Screen size
iPad 9.7 (2017)9.7"
iPad Air 13 (2025)Winner: 13.0"+25%
Quick verdict
iPad Air 13 (2025) leads the measured specs 13-3.
Measured wins
iPad 9.7 (2017)
3
spec wins
Ties
4
equal specs
iPad Air 13 (2025)
13
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
iPad 9.7 (2017)
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
iPad 9.7 (2017)
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands
iPad 9.7 (2017)
HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Resolution
Refresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
equal specsCPU speed
RAM
Storage
Main camera
Front camera
Battery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
NFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
SD card
equal specsStereo speakers
equal specs1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 38, 39, 40, 41
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 - A3269, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 - A3271
Speed
iPad 9.7 (2017)
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HSPA, LTE, 5G - cellular model only
5G bands
iPad 9.7 (2017)
-
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3269, A3271
Announced
iPad 9.7 (2017)
2017, March. Released 2017, March
iPad Air 13 (2025)
2025, March 04
Status
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Discontinued
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Available. Released 2025, March 12
Dimensions
iPad 9.7 (2017)
240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm (9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 in)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1 mm (11.05 x 8.46 x 0.24 in)
Weight
iPad 9.7 (2017)
469 g (Wi-Fi) / 478 g (LTE) (1.03 lb)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
616 g (Wi-Fi) / 617 g (5G) (1.36 lb)
Build
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
SIM
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Nano-SIM + eSIM
iPad Air 13 (2025)
eSIM (cellular model only)
Other
iPad 9.7 (2017)
-
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Stylus support
Type
iPad 9.7 (2017)
IPS LCD
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 600 nits (typ)
Size
iPad 9.7 (2017)
9.7 inches, 291.4 cm2 (~71.6% screen-to-body ratio)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
13.0 inches, 519.3 cm2 (~86.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
iPad 9.7 (2017)
1536 x 2048 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~264 ppi density)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
2048 x 2732 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~264 ppi density)
Protection
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, Mohs level 4
OS
iPad 9.7 (2017)
iOS 10.3, upgradable to iPadOS 16.7.12
iPad Air 13 (2025)
iPadOS 18.3.2, upgradable to iPadOS 26.2.1
Chipset
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Apple A9 (14 nm)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Apple M3
CPU
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Dual-core 1.84 GHz (Twister)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Octa-core (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)
GPU
iPad 9.7 (2017)
PowerVR GT7600 (six-core graphics)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Apple GPU (9-core graphics)
Card slot
iPad 9.7 (2017)
No
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
Internal
iPad 9.7 (2017)
32GB 2GB RAM, 128GB 2GB RAM
iPad Air 13 (2025)
128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM
Single
iPad 9.7 (2017)
8 MP, f/2.4, 31mm (standard), 1.12µm, AF
iPad Air 13 (2025)
12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
Features
iPad 9.7 (2017)
HDR
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HDR
Video
iPad 9.7 (2017)
1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, stereo sound rec.
iPad Air 13 (2025)
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS
Single
iPad 9.7 (2017)
1.2 MP, f/2.2, 31mm (standard)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
12 MP, f/2.0, 122˚ (ultrawide)
Features
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Face detection, HDR, panorama
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HDR
Video
iPad 9.7 (2017)
720p@30fps
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1080p@25/30/60fps; gyro-EIS
Loudspeaker
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Yes, with stereo speakers
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Yes
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
WLAN
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
iPad 9.7 (2017)
4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE
iPad Air 13 (2025)
5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning
iPad 9.7 (2017)
GPS, GLONASS (Wi‑Fi + Cellular model only)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GPS, GLONASS (5G model only)
NFC
iPad 9.7 (2017)
No
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
Radio
iPad 9.7 (2017)
No
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
USB
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Lightning, USB 2.0
iPad Air 13 (2025)
USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, DisplayPort, magnetic connector
Sensors
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Fingerprint (top-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
Type
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Li-Po 8827 mAh, non-removable (32.9 Wh)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Li-Po 9705 mAh (36.59 Wh)
Talk time
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Up to 10 h (multimedia)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
-
Colors
iPad 9.7 (2017)
Silver, Gold, Space Gray
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Blue
Models
iPad 9.7 (2017)
A1822, A1823, iPad6,11, iPad6,12
iPad Air 13 (2025)
A3269, A3271, A3268
SAR
iPad 9.7 (2017)
1.18 W/kg (body)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1.09 W/kg (body)
SAR EU
iPad 9.7 (2017)
0.99 W/kg (body)
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1.48 W/kg (body)
Price
iPad 9.7 (2017)
About 390 EUR
iPad Air 13 (2025)
About 950 EUR