iPad (9th generation) vs iPad Air (M1)

Compare iPad (9th generation) and iPad Air (M1): display, weight and key specifications. Exact configurations, sources and Difluma's interactive comparison.

iPad (9th generation)
10.2″ · 64 GB

iPad Air (M1)
10.9″ · 64 GB

Change configurations and see charts →

Key differences

Chip: A13 Bionic → M1.
Screen size: 10.2″ → 10.86″.
Resolution: 2160 × 1620 → 2360 × 1640.
Weight: 487 g → 461 g.

Specification comparison
Feature	iPad (9th generation)	iPad Air (M1)
Chip	A13 Bionic	M1
Screen size	10.2″	10.86″
Resolution	2160 × 1620	2360 × 1640
SDR brightness	500 nits	500 nits
Weight	487 g	461 g
CPU cores	6	8
GPU cores	4	8
RAM	3 GB	8 GB
Storage	64 GB	64 GB
Refresh rate	60 Hz	60 Hz
Display type	LCD	LCD
Hardware ray tracing	No	No
Wi-Fi	5	6
Bluetooth	4.2	5.0

Considering an upgrade

iPad Air (M1) scores approximately 44% higher in the single-core test (Geekbench 7 Single-Core): 1486 versus 2147.

iPad Air (M1) scores approximately 136% higher in the multi-core test (Geekbench 7 Multi-Core): 3617 versus 8529.

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 10.2″ and 10.86″. iPad Air (M1) 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.

iPad (9th generation) weighs 487 g and iPad Air (M1) weighs 461 g. The 26 g difference is small and is unlikely to be a decisive upgrade reason on its own.

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

iPad (9th generation) vs iPad Air (M1)

Key differences

Considering an upgrade

Sources and methodology

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