iPad (A16) vs iPad Air (M3)
Compare iPad (A16) and iPad Air (M3): display, weight and key specifications. Exact configurations, sources and Difluma's interactive comparison.
iPad (A16)
11″ · 128 GB
iPad Air (M3)
11″ · 128 GB
Key differences
- Chip: A16 → M3.
- Weight: 477 g → 460 g.
- CPU cores: 5 → 8.
- GPU cores: 4 → 9.
| Feature | iPad (A16) | iPad Air (M3) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A16 | M3 |
| Screen size | 10.86″ | 10.86″ |
| Resolution | 2360 × 1640 | 2360 × 1640 |
| SDR brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Weight | 477 g | 460 g |
| CPU cores | 5 | 8 |
| GPU cores | 4 | 9 |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Display type | LCD | LCD |
| Hardware ray tracing | No | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 6 | 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
Considering an upgrade
iPad Air (M3) scores approximately 17% higher in the single-core test (Geekbench 7 Single-Core): 2351 versus 2744.
iPad Air (M3) scores approximately 104% higher in the multi-core test (Geekbench 7 Multi-Core): 5791 versus 11799.
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.
iPad (A16) weighs 477 g and iPad Air (M3) weighs 460 g. The 17 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.
Sources and methodology
- Apple — iPad (A16)
- Geekbench 7 Single-Core
- Geekbench 7 Multi-Core
- Notebookcheck WiFi v1.3 / 150 nits
- Apple — iPad Air (M3)
- Notebookcheck WiFi v1.3 / 150 nits
- How we compare devices