Now that the new iPad Pro and Air have been released, we have Apple's new 2024 tablet lineup, which includes the iPad 10 and iPad mini. Join us to find out how each device is similar and different from each other: iPad Pro, Air, 10 and mini.
The 2024 iPad Pro boosts performance, becoming the first Apple device to feature the M4 chip. And Apple's new mid-range tablet is the M2 iPad Air, which comes in two sizes for the first time.
And the iPad 10 and iPad mini use the A14 and A15 Bionic, respectively. So what's different about these 2024 iPads, and is this high-end model worth the extra money?
Let's get to all the spec differences and finish with the buyer’ 8217;guide.
Contents
- iPad Pro and Air, 10 and mini
- Performance
- Display
- Design, dimensions, weight, color
- Battery life
- Storage and price
- Cameras, video and audio
- /ul >
- iPad Pro vs Air, 10 and Mini-O
- Why buy an iPad Pro M4?
- Why buy an iPad Air M2?
- Why buy an iPad 10?
- Why buy an iPad mini?
iPad Pro vs Air, 10 and mini
Performance
The big difference in performance between the new iPad Pro, Air, 10 and mini is due to the upgraded M4 chip. Apple says it delivers 50% faster CPU, 4X faster GPU, and 100GB/s to 120GB/s memory bandwidth compared to the M2.
And the M4 is several times faster in performance than M2. A14 and A15.
image via Apple
Coming with the new GPU is a media engine that offers hardware-accelerated support for 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW – joining the Mac as a device capable of 8K video processing.
Other new features include 38 trillion operations per second with the M4 Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and more.
Note. iPad Pro 128, 256, and 512 GB models have 8 GB of RAM, while 1 TB and 2 TB models have 16 GB of RAM.
M4 iPad Pro iPad Air M2 iPad 10 iPad mini Chip > M4 M2 A14 Bionic A15 Bionic CPU 9 or 10 core 8-core 6-core 6-core GPU 10-core 10-core 4-core 5-core 8K H.264 hardware accelerated, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW support ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ H.264 and HEVC with hardware acceleration > – “> ✅ ❌ ❌ Hardware accelerated ray tracing ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Neural mechanism 16-core 16-core 16 -core 16-core Storage 256 GB – 2 TB 128 GB – 1 TB 64 or 256 GB 64 or 256 GB RAM 8 or 16 GB 8 GB 4 GB 4 GB Memory Bandwidth 120 GB/s 100 GB/s ? ? Thunderbolt/USB 4 ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ USB-C – ✅ 3.1 Gen 2 ✅ USB-C 2 ✅ USB-C 3 Cellular 5G (below 6 GHz) 5G (below 6 GHz) 5G (below 6 GHz) 5G (sub 6 GHz) Other Pro upgrades include Thunderbolt/USB 4 and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
One loss is mmWave connectivity for 5G on the 2024 iPad Pro models (the 2022 versions had it). This matches the 5G radio in the iPad Air M2, iPad 10, and iPad mini.
Something to consider regarding performance unless you're using your iPad with pro workflows (or entry-level pro workflows) such as video editing, graphic design, etc., you probably won't need or even notice the M4 or the upgraded M2 chip, which will work just fine with the A14 or A15.
Display
New iPad M4 Pro models go beyond the iPad Air, 10 and mini with a new Ultra Retina XDR display.
This is the first tandem OLED display, compared to the Liquid Retina display that uses LEDs in the M2 iPad Air devices.
image via Apple
Apple says the benefits of the new OLED display are clear. brighter highlights, deeper true blacks, better shadow and low-light detail, and more.
Both the smaller and larger iPad Pro feature a new OLED display, and now you can upgrade your iPad too Pro M4 in 1TB or 2TB capacities by installing nano-texture glass.
You also get brighter SDR content up to 1,000 nits from the M4 iPad Pro model (600 nits for M2 iPad Pro SDR content). That's about twice as bright as the 500 nits SDR on the iPad Air, 10, and mini.
M4 iPad Pro M2 iPad Air iPad 10 iPad mini Display 11″ or 13″ OLED 10.86″ or 12.9″ LED 10.9″ LED 8.3-inch LED Resolution 2420 x 1668/2752 x 2064 2360 x 1640/2732 x 2048 2360 x 1640 2266 x 1488 PPI ( pixels per inch) 264 264 264 326 Display brightness 1000 nits SDR, maximum 1000 nits fullscreen XDR, peak 1600 nits (HDR only) Brightness 500/600 nits for SDR Brightness 500 nits for SDR 500 nits brightness for SDR True Tone ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Wide color P3 ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ ProMotion (120 Hz) ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Anti-glare and fingerprint resistant coating ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ Fully laminated display ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅ Nanotexture display glass Optional for 1TB and 2TB models ❌ ❌ ❌ Liquid Retina display – ✅ ✅ ✅ Ultra Retina XDR Display ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Apple Pencil pointing ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ Common display features across all iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2 models include a wide P3 color display, fully laminated displays, anti-glare coating, Apple Pencil Hover, and True Tone.
iPad mini includes most of these, iPad 10 has the least advanced but still durable Liquid Retina LED display.
Design, dimensions, weight, colors
image via Apple
iPad M4 iPad Pro – “the thinnest product that Apple has ever made: 5.1 mm thick for the 13-inch model and 5.3 mm for the 11-inch version.
In addition, the new iPad Pro M4 is lighter than ever or: less than 1 pound for the 11-inch and 1.28 pounds for the 13-inch.
This is ironic since Apple's “Air” and Mac version of the iPad usually claims to be the thinnest and lightest.
However, the iPad mini is lighter than any other iPad because it has the smallest screen and footprint.
iPad M4 11 inches 11-inch iPad Air M2 13-inch iPad Pro M4 13″ iPad Air M2 10.9″ iPad 10 8.3″ iPad mini Height 9.83 inches (249.7 mm) 9.74 inches (247.6 mm) 11.09 inches (281.6 mm) 11.04 inches (280.6 mm) 9.79 inches (248.6 mm) 7.69 inches (195.4 mm) Width 6.99 inches (177.5 mm) 7, 02″ (178.5 mm) 8.48″ (215.5 mm) 8.46 inches (214.9 mm) 7.07 inches (179.5 mm) 5.3 inches (134.8 mm) Depth 0.21 inches (5.3 mm) 0.24 inches (6.1 mm) 0.20 inches (5.1 mm) 0.24 inches (6.1 mm ) 0.28 inches (7 mm) 0.25 inches (6.3 mm) Weight 0.98 lbs (446 grams) 1 .02 pounds (462 grams) 1.28 pounds (582 grams) 1.36 lbs (618 grams) 1.05 lbs (477 grams) 0.65 lbs (293 grams) New this time around is the Space Black finish, replacing Space Gray for the iPad M4 iPad Pro, although the other choice is silver.
And the iPad Air M2 is available in four colors: space gray, starlight, blue and purple.
iPad 10 comes in silver, blue , pink and yellow, while iPad mini is available in space grey, starlight, purple and pink.
Apple's M2 iPad Air colors
Connect and accessories
The new iPad Pro and Air models work with the same Apple accessories. They come in the form of the new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. You can also choose the mid-range Apple Pencil with USB-C.
The iPad 10 and mini work with slightly different Apple accessories.
image via Apple
- Apple Pencil Pro launches with pinch and scroll gestures and Find Me support.
- Apple introduces Magic Keyboard for M4 iPad Pro with larger trackpad, function row, aluminum palm rest.
Other major I/O upgrades to the iPad Pro are Face ID and Thunderbolt connectivity.
M4 iPad Pro M2 iPad Air iPad 10 iPad mini Apple Pencil Pro support ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ 2nd generation Apple Pencil support ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ Apple Pencil USB-C ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Magic Keyboard support ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ Magic Keyboard Folio support ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ 5G ✅ (less than 6 GHz) ✅ (less than 6 GHz) ✅ (less than 6 GHz) ✅ (less than 6 GHz) WiFi 6 – – ✅ ✅ WiFi 6E ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ SIM eSIM only Only eSIM eSIM and nano-SIM eSIM and nano-SIM Bluetooth 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.0 USB-C> ✅ USB 4 ✅ USB 3.1 Gen 2 ✅ USB 2 ✅ USB 3 Thunderbolt ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Face ID ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ Touch ID ❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ image via Apple
In addition to mmWave support For 5G, the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air also have eSIM only, no physical nano-SIM card slot.
Battery life
All current iPad models have the same battery life as previous iPads:
- 10 hours of web or video browsing over Wi-Fi.
- 9 hours of Internet use over a cellular network.
Storage and price
Memory updated for iPad Pro M4, from 256GB models to up to 2TB models. And nano-texture glass is another $100 upgrade.
The iPad Air M2 also has increased storage, up from 64GB to 1TB.
11/13″ iPad M4 11/13″ iPad Air M2 iPad 10 iPad mini 64 GB Wi-Fi – – $349 $499 64 GB + cell – – $499 $649 128 GB WiFi – $599/$799 – 128 GB + cell – $749/$949 – 256 GB Wi-Fi $999/$1299 $699/$899 $499 $649 256 GB + cell $1199/$1499 $849/$1049 $649 $799 512 GB Wi-Fi $1199/$1499 $899/$1099 – 512 GB + cell $1,399/$1,699 $1,049/$1,299 – 1 TB Wi-Fi $1599/$1899 $1099/$1299 – 1 TB + cell $1799/$2099 1249$/1449$ – 2 TB Wi-Fi $1999 US/$2299 – – – 2 TB + cell $2,199/$2,499 – – – Cameras, video and audio
M4 iPad Pro rear camera image via Apple
In the rear camera system M4 iPad Pro you I have a 12MP wide-angle lens, a LiDAR scanner and a Retina flash with True Tone.
Interestingly, the iPad Pro M4 ditched the 10MP ultra-wide-angle lens found on the iPad Pro M2 . This means the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2 are more similar in camera capabilities.
Up front, you get a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens with Center Stage support, which is now focused on the long edge of the landscape rather than the far edge. the 2024 iPad Pro M4 models have a smaller advantage.
The rest of the iPad lineup has a 12MP rear camera, but doesn't have all the niceties of the Pro models.
11/13″ iPad Pro M4 11/13″ iPad Air M2 iPad 10 iPad mini 12 MP wide rear lens ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ LiDAR ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ 4K Video ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ProRes video up to 4K, 30 fps ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ High dynamic range ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Slow motion video ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Rear camera flash ✅ ❌ ❌ ❌ TrueDepth with Face ID ✅ (landscape edge) ❌ ❌ ❌ 12 MP ultra-wide-angle front camera ✅ (landscape edge) ✅ (landscape edge) ✅ (landscape edge) ✅ (portrait edge) Smart HDR 3 Photos – – ✅ ✅ Smart HDR 4 Photos ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ Automatic tracking of the center scene ✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ Audio with 4 speakers ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌ 2 – speaker sound – – ✅ ✅ Studio quality microphones 4 ❌ ❌ ❌ Standard microphones – 2 2 2 iPad Pro vs Air, 10 and mini- conclusion
image via Apple
Why buy an iPad Pro M4?
When choosing between the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air M2, it might only make sense to buy the new model if you're a professional or aspiring professional whose workflows would benefit from the M4 chip. Or are you ready to splurge on the latest and greatest from Apple 😁.
Updates include a new OLED display with nano-texture and higher brightness, increased storage, Thunderbolt and more. powerful processor and slimmer design.
iPad M4 iPad Pro available at Apple, Amazon, soon at Best Buy and other stores.
Why buy an iPad Air M2?
When you can get many of the core features of the iPad M4 iPad Pro with the iPad Air M2, and the difference in processors isn't a limiting factor for many users, saving money can be a good move. Or you can keep your current iPad.
Also, the discounted iPad Air M1 is a great choice for people with light-to-medium workloads or for everyday use. It has many of the great features of the modern iPad Air/Pro M2 and has the same design.
Why buy the iPad 10 ?
When you consider all the similarities and differences, iPad 10 is a great choice for everyday use, as well as light-to-medium work, school, and creative workflows.
At its regular price it's $150 to $200 less than the iPad Air but still includes many of the best features, making it a better choice for most users.
iPad 10 can be purchased at Apple, Amazon, Best Buy and other stores.
Why buy an iPad mini?
Because the iPad mini costs almost as much as the iPad M2 Air, it will appeal best to those who value a small form factor over specs and performance.
Thanks for reading our iPad Pro vs Air, 10 vs mini guide!
Read more 9to5Mac comparisons and tutorials:
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- M2 iPad Air vs M1 iPad Air: What's Upgraded?
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