iPad Pro (M5) vs iPad Air (M4)
Verified 2026-10-03
A factual specification comparison between the iPad Pro (M5) and the iPad Air (M4).
Image: Apple Inc.
Apple · TabletiPad Pro (M5)
- Status
- Released
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-10-02
Image: Apple Inc.
Apple · TabletiPad Air (M4)
- Status
- Released · 2026-03-11
- Announced
- Announced 2026-03-02
- Verification
- Verified
- Last checked
- Checked 2026-10-01
Key differences
SpecificationiPad Pro (M5)iPad Air (M4)
Design & Build
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 11-inch: 444g (Wi-Fi) / 446g (Wi-Fi + Cellular); 13-inch: 579g (Wi-Fi) / 582g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | 11-inch: 464g (Wi-Fi) / 465g (Cellular); 13-inch: 616g (Wi-Fi) / 617g (Cellular) |
| Colors (differs) | Silver, Space Black | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray |
Display
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution (differs) | 11-inch: 2420×1668 pixels at 264 ppi | 11-inch: 2360×1640 (264 ppi); 13-inch: 2732×2048 (264 ppi) |
Performance
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset model name (differs) | M5 | M4 |
Memory & Storage
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 256GB / 12GB RAM, 512GB / 12GB RAM, 1TB / 16GB RAM, 2TB / 16GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Battery & Charging
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Wired charging (differs) | USB-C; fast-charge capable, up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 60W or higher USB-C power adapter | USB-C (charging, DisplayPort, USB 3 up to 10Gb/s) |
Camera
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Front cameras (differs) | TrueDepth Center Stage 12MP, ƒ/2 | Center Stage 12MP, ƒ/2 |
Connectivity
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| SIM (differs) | eSIM only (not compatible with physical SIM cards) | eSIM |
Audio
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers (differs) | Four speaker audio | Landscape stereo speakers, dual microphones |
Security & Sensors
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric authentication (differs) | Face ID (TrueDepth camera, facial recognition) | Touch ID |
These are specifications where both devices have a confirmed value and the values differ. A difference is not a judgement that either device is better. Showing 10 of 21 differences; the full specifications below include all of them.
Full specifications
differs · Not disclosed: not published by the manufacturer · —: not recorded
SpecificationiPad Pro (M5)iPad Air (M4)
Design & Build
5 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (differs) | 11-inch: 444g (Wi-Fi) / 446g (Wi-Fi + Cellular); 13-inch: 579g (Wi-Fi) / 582g (Wi-Fi + Cellular) | 11-inch: 464g (Wi-Fi) / 465g (Cellular); 13-inch: 616g (Wi-Fi) / 617g (Cellular) |
| Colors (differs) | Silver, Space Black | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray |
| Dimensions (differs) | 11-inch: 249.7 × 177.5 × 5.3 mm; 13-inch: 281.6 × 215.5 mm | 11-inch: 247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1 mm; 13-inch: 280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1 mm |
| Stylus support (differs) | Apple Pencil Pro; Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover | Apple Pencil Pro; Apple Pencil (USB-C) |
| Build materials | Aluminum and glass enclosure | Not recorded |
| Keyboard accessory support (differs) | Compatible with Magic Keyboard (with built-in trackpad) | Compatible with Magic Keyboard |
Display
3 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution (differs) | 11-inch: 2420×1668 pixels at 264 ppi | 11-inch: 2360×1640 (264 ppi); 13-inch: 2732×2048 (264 ppi) |
| Peak brightness (nits) (differs) | 1600 | 500 |
| Display (differs) | Ultra Retina XDR display, tandem OLED, ProMotion adaptive refresh 10-120Hz, Wide color (P3), True Tone, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Liquid Retina (LED-backlit IPS), True Tone, antireflective coating — 11-inch and 13-inch sizes |
| HDR support | Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG · same on both | |
Performance
2 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset model name (differs) | M5 | M4 |
| Chipset (differs) | Apple M5 — 256GB/512GB models: 9-core CPU (3 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 12GB unified memory; 1TB/2TB models: 10-core CPU (4 super + 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory. Both: Neural Accelerators, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine | Apple M4 (8-core CPU: 3 performance + 5 efficiency, 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
Memory & Storage
1 difference
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage options (differs) | 256GB / 12GB RAM, 512GB / 12GB RAM, 1TB / 16GB RAM, 2TB / 16GB RAM | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Battery & Charging
2 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Wired charging (differs) | USB-C; fast-charge capable, up to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 60W or higher USB-C power adapter | USB-C (charging, DisplayPort, USB 3 up to 10Gb/s) |
| Battery capacity (Wh) (differs) | 11-inch: 31.29 Wh, 13-inch: 38.99 Wh | 11-inch: 28.93 Wh, 13-inch: 36.59 Wh |
Camera
2 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Rear cameras | Wide 12MP, ƒ/1.8 · same on both | |
| Front cameras (differs) | TrueDepth Center Stage 12MP, ƒ/2 | Center Stage 12MP, ƒ/2 |
| Video recording (differs) | 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p HD at 25/30/60 fps; 720p HD at 30 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB storage); slo-mo 1080p at 120/240 fps | 4K video recording at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p HD at 25/30/60 fps; 720p HD at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120/240 fps |
Connectivity
4 differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| SIM (differs) | eSIM only (not compatible with physical SIM cards) | eSIM |
| Wi-Fi (differs) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth (differs) | Bluetooth 6, Thread networking technology | Bluetooth 6 |
| Cellular technology | 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only) · same on both | |
| Positioning | GPS/GNSS (Wi-Fi + Cellular models only); digital compass, Wi-Fi, and iBeacon microlocation (all models) · same on both | |
| USB (differs) | Thunderbolt / USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s); USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); with DisplayPort support | USB-C (USB 3, up to 10Gb/s) with DisplayPort support |
Audio
1 difference
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers (differs) | Four speaker audio | Landscape stereo speakers, dual microphones |
Software
No differences
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system at launch | iPadOS · same on both | |
Security & Sensors
1 difference
| Specification | iPad Pro (M5) | iPad Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric authentication (differs) | Face ID (TrueDepth camera, facial recognition) | Touch ID |
Terms used on this page (9)
- ppi
- Pixels per inch: how densely pixels are packed on the screen.
- Nits
- A unit of screen brightness (candela per square metre). Typical, HDR and outdoor peak figures are measured under different conditions.
- Refresh rate (Hz)
- How many times per second the display can redraw the image.
- mAh and Wh
- Battery capacity. mAh is charge; Wh also accounts for voltage, so it is the more comparable energy figure across device types.
- eSIM
- A SIM built into the device and activated digitally instead of a physical card.
- Wi-Fi 6E / Wi-Fi 7
- Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi 6; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) adds wider channels and multi-link operation. Real speeds depend on the router and network.
- Aperture (ƒ-number)
- A lower ƒ-number means a wider lens opening that lets in more light.
- OLED
- A display whose pixels emit their own light, so black areas can be fully dark; LCDs use a separate backlight.
- Thunderbolt / USB4
- USB-C connection standards for high-speed data, external displays and charging.
Sources & verification
iPad Pro (M5)
Verified 2026-10-02- Apple Inc.Manufacturer specificationsTier 1
- Apple Inc.ManufacturerTier 1
iPad Air (M4)
Verified 2026-10-01- AppleManufacturer newsroomTier 1
- AppleManufacturer newsroomTier 1
- Apple Inc.ManufacturerTier 1
- Apple Inc.Manufacturer specificationsTier 1
Tier 1 sources are the manufacturer's own product pages, technical specification sheets, or support documentation. Tier 2 sources are reputable independent technical references, used only for facts that couldn't be confirmed from official documentation.