Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018) vs Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)

69 out 100
Apple iPad Pro 11
VS
88 out 100
Apple iPad Air 13
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018) Manufactured in November, 2018, with display 11 with chipsetApple A12X Bionic, vs Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026), Manufactured in March, 2026with chipsetApple M4 (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 Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 468g vs 616g
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
  • Larger display: 13in
  • Higher battery capacity: 10340mAh vs 7812mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 vs 5
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 4/512 GB
- 6/1024 GB		 - 12/128 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 12/1024 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Performance
App & system performance
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 Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
vs
iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 11 in 13 in
Resolution 1668x2388 pixels 2048x2732 pixels
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Pixel density 265 ppi 264 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (24-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 600 nits 600 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 No
Screen-to-body ratio 81.5 % 86.8 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
587 nits
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
n/a
sRGB gamut99.7 %n/a
Response time45 msn/a
Contrast1420:1n/a
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 247.6 mm (9.75 in) 280.6 mm (11.05 in)
Width 178.5 mm (7.03 in) 214.9 mm (8.46 in)
Thickness 5.9 mm (0.23 in) 6.1 mm (0.24 in)
Weight 468 g (16.51 oz) 616 g (21.73 oz)
Area 442 cm² (68.51 in²) 603 cm² (93.47 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gray		 - Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
81.5 %
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
86.8 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018) and Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12X Bionic Apple M4 (iPad)
Max Frequency 2500 MHz 4410 MHz
CPU Cores n/a 10 (4 + 6)
Architecture n/a 6/2.85 ()
Process n/a TSMC
Transistor Size n/a 3 nm
Neural Processor n/a Apple Neural Engine
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
1318
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
3738
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
4727
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
13702
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)13183738
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)472713702
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
677699
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
3617960
CPU2100241732068
GPU207499945613
Memory122472349993
UX137704590286
NanoReview Score6776993617960
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
11603
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
n/a
Max Surface Temp.39.8 °Cn/a
Stability69 %n/a
Graphics Test69 fpsn/a
Graphics Score11603n/a
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)], [Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 12 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz n/a
Channels 2 4
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB128 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 12 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 26.3 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 26.4)

Battery

Volume 7812 mAh 10340 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 20 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes (51% in 70 min)
Full Charge Time 2:35 h 2:28 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
29:37
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
n/a
Web Browsing10:48 hn/a
Video Playback15:19 hn/a
Games06:32 hn/a
Standby Mode166 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom n/a Digital
Flash Quad LED No
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 120 fps (720p) 240 fps (1080p)
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 12 MP
Features Bokeh effect Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length29 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.0"n/a
Pixel size1.4 μm1.22 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 12 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.4
Focal length 32 mm n/a
Sensor n/a CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- 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 6.0
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 3.1
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*1n/a
SIM TypeNanoeSIM
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzn/a
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/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/B48/B66/B71)
5G SupportNoYes

Sound

Speakers 4.0 n/a
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Pro 11" (1st Gen, 2018)
78.7 dB
Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026)
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced October, 2018 yr March, 2026 yr
Release Date November, 2018 yr March, 2026 yr
Launch Price ($) 799 n/a
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 18 W Yes, 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Air 13" (3th Gen, 2026) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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