iPad Air M1 vs iPad Pro M4 13 Inch
Verdict: The iPad Pro M4 13-inch wins decisively with its tandem OLED display reaching 1600 nits peak (per Apple specs) and M4 chip delivering 1.5x the GPU performance of M1 in Metal benchmarks. The iPad Air M1 remains capable for media consumption but trails in brightness and refresh rate compared to the Pro's 120Hz OLED. iPad Pro M4 also supports Apple Pencil Pro hover and advanced audio features absent on the Air M1.
Winner: iPad Pro M4 13 Inch
iPad Air M1: 6.5/10
iPad Pro M4 13 Inch: 9/10
Spec-by-spec comparison
| iPad Air M1 | iPad Pro M4 13 Inch | |
|---|---|---|
| chip | Apple M1 | Apple M4 |
| screen_size | 10.9 inches | 13 inches |
| display_type | Liquid Retina LCD | Tandem OLED |
| storage_options | 64GB-256GB | 256GB-2TB |
iPad Air M1
What works
- M1 chip delivers strong performance for productivity and media
- Lighter weight at 1.02 lbs for easier one-handed use
- Lower price point compared to Pro models
What doesn't
- LCD display lacks 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of OLED
- Only 8GB RAM limits heavy multitasking
iPad Pro M4 13 Inch
What works
- M4 chip with up to 10-core CPU and hardware ray tracing
- Ultra-thin 5.1mm design with tandem OLED at 1000 nits
- Thunderbolt 4 support and up to 16GB unified memory
What doesn't
- Higher starting price limits accessibility
- Overkill for users not needing pro-level graphics or brightness
Bottom line
Our pick: iPad Pro M4 13 Inch.
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