The iPad Air 5 (left) and the 2021 iPad Pro 11″ (right)
The design and the screen
The iPad Air 5 and the 11″ iPad Pro have a fairly similar design. They are also the same width and the same height despite a different screen size: the 10.9″ panel of the iPad Air 5 simply has margins around the screen slightly larger than the 11 “panel of the iPad Pro. A tenth of an inch, the equivalent of a quarter of a centimeter, which does not change much on the surface of display which is 2360 x 1640 pixels on the iPad Air instead of 2388 x 1668 pixels on the iPad Pro. The iPad Air 5 is very slightly thicker than the iPad Pro (6.1 mm once morest 5.9 mm) but without influence on the battery (the autonomy of the two models is identical), and its single camera is more discreet than the more complete block of sensors of the iPad Pro.
The iPad Air
The diagonal is very slightly to the advantage of the iPad Pro, but the panel of the Pro model is distinguished above all by two characteristics: higher maximum brightness (600 nits instead of 500 nits) and support for ProMotion technology which designates a screen capable of going up by 120 Hz. A conventional screen has a frequency of 60 Hz, i.e. it can broadcast 60 images per second: at 120 Hz, the iPad Pro offers visual comfort interesting, especially when scrolling the page which seems more fluid or when drawing with the Apple Pencil which seems more responsive. We can consider this as a small luxury of the iPad Pro: it is undeniably pleasant, but we can very well do without it.
Another difference between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, the colors offered are very sober on the Pro models (silver or space gray) while the iPad Air allows for slightly more fanciful options (space gray, starlight, pink, purple and blue). Note that the front is systematically black: if the iPad is intended to be used in a shell, the choice of color will not be very important.
Touch ID ou Face ID
For biometric authentication, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro offer two totally different technologies: the first integrates Touch ID fingerprint recognition into the ignition button of the tablet, while the iPad Pro integrates the recognition face ID, more expensive, at the level of its front webcam. Face ID is used transparently (just be in front of the screen), while Touch ID requires putting your finger on the top button of the iPad Air. On the other hand, Face ID can be less practical when the iPad Pro is used in an environment where wearing a mask is mandatory… In this situation, Touch ID can be considered an advantage.
Cameras and speakers
In terms of cameras, the iPad Pro is much better equipped than the iPad Air. In addition to the 12-megapixel wide-angle, the iPad Pro adds an ultra wide-angle, a flash and the LiDAR scanner for augmented reality applications. It all depends on the uses: with its only wide-angle, the iPad Air is already capable of recording videos in 4K at 60 fps, with slow motion in 1080p up to 240 fps. And don’t you already have an iPhone capable of doing the same thing in your pocket?
There is a small advantage for the iPad Pro in video recording: the capture of audio in stereo. The iPad Pro’s four speakers also deliver richer, more powerful sound than the iPad Air’s two speakers, though that’s obviously modest given the tablet’s very limited depth.
iPad Air 5 on the left, iPad Pro 2021 on the right
On the front, both tablets incorporate a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle webcam with the functionality Centered frame, which tracks conversation topics as they move. The iPad Pro regains the advantage with Face ID’s TrueDepth camera, which enables certain features missing from the iPad Air such as Portrait mode (automatic bokeh), Portrait Lighting, Animojis and Memojis. There, as for the rear sensors, nothing really essential if you already have an iPhone in your pocket for all this.
USB-C et Thunderbolt
Both iPad Air and iPad Pro have a USB-C connector. The iPad Air connector supports speeds of 10 Gbit/s (USB 3.1 Gen 2), which is more than enough for consumer use, to connect a storage device or an external 4K or 5K display in full resolution. The iPad Pro connector is compatible with the higher speeds of Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, 40 Gbps, which allows support for faster storage devices, a 6K display with HDR, or lossless device combinations with an external hub.
iPad Pro with Pro Display XDR and external storage
Apple M1 chip and RAM
Both tablets are now equipped with the same processor: the Apple M1 chip. It’s the same as on entry-level Macs, and it’s the guarantee of great power and great durability for these models. The M1 chip is identical on the iPad Air and iPad Pro, but more RAM is available on the iPad Pro. Starting at 8 GB on the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, the RAM goes up to 16 GB on the iPad Pro with 1 TB or 2 TB of storage. This is beneficial for the most intense uses, but it requires opting for a very high capacity model: there is no option to upgrade to 16 GB of RAM on the other references.
Storage and prices
We therefore come to storage and the prices that depend on this choice. For the iPad Air, the storage options are very limited: there’s 64GB at the entry level, 256GB at the top end, and that’s it. For the iPad Pro, the options start at 128 GB and go up to 2 TB. It is the 256 GB models that allow you to directly compare the prices between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro: for equal storage, the ‘iPad Pro represents an additional cost of €140. On the other hand, if the storage does not matter to you, the difference between the two entry-level models of 64 GB and 128 GB amounts to 200 €.
Conclusion
Let’s try to summarize the main differences between the iPad Air 5 and the iPad Pro in one sentence: for equal storage, the iPad Pro costs 140 € more than the iPad Air and it incorporates a very slightly larger screen which takes support ProMotion’s 120Hz with higher peak brightness, Face ID instead of Touch ID, four times faster USB-C connector, better camera gear and speakers, not to mention more storage options generous and more RAM on the 1TB and 2TB versions.
In terms of quality/price ratio, the advantage is rather with the iPad Pro but it all depends on your needs: depending on its uses, you can totally make fun of the presence of better photo equipment, more efficient connections or additional storage. And the tariff surplus can suddenly become prohibitive. The iPad Pro is the best tablet in the range, but the iPad Air does not demerit for all that and it lacks nothing that would lead us to advise once morest its purchase.
iPad Air 5 and iPad Pro can be ordered on the Apple Store or through an official dealer like Fnac, Darty, Boulanger, Amazon, CDiscount Where Shopping street. It is not uncommon for certain retailers to offer discounts on Apple tablets and you can find all the best offers on our price comparison. For the iPad Air 5, still very recent, it will however be necessary to wait: it usually takes a few weeks before the first discounts start to appear. Note that our price comparison allows you to create personalized alerts on the products that interest you: you can receive an alert by e-mail when the price of a particular model is down at a reseller.
If you are a student or higher education teacher, you can also buy your tablet on the Apple Education Store with a 5% discount on iPad Air and iPad Pro. This summer it should be possible to get a free pair of AirPods on top of this discount if Apple renews son opération Back to School without change.
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