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Need-to-knows
- M4 chip has enough power for even advanced tasks
- iPad Pro is mainly for creative professionals who need the absolute top echelons of performance
- Display is much nicer on the Pro, but still good on the Air
- Apple Pencil Pro works on both
For those of you who want to buy an iPad with an M-series chip, there are two options at the time of writing: the M4 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro. If you’re trying to choose between the two, then you’ve made your way to the right place!
Making a decision might seem a bit complicated at first glance, but there is actually a very easy way to find out the right iPad for you. The M4 iPad Air is a powerful, flexible device that looks a lot like the iPad Pro on paper. Meanwhile, the M5 iPad Pro sits at the very top of Apple’s tablet hierarchy, promising cutting-edge performance and the most advanced display Apple has ever put into a tablet.
The question is whether those extra features actually matter to you and your needs. Here are the key differences between the M4 iPad Air and the M5 iPad Pro!
Shop the M4 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro below!
M4 iPad Air
M5 iPad Pro
At a glance
| Feature | M4 iPad Air | M5 iPad Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Starting storage | 128GB | 256GB |
| Maximum storage | 1TB | 2TB |
| Chip | M4 | M5 |
| CPU | 8-core CPU | 9-core or 10-core CPU |
| GPU | 9-core GPU | 10-core GPU |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB or 16GB |
| Display | Liquid Retina (LCD) | Ultra Retina XDR (Tandem OLED) |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | ProMotion 10–120Hz |
| Brightness | 500–600 nits | Up to 1,600 nits HDR |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Face ID |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers | Four-speaker audio |
| Microphones | Dual microphones | Four-mic studio array |
| Port | USB-C (10Gb/s) | Thunderbolt / USB 4 |
| External display | 1 external display (6K) | Higher-bandwidth Thunderbolt support |
| Thickness | 6.1 mm | 5.1 mm |
| Weight (13-inch) | 616 g | 579 g |
| Price | $599/£599 | $999/£999 |
The iPad Pro wins big on the display
The biggest and most obvious difference between these two iPads lies in the display.
The M4 iPad Air features a Liquid Retina display, which is Apple’s well-established LCD panel technology. It’s sharp, colourful, and bright enough for most environments, topping out at 500 nits on the 11-inch model and 600 nits on the 13-inch version.
Check out my full M5 iPad Pro review!
For everyday tasks, it looks excellent. Watching films, editing photos, browsing the web, and reading documents all feel perfectly comfortable on the iPad Air.
The iPad Pro, however, moves into a completely different category.
It uses Apple’s Ultra Retina XDR display with tandem OLED technology. That means deeper blacks, dramatically higher contrast, and significantly higher brightness for HDR content. It can reach 1,600 nits for HDR highlights and delivers a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
The Pro also includes ProMotion, which allows the display to dynamically adjust between 10Hz and 120Hz. Scrolling and animations feel a touch smoother as a result.
But the key question is whether you actually need it. If all of what I just said above flew over your head and the words ‘deeper blacks’ mean nothing to you, then you very likely do not need to worry about the better display tech.
Those extra specs are mainly aimed at creative professionals who use their iPads for things like video and image editing, creating art and general graphics work. They need to be able to see a wider range of colours at different vibrancies in order to work as accurately as possible.
For casual use, streaming, and general productivity, the iPad Air’s screen is already very good and will serve the majority of people’s needs. That display is absolutely stunning on the M5 iPad Pro though!
The M5 chip is more powerful, but the M4 is already very fast
The next big difference lies inside the two tablets.
The iPad Air uses the M4 chip with an 8-core CPU, 9-core GPU and 12GB of unified memory. It also benefits from 120GB/s of memory bandwidth and Apple’s modern media engine for video encoding and decoding. That’s already some serious computing power for a tablet.
Guide: M5 iPad Pro vs M1 iPad Pro
The iPad Pro moves up to the M5 chip, which offers a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, and higher memory bandwidth at 153GB/s. Higher-capacity models also gain more RAM, reaching up to 16GB on the 1TB and 2TB versions.
In raw performance terms, the Pro is clearly ahead. But that difference is virtually imperceptible in real-world use. The M4 chip is already far beyond what most iPad apps require, even Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Everyday tasks barely challenge it.
The M4 iPad Air can complete the same tasks as the M5 iPad Pro, as long as you aren’t literally the most demanding power user of all time. So then, why does the iPad Pro exist, you might be asking?
Mainly because of that display. People who need the M5 chip are also likely to want the best display tech. Those who don’t can make do with a slightly less feature-filled display. That’s it!
The iPad Pro is thinner and lighter
The design difference between the two devices isn’t dramatic, but it is noticeable.
The 13-inch iPad Pro is somehow just 5.1mm thick, which is impressively thin even by Apple standards, considering all of the power and tech that’s packed inside. It’s also slightly lighter than the equivalent iPad Air.
The iPad Air measures 6.1mm thick and weighs a little more in the larger configuration. It’s not until you hold the iPad Pro that you realise what a feat of engineering it is. So thin and light yet rammed full of power.
In real-world use, however, both devices feel extremely portable. They’re thin, light, and easy to carry around in a bag.
Face ID and LiDAR are exclusive to the Pro
Another difference between the two models is biometric security.
The iPad Air relies on Touch ID built into the top button. This works fine and has been part of Apple’s tablet design for years. Face ID is a strange omission from the iPad Air, but it’s not a deal-breaker.
The iPad Pro includes Face ID, which allows you to unlock the tablet simply by looking at it. This is obviously more convenient, but by how much really depends on your own preferences. It makes the most difference when your iPad is attached to a keyboard or stand.
Competition: OnePlus Pad 3 review
The Pro also includes a LiDAR scanner on the rear camera system, which improves depth sensing for augmented reality apps and can assist with certain photography features. Again, that’s a very niche feature.
The iPad Pro has better audio and microphones
The M5 iPad Pro also includes a more advanced audio setup. It features a four-speaker audio system and a studio-quality four-microphone array designed for recording and video calls.
The iPad Air uses a simpler landscape stereo speaker system with two microphones.
More: Find the best iPad for your needs in our guide!
In everyday use, both devices sound good, but the Pro does sound significantly fuller, more well-rounded and louder. If you watch a lot of content without headphones or record audio directly onto your device, then you might want to consider this factor.
Thunderbolt connectivity offers more flexibility
Connectivity is another area where the iPad Pro holds a small but somewhat noteworthy advantage.
The iPad Air includes a USB-C port with support for USB 3 speeds up to 10Gb/s.
The iPad Pro steps up to Thunderbolt/USB 4, which offers 40Gb/s data transfer speeds and broader compatibility with professional accessories such as external drives, displays, and docking solutions. If your iPad is part of a more serious workstation setup, Thunderbolt can be very useful.
If you mainly use your tablet on its own or with simple accessories, you will likely never notice the difference.
Storage
A simple one to finish. The iPad Air ranges from 128GB up to 1TB. The iPad Pro starts at 256GB and climbs all the way to 2TB.
This makes the Pro more suitable for people who, again, do the type of work that means they need to store things like large video projects, music libraries, or design files directly on the device. But to be honest, if storage is an issue for you, getting an external hardrive is far more cost-effective.
What about Apple Pencil compatibility?
Both the M4 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C, so no worries here!
Our pick for the best iPad keyboard!
Which one should you buy?
This comparison ultimately comes down to one simple question. Do you actually need the extra power and display technology of the iPad Pro?
The M5 iPad Pro is undoubtedly the most advanced tablet Apple makes. Its OLED display is stunning, the M5 chip is incredibly powerful, and the additional hardware features make it a professional powerhouse.
But the M4 iPad Air is undoubtedly the sweet spot in the lineup. It delivers a huge amount of performance, supports the same accessories, and offers a fantastic display that is more than good enough for everyday use. For most people, it will feel just as fast and capable as the Pro.
At the end of the day, the iPad Air starts at $599/£599, whilst the iPad Pro starts at $999/£999. That’s a big price gap and one you’d have to really justify bridging if you think you need the Pro. If you’re doing serious graphics work, music production, or other demanding creative tasks, the M5 iPad Pro is probably worth it.
For everyone else, the M4 iPad Air is easily the smarter buy.
