Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)

81 out 100
Apple iPad Pro 11
VS
79 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.9
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) Manufactured in May, 2021, with display 11 with chipsetApple M1 (iPad), vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022), Manufactured in March, 2022with 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 Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
  • Larger display: 11in
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Supports newer USB: 4.0 vs 3.1
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
  • Lighter design: 461g vs 466g
  • Higher battery capacity: 8827mAh vs 7538mAh
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
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 Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
vs
iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 11 in 10.9 in
Resolution 1668x2388 pixels 1640x2360 pixels
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Pixel density 265 ppi 264 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (24-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 600 nits 500 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision No
Screen-to-body ratio 81.5 % 80.1 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
597 nits
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
486 nits
sRGB gamut99.9 %99.5 %
Response time30 ms28 ms
Contrast1425:11430:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)]

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 5.9 mm (0.23 in) 6.1 mm (0.24 in)
Weight 466 g (16.44 oz) 461 g (16.26 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		 - Gray
- Blue
- Pink
- Purple
- Rose Gold
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
81.5 %
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
80.1 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple M1 (iPad) Apple M1 (iPad)
Max Frequency 3200 MHz 3200 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/3.2 (Icestorm)
- 4/2.1 (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 M1 GPU Apple M1 GPU
GPU Cores 1024 1024
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1278 MHz
FLOPS 2617 GFLOPS 2617 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
2311
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
2361
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
8488
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
8704
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)23112361
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)84888704
Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a33168
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
1632968
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
1807557
CPU458801477838
GPU629387797314
Memory225102194331
UX319678338074
NanoReview Score16329681807557
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
16847
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
10021
Max Surface Temp.36.3 °C36.5 °C
Stability76 %98 %
Graphics Test100 fps60 fps
Graphics Score1684710021
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 4266 MHz 4266 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 14.5.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 15.4 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)
OS Size 13.7 GB n/a

Battery

Volume 7538 mAh 8827 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 30 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 (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:00 h 2:15 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
29:07
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
34:27
Web Browsing10:15 h10:22 h
Video Playback14:55 h16:53 h
Games06:35 h07:18 h
Standby Mode167 h217 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
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 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 125 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 10 MP
Depth		 Standard: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Sensor size1/3.0"1/3.0"
Pixel sizen/a1.22 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix10 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.4n/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Matrix 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.4 f/2.4
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 4.0 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
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
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers 4.0 Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Pro 11" (3rd Gen, 2021)
83.5 dB
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Gen, 2022)
84.8 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced April, 2021 yr March, 2022 yr
Release Date May, 2021 yr March, 2022 yr
Launch Price ($) 799 599
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 20 W Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

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Total Votes: 1

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