iPad vs. iPad Air: What’s the Difference?

Shoppers who are choosing between the iPad and iPad Air face a tough choice because they seem similar at first glance. Unlike the iPad Pro, which wears its intent on its sleeve, the iPad Air is more difficult to tell apart from the base iPad. The current iPad (10th generation), released in October 2022, is about a year and a half older than the latest iPad Air (6th generation) released in May 2024.

The differences between the tablets are substantial in both price and performance. While the iPad is an outstanding value for most tasks, the iPad Air is significantly quicker and has several convenient features. The Air also comes in a new size. In addition to the 11-inch model, there's now a 13-inch alternative. These benefits are worth the higher price.

Overall Findings

The Apple iPad and iPad Air are similar in appearance. Both tablets have attractive touch screens and are available in the same screen size.

Under the hood, the iPad Air uses the Apple M2 chip, while the iPad has the older A14 Bionic chip. Gamers and content creators will appreciate the iPad Air’s quicker processor in applications like Adobe Photoshop and iPad games. Also, while both tablets support the USB-C Apple Pencil, the iPad Air also supports the Apple Pencil Pro, while the iPad also works with only the original version.

Design: More Similar Than Different

Apple's iPad Air has a slim-bezel, thin design like the iPad Pro. Now that the iPad has adopted the slim bezel, they look almost identical. The 11-inch iPad Air is similar in size to the iPad, but overall, the iPad Air models offer a great display in a lighter, thinner frame.

Both use Touch ID login for security; the fingerprint sensor is on the top button. The iPad Air and iPad also have no home button, so they use the button-free, gesture-based UI found on most iPhones and the iPad Pro.

Similarly, these tablets have a 12MP camera and can shoot video in 4K. The 5th-gen Air's front camera is centered in portrait mode and awkward to use in landscape. In the 6th gen, Apple moved it to the same spot as the iPad, centered in landscape mode.

Display: The Difference Is in the Details 

The iPad and iPad Air's Liquid Retina displays are crisp and bright, but both iPad Air models have larger screens.

The iPad and the 11-inch Air are a match in brightness, with each reaching an extremely bright 500 nits. That’s enough to make the tablets usable outdoors. The 13-inch Air can reach 600 nits.

In addition, the iPad Air’s display is "fully laminated," which means it is closely bonded to the glass. This decreases the tiny gap between the display and the glass covering it, creating a premium touchscreen experience.

The iPad Air’s display suffers less glare and has a wider color gamut, making it better for viewing photos, watching videos, or playing games. 

Performance: The iPad Air Is Faster

The iPad comes with Apple’s A14 chip. Buying the iPad Air nets you the Apple M2 chip, the same SoC used in the iPad Pro (6th generation). The entry-level iPad can handle most applications, but the iPad Air’s modern hardware will feel smooth for years. The latest iPad Air is quite close to the iPad Pro in benchmarks.

Despite the performance gap, battery life is a tie. Both iPads promise 10 hours of web surfing and video playback.

The iPad Air takes a slight edge in wireless connectivity. The iPad supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, while the Air supports the newer Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. There’s no significant difference in cellular wireless options for each tablet, and both support 5G NR (New Radio).

The Extras: The iPad Air Supports the Latest Devices

If you want to shoot video in 4K, both tablets can. They support 4K video recording at various frame rates, from 24 to 60 fps. 1080p HD recording is supported, too, at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps.

The iPad Air supports Apple's Magic Keyboard, the best keyboard you can buy for an iPad, while the iPad works with Magic Keyboard Folio (one difference is that the Folio doesn't have backlighting).

Both of these iPads have a more modern USB-C connection. Previous iPads used the Lightning connector.

Neither the iPad nor the iPad Air has a headphone jack.

Value: Both Deliver Bang for Your Buck

Apple charges $499 for the iPad with 64GB of storage, and the 256GB model starts at $599.

The iPad Air (11-inch) starts at $599 for 128 GB of storage. That’s a usable amount of storage, though you’ll run out if you work with high-resolution photos or video. You can also get 256GB ($699), 512GB ($899), or 1TB ($1099).

The 13-inch iPad Air starts at $799 for 128GB and comes in 256GB ($899), 512GB ($1099), and 1TB ($1299) configurations.

Choosing a Wi-Fi + Cellular model adds to the cost. The price gap between the iPad and iPad Air is large, but both offer good value.

Apple offers the iPad in blue, pink, yellow, and silver. The iPad Air is available in blue, purple, Starlight (off-whitish), and Space Gray.

Final Verdict

Choosing between the iPad and the iPad Air may come down to budget.

The iPad Air is clearly superior. It's quicker and supports the latest Apple accessories, so you can buy it confidently.

However, there's a price gap between them. The iPad is still an excellent tablet, and owners who don't need super-powerful tablets will be happy.

In either case, we recommend you opt for the iPad or iPad Air model with additional storage over the base version. Running out of space is a real pain, and with the size of applications increasing over time, the base models will force you to rely on cloud storage.