You mightiness deliberation that the iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 dilemma isn't truly overmuch of a dilemma; aft all, the caller iPad Pro (2022) brings top-grade laptop show to the tablet format. But the iPad Air (2022) – Apple’s different large tablet motorboat from earlier successful the twelvemonth – is nary slouch either.

In fact, erstwhile the fifth-generation iPad Air launched, we were a small acrophobic that it was encroaching connected the iPad Pro 2021’s turf, erstwhile it came to pricing and diagnostic set. So however does it stack up present that a newer, fresher Pro exemplary is upon us?

We've enactment some tablets done afloat reviews, truthful based some connected specs and our experiences, here's however they stack up.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 terms and availability 

The iPad Air 5 shipped connected March 18, 2022, and prices presently commencement from $599 / £669 / AU$999 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model. This moves up to $749 / £849 / AU$1,249 for the 256GB unit. There’s besides a 5G cellular enactment that costs $749 / £669 / AU$1,249 for 64GB and $899 / £1029 / AU$1,499 for 256GB.

It should beryllium noted that this pricing has received a immense bump for the UK and Australian markets since launch, thought to beryllium driven by planetary economical pressures.

The iPad Pro 2022, meanwhile, launched connected October 18, 2022 successful 2 sizes. Prices for the 11-inch exemplary commencement from $799 / £899 / AU$1,399, portion prices for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro commencement astatine $1,099 / £1,249 / AU$1,899.

Those prices are for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only models, it should beryllium noted; adding cellular connectivity and much retention (256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB) volition bump the interest up significantly. At the precise apical of the scale, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022 with 2TB of retention and cellular connectivity volition outgo you $2,399 / £2,679 / AU$4,099. Ouch.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 design

The iPad Pro 2022 and the iPad Air 5 athletics precise akin designs indeed. Both person level surfaces and sharp, all-aluminum bodies, with azygous show bezels.

In presumption of size, the iPad Air 5 is again precise akin to the 11-inch iPad Pro 2022. The cheaper tablet measures 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, portion the 11-inch Pro measures 247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9mm. Other than a 0.2mm quality successful thickness successful favour of the Pro, they’re identical.

The iPad Air 5 is fractionally lighter than its Pro brother, nevertheless we’re talking 461g vs 466g, truthful you’re improbable to announcement it successful the hand.

Of course, there’s besides a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022, and this measures 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4mm and weighs 682g, truthful it’s importantly bigger than some of the above.

All 3 of these tablets person ditched Apple’s creaky aged Lightning connector successful favour of a cosmopolitan USB-C port, though the Pro models usage the faster Thunderbolt 4 standard. Also not readily disposable is the quality successful biometric authentication systems. While the iPad Air 5 stashes a Touch ID sensor down its powerfulness button, the iPad Pro 2022 packs successful Apple’s superb Face ID strategy utilizing its beforehand camera and sensors.

One mode successful which the iPad Air 5 hits backmost is done its colour choice. The cheaper tablet comes successful an awesome enactment of Space Gray, Starlight, pink, purple, and blue. The iPad Pro 2022, connected the different hand, lone offers metallic and Space Gray.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 display

The iPad Air 5 and the smaller iPad Pro 2022 person akin displays, though they’re not identical. You’re looking astatine 10.9 inches and 1640 x 2360 for the Air, whilst the Pro gives you 11 inches and 1668 x 2388. Meanwhile, the larger iPro scales things close up to 12.9 inches and 2048 x 2732.

Both Pro displays separate themselves with a 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rate, portion the iPad Air 5 is stuck astatine 60Hz. The 11-inch iPad Pro 2022 besides gets somewhat brighter than its cheaper brother, to the tune of 600nits alternatively than 500nits.

However, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2022 tops some by switching from modular IPS LCD exertion to a mini-LED LCD panel. This brings a fig of benefits, including a overmuch higher emblematic brightness of 1,000 nits and a overmuch much vibrant, contrasty colour output.

This upgrade pays off, with america noting successful our iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) reappraisal that its surface stands "head, shoulders and torso supra thing else."

If anything, we’re disappointed that the 11-inch iPad Pro 2022 hasn’t joined its super-sized member successful the mini-LED department. Its surface is amended than the iPad Air 5’s, but not by that much.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 camera

While the iPad Air 5 packs successful a azygous 12MP wide camera, the iPad Pro 2022 tablets diagnostic dual-camera set-ups made up of a 12MP wide and a 10MP ultra-wide. The second besides incorporates a ToF 3D LiDAR scanner, completing a overmuch much broad bundle for the Pro that complements AR (augmented reality) experiences.

Both Air and Pro springiness you 12MP selfie cameras, though arsenic we’ve already mentioned, the Pro is simply a TrueDepth camera that supports Face ID authentication. Both enactment Center Stage, which tracks your look successful video calls.

Together with the much precocious processor (more connected which successful a moment), we’d backmost the iPad Pro 2022 to diagnostic the amended all-round camera strategy than the Air 5.

That said, our iPad Pro 2022 reappraisal notes that its cameras are nary existent upgrade connected the erstwhile model, and are bully alternatively than great. So neither of these slates lucifer the champion iPhone cameras.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 specs and performance

Apple has bumped up the powerfulness of its 2 iPad Pro 2022 models, equipping them with the laptop-class Apple M2 chip. Not that the iPad Air 2022 is thing to beryllium sniffed at, with its slightly-older-laptop-class Apple M1 chip.

Both the M1 and the M2 diagnostic 8-core CPUs, but portion the M1 has an 8-core GPU, the M2 gives you a 10-core graphics processor. Apple claims that the M2 CPU is 15% faster than the M1 equivalent, portion the M2 GPU is 35% faster than its M1 equivalent.

This pays off, with our reappraisal uncovering the iPad Pro 2022 is massively almighty and astir intolerable to marque stutter. That said, the iPad Air 5 besides offers speedy performance, truthful the other horsepower successful the Pro won't beryllium indispensable for everyone.

Besides a elemental show boost, the M2 gives the iPad Pro 2022 an improved ‘media engine’ and amended representation processing chops than the iPad Air 5. It tin grounds ProRes video this time, alternatively than simply transcode.

We person a spot of an contented with the iPad Air 5’s retention provision. As introduction models go, 64GB simply isn’t capable successful this time and age, particularly erstwhile the lone different enactment is simply a afloat 256GB. The iPad Pro 2022 has nary specified issues, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB options each connected the table.

Elsewhere, the iPad Pro 2022 gives you Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. That’s amended than the iPad Air 5’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. Both cellular variants proviso 5G connectivity, however.

Although some tablets are compatible with the Apple Pencil 2, the iPad Pro 2022 packs successful enhanced connectivity for the stylus, boasting the quality to observe its nib erstwhile it gets wrong 12mm of the screen. This means that erstwhile you hover the Pencil implicit a substance box, it volition expand, to sanction 1 example. On that front, the caller iPad Pro 2022 besides features enhanced handwriting recognition.

iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 2022 battery

The iPad Air 5 has a 28.93Wh battery, which equates to 7,606mAh. That’s fractionally bigger than the 11-inch iPad Pro 2022’s 28.65Wh, oregon 7,538mAh, battery, and overmuch smaller than the 12.9-inch Pro’s 40.88Wh oregon 10,758mAh cell.

Differing sizes aside, Apple makes precisely the aforesaid stamina assertion of “up to 10 hours of surfing the web connected Wi‐Fi oregon watching video” for each model, arsenic good arsenic “up to 9 hours of surfing the web utilizing cellular information network” connected each of the 5G variants.

In signifier those estimates felt a spot optimistic with some models, though the iPad Pro 2022 successful peculiar struggled to past that long, with HDR video for illustration draining it successful astir 6 hours successful our tests.

Takeaway

Apple has present wholly refreshed its tablet scope for 2022, with some Air and Pro models offering laptop-level performance, sleek flat-edged designs, and 5G connectivity options.

The iPad Pro 2022 is (unsurprisingly) the better, much susceptible of the two. Its caller Apple M2 spot means a steadfast bump successful performance, and its show - whichever size you opt for - is brighter, much fluid, and (in the lawsuit of the 12.9-inch Pro, astatine least) much vibrant.

The Pro besides gives you a much precocious camera system, Face ID authentication, improved connectivity, and enhanced Apple Pencil interactivity.

But is each that worthy the $200/£200 premium that Apple is charging for the 11-inch Pro? For astir people, we fishy that it won’t be, arsenic they’re functionally precise similar. Indeed our reappraisal of the latest Pro notes that the iPad Air 5 offers the immense bulk of the Pro's features for a batch less.

In immoderate case, if you're acceptable to bargain 1 of these slates, we've got a constantly-updated best iPad deals diagnostic and – arsenic we attack November 25 – a champion Black Friday iPad deals portion for your perusal.