I’ve heard from a few people who are confused by the latest iPad Air update and how it encroaches on the 11-inch iPad Pro’s territory. Why would anyone buy the more expensive Pro when the Air seems to be so similar and less expensive? If you’re in the market for a powerful and compact tablet but aren’t sure which way to go, I can help you decide.

First, a quick recap. Last month, Apple announced a redesigned iPad Air that ditches the old home button design for a look that’s almost identical to the smaller iPad Pro model. If you stood in an Apple store and looked at the two iPads side-by-side, you’d probably be swayed by the price tag alone, but there are a handful of notable differences to keep in mind.

Both of these iPads sport a design introduced in 2018 that removed the home button in order to reduce the bezels around the screen. You may remember that the home button also contained the Touch ID sensor that allowed you to use your fingerprint to unlock the device and authenticate purchases and passwords. Both of these new models still offer a form of biometric authentication, but this is one area where they differ greatly.

The iPad Pro offers Face ID, which uses a scanner to map certain points of your face. When it sees your face, it magically unlocks. The new iPad Air, however, still uses Touch ID, though the sensor is now located in the “side button,” or the button you’d use to lock the device. This makes for a very different user experience. While the iPad Pro will unlock just by seeing you, the iPad Air will require you to reach out to touch the side button. In a time when everyone should be wearing masks outside the house, Touch ID has suddenly become a much more desirable method of authentication, though I think it would be more useful in a new iPhone (fingers crossed).

The two iPads also offer different processors, but when it comes to the overall iPad experience, this isn’t a huge area of concern for most regular users. The current generation 11-inch iPad Pro has the A12Z processor, which is already faster than most consumer PC and Mac laptops. The iPad Air, however, has the brand new A14 processor that will also show up in the new iPhone 12 line. For the sake of future-proofing, you may value the latest and greatest processor. For most people, though, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

Speaking of future-proofing, it’s also worth noting that the iPad Pro has 6 GB of RAM while the iPad Air is assumed to have 4 GB. I say assumed because Apple doesn’t specifically list this spec in their materials. When it comes to the iPad user experience, RAM isn’t quite as important as it is in traditional computers...but it is still a little important. It can help recently used apps launch more quickly, making the overall experience a bit snappier.

The rest of the differences are a little more subtle, and in most cases, the edge goes to the 11-inch iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro offers more storage options and much greater maximum storage. You can get it with 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or a whopping 1 TB. If this is going to be your main device and you’ll be doing photo or video work (which, yes, those things are possible and actually quite enjoyable on an iPad), you’re probably going to want a lot of storage. The iPad Air only comes with 64GB or 256 GB.

The iPad Pro also offers Apple’s ProMotion display technology, which is something you need to see in action to fully appreciate. The screen refreshes at a higher rate when scrolling through web pages and documents, so things look ultra smooth. That’s not to say that the iPad Air’s screen is bad (in fact, other than ProMotion, it’s identical), but once you’ve used a ProMotion device, it’s jarring to go back.

While both iPads have the same 12 megapixel camera, the iPad Pro has an additional ultra-wide angle camera that’s similar to the iPhone 11 series. It also sports a new LiDAR sensor that can sense depth more accurately for augmented reality uses. If you’re using an iPad in a construction or interior design environment, the extra camera and LiDAR could be very useful additions, but otherwise, these are not things I think most people need in an iPad.

The rest of the differences are pretty negligible. iPad Pro has 4 speakers, while iPad Air has 2. The Pro supports Portrait mode photos and Animoji while the Air does not. And the Air is offered in 5 colors (silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue) while the Pro only comes in silver or space gray.

Both models support the Apple Pencil 2, which magnetically attaches to the side of the device for pairing and charging. Both can be purchased with a cellular connection and are compatible with the new Magic Keyboard accessory that adds a trackpad for a more laptop-like experience. They both use USB-C as their only port, allowing easy connection to external storage and other accessories, and both offer up to 10 hours of battery life when on Wifi.

So which model should you buy? For the vast majority of people, I would recommend the new iPad Air with 256 GB of storage. I can’t recommend any device with 64 GB of storage because you’ll fill that up with apps and photos pretty quickly, but 256 is plenty for most people, and this configuration saves you $150 versus a comparable iPad Pro with very little compromise.

Like I mentioned before, if you value storage space above all else, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the 512 GB or 1 TB iPad Pro. While the processor is a bit older, you get extra RAM, the smooth ProMotion display, Face ID, and the extra camera and LiDAR. I would also recommend taking a look at the 12.9-inch iPad Pro to see if you value having a larger canvas to work with. Editing photos and videos on that larger screen is a joy.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!

New iPad Air vs. 11-inch iPad Pro. Which should I buy?

iPhone 12 is here!