The 2024 iPad Pro raises the bar as the first Apple device with an M4 chip. Apple’s new mid-range tablet is the M2 iPad Air, which comes in two sizes for the first time. So what’s the difference between these 2024 iPads and are the higher-end devices worth the extra money? Here’s a detailed look at the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air.
2022 iPad Air 5 With the M1, it blurred the line between mid-range and high-end iPads, giving an incentive for many to buy the Air that started at a price $200 (or more) Less than the $799 11-inch iPad Pro.
The 2024 M2 iPad Air (6th generation) lineup now offers even more options and power than the M1 iPad Air.
However, the new iPad Air models stand in contrast to the M4 iPad Pro – but they are more expensive this year with prices starting at $999 and $1,299 – making the difference between the iPad Air and Pro $300-400.
M4 iPad Pro vs. M2 iPad Air
performance
The big difference in performance between the new iPad Pro and the Air is due to the M4 chip upgrade. Apple says it delivers up to 50% faster CPU, 4x faster GPU, and an increase in memory bandwidth from 100GB/s to 120GB/s over the M2.
Along with the new GPU comes a media engine that offers hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW support – joining the Mac as a device capable of handling 8K video.
Other new features include 38 trillion operations per second using the M4 Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and more.
Note: iPad Pro 128, 256, and 512GB models have 8GB of RAM, while 1TB and 2TB models have 16GB of RAM.
| 11 inch M4 iPad Pro | 11-inch M2 iPad Air | 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| chip | M4 | M2 | M4 | M2 |
| CPU | 9 or 10 core | 8 core | 9 or 10 core | 8 core |
| GPU | 10 core | 10 core | 10 core | 10 core |
| Support for hardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| H.264 and HEVC hardware acceleration | – | ✅ | – | ✅ |
| Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Neural drive | 16 cores | 16 cores | 16 cores | 16 cores |
| storage | 256 GB – 2 TB | 128 GB – 1 TB | 256 GB – 2 TB | 128 GB – 1 TB |
| ram | 8 or 16 GB | 8 GB | 8 or 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory bandwidth | 120 GB/s | 100 GB/s | 120 GB/s | 100 GB/s |
| Thunderbolt/USB 4 | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 only | – | ✅ | – | ✅ |
| Cellular | 5G (under 6 GHz) | 5G (under 6 GHz) | 5G (under 6 GHz) | 5G (under 6 GHz) |
Other upgrades with the Pro are Thunderbolt/USB 4 and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
One loss is mmWave 5G connectivity with the 2024 iPad Pro models (the 2022 versions had this). This matches the 5G radio in the 2024 iPad Air.
an offer
The new M4 iPad Pro models take on the iPad Air with a new “Ultra Retina XDR” display.
It’s the first to use Tandem OLED compared to the Liquid Retina display that uses LED in the M2 iPad Air.
Apple says the benefits of the new OLED display are brighter highlights, deeper true blacks, better detail in shadows and low light, and more.
Both the smaller and larger iPad Pro feature a new OLED display, and you can now also upgrade your 1TB or 2TB iPad Pro M4 with nano-textured display glass.
You also get brighter SDR content up to 1,000 nits with the M4 iPad Pro models (600 nits for M2 iPad Pro SDR content). That’s 2x brighter than the 500 nits SDR with the iPad Air.
| 11 inch M4 iPad Pro | 11-inch M2 iPad Air | 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| an offer | 11 inch OLED | 10.86 inch LED | 13 inch OLED | 12.9 inch LED |
| Accuracy | 2420 x 1668 | 2360 x 1640 | 2752 x 2064 | 2732 x 2048 |
| PPI (pixels per inch) | 264 | 264 | 264 | 264 |
| Screen brightness | 1000 nits SDR, max 1000 nits all-screen XDR, 1600 nits (HDR only) | 500 nits brightness for SDR | 1000 nits SDR, max 1000 nits all-screen XDR, 1600 nits (HDR only) | 500 nits brightness for SDR |
| Real tone | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wide color P3 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pro Motion (120 Hz) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Anti-reflective and fingerprint-resistant coating | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fully laminated screen | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Nano textured display glass | Optional on 1TB and 2TB models | ❌ | Optional on 1TB and 2TB models | ❌ |
| Liquid retina display | – | ✅ | – | ✅ |
| Ultra Retina XDR display | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Apple pencil hover | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Display features shared across all M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air models include P3 wide color, fully laminated displays, anti-reflective coating, Apple Pencil Hover, and True Tone.
Design, dimensions, weight, colors
The M4 iPad Pro is “the thinnest product Apple has ever created” at 5.1mm for the 13-inch model and 5.3mm for the 11-inch version.
Plus, the new M4 iPad Pro is lighter than ever, weighing less than 1 pound for the 11-inch and 1.28 pounds for the 13-inch.
This is ironic considering that the “Air” version of Apple’s iPad and Mac usually gets the title of thinner and lighter.
| 11 inch M4 iPad Pro | 11-inch M2 iPad Air | 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| to rise | 9.83 in (249.7 mm) | 9.74 in (247.6 mm) | 11.09 in (281.6 mm) | 11.04 in (280.6 mm) |
| an offer | 6.99 inches (177.5 mm) | 7.02 in (178.5 mm) | 8.48 inches (215.5 mm) | 8.46 in (214.9 mm) |
| Depth | 0.21 inch (5.3 mm) | 0.24 inch (6.1 mm) | 0.20 inch (5.1 mm) | 0.24 inch (6.1 mm) |
| Weight | 0.98 lb (446 g) | 1.02 lbs (462 g) | 1.28 lbs (582 g) | 1.36 lbs (618 g) |
New this time is the Space Black color, which has replaced Space Gray for the M4 iPad Pro, while Silver remains the other option.
Meanwhile, the M2 iPad Air is available in four color options: Space Grey, Starlight, Blue and Purple.
Connectivity and accessories
The new iPad Pro and Air models work with the same type of Apple accessories. These come in the form of a new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro – or you can opt for the mid-tier Apple Pencil with USB-C.
Other major I/O upgrades with the iPad Pro are Face ID and Thunderbolt connectivity.
| 11 and 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 11 and 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| Support Apple Pencil Pro | ✅ | ✅ |
| Support for Apple Pencil 2nd generation | ❌ | ❌ |
| USB-C Apple Pencil | ✅ | ✅ |
| Magic keyboard support | ✅ | ✅ |
| 5G | ✅ (Sub-6GHz) | ✅ (Sub-6GHz) |
| WiFi 6E | ✅ | ✅ |
| Sim | eSIM only | eSIM and Nano SIM |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| USB C | ✅ USB 4 | ✅ USB 3.1 second generation |
| lightning strike | ✅ | ❌ |
| Face ID | ✅ | ❌ |
| Contact ID | ❌ | ✅ |
In addition to the mmWave drop for 5G, the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air also only have an eSIM, and no physical nano-SIM slot.
Battery life
The 2024 iPad Pro and Air models come with the same battery life as previous iPads:
- 10 hours of web or video use on WiFi
- 9 hours of web usage with cell phone
Storage and price
Storage has been updated with the M4 iPad Pro model that starts at 256GB and goes up to 2TB. The nano-textured glass is another $100 upgrade.
The M2 iPad Air’s storage space is also increased starting at 64GB and going up to 1TB.
| 11 inch M4 iPad Pro | 11-inch M2 iPad Air | 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| Wi-Fi 128 GB | – | $599 | – | $799 |
| 128 GB + cell | – | $749 | – | $949 |
| Wi-Fi 256 GB | $999 | $699 | $1,299 | $899 |
| 256 GB + cell | $1,199 | $849 | $1,499 | $1,049 |
| 512 GB WiFi | $1,199 | $899 | $1,499 | $1099 |
| 512 GB + cell | $1,399 | $1,049 | $1,699 | $1,249 |
| Wi-Fi 1 TB | $1,599 | $1099 | $1,899 | $1,299 |
| 1 TB + cell | $1,799 | $1,249 | $2099 | $1,449 |
| Wi-Fi 2 TB | $1,999 | – | $2299 | – |
| 2TB + cell | $2199 | – | $2499 | – |
Cameras, video and audio
On the M4 iPad Pro’s rear camera system, you have a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a LiDAR scanner, and a Retina flash with True Tone.
Interestingly, the M4 iPad Pro has ditched the 10MP ultra-wide lens of the M2 iPad Pro. This means that the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air are more similar in camera capabilities.
On the front, you get a 12MP ultra-wide lens with Center Stage support which is now centered around the long edge for landscapes instead of the short edge on the 2024 M4 iPad Pro models.
| 11 and 13-inch M4 iPad Pro | 11 and 13-inch M2 iPad Air | |
| 12-megapixel wide lens | ✅ | ✅ |
| 10MP ultra-wide lens | ❌ | ❌ |
| lidar | ✅ | ❌ |
| 4K video | ✅ | ✅ |
| ProRes video at up to 4K 30fps | ✅ | ❌ |
| Extended dynamic range | ✅ | ✅ |
| Slow motion video | ✅ | ✅ |
| Rear camera flash | ✅ | ❌ |
| TrueDepth with facial recognition | ✅ (Landscape Edge) | ❌ |
| 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera | ✅ (Landscape Edge) | ✅ (Landscape Edge) |
| 2x optical zoom | ✅ | ✅ |
| Smart HDR photos 4 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automatic phase center tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| 4- Audio headphones | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stereo recording | ✅ | ✅ |
| Studio quality microphones | 4 | ❌ |
| Standard microphones | – | 2 |
Conclusion M4 iPad Pro vs M2 iPad Air
Why buy the M4 iPad Pro?
Choose between M4 iPad Pro And M2 iPad AirHowever, it may only make sense to buy the new model if you are a professional or aspiring professional with a workflow that will benefit from the M4 chip. Or it’s okay to spend money on the latest and greatest Apple products 😁.
Upgrades include a new OLED display with nano-texture option, higher brightness, more top storage, Thunderbolt, a more powerful chipset, and a slimmer design.
The M4 iPad Pro is available in apple, Amazonalmost Best buyAnd more.
Why buy M2 iPad Air?
When you can get many of the essential features of the M4 iPad Pro with M2 iPad Air The processor difference is not a limiting factor for many users; Saving Money That could be a nice move. Or you can keep your current iPad.
And also at a discounted price M1 iPad Air It’s a great option for people with a light to medium workflow or casual use. It has many of the great features of the recent M2 iPad Air/Pro in the same design.
Thanks for reading our M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air guide
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