Compare tablets
| Global Score | |
| 91.1 | 70.4 |
| Basic Information | |
| Apple | Apple |
| iPadOS 14.x | iPadOS 18.x |
| 2021-05-21 | 2025-03-12 |
| 11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches | -- |
| 24.06 ounces | 21.76 ounces |
| Silver and Space Gray | Blue, Purple, Space Gray and Starlight |
| Aluminum and Aluminum | -- |
| $ 1098.99 | -- |
| Display / Screen | |
| 12.9 inches | 13 inches |
| 2732 x 2048 pixels | -- |
| IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| 265 pixels per inch | -- |
| 1600 cd/m2 brightness | 600 cd/m2 brightness |
| No touch screen | No touch screen |
| 8.6 | 3.8 |
| Performance | |
| Apple M1 chipset | Apple M3 chipset |
| 5 nm (Octa-Core 3100 MHz) processor | processor |
| 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Apple 8-core GPU GPU | Apple GPU 9-core GPU |
| 9.99 | 6.3 |
| Storage | |
| 128 GB internal memory | 128 GB internal memory |
| No SD card slot | No SD card slot |
| 10.1 | 10.1 |
| Camera | |
| 12.00 MP + 12.00 MP | 12.00 MP + 12.00 MP |
| f/1.80 aperture | f/1.80 aperture |
| -- | 0.33 inches (1/3") sensor |
| 3840 x 2160 (60 fps) (4K) video resolution | 3840 x 2160 (60 fps) (4K) video resolution |
| 1920 x 1080 (240 fps) (Full HD) slow motion video | -- |
| 9.9 | 9.9 |
| Networks | |
| Wi-Fi | -- |
| 5G, 5G, LTE-A (4G), LTE (4G) and HSPA | 5G, 5G, LTE-A (4G), LTE (4G), HSPA+ (4G) and HSDPA |
| Nano SIM, Dual SIM | -- |
| 9.5 | 7.6 |
| Battery Life | |
| 10758mAh Li - Polymer Battery | 9705mAh Battery |
| Non-Removable Battery | Non-Removable Battery |
| 10.72 | 10.08 |
| Other Features | |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| GPS | GPS |
| -- | Fingerprint ID Scanner |
| Accelerometer, Barometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Light Sensor | Accelerometer, Barometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Light Sensor |
Comparison review
The iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) is much better than iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025), having a general score of 91.1 against 70.4. Both of these devices work with iPadOS OS (operating system), but iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) has an older 14.x version while iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025) has iPadOS 18.x. IPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) has a lot better hardware performance than iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025). They have the same number of cores and 8 GB of RAM.
IPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) has a much sharper display than Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025), because although it has a bit smaller display, it also counts with a lot brighter screen. The Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025) has as much storage capacity to install applications and games as iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021), both have equal internal memory capacity.
IPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) both feature very similar cameras, they have a same size diafragm aperture, the same video frame rate, the same resolution camera in the back and the same 3840x2160 video definition. The Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2021) counts with a bit better battery performance than Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3, 2025), because it has an 11 percent larger battery capacity.
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