M4 iPad Pro vs. M3 iPad Air: Which One is Best For You - MacRumors
Skip to Content

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

astropad kit main feature

MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPad Air and Revamped Rock Paper Pencil Kit From Astropad

Friday September 4, 2026 10:41 am PDT by
For this week's giveaway, we've once again teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an M4 iPad Air, an Apple Pencil Pro, and an Astropad Rock Paper Pencil kit to use with it. The $49.99 Rock Paper Pencil is a screen protector and Apple Pencil tip combo that makes writing on your iPad feel like writing on a piece of paper instead of a slippery glass display. It's a...
m3 ipad air mint

iPad Air OLED Panel Orders Could Be Split With BOE in 2027

Tuesday August 11, 2026 4:36 am PDT by
BOE wants a share of the OLED supply chain for Apple's next iPad Air, aiming to land a secondary sourcing role behind primary supplier Samsung Display, according to a report from South Korea's The Elec. Sources cited by The Elec say the Chinese panel maker is building out its iPad Air OLED effort at its B12 fab in Chongqing, home to BOE's sixth-generation OLED production line, ahead of the...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...

Top Rated Comments

18 months ago
For me the air, until iPad os actually makes the pro worth it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
18 months ago
Do you want fancy consumption device or fancy consumption device with a better display?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
18 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
18 months ago
A refurbished M1 iPad Pro instead.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
18 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)
Trausner Avatar
18 months ago

A refurbished M1 iPad Pro instead.
Id say a refurbished M2 iPad Pro with 1TB (16gb ram) is probably the best value tablet out there.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)