iPad Pro vs iPad Air (5th generation): Which one is best for you?

In this article, we will compare Apple iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 inch takes the first place in most drawing tablet reviews. Although Apple technically avoids the term drawing tablet in their products, most of their tablets are multipurpose and can easily be used for drawing.

The reason the iPad Pro stands out from the rest is its inbuilt technologies, and impressive premium build and features.

iPad Pro Review – Best Overall

Apple iPad Pro is a premium tablet and wins the best overall spot for many reviews.

Screen and Resolution

A screen size of 12.9 inches is what Apple offers you with the iPad Pro 12.9 inch. This is quite lovely as the size is quite small and can fit in a backpack and is quite accommodating for a working area.

When it comes to screen properties, one quality feature is a high-definition screen resolution of 2048 by 2732 pixels. This transforms your vision into a well-detailed and clear display. Additionally, the screen is equipped with a Liquid Retina XDR display, enhancing clarity, contrast, and screen brightness levels.

Sticking to clarity, the screen is embedded with a load of technologies including True Tone, ProMotion, and the P3 wide color, and is powered by over 10,000 mini-LEDs, the experience can only get better.

A response rate of 264 PPI enables the tablet to detect stylus position faster, therefore eliminating lags.

Stylus and Pen

Apple is unique and they prefer their stylus named pencil instead of pen like other companies. The Apple Pencil 1st Generation lives to its name, both in build and its expectation for greatness.

Not only do you get a comfortable feel to your stylus, but also a premium classy feel and look to it. The build is slimmer than your ordinary pen, more like a pencil, and combined with a lightweight feel, you are rarely going to get fatigued using it.

The pressure sensitivity levels are not mentioned but we can assure you the pen, or rather pencil is on point both in accuracy and precision.

Adding to that, the pencil supports the tilt function, providing a load of brush options that enhance your design techniques.

Connection is made through either Bluetooth or using the lightning connector located in the upper part of the pencil.

Processor Power

Another sector the iPad Pro is great at is the speed and power of its processors. The central processing and graphic processing unit are combined by the M1 chip making them efficient and fast. A digital artist’s ideas are well encouraged by the speed of this iPad as the processors help you open software and interact with the iPad fast.

The M1 chip is regarded as the most powerful chip at Apple’s disposal if not the whole market.

RAM and Internal Storage

When it comes to RAM and Storage, the iPad Pro 12.9 comes in two; 8GB RAM for models with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB, and 16GB RAM for models with 1TB or 2TB.

The two models’ RAM and storage features are large enough, for the efficiency and storage of files and documents respectively.

iPad Air (5th generation) Review

Slightly smaller than the iPad Pro 12 inch is the iPad Air(4th generation) exhibiting a diagonal size of 10.9 inches. Adding to the slim build with a thickness of 6.1mm proves the iPad portable and easy to move around with.

iPad Air (5th generation) Specifications

• Size: 10.9 inches
• Resolution: 2360 x 1640 pixels, 264 PPI
• Brightness: 500 cd/m2 (nit)
• Processor: Octa-core, 3100 MHz
• Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor
• System chip: Apple M1 (5 nm)
• GPU: Yes
• RAM: 8GB
• Internal storage: 64GB, not expandable

Screen and Resolution

This is where the iPad Air gets interesting as it harbors a load of features that make it one of the best screens featured tablets iPad.

An impressive 2360 by 1680 pixels of screen resolution enhances the details in your display, providing you with high-definition visuals. The display is further made better by the IPS technology combined with the Liquid Retina Display which is the addition of a liquid crystal display, the visuals can only get better.

Other technologies involved include the True Tone technology and the Wide Color Display (P3) technology.

The fully laminated screen combines seamlessly with the glass surface eliminating lags and parallax. On the other hand, the Anti-reflective coat reduces reflections, enhancing transparency for even the brightest of environments.

Stylus and Pen

Okay, the iPad Air(4th generation), is a pencil, the Apple Pencil(2nd generation). Built with a slim pencil vibe, the stylus is lightweight and comfortable with a look that oozes class.

Apple just likes to keep us in the dark because just like the Apple Pencil(1st generation), the 2nd generation does not specify the exact level of pressure sensitivity.

This should not alarm you as the Apple Pencil(2nd generation) delivers pixel-perfect accuracy and exhibits the industry’s best low-latency levels making it a pen, or rather pencil to envy.

Double-tapping touch capabilities enable you to change tools in the stylus without having to set it down, enhancing efficiency and productivity

When it comes to charging and pairing, the Apple Pencil(2nd generation) features a flat edge that enables them to attach magnetically.

Processors

Fast processors play a part in making your gadget function faster and more effectively. Since the iPad Air is standalone, it has its inbuilt computer system. The A14 Bionic chip makes the iPadOS 30% faster than the previous A12 chip.

In general, the iPad is faster than your ordinary tablet, courtesy of the 64 architecture A14 Bionic chip.

Internal Storage and RAM

iPad Air 4 has a RAM of 3GB and internal storage of 256 GB. This is one of the setbacks of the iPad as the RAM is quite small compared to the other tablets under the topic.

 Additionally, for internal storage, customizing your internal storage is not possible since the iPad lacks a microSD slot.

iPad Pro vs iPad Air (5th generation) specs