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

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Top Rated Comments

abatabia Avatar
24 weeks ago
For me the air, until iPad os actually makes the pro worth it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
24 weeks ago
Do you want fancy consumption device or fancy consumption device with a better display?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
24 weeks 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
24 weeks ago
A refurbished M1 iPad Pro instead.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
24 weeks 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
24 weeks 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)