluminium	–
Colours
Colours	Silver, Space Grey	Silver, Gold, Space Grey, Rose Gold
Software at launch
Software at launch	iPadOS 14.5; Apple's support page was subsequently updated to iPadOS 15	iOS 9.3; subsequently received iPadOS
In the box
In the box	iPad Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), 20W USB-C Power Adapter	iPad Pro; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adaptor