iPad (A16) vs iPad Air (M4)

Apple launched these a year apart and still sells both. iPad (A16) was announced on 4 March 2025, reached stores on 12 March 2025 and was still the base iPad on 19 September 2026. iPad Air (M4) was announced on 2 March 2026 and went on sale on 11 March 2026. Put the 11-inch Air next to the cheaper iPad and you could mistake one for the other: the same screen size and resolution, Touch ID in the top button, speakers set up for landscape. The Air is 6.1mm thick and 464 grams; the base iPad is 7mm and 477 grams.

The differences at a glance

Spec	iPad (A16)	iPad Air (M4)
US launch price, Wi-Fi	$349 (128GB)	$599 (11-inch); $799 (13-inch)
Cellular	$499: 5G, eSIM only	$749 and $949: C1X modem, 5G, eSIM only
Chip	A16: 5-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine	M4: 8-core CPU (3 performance, 5 efficiency), 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 120GB/s
Memory	Not published	12GB on every storage size
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Sizes	10.86-inch only	11-inch (10.86-inch screen) and 13-inch
Display	Liquid Retina, 2360 × 1640, 264 ppi, 500 nits, True Tone	11-inch: same, plus P3, full lamination and an antireflective coating; 13-inch: 2732 × 2048, 600 nits
ProMotion	Not published	Not published
Apple Pencil	Pencil (USB-C); 1st generation with an adapter; no hover	Pencil Pro and Pencil (USB-C), with hover
Keyboard	Smart Connector for Magic Keyboard Folio or Smart Folio	Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, with a 14-key function row
Port	USB-C at USB 2.0, up to 480Mb/s; one display up to 4K at 60Hz	USB-C at USB 3, up to 10Gb/s; one display up to 6K at 60Hz
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3	N1 chip: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread
Battery	28.93Wh; up to 10 hours Wi-Fi, 9 hours cellular web	28.93Wh (11-inch) or 36.59Wh (13-inch); same ratings
Rear camera	12MP Wide, f/1.8, 4K up to 60 fps	Same, with a sapphire lens cover
Front camera	Landscape 12MP Center Stage, f/2.4, Retina Flash	Landscape 12MP Center Stage, f/2.0
Size and weight	248.6 × 179.5 × 7mm; 477g Wi-Fi, 481g cellular	11-inch: 247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1mm, 464g or 465g; 13-inch: 280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1mm, 616g or 617g
Colors	Silver, Blue, Pink, Yellow	Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray
IP rating	Not published	Not published
In the box	20-watt adapter, 1m USB-C cable	20-watt adapter, 1m USB-C cable

Apple Pencil Pro is the Air’s clearest advantage

iPad (A16) works with Apple Pencil (USB-C), and with the 1st-generation Pencil through Apple’s USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter. iPad Air (M4) takes Apple Pencil Pro as well as the USB-C Pencil, with hover. If your notes depend on hover or on squeezing Pencil Pro, only the Air in this pair can do it. Its screen is also fully laminated, so there’s no air gap between the glass and the image under the nib.

Neither Pencil comes in either box, so add one to the price whichever you buy.

Keyboards are extra too, and they aren’t the same accessory. The base iPad has a Smart Connector, and Apple steers you to a Magic Keyboard Folio or a Smart Folio. The Air gets Magic Keyboard for iPad Air: a floating design with a 14-key function row and a USB-C port on the hinge, in black or white.

The M4, 12GB and Apple Intelligence

The Air’s M4 has an 8-core CPU (3 performance cores and 5 efficiency cores), a 9-core GPU with hardware ray tracing, a 16-core Neural Engine and 120GB/s of memory bandwidth, with 12GB of unified memory on every storage size. The A16 in the base iPad has a 5-core CPU, a 4-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Apple launched the Air around iPadOS 26 and Apple Intelligence. It doesn’t list Apple Intelligence for iPad (A16), so if those features are part of why you’re buying, get the Air.

Storage stops at 512GB on the A16. The Air also comes in 1TB.

Same 11-inch screen, better glass on the Air

The base iPad and the 11-inch Air both have a 10.86-inch Liquid Retina screen at 2360 × 1640 and 264 pixels per inch, rated 500 nits, with True Tone. The Air’s adds P3 wide color, full lamination and an antireflective coating that cuts glare. It isn’t any brighter.

The 13-inch Air is the only big screen in this pair: 2732 × 2048 at 600 nits, in a body that measures 280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1mm and weighs 616 grams, or 617 with cellular.

USB 2.0 is the quiet limit

The base iPad’s USB-C port runs at USB 2.0 speed, up to 480Mb/s, and drives one external display at up to 4K and 60Hz. The Air’s runs USB 3 at up to 10Gb/s and drives one display at up to 6K and 60Hz. If you copy video off a camera or work on a monitor, that’s a difference you’ll feel every time you plug in. For Thunderbolt’s 40-gigabit port, you’d need iPad Pro (M5).

On wireless, the A16 has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and the Air’s N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular adds $150 to either, and both are 5G with eSIM only. The Air’s cellular models use Apple’s C1X modem; Apple’s claim of up to 50 percent faster cellular data compares it with the M3 Air, not with the base iPad.

What’s the same

Battery ratings match: up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web or video and 9 hours of web browsing on cellular, from 28.93Wh in the A16 and the 11-inch Air and 36.59Wh in the 13-inch. Both have landscape stereo speakers and dual microphones, and both come with a 20-watt adapter and a 1-meter USB-C cable.

Both have a 12MP Wide rear camera at f/1.8 that records 4K at up to 60 fps; the Air’s has a sapphire cover. Up front, both use a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, at f/2.4 with a Retina Flash on the A16 and at f/2.0 on the Air. Apple puts recycled content at 40 percent for the A16 and 30 percent for the Air.

Price

iPad (A16) launched at $349 for Wi-Fi with 128GB and $499 with cellular, or $329 and $479 with education pricing. iPad Air (M4) launched at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch, with cellular at $749 and $949; education pricing was $549 and $749. That’s $250 between the base iPad and the 11-inch Air before you add a Pencil or a keyboard to either. Prices move, so check Apple before you buy.

If neither is quite right: the 8.3-inch iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the small one, and tandem OLED, Face ID and Thunderbolt mean iPad Pro (M5). iPad Air (M4) vs iPad Pro (M5) covers that step up.