{"id":34967,"date":"2026-04-30T09:37:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T09:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macysdigital.com\/?p=34967"},"modified":"2026-09-08T11:21:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T11:21:54","slug":"ipad-air-vs-ipad-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macysdigital.com\/en\/ipad-air-vs-ipad-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"iPad Air vs iPad Pro: which one\u2019s right for you in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The iPad Air with M4 and the iPad Pro with M5 have more in common than sets them apart. Both come with the Apple Pencil Pro. Both come with the Magic Keyboard. Both run iPadOS 26 with Apple Intelligence. But there\u2019s a \u20ac430 difference between the base models of the Air and the Pro. Is it worth it? This comparison tells you when the Pro is worth the extra cost and when the Air is all you need.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The fundamental difference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The iPad Air with a chip M4<\/strong> is designed for advanced general use<\/strong>: studying, productivity, consuming premium content, casual photo and video editing, and digital drawing. The iPad Pro with the M5<\/strong> is designed for creative professionals<\/strong>: ProRes 4K editing, 3D modelling, technical illustration and workflows where screen size and processing power determine production time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t rely on your iPad for a living, the Air is the right choice. The Pro is for those who genuinely need what it offers and who will notice the difference on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Side-by-side specifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th>iPad Air 11″ M4<\/th>iPad Pro 11″ M5<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Price at Macy\u2019s<\/strong><\/td>from 619\u20ac<\/strong><\/td>from 1.049\u20ac<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Chip<\/strong><\/td>Apple M4 (9-core CPU \/ 10-core GPU)<\/td>Apple M5 (10-core CPU \/ 10-core GPU)<\/td><\/tr>
RAM<\/strong><\/td>12 GB<\/td>16 GB (256 GB) \/ 12 GB (1 TB+)<\/td><\/tr>
Screen<\/strong><\/td>11-inch Liquid Retina<\/td>Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR 11\u2033<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Resolution<\/strong><\/td>2360 x 1640 (264 ppi)<\/td>2420 x 1668 (264 ppi)<\/td><\/tr>
Shine<\/strong><\/td>500 nits<\/td>1,000 nits SDR \/ 1,600 nits HDR<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
ProMotion (120Hz)<\/strong><\/td>\u274c 60Hz<\/td>\u2705 120Hz<\/td><\/tr>
True Tone<\/strong><\/td>\u2705<\/td>\u2705<\/td><\/tr>
Storage<\/strong><\/td>128GB \/ 256GB \/ 512GB \/ 1TB<\/td>256GB \/ 512GB \/ 1TB \/ 2TB<\/td><\/tr>
Connection<\/strong><\/td>USB-C \/ Thunderbolt<\/td>Thunderbolt 5<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Rear camera<\/strong><\/td>12 MP wide-angle<\/td>12 MP + LiDAR<\/td><\/tr>
Front camera<\/strong><\/td>12 MP horizontal Centre Stage<\/td>12 MP horizontal Centre Stage<\/td><\/tr>
Wi-Fi<\/strong><\/td>Wi-Fi 6E \/ Wi-Fi 7 (new models)<\/td>Wi-Fi 7<\/td><\/tr>
Audio<\/strong><\/td>2 stereo speakers<\/td>4 speakers with Spatial Audio<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Apple Pencil Pro<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Compatible<\/td>\u2705 Compatible<\/td><\/tr>
Magic Keyboard<\/strong><\/td>\u2705 Compatible<\/td>\u2705 Compatible<\/td><\/tr>
Weight<\/strong><\/td>462g<\/td>444g<\/td><\/tr>
Thickness<\/strong><\/td>6.1 mm<\/td>5.1 mm<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Battery<\/strong><\/td>Up to 10 hours<\/td>Up to 10 hours<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Screen: the biggest difference between the two<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where the Pro justifies a significant portion of its price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iPad Pro\u2019s Tandem OLED<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The iPad Pro M5 debuts a new screen\u00a0Tandem OLED<\/strong> Two stacked OLED panels that produce twice the brightness of a standard OLED. The result: 1,000 nits of sustained brightness (SDR) and 1,600 nits peak brightness in HDR. For HDR content (Apple TV+ films, Netflix Premium, HDR photos), the visual difference is immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 'Real' Black people are truly Black<\/strong> (each pixel is switched off individually), rather than a dark grey as with LCD. The contrast ratio is 2,000,000:1, which is virtually infinite. Dark scenes in films look cinematic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liquid Retina on the iPad Air<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The iPad Air uses a Liquid Retina LCD display with LED backlighting. It\u2019s an excellent display with accurate colours, True Tone and P3 colour gamut, but LCD has physical limitations that OLED overcomes: lower contrast, less deep blacks and lower HDR brightness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ProMotion: the other advantage of the Pro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The iPad Pro has ProMotion 120Hz<\/strong>: the screen refreshes up to 120 times per second. The iPad Air is fixed at 60Hz. The difference is noticeable in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Scrolling and navigation.<\/strong> Scrolling through web pages or long documents is noticeably smoother on the Pro.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Apple Pencil.<\/strong>\u00a0The latency between the stroke and the screen drops from 20ms (Air) to 9ms (Pro). For professional illustrators, that\u2019s the difference between \u00abit feels good\u00bb and \u00abit feels like drawing on paper\u00bb.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Video at 24\/30\/60 fps.<\/strong> The Pro adjusts the refresh rate to the content to prevent judder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Is the screen worth the extra \u20ac430?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For professional illustrators and HDR video editors, yes, absolutely. It\u2019s one of the best displays on any portable device available in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For general users, students and casual content consumption, no. The Air\u2019s screen is excellent and you won\u2019t feel like you\u2019re missing out on anything. The difference is real, but it only matters when you\u2019re working with content that demands it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Performance: M4 vs M5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Apple claims that the M5 is 30\u201340% faster than the M4. In synthetic benchmarks, the figures add up. But in real-world use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tasks where you won\u2019t notice any difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Opening apps (now instant in Air)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Web browsing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Document editing (Pages, Word, Google Docs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Streaming (Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV+)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Video calls (Zoom, FaceTime, Teams)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Standard productivity apps<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Reading and annotating PDFs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Educational apps<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Casual games<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      For this entire range, the 85% works exactly the same on any iPad Air or Pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Tasks where you will notice a difference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • 4K video editing in Final Cut Pro.<\/strong> Pro renders faster and maintains consistent performance throughout long projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • 3D apps (Procreate Dreams, Octane).<\/strong> The M5, with its upgraded GPU, speeds up rendering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Large AI models (Stable Diffusion, Apple Intelligence for heavy workloads).<\/strong> The Pro\u2019s 16GB of RAM helps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Multitasking with lots of windows open.<\/strong> The Pro keeps more apps in RAM before they close.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Professional music apps (Logic Pro for iPad).<\/strong> Multi-track tracks with plug-ins are easier to work with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        If your use of the iPad falls into these categories, the Pro is well worth the price. If not \u2013 and for most people it won\u2019t \u2013 the M4 will be more than enough for the next 5\u20137 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Audio and speakers: 2 vs 4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        The iPad Air has 2 stereo speakers<\/strong>. The iPad Pro has 4 speakers with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        You can really tell the difference when watching films or listening to music without headphones. The Pro sounds noticeably fuller, with more body in the bass and better stereo separation. The Air sounds much better than most tablets but is clearly inferior to the Pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Who cares:<\/strong> Anyone who uses the iPad as their main entertainment device without an external speaker. For everything else (with AirPods, a Bluetooth speaker or headphones), it\u2019s irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Size and weight: the Pro is slimmer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        The iPad Pro is 5.1 mm thick and 444 g<\/strong> (11-inch model). The iPad Air is 6.1 mm and 462 g<\/strong>. The difference may seem small, but the Pro feels noticeably slimmer in the hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Apple achieved this with the new Tandem OLED display (thinner than LCD) and a redesigned chassis. It is the thinnest iPad ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Does it matter?<\/strong> For a tablet you carry around all day, yes. It fits better in your bag and is lighter to hold in one hand during long reading sessions. It\u2019s not quite enough of a reason to pay the extra for the Pro, but it is a real improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/div>\n\n\n\n

        Storage: the Pro starts at 256GB<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        The iPad Air starts at 128GB<\/strong> (\u20ac619). The iPad Pro starts at 256GB<\/strong> (1.049\u20ac).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This matters because 128GB isn\u2019t enough if:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Downloads videos from Netflix\/Disney+ to watch them offline<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • You work with video files or RAW photos<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • You have a large offline music library (Apple Music, Spotify)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • You install resource-intensive professional apps (Procreate packed with brushes, LumaFusion with clips)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          If you\u2019re going to use the iPad for creative work, 256GB is the minimum you\u2019d want. The 256GB iPad Air costs \u20ac739, which narrows the price gap with the Pro to around \u20ac310.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/div>\n\n\n\n

          Which one\u2019s right for you? \u2014 The decision guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Buy the 11-inch iPad Air M4 if:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n