Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) vs Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)

68 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.9
VS
81 out 100
Apple iPad Pro 11
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 10.9 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021), Manufactured in May, 2021with chipsetApple M1 (iPad). Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
  • Lighter design: 458g vs 466g
  • Higher battery capacity: 7606mAh vs 7538mAh
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
  • Larger display: 11in
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Supports newer USB: 4.0 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB
- 16/1024 GB
- 16/2048 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
vs
iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 10.9 in 11 in
Resolution 1640x2360 pixels 1668x2388 pixels
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Pixel density 264 ppi 265 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (24-120 Hz)
Max brightness 500 nits 600 nits
HDR support No Yes Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 80.1 % 81.5 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
484 nits
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
597 nits
sRGB gamut99.3 %99.9 %
Response time36 ms30 ms
Contrast1305:11425:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 247.6 mm (9.75 in) 247.6 mm (9.75 in)
Width 178.5 mm (7.03 in) 178.5 mm (7.03 in)
Thickness 6.1 mm (0.24 in) 5.9 mm (0.23 in)
Weight 458 g (16.16 oz) 466 g (16.44 oz)
Area 442 cm² (68.51 in²) 442 cm² (68.51 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Rose Gold		 - Silver
- Gray
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button No
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
80.1 %
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
81.5 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) and Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple M1 (iPad)
Max Frequency 3000 MHz 3200 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)		 - 4/3.2 (Icestorm)
- 4/2.1 (Firestorm)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Apple M1 GPU
GPU Cores 256 1024
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1278 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 2617 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
2161
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
2311
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
5121
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
8488
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)21612311
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)51218488
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
1049395
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
1632968
CPU314838458801
GPU370516629387
Memory154798225102
UX209243319678
NanoReview Score10493951632968
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
8602
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
16847
Max Surface Temp.37.6 °C36.3 °C
Stability94 %76 %
Graphics Test51 fps100 fps
Graphics Score860216847
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)], [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 4266 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB128 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 14.5.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)
OS Size n/a 13.7 GB

Battery

Volume 7606 mAh 7538 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 30 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:10 h 2:00 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
27:28
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
29:07
Web Browsing09:35 h10:15 h
Video Playback13:46 h14:55 h
Games06:51 h06:35 h
Standby Mode158 h167 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Flash No Quad LED
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens n/a 125 °
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 10 MP
Depth
Features Bokeh effect - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Sensor size1/3.0"1/3.0"
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrixn/a10 MP
Aperturen/af/2.4
Stabilizationn/aDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 12 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.4
Focal length 31 mm n/a
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 4.0
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66/B71)
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo 4.0
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
86.3 dB
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
83.5 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2020 yr April, 2021 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr May, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 599 799
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
Charger Included Yes 20 W Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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