Apple iPad Pro 12.9 vs iPad Pro 11 (M2, 2022) vs iPad Air (M1, 2022): Which should you choose?

Apple has multiple iPad models in its portfolio, from the iPad mini to the top of the range iPad Pro 12.9-inch, with the standard iPad and the iPad Air sitting in the middle.

If you're looking at the top end of the iPad range though, you'll likely be deciding between the iPad Pro models and the iPad Air. The iPad Pro 12.9-inch model is now in its 6th generation, while the 11-inch model is in its 4th generation. The iPad Air meanwhile, is in its 5th generation.

All models launched in 2022 and there are a few differences to consider so let us help you work out which might be the right one for you.

Price

Let's first talk about price. The iPad Pro models are unsurprisingly more expensive than the iPad Air, with the 12.9-inch naturally the priciest option.

The iPad Air starts at $599 in the US and £669 in the UK. The iPad Pro 11-inch starts at $799 in the US and £899 in the UK.

The iPad Pro 12.9-inch starts at $1099 in the US and £1249 in the UK.

Design

iPad Air: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm. 461g
iPad Pro 11-inch: 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm, 466g
iPad Pro 12.9-inch: 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4mm, 682g

There aren't huge differences in the design of the iPad Pro models and the iPad Air, though they are distinguishable from each other - more so than the iPad Air and the iPad (10th generation). All three models have aluminium flat edges and uniformed bezels around the display.

The iPad Pro models have a square camera housing with dual lenses in the top left corner of their rears though, while the iPad Air model has a single camera lens. The iPad Pro models also have Face ID on board, while the iPad Air has a Touch ID sensor built into the power button at the top.

All three models have a Smart Connector and they all have a magnetic strip on the side for charging the Apple Pencil (2nd generation). The iPad Pro models come in Space Grey and Silver colour options, while the iPad Air is a little more fun in its colour options, with Space Grey, Starlight, Pink, Purple and Blue.

The iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the largest and heaviest of the three iPads being compared here, but the iPad Pro 11-inch and the iPad Air are pretty much identical in their measurements. The iPad Pro is 0.2mm slimmer if you're counting, while the iPad Air is 5g lighter than the iPad Pro.

Display

iPad Air: 10.9-inch, Liquid Retina, 2360 x 1640 pixels, 264ppi, 500nits
iPad Pro 11-inch: 11-inch, Liquid Retina, 2388 x 1668 pixels, 264ppi, 600nits, ProMotion
iPad Pro 12.9-inch: 12.9-inch, Liquid Retina XDR, 2732 x 2048 pixels, 1600nits, ProMotion

The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch has the largest and best display of the three iPads being compared here. It offers a Liquid XDR display, which is a mini-LED display and it's absolutely stunning in use.

The iPad Pro 11-inch and the iPad Air both have Liquid Retina displays, and they are of course slightly smaller than the iPad Pro 12.9-inch. The iPad Air is also fractionally smaller than the iPad Pro 11-inch with a 10.9-inch screen.

All three offer a pixel density of 264ppi and they all also come with technologies like a P3 wide colour gamut, True Tone and an anti-reflective coating. All three also all have a fully laminated display - something the iPad (10th generation) misses off its spec list compared to the iPad Air.

The iPad Pro models are brighter than the iPad Air too, especially in the case of the iPad Pro 12.9-inch which has a peak brightness of 1600nits, compared to the iPad Pro 11-inch’s 600nits max brightness and the iPad Air's 500nits. Additionally, the iPad Pro model have ProMotion technology, which sees their displays automatically adapt between 1Hz and 120Hz refresh rate depending on what you are doing.

One last thing to mention on the iPad Pro models is they have a feature called Apple Pencil Hover, which sees the screen detect the Apple Pencil once it gets within 12mm, allowing for more accurate mark making and some extra features.

Hardware and specs

iPad Air: M1 chip, 64/128GB, 12MP rear camera, 12MP front camera
iPad Pro 11-inch: M2 chip, 128GB to 2TB, 12MP+10MP dual rear camera, 12MP front camera
iPad Pro 12.9-inch: M2 chip, 128GB to 2TB, 12MP+10MP dual rear camera, 12MP front camera

The Apple iPad Pro models run on the M2 chip, which is made up of an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores. There's also a 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, depending on your selection.

The Apple iPad Air meanwhile, runs on the M1 chip, which also has an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, though it has an 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine and 8GB of RAM. It's a very powerful machine and while the latest Pro models are faster and more capable, the iPad Air will be more than capable for most tasks.

It is worth mentioning for the video content creators out there, the iPad Pro models also have a Media Engine supporting H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, while the iPad Air only offers H.264, HEVC.

When it comes to storage options, the iPad Pro models start at 128GB, with the top models offering 2TB, while the iPad Air only comes in 64GB and 256GB options.

Elsewhere on the hardware front, there's support for Wi-Fi 6E on the iPad Pro models, with speeds up to 2.4Gbps with a compatible network, while the iPad Air offers Wi-Fi 6 with speeds up to 1.2Gbps. There are 5G models available of both the iPad Air and the iPad Pro models though.

All three models are also compatible with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, along with the Magic Keyboard.

When it comes to the cameras, the iPad Pro models have a dual rear camera consisting of a 12-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 10-megapixel ultra wide camera with an f/2.4 aperture. It also offers brighter True Tone flash and a LiDAR scanner. The iPad Air has the same main camera lens but it doesn't offer the ultra-wide lens and it is also not capable of ProRes video recording up to 4K, like the iPad Pro models, nor audio zoom or stereo recording.

On the front, both the iPad Pro models and the iPad Air have a 12-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The iPad Pro models have portrait modes though, as well as Portrait Lighting and Animoji and Memoji thanks to the Face ID sensors.

Audio and battery

iPad Air: Stereo speakers, two mics, 10 hour battery
iPad Pro 11-inch: Four speakers, five mics, 10 hour battery
iPad Pro 12.9-inch: Four speakers, five mics, 10 hour battery

You'll find a four speaker audio array on the iPad Pro models, along with five microphones, The iPad Air meanwhile has landscape stereo speakers and two microphones.

The Pro models do sound better, and they are more capable when it comes to watching movies, though the Air is also capable enough and you might also find that you use headphones a lot and therefore it's not as important.

All three models offer up to 10 hours of battery life for browsing or watching video. They are also all charged via USB-C.

Conclusion

The decision between these three iPads will really come down to your budget, as well as what you want to do on your tablet. If you're after that big display, then the iPad Pro 12.9-inch is an exceptional device with plenty of power and a fantastic display.

The iPad Pro 11-inch gives you everything the larger model does, except the mini-LED display, meaning it too is a very powerful device with plenty on offer.

The iPad Air might have a slightly older chipset than the Pro models, whilst making a couple of compromises, like Touch ID over Face ID, no ProMotion, lower storage options and a few more, but it is still a brilliant tablet that will be more than sufficient for many.

For the best value, the iPad Air is the one to pick. For the sweet spot of cost and features, the iPad Pro 11-inch is your winner, while for the biggest and best iPad Apple has to offer, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the one. If the 2022 iPad Pro models seem too expensive, you could consider the 2021 iPad Pro models. Read our separate feature on how they compare to the iPad Air here.