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The iPad Pro is Apple's peak offering for professionals. It features the company's most powerful processor (M4), a bright, high-contrast OLED display, and up to 2TB of storage.
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The latest iPad Air has enough power and features for most hobbyists and professionals, thanks to Apple's highly capable M3 processor and year-over-year enhancements for video editing.
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What we don't like
The price divide between the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air is incredibly wide, but the gap has narrowed in performance and professional features, with the new iPad Air running on the M3 processor.
The 2024 iPad Pro's OLED display and unrivaled M4 processor make it the definitive professional-grade tablet in Apple's lineup. Yet, despite its considerably lower price, the 2025 iPad Air is still a high-end tablet; even demanding users will be satisfied with its excellent performance and a feature set that largely mirrors the latest Pro model, especially after spending $400 less.
When deciding between the iPad Pro and iPad Air, additional factors to consider include Face ID versus Touch ID, storage options, and USB-C data transfer speeds. Whichever model you choose, it's worth noting that we recommend both among the best iPads you can buy.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Specs
| Specification | iPad Pro (2024) | iPad Air (2025) |
| Display | 11-inch: Ultra Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion (2,420 x 1,668); 13-inch: Ultra Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion (2,752 x 2,064) | 11-inch: Liquid Retina LED (2,360 x 1,640); 13-inch: Liquid Retina LED (2,732 × 2,048) |
| Processor | Apple M4 | Apple M3 |
| Memory (RAM) | 8GB; 16GB on 1TB and 2TB models | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear cameras | 12MP wide camera | 12MP wide camera |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth camera with Center Stage | 12MP camera with Center Stage |
| Battery | 31.29 Wh (11-inch), 38.99 Wh (13-inch); 20W charger included | 28.93 Wh (11-inch), 36.59 Wh (13-inch); 20W charger included |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G sub-6 (optional) | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G sub-6 (optional) |
| Authentication | Face ID | Touch ID |
| Ports | USB-C, up to 40Gb/s (Thunderbolt 3, USB 4) | USB-C, up to 10Gb/s (USB 3) |
| Audio | Four speakers | Stereo speakers |
| Starting price | $999 (11-inch) / $1,299 (13-inch) | $599 (11-inch) / $799 (13-inch) |
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Performance
Apple's M-series processors are serious hardware; they're the same chips you'll find in Apple's computers. That kind of power makes the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro ideal portable companions to desktop workstations or even as primary creation devices.
While both are the newest iPads for their respective lines, the iPad Air's M3 processor debuted in 2023, so it's older than the iPad Pro's M4 processor, which Apple released in May 2024. The M4 processor offers more power, but the M3 chip is still a workhorse that should please anyone who needs a mobile powerhouse.
One of the biggest upgrades to the 2025 iPad Air is a media engine that almost matches the iPad Pro's. Compared to the previous generation, the iPad Air now supports Apple's ProRes and ProRes RAW formats, as well as ProRes encoding and decoding. It also supports 8K HEVC and 4K H.264 for high-quality video compression. The only benefit of the iPad Pro's media engine is 8K H.264 support.
Apple also offers slightly faster performance for the iPad Pro's 1TB and 2TB storage options. These models include M4 processors with an additional performance core and 16GB of RAM compared to the standard 8GB on the iPad Air models and iPad Pros with less than 1TB of storage.
The iPad Air and iPad Pro support the same Apple Intelligence AI features, but the iPad Pro's M4 processor delivers faster performance for AI applications.
Both iPad models also support ray tracing for games, which is an upgrade for the iPad Air over the previous generation that ran on the M2 processor.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Display
The iPad Pro's display is an OLED Ultra Retina XDR panel that produces superior contrast compared to the iPad Air's LED-based Liquid Retina display, which is unchanged from the previous generation. And though the iPad Air and iPad Pro support the same wide P3 color space, OLED displays tend to produce richer colors.
The iPad Pro's OLED display can also reach up to 1,600 nits brightness compared to the iPad Air's 500-nit maximum. The extra brightness helps with visibility in bright conditions and complements the display's anti-reflective coating to deal with glare and reflections.
While both the iPad Air and iPad Pro have anti-reflective coatings on their displays, Apple offers its nano-texture glass as an option for iPad Pros with 1TB and 2TB storage for an additional $100. It adds a very fine matte texture to the display that's supposed to reduce glare and reflections even further. At the same time, it might lead to slightly less vibrant colors and add a slight grayness to the deep blacks, so you should only consider it if glare and reflections are a recurring problem where you normally use your iPads.
Apple reserves its 120Hz ProMotion display for the iPad Pro models. These displays deliver an ultra-premium smooth visual experience while navigating iPadOS, apps, and games that support up to 120 frames per second.
The iPad Air's display has a more moderate 60Hz refresh rate, which Apple has long used for its standard iPads and non-Pro iPhones but isn't a dealbreaker for usability.
There is no advantage in resolution sharpness between the iPad Air and iPad Pro. They both have the same 264 pixels-per-inch (ppi), which means any model in any size offers the same sharpness, including the iPad Air's 13-inch form factor.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Storage and data transfer
The iPad Air models start with 128GB of storage and have 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options. The iPad Pros are available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options.
In terms of storage alone, the iPad Air offers better value across the board, as its comparable storage options are at least $300 cheaper than those of the iPad Pro.
Generally speaking, you only need enough iPad storage to accommodate the apps and files you'll keep on the device, with room for projects you're actively working on. However, if you often work with longer 4K footage, for example, you'd benefit from more storage.
You could also opt for a lower storage model by storing inactive videos and content in cloud or external drive storage. The latter is a viable option thanks to both models' incredibly fast USB-C data transfer speeds.
The iPad Air's USB-C port supports USB 3 data transfer speeds, which can achieve up to 10 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) and should suffice for most amateurs or professionals. The iPad Pro's USB-C port supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 speeds, which can achieve a whopping 40Gbps.
Note that whatever device you connect to your iPad Air or iPad Pro needs to support their respective transfer standards. For example, a Thunderbolt 3 external storage drive won't work with the iPad Air's USB 3 standard.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Touch ID, Face ID, and cameras
The iPad Air is unlocked with a Touch ID sensor on the power button at the top of the tablet. Apple makes it easy to find with an on-screen prompt showing you where to lay your finger, but I've found it temperamental with finger placement and unresponsive to damp or excessively dry fingers. I have to reapply my fingertip to the Touch ID sensor or tap my PIN code more often than I'd like because the Touch ID sensor doesn't properly register my fingerprint the first few times.
The iPad Pros use Face ID for unlocking, which is more reliable and works significantly better. It's not enough of a reason on its own to spend more on the iPad Pro, but it's a welcome bonus.
The iPad Air and iPad Pro have very similar 12MP cameras with the same 4K video recording resolution up to 60fps. However, only the iPad Pro can record video in the ProRes format in up to 4K resolution at 30fps, which makes the high-end model the better option for video editing professionals who may need to use the lossless compression format.
Unlike the iPad Air, the iPad Pro cameras include a lidar scanner, which captures photos of objects or spaces in 3D so you can navigate around them from the iPad Pro's display. It's pretty neat, and it could be useful to have on hand if you work in a design role. These 3D images could even be used in augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR).
The front-facing cameras on the iPad Air and iPad Pro are on the long or "landscape" side of the tablet, which means you'll appear to look at the person you're calling rather than facing away at a slight angle, which was a negative aspect of the iPad Air and iPad Pro models from 2022. Both tablets also support Center Stage, which keeps the camera centered and focused on you even when you're moving around.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Accessories
As detailed in our guide to Apple Pencil compatibility, both the iPad Pro and iPad Air support the Apple Pencil Pro and the more basic Apple Pencil (USB-C), which share many features and functionality, including Apple's Hover feature that lets you preview actions.
However, the Apple Pencil Pro has numerous new features that the basic model lacks and that professional creatives will find useful, including enhancements for control and pressure sensitivity and a "squeeze" function that brings up a new tool palette.
Apple introduced new Magic Keyboards with the most recent iPad Air and iPad Pro models. The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air is compatible with the M2 and M3 iPad Air models, while the latest Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro only supports the M4 iPad Pro.
Both keyboard cases have a similar design that makes it seem like your iPad is hovering in the air, and both newly offer a slightly larger trackpad with haptic feedback and a row of 14 function keys at the top.
iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2025): Which should you buy?
The iPad Pro and iPad Air vary wildly in price, and your budget can be the first deciding factor for which model you go for. If $600 is your limit, the 2025 iPad Air won't disappoint. From a sheer value standpoint, the iPad Air should also satisfy most people looking for a high-performing tablet.
But is it worth spending at least $400 more for the 2024 iPad Pro if your budget allows? It's a similar conundrum when deciding between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro: Both are excellent devices with many similarities, but you have to consider whether the Pro's extra features are worth it.
The decision boils down to the level of performance you need for demanding workloads and how much you value future-proofing. If you're a video professional who would benefit from the most powerful processor, the iPad Pro's high cost would be justifiable, and it'll remain powerful for longer than any other iPad currently available. Gamers and even casual users who mostly stream videos and run common popular apps can find value if they plan on keeping their iPad for the longest time possible on an iPad. Based on the M4's performance, the iPad Pro could last several years longer than the iPad Air.
Extras like the iPad Pro's Face ID and amazing OLED ProMotion display are also factors to consider, but they should be bonuses rather than singular reasons to buy the more expensive model.
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