11in iPad Pro versus iPad Air: Which M1 tablet is right for you?
If you want an iPad, you have three basic choices: the basic 10.2in iPad, the more expensive iPad Air, or the even more expensive iPad Pro. The standard 10.2in iPad is the budget option, with an ageing design (big bezels, home button, Lightning port) and older processor, and the 12.9in iPad Pro starts at a whopping £999 and is geared toward only the most demanding of users.
So if you want the most tablet without breaking the bank on a £999 12.9in iPad Pro, you have just two options: the £569 iPad Air and the £749 11in iPad Pro. The iPad Air was just upgraded with an M1 processor, making it as powerful as the iPad Pro. But a tablet is more than its processor, and the Pro model does offer a few improvements that might be worth your money. Here’s how these two tablets stack up.
SPECIFICATIONS
Before we start the match-up, let’s have a weigh-in and see how they match up on paper.
iPad Air (2022)
• 10.9in (2,360x1,640; 264ppi) Liquid Retina IPS LCD display• iPadOS 15.4• Apple M1• Octa-core CPU• 8GB RAM• 64GB/256GB storage• Rear-facing camera: 12Mp, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3in, 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF• Selfie camera: 12Mp, f/2.4, 122-degree (ultra-wide)• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual‑band, hotspot• Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, EDR• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS (5G model only)• NFC• USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, DisplayPort; magnetic connector• Fingerprint scanner (top mounted)• Non-removable 28.6Wh lithium‑ion battery• 247.6x178.5x6.1mm• 461g (Wi-Fi), 462g (5G).
