M4 iPad Pro vs. M3 iPad Air: Which One is Best For You

Both the iPad Pro and the iPad Air have had fairly recent updates, and there are quite a few similarities between them that might leave you wondering which one is the best to meet your needs. In our latest video, we go over the similarities and differences, and the use cases that might make you choose one over another.


The M3 ‌iPad Air‌ is priced starting at $599, while the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ is $999, so there's a notable difference in terms of cost. There are 11-inch and 13-inch size options for both models, and performance is not too far off between them.

With the ‌iPad Pro‌, you essentially get an improved display, a faster chip, Face ID support, better audio, ProRes video recording, and the option to use the higher-end keyboard case. There are few things you can do on an iPad that stress the M3 chip, and most people won't notice the difference in performance from M3 to M4 for day to day tasks.

Where you might see a small difference is apps that are system intensive, like Final Cut Pro or Photoshop, but both handle those tasks just fine. It's actually the display that's the biggest differentiating factor. The ‌iPad Pro‌ has an OLED display that's much brighter, supports HDR, offers ProMotion, and has deeper blacks and more vivid colors. If you're doing something where color is a factor, or if display quality is important, that's where you would want to consider the ‌iPad Pro‌.

Make sure to watch our full video where we go into much more depth about the differences, and show off the two tablets side-by-side.

Related Roundups: iPad Air , iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

abatabia Avatar
11 months ago
For me the air, until iPad os actually makes the pro worth it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
11 months ago
Do you want fancy consumption device or fancy consumption device with a better display?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
11 months ago

As I'm no longer a content producer, only a content consumer, I have absolutely no need for a Macbook Pro. Nor do I need an M3 MacBook Air. My 13" M1 Air does everything I need and more.
OK, but this is about iPads.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZiBart Avatar
11 months ago
A refurbished M1 iPad Pro instead.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
11 months ago

The basic iPad has a worse screen than the Air.
Yeah but the iPad Air screen is a lot closer to the iPad screen than it is to the iPad Pro screen. The iPad Air screen is an incremental improvement over the iPad screen, whereas the iPad Pro screen is in a completely different league.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProbablyDylan Avatar
11 months ago
People really undersell how good the screens are on the M4 models. Better screen than my much more expensive OLED TV.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)