iPad Air (M1) vs iPad Pro (M5)

Compare iPad Air (M1) and iPad Pro (M5): display, weight and key specifications. Exact configurations, sources and Difluma's interactive comparison.

iPad Air (M1)
10.9″ · 64 GB

iPad Pro (M5)
11″ · 256 GB

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Key differences

Specification comparison
FeatureiPad Air (M1)iPad Pro (M5)
ChipM1M5
Screen size10.86″11.1″
Resolution2360 × 16402420 × 1668
SDR brightness500 nits1000 nits
Weight461 g444 g
CPU cores89
GPU cores810
RAM8 GB12 GB
Storage64 GB256 GB
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz
Display typeLCDTandem OLED
Hardware ray tracingNoYes
Wi-Fi67
Bluetooth5.06.0

Considering an upgrade

iPad Pro (M5) scores approximately 65% higher in the single-core test (Geekbench 7 Single-Core): 2147 versus 3536.

iPad Pro (M5) scores approximately 76% higher in the multi-core test (Geekbench 7 Multi-Core): 8529 versus 15020.

Score differences help compare the selected configurations. Application speed depends on the workload; these percentages do not imply the same FPS increase or time saving in every task.

Screen diagonals are 10.86″ and 11.1″. iPad Pro (M5) has the larger display, useful when space for spreadsheets, documents or multiple windows matters. This comparison covers the stated sizes; a different chassis size may change the conclusion.

Display refresh rates reach 60 and 120 Hz. iPad Pro (M5) supports the higher rate, relevant to scrolling and animations; it does not by itself guarantee that frame rate in games.

iPad Air (M1) weighs 461 g and iPad Pro (M5) weighs 444 g. The 17 g difference is small and is unlikely to be a decisive upgrade reason on its own.

Specified maximum SDR brightness is 500 and 1000 nits, higher on iPad Pro (M5). Consider this in bright ambient light. HDR brightness is a separate specification.

This table covers the configurations shown; other screen sizes and capacities may differ. Specifications come from the project catalog, with original sources linked below.

Sources and methodology

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