**iPad Pro vs. iPad Air: Which One to Gift This Holiday Season?**
iPads are a favorite choice for holiday gifts, with 9% of owners indicating they received theirs as presents in Q4 2024. If you’re thinking about giving an iPad, particularly during the appealing Black Friday Week promotions, you may be curious about which model is more advantageous. This article evaluates Apple’s newly launched M5 iPad Pro in comparison to the M3 iPad Air.
### Display
The iPad Pro’s display is its key selling point. It incorporates a Tandem OLED display, whereas the iPad Air is equipped with a typical LCD panel. The iPad Pro provides up to 1000 nits of brightness compared to the iPad Air’s 500 nits, leading to enhanced HDR capabilities, vivid colors, and richer blacks. Furthermore, the iPad Pro includes a ProMotion display with a 120Hz refresh rate, facilitating smoother scrolling and quicker animations, while the iPad Air is restricted to a 60Hz refresh rate.
Although the iPad Air’s display remains commendable with P3 color support and satisfactory brightness, the iPad Pro is the superior option for users intending to stream content.
### Performance
The iPad Pro runs on the M5 chip, leveraging the 3rd generation 3nm process, while the iPad Air is powered by the M3 chip, which utilizes the 1st generation 3nm process. In typical usage, the performance variation may not be apparent, but the iPad Pro provides 12GB of unified memory in contrast to the Air’s 8GB. This can be vital during intensive multitasking or browsing.
In synthetic benchmark tests, the M5 chip surpasses the M3 by roughly 40% in CPU capabilities and 60% in GPU performance. Nonetheless, for the majority of users, the M3 chip is sufficiently powerful, especially for activities that do not demand high refresh rates.
### Quality of Life Features
Apart from display and performance, the iPad Pro offers various quality of life enhancements that improve user experience. It features Face ID for secure and easy biometric authentication, which is not present on the iPad Air. Additionally, the Pro is equipped with quad speakers, delivering a richer audio experience than the dual speakers of the iPad Air, which, while stereo, lack the same sound depth.
Moreover, the iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard is constructed from premium aluminum, while the iPad Air’s version is made from silicone.
### Commonalities
Despite their distinct features, the iPad Pro and iPad Air have several similarities. Both models are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and are made from durable aluminum. They also offer identical display size options and take advantage of the latest iPadOS features, including sophisticated multitasking functionalities.
### Conclusion
In conclusion, the iPad Air is a stellar choice for the majority of users, offering an experience nearly on par with the iPad Pro at a much lower cost. If the gift recipient prioritizes an exceptional display for media viewing or requires enhanced performance for professional use, the iPad Pro justifies the higher price. However, for everyday tasks, the iPad Air continues to be an excellent choice that balances performance with cost-effectiveness.
As you weigh your options between the iPad Air and iPad Pro this holiday season, think about the needs and preferences of the recipient to ensure you make the right decision.
