Versus Engine
Apple MacBook Air (M5) vs iPad Pro M4
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple MacBook Air (M5) against iPad Pro M4, side by side.
Cheaper to start
iPad Pro M4
Starts about $100 lower.
Rated higher
iPad Pro M4
9.7 vs 9.6 on our design scale.
Standout
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
Completely silent under normal load
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
The fanless efficiency benchmark: desktop-class work in a silent chassis, from $1,099.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Completely silent under normal load
- Battery life that removes charger anxiety
- Very light for the performance on offer
Cons
- Throttles under sustained load — no fan to shed heat
- Not suitable for serious local model inference
- Memory and storage fixed at purchase
Specifications
- DisplayLiquid Retina display 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch 500 nits brightness Color Support for 1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology
- media_engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
- memory_bandwidth153GB/s memory bandwidth
- Actual formatted capacity—
- Actual viewable area—
- Additional languages—
- Apple Intelligence—
- audio_playbackSupported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
- Available space—
- Battery and PowerUp to 18 hours video streaming Up to 15 hours wireless web Built-in 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m) Fast-charge capable with 70W or higher USB PD power source
- battery_life_video_streamingUp to 18 hours video streaming
- battery_life_wireless_webUp to 15 hours wireless web
- battery_typeBuilt-in 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
- Built-in accessibility features—
- Buttons and Connectors—
- Camera—
- Camera / 12MP Wide camera—
- Capacity—
- Charging and ExpansionMagSafe 3 charging port 3.5 mm headphone jack Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) MagSafe 3 3.5 mm headphone jack Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) External Display Support Supports up to two external displays: Two displays up to a native resolution of 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz
- charging_portsMagSafe 3 charging port, Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports
- ChipApple M5 chip 10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores 10-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 153GB/s memory bandwidth Media Engine Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engine AV1 decode
- Chip - 1TB or 2TB storage—
- Chip - 256GB or 512GB storage—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / CPU—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / GPU—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Hardware-accelerated ray tracing—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Neural Engine—
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / RAM—
- configurable_memory24GB or 32GB
- configurable_storage1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- cpu_cores10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores
- Diagonal measurement—
- Display / Antireflective coating—
- Display / Contrast ratio—
- Display / Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating—
- Display / Fully laminated—
- Display / Nano-texture display glass option—
- Display / ProMotion technology—
- Display / Resolution—
- Display / SDR brightness—
- Display / True Tone—
- Display / Type—
- Display / Wide color—
- Display / XDR brightness—
- display_brightness500 nits brightness
- display_colorSupport for 1 billion colors, Wide color (P3), True Tone technology
- display_size13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch
- Displays—
- expansion_ports3.5 mm headphone jack
- external_display_supportSupports up to two external displays: Two displays up to a native resolution of 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz, One display up to a native resolution of 8K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz
- Finish—
- GB—
- In the Box—
- key_features—
- keyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys, Touch ID, Ambient light sensor
- Media Engine / AV1 decode—
- Media Engine / Hardware-accelerated—
- Media Engine / ProRes encode and decode engine—
- Media Engine / Video decode engine—
- Media Engine / Video encode engine—
- Memory16GB 16GB unified memory Configurable to: 24GB or 32GB
- neural_accelerators16-core Neural Engine
- Operating System—
- Packaging—
- Packaging / Material—
- Packaging / Recycled content—
- Power and Battery—
- Power and Battery / Battery—
- Power and Battery / Charging—
- Power and Battery / Web surfing on Wi-Fi—
- Power and Battery / Web surfing using cellular data network—
- power_adapter40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max
- Size and weight—
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Depth—
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Height—
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Weight—
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Width—
- Smarter chemistry—
- Storage512GB 512GB SSD Configurable to: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- Storage capacity—
- Supported languages—
- TB—
- video_playbackSupported formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes, HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG
- Waste—
- Year introduced—
iPad Pro M4
The M4 iPad Pro at $999 — extraordinary hardware still governed by iPadOS.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Features a 11.1-inch Ultra Retina XDR display with a high contrast ratio and adaptive refresh rates.
- Equipped with a powerful M4 chip, offering 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, ideal for demanding tasks.
- Includes a wide range of built-in accessibility features, enhancing usability for users with disabilities.
Cons
- The actual formatted capacity is less than advertised, leading to less usable storage space.
- The available space varies due to software and settings, making precise storage management challenging.
Specifications
- DisplayUltra Retina XDR display, Tandem OLED, 2420-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 ppi, ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz, Wide color (P3), True Tone, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, Fully laminated, Antireflective coating, Nano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models, SDR brightness: 1000 nits max, XDR brightness: 1000 nits max full screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only), 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- media_engineHardware-accelerated 8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, Video decode engine, Video encode engine, ProRes encode and decode engine, AV1 decode
- memory_bandwidth120GB/s
- Actual formatted capacityless
- Actual viewable arealess
- Additional languagescoming over the course of the year, including Vietnamese
- Apple Intelligenceavailable in beta on iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad models with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to the same supported language, as part of an iPadOS 18 software update
- audio_playback—
- Available spacevaries due to many factors
- Battery and Power—
- battery_life_video_streaming—
- battery_life_wireless_web—
- battery_type—
- Built-in accessibility featuresVoiceOver,Zoom,Magnifier,Spoken Content,Voice Control,Switch Control,AssistiveTouch,Siri and Dictation,Type to Siri,Real-Time Text,Audio Descriptions,Subtitles and Closed Captioning,Live Captions
- Buttons and ConnectorsMicrophone,Top button,Volume buttons,Camera,Microphone,Microphone,LiDAR Scanner,Rear camera,Rear ambient light sensor,Flash,Microphone,Smart connector,USB connector,Magnetic connector for Apple Pencil
- Camera12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Camera / 12MP Wide camera12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture
- Capacity256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Charging and Expansion—
- charging_ports—
- Chip—
- Chip - 1TB or 2TB storage10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth, 16GB RAM
- Chip - 256GB or 512GB storage9-core CPU with 3 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, 10-core GPU, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth, 8GB RAM
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / CPU10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / GPU10-core GPU
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Hardware-accelerated ray tracingHardware-accelerated ray tracing
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / Neural Engine16-core Neural Engine
- Chip / 1TB or 2TB storage / RAM16GB RAM
- configurable_memory—
- configurable_storage—
- cpu_cores—
- Diagonal measurement11.1 inches
- Display / Antireflective coatingAntireflective coating
- Display / Contrast ratio2,000,000:1
- Display / Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Display / Fully laminatedFully laminated
- Display / Nano-texture display glass optionNano-texture display glass option on 1TB and 2TB models
- Display / ProMotion technologyadaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz
- Display / Resolution2420-by-1668-pixel resolution at 264 ppi
- Display / SDR brightness1000 nits max
- Display / True ToneTrue Tone
- Display / TypeUltra Retina XDR display
- Display / Wide colorP3
- Display / XDR brightness1000 nits max full screen, 1600 nits peak (HDR content only)
- display_brightness—
- display_color—
- display_size—
- Displaysrounded corners
- expansion_ports—
- external_display_support—
- FinishSilver, Space Black
- GB1 billion bytes
- In the BoxiPad Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 meter), 20W USB-C Power Adapter, Polishing cloth in nano-texture display glass option
- key_features11-inch/13-inch Tandem OLED display, M4 chip, Face ID, Thunderbolt / USB 4
- keyboard—
- Media Engine / AV1 decodeAV1 decode
- Media Engine / Hardware-accelerated8K H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
- Media Engine / ProRes encode and decode engineProRes encode and decode engine
- Media Engine / Video decode engineVideo decode engine
- Media Engine / Video encode engineVideo encode engine
- Memory—
- neural_accelerators—
- Operating SystemiPadOS
- Packaging100% fiber-based packaging, 36% recycled content in fiber packaging
- Packaging / Material100% fiber-based packaging
- Packaging / Recycled content36% recycled content in fiber packaging
- Power and BatteryBuilt-in 31.29-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video, Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network
- Power and Battery / Battery31.29-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
- Power and Battery / ChargingCharging via power adapter or USB-C to computer system
- Power and Battery / Web surfing on Wi-FiUp to 10 hours
- Power and Battery / Web surfing using cellular data networkUp to 9 hours
- power_adapter—
- Size and weightvary by configuration and manufacturing process
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Depth0.21 inch (5.3 mm)
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Height9.83 inches (249.7 mm)
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Weight0.98 pound (444 grams)
- Size and Weight - Wi-Fi models / Width6.99 inches (177.5 mm)
- Smarter chemistryArsenic-free display glass,Mercury-, BFR-, and PVC-free
- Storage—
- Storage capacitysubject to change based on software version, settings, and iPad model
- Supported languagesEnglish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified)
- TB1 trillion bytes
- video_playback—
- WasteNo established final assembly sites generate waste sent to landfill as part of Apple’s Zero Waste Program
- Year introduced2024