Screen size
iPad Air 13 (2025)Winner: 13.0"+0.8%
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)12.9"
Quick verdict
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) leads the measured specs 6-5.
Measured wins
iPad Air 13 (2025)
5
spec wins
Ties
10
equal specs
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
6
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 , CDMA 800 / 1900
3G bands
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 , CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Resolution
equal specsRefresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
equal specsStorage
equal specsMain camera
equal specsFront camera
equal specsBattery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
equal specsNFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
equal specs1, 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
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
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, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2379, A2461, A2462
5G bands
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
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - A2379, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2461, A2462
Speed
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HSPA, LTE, 5G - cellular model only
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
HSPA, LTE, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps, 5G
Announced
iPad Air 13 (2025)
2025, March 04
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
2021, April 20
Status
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Available. Released 2025, March 12
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Available. Released 2021, May 21
Dimensions
iPad Air 13 (2025)
280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1 mm (11.05 x 8.46 x 0.24 in)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm (11.05 x 8.46 x 0.25 in)
Weight
iPad Air 13 (2025)
616 g (Wi-Fi) / 617 g (5G) (1.36 lb)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
682 g (Wi-Fi), 685 g (5G) (1.50 lb)
Build
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
SIM
iPad Air 13 (2025)
eSIM (cellular model only)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Nano-SIM + eSIM
Other
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Stylus support
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Stylus support
Type
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 600 nits (typ)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED LCD, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (peak)
Size
iPad Air 13 (2025)
13.0 inches, 519.3 cm2 (~86.1% screen-to-body ratio)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
12.9 inches, 515.3 cm2 (~85.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution
iPad Air 13 (2025)
2048 x 2732 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~264 ppi density)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
2048 x 2732 pixels, 4:3 ratio (~265 ppi density)
Protection
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, Mohs level 4
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating
OS
iPad Air 13 (2025)
iPadOS 18.3.2, upgradable to iPadOS 26.2.1
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
iPadOS 14.5.1, upgradable to iPadOS 26.2.1
Chipset
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Apple M3
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Apple M1
CPU
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Octa-core (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Octa-core (4x3.2 GHz & 4xX.X GHz)
GPU
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Apple GPU (9-core graphics)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Apple GPU (8-core graphics)
Card slot
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
No
Internal
iPad Air 13 (2025)
128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM, 2TB 16GB RAM
Single
iPad Air 13 (2025)
12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
-
Features
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HDR
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR
Video
iPad Air 13 (2025)
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS
Dual
iPad Air 13 (2025)
-
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF 10 MP, f/2.4, 125˚ (ultrawide) TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)
Single
iPad Air 13 (2025)
12 MP, f/2.0, 122˚ (ultrawide)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide)
Features
iPad Air 13 (2025)
HDR
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Face detection, HDR, panorama
Video
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1080p@25/30/60fps; gyro-EIS
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
1080p@25/30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Loudspeaker
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Yes, with stereo speakers
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Yes, with stereo speakers (4 speakers)
3.5mm jack
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
No
WLAN
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, hotspot
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth
iPad Air 13 (2025)
5.3, A2DP, LE
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR
Positioning
iPad Air 13 (2025)
GPS, GLONASS (5G model only)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS (Wi‑Fi + Cellular model only)
NFC
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
No
Radio
iPad Air 13 (2025)
No
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
No
USB
iPad Air 13 (2025)
USB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, DisplayPort, magnetic connector
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
USB Type-C 4 (Thunderbolt 4), DisplayPort, magnetic connector
Sensors
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Fingerprint (top-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometer
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, barometer
Type
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Li-Po 9705 mAh (36.59 Wh)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Li-Po 10758 mAh (40.88 Wh)
Colors
iPad Air 13 (2025)
Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Blue
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Silver, Space Gray
Models
iPad Air 13 (2025)
A3269, A3271, A3268
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
A2379, A2461, A2462, iPad13,8, iPad13,9, iPad13,10, iPad13,11
SAR
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1.09 W/kg (body)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
-
SAR EU
iPad Air 13 (2025)
1.48 W/kg (body)
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
-
Price
iPad Air 13 (2025)
About 950 EUR
iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
About 1200 EUR