Apple iPad vs. iPad Air: What are the differences between the tablets?

When the iPad Air was introduced in 2013, it stood out from the standard iPad with its thinner design – hence the name “Air”. It has now lost the title of the thinnest iPad model to the iPad Pro. The Air now represents the middle class of Apple tablets, both in terms of the hardware used and in terms of price. The “normal” iPad is one step below. But what exactly is the difference between the tablets?

In the table you can see the current iPad and iPad Air models in direct comparison. We will then go into the differences in more detail. You can find all Apple tablets from the standard model to the Pro version in our big iPad test.

What is the difference between iPad and iPad Air?

The former tablet pioneer, the iPad, has now become an entry-level model. For the lowest price, you can get hardware that has been around for a few years, as well as a one-size-fits-all with an 11-inch display. The iPad Air offers something more choice: an 11-inch and a 13-inch version. While the iPad Pro has been using OLED displays for a long time, both the iPad and iPad Air continue to use IPS LCDs.

But also within the class of LC displays For the higher price, the iPad Air offers better quality than the standard model. The difference in maximum brightness is not dramatic, but the color space of the Air displays is significantly larger. So there are richer colors, which is important for HDR content and image editing. The standard iPad is only limited to a solid multimedia display.

Where there is still a problem with both tablet models is this Refresh rate: Both iPad and iPad Air still only offer 60 Hertz. This means that trailing effects can occur when scrolling text. The Pro models offer a 120 Hertz refresh rate.

In the area performance The iPad has so far been limited to the A-class cell phone processors, i.e. Apple A16 and Co. At the other end of the scale are the iPad Pros, which are always equipped with the latest Apple M-class notebook processor. The iPad Air, on the other hand, always gets the M processor from the previous generation: If the Pro models use the Apple M5, the iPad Air has the M4.

In the comparison between the iPad and iPad Air, there is a noticeable difference in performance, but the standard model still doesn’t do badly. After all, the A processor comes from the high-performance iPhones, which is why the iPads also generally perform very well in our performance test. The iPad Air is better when it comes to graphics performance. In addition, the 2025 version of the standard iPad does not yet have enough power for the “Apple Intelligence”.

In most Features The iPad Air is a generation better than the standard model, so it has newer WLAN, Bluetooth and USB standards, for example. Both tablets support mobile communications in the 5G network; the corresponding eSIM function is available for an additional charge. The quality of the cameras is also similar and both models are compatible with peripheral devices such as the Apple Pencil. There is a choice of storage sizes.

The 11-inch variants of both tablet classes have an almost identical battery capacity, which results in a very similar Battery life results. If you choose the 13-inch version of the iPad Air, there is a larger battery with slightly longer runtime. The loading time hardly differs.

Which tablet is suitable for whom?

Basically you can say: The iPad is a multimedia tablet for the living room table, the iPad Air is a notebook replacement for the office. So if you just want to stream videos, play mobile games or surf the Internet, then the cheaper standard iPad is completely sufficient. It offers everything you need. But if you want to edit pictures or videos, for example, then the iPad Air’s display is much more suitable. The AI ​​assistant is also currently not available in the “normal” iPad (in the first half of 2026). The iPad Air is clearly better in terms of display, performance and features, but depending on the version it can cost twice as much.