iPad Air M4 10.9 Inch vs iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi

By Billy G. · Founder & Lead EditorVerified Jul 21 by Billy G.

iPad Air M4 10.9 Inch
iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi
Verified Confidence: 87%

Verdict: The iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 wins for users needing top-tier display and performance, beating the Air on brightness and refresh rate per RTINGS tablet tests. The Air M4 remains competitive for lighter workloads at a lower cost, trailing the Pro by 15-20% in sustained GPU benchmarks from Notebookcheck. Choose based on whether OLED and Thunderbolt justify the added expense.

Winner: iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi

iPad Air M4 10.9 Inch: 7.5/10

iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi: 8.5/10

Spec-by-spec comparison

iPad Air M4 10.9 InchiPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi
Display Size10.9-inch Liquid Retina11-inch Tandem OLED
ChipApple M4Apple M5
Storage128 GB base256 GB
Weight1.02 lbs0.98 lbs

iPad Air M4 10.9 Inch

What works

  • Lower starting price than Pro models
  • M4 chip delivers strong performance for productivity
  • Thin and light design for portability

What doesn't

  • LCD display lacks ProMotion and peak brightness of OLED
  • No Thunderbolt port or advanced camera system

iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi

What works

  • Superior Tandem OLED display with 120Hz and high brightness
  • M5 chip offers higher sustained performance and efficiency
  • Thunderbolt support and advanced LiDAR camera

What doesn't

  • Higher price point than Air models
  • Overkill for basic tasks like browsing and streaming

Bottom line

Our pick: iPad Pro 11 Inch M5 256GB Wi-Fi.

View full comparison on GoodPickr

Related Comparisons

Browse all comparisons

View Interactive Comparison →

Affiliate disclosure: GoodPickr may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through partner links on this page. Verdicts are editorially independent and never influenced by affiliate relationships.

GoodPickr · Data-backed product comparisons · Built by Golden Consulting Partners