M3 iPad Air vs. M5 iPad Pro Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared

Apple recently updated the iPad Pro, widening the gap with the iPad Air, but how different are the two product lines and which should you buy?

Earlier this year, Apple refreshed the ‌iPad Air‌ with the M3 chip—a minor update over the previous model from 2024 which added the M2 chip and Apple Pencil hover. The latest ‌iPad Pro‌ models introduced the M5 chip alongside a small number of changes after last year's major redesign, which saw the debut of a thinner design with OLED displays.

Should you consider purchasing the ‌iPad Air‌ to save money, or do you need the high-end features of the ‌iPad Pro‌? Our guide answers the question of how to decide which of these two iPads is best for you.



‌iPad Air‌ (M3, 2025)

‌iPad Pro‌ (M5, 2025)





Liquid Retina display (LED backlit display with IPS technology)

Ultra Retina XDR display (Tandem OLED)







ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz





11-inch model SDR brightness: 500 nits max

13-inch model SDR brightness: 600 nits max

SDR brightness: 1,000 nits max

XDR brightness: 1,000 nits max full screen, 1,600 nits peak (HDR content only)







Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models





Drive external displays at 60Hz

Drive external displays at up to 120Hz







Adaptive Sync support





‌M3‌ chip

M5 chip





Made using TSMC's first-generation 3nm technology (N3)

Made using TSMC's third-generation ‌3nm‌ process (N3P)





Based on A17 Pro chip from iPhone 15 Pro (2023)

Based on A19 Pro chip from iPhone 17 Pro (2025)





8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency cores)

Up to 10 CPU cores (4 performance + 6 efficiency cores)





9-core GPU

10-core GPU







Integrated Neural Accelerator in every GPU core





Metal 4 developer APIs

Metal 4 developer APIs with Tensor APIs to program GPU Neural Accelerators





LPDDR5 memory

LPDDR5X memory





8GB of memory

256GB and 512GB models: 12GB memory

1TB and 2TB models: 16GB memory





100 GB/s memory bandwidth

153 GB/s unified memory bandwidth







Dedicated display engine





First-generation ray tracing engine

Third-generation ray tracing engine





First-generation dynamic caching

Second-generation dynamic caching





Shader cores

Enhanced shader cores





GPU with standard power efficiency

More power-efficient GPU: Maintains performance with significantly less power







Improved thermal design with graphite sheets and copper





Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip

N1 chip





Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 6





Wi-Fi 6E connectivity

Wi-Fi 7 connectivity





Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G modem (cellular models only)

C1X chip (cellular models only)





Touch ID in top button

TrueDepth camera system for Face ID







Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control







Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High-Key Mono)







Animoji and Memoji







LiDAR scanner







Adaptive True Tone flash







Rear ambient light sensor







ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 256GB capacity)







ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording





Two microphones

Four studio-quality microphones







Audio zoom







Stereo recording





Landscape stereo speakers

Four speaker audio





Weight: 462 grams or 617 grams

Weight 444 grams or 579 grams





Depth: 6.1 mm

Depth: 5.3 mm or 5.1 mm







Fast-charge capable (Up to 50% charge using a 60W adapter or higher in 30 minutes with the 11-inch model or 35 minutes with the 13-inch model)





USB‑C connector

USB‑C connector with support for Thunderbolt/USB 4





Supports Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Air‌

Supports Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌





128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage







Up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds





Available in Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, and Blue

Available in Space Black and Silver





Price starting at $599

Price starting at $999



Overall, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the better option for the majority of users, simply on the basis of value for money. For most people, the additional $400+ needed to buy the ‌iPad Pro‌ is not justified to get the likes of ‌Face ID‌, a thinner design, four-speaker audio, and a ProMotion OLED display with refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Some ‌iPad Pro‌ features, such as LiDAR, up to 16GB of memory, and Thunderbolt connectivity are only practically useful to a small niche of users and most will never use some of these high-end capabilities. Many features, such as Adaptive Sync and Audio zoom, will not be meaningfully utilized by many users.

Professionals who have a clear use case for needing larger amounts of RAM and storage, a matte display, Thunderbolt connectivity, and OLED for HDR content will clearly benefit from buying the ‌iPad Pro‌. That being said, 'prosumer'-style customers who simply want the best iPad will enjoy features such as 120Hz ProMotion for smoother scrolling and gaming, a thinner design, deeper blacks and more vivid colors with the OLED display, and the Adaptive True Tone flash for document scanning, even if they are not necessary.

Beyond these individual circumstances, the ‌iPad Air‌ is the best value for money and will be more than ample for most users' needs. With the ‌iPad Air‌, users can get a modern all-screen design, the M3 chip, practical features like USB-C and 5G connectivity, and compatibility with the core Apple accessories for a price well below that of the ‌iPad Pro‌.

A new ‌iPad Air‌ with the M4 chip is in development and will likely launch in the first half of 2026, which may be worth bearing in mind if you aren't in a hurry to make a purchase. The new chip is expected to be the main upgrade, with few other new features or enhancements expected. Related Roundups: iPad Air, iPad ProBuyer's Guide: iPad Air (Neutral), iPad Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: iPadThis article, "M3 iPad Air vs. M5 iPad Pro Buyer's Guide: All Differences Compared" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums