iPad Pro 2022 vs MacBook Air M1: What should you buy?
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: What should you purchase?
Now that the iPad Pro 2021 has been released, the question of whether to go tablet or laptop for your next Apple tree investment has gotten a lot trickier to answer. Yous can read our full iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) review for the skinny on what yous're getting with Apple's latest Pro tablet, but if you even so can't make up one's mind, that's where our iPad Pro vs MacBook Pro M1 comparison comes in.
In our contempo Apple MacBook Air M1 review we marveled at what a difference Apple'southward new M1 chip makes in terms of performance and endurance. The new M1 MacBook Air now has plenty power and bombardment life to compete with (and in many cases, beat) the best PCs on the market, making information technology one of our top picks for the best laptop you can purchase.
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So if you're in the marketplace for a new Apple product to help you get things done on the go, the M1 MacBook Air is an like shooting fish in a barrel recommendation; it'due south now powerful enough to compete with its beefier sibling the MacBook Pro M1.
Simply now that the new iPad Pro has arrived your buying conclusion is a fleck more than complicated, because Apple's most powerful tablet now has its own M1 flake, and the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro also features a new mini-LED display that's packing more pixels than the MacBook Air's excellent Retina brandish.
If you're willing to plop down a Magic Keyboard and arrange to working on a tablet instead of a laptop, the new iPad Pro might be a ameliorate investment for your needs. Read on to observe out how these two speedy machines stack up.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Price
Apple'south new iPad Pro 2021 has a starting price of $799 for the 11-inch model, while the 12.9-inch version has a starting price of $1,099.
The M1 MacBook Air currently has a starting price of $999 (or $899 if y'all're a customer in instruction) for the entry-level model (7-core GPU and 256GB of SSD storage) and $ane,299 for the more powerful model with an improved M1 chip (viii-core GPU) and twice as much storage (512GB SSD). Of course, the cost can get up if yous configure the laptop with extra retention and storage.
And so while you'll probably pay a bit more for a new MacBook than a new iPad Pro, you have to consider the fact that the MacBook Air comes with a built-in keyboard. You'll have to pay $349 to get a Magic Keyboard for your new iPad, so if you splurge for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a matching Magic Keyboard you're already paying roughly $1,500 -- and that's before yous make up one's mind whether to pay for extra storage to supplement the entry-level iPad Pro'due south paltry 128GB SSD.
The Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro volition run you another $129.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Specs
| M1 MacBook Air | 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 | 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 | |
| Starting toll | $999 | $799 | $1,099 |
| Display | 13.3-inches (2560 x 1600 pixels) | 11 inches (2388 x 1668 pixels) | 12.9 inches (2732 10 2048 pixels) mini-LED |
| Processor | M1 | M1 | M1 |
| Storage | 256GB to 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Rear Cameras | None | 12MP broad (f/ane.8), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/2.4) | 12MP wide (f/i.viii), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/ii.4) |
| Front Cameras | 720p FaceTime Hd camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 12MP TrueDepth |
| Dimensions | 12 ten 8.four x 0.6 inches | 9.74 ten 7.02 10 0.23 inches | 11.04 ten eight.46 x 0.25 inches |
| Weight | 2.eight pounds | i.04 pounds | one.51 pounds |
| Port | 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB four ports, headphone jack | USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4 | USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-iv |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi half dozen | Wi-Fi half dozen, optional 5G | Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G |
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Display
In our M1 MacBook Air review we gushed over the laptop'due south ii,560 x 1600-pixel Retina display, and with skillful reason: it makes watching movies a pleasance, showcasing vibrant colors and sharp details at a respectable brightness level.
However, as practiced as this panel is, it'due south not the all-time screen we've always seen on a laptop (that laurels rests with the Dell XPS xv), and information technology's likely to be outclassed past the mini-LED brandish on Apple'south upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Branded a Liquid Retina XDR display, the larger iPad Pro's mini-LED screen is a big deal considering it's backlit by LEDs a fifth the size of standard LEDs, meaning the screen tin brighten and darken specific areas with much finer command. The mini-LED panel on the iPad Pro should too be brighter with 1,000 nits of average effulgence while offering a whopping i 1000000-to-one contrast ratio.
Mini-LED displays are expected to make a big splash in the globe of TVs this twelvemonth (meet why nosotros're calling this the yr of the mini-LED TV) and we're excited to encounter what Apple does with the technology. So if screen quality is a loftier priority for y'all, you lot can't become wrong with the M1 MacBook Air, but you may experience better well-nigh investing in a new iPad Pro.
Just make sure to get for the 12.9-inch model; the smaller 11-inch 2021 iPad Pro volition still be sporting the company'southward Liquid Retina LED display, capable of displaying just 4 million pixels vs. the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro'southward v.6 million.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Performance
Information technology's hard to say whether you lot'll get more satisfying operation out of a new iPad Pro vs. a new M1 MacBook Air, just it's pretty rubber to say you'll be happy with either.
When Apple released the M1 version of the MacBook Air final year it claimed the laptop would perform over 3x ameliorate than the previous Air, which sported an Intel CPU. That claim was proven out in our lab testing, which revealed that the new M1 MacBook Air is now effectively equally powerful as an Intel-equipped MacBook Pro, previously the aureate standard for powerful Apple laptops.
Now the M1 chip is coming to the iPad family for the start fourth dimension in the iPad Pro 2021, and Apple claims the octa-cadre scrap will offering 50% faster CPU functioning and forty% better graphics performance over the already-powerful iPad Pro 2020 (which relied on Apple'south A12Z Bionic processor). Apple as well claims nosotros'll run across equally much as a 2x improvement in storage access speed over the iPad Pro 2020, which was already enough fast enough for most tasks.
In curt, both the M1 MacBook Air and the M1-equipped iPad Pro 2021 should be more than than powerful plenty to handle any you throw at them. Y'all'll probably have more opportunities to push the MacBook Air to its limits since there's more than room in the design to dissipate heat, but both devices should requite you top-tier performance for the price.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Battery life
Apple tree claims the efficiency of the M1 chip significantly boosts battery life, and certain enough in our battery tests the new M1 MacBook Air lasted an impressive 14 hours and 41 minutes -- handily beating out competing laptops like the ZenBook 13 (thirteen:47) and XPS 13 (11:07), not to mention the 10 hours and 16 minutes we got out of our 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro review unit.
We'd like to recollect the M1 fleck can practice for the iPad Pro's bombardment life what it did for the MacBook Air (the previous Intel-equipped version of which had a tested battery life of 9 hours and change), only Apple says the new 2021 iPad Pro will simply offer upward to 10 hours of watching video or surfing the Web on wi-fi.
We'll have to await and come across what our testing reveals, but right now if battery life is a business organization for you, nothing beats the M1 MacBook Air.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Design
The decision of whether to invest in the pattern of the M1 MacBook Air vs. the new iPad Pro really comes downwards to personal preference. Neither product'south design has changed much over the last few years, and the large milk shake-ups this yr are all internal.
Size-wise, both versions of the 2021 iPad Pro will be thinner and lighter in your hands than a new M1 MacBook Air, though the Air is inappreciably a burden: weighing less than 3 pounds with dimensions roughly equivalent to a sail of paper, information technology should disappear easily into a haversack or messenger bag.
Really, your buying conclusion on the design forepart comes down to which chassis and color you prefer (the iPad Pro comes in Silver or Space Gray, while the MacBook Air is offered in either color plus Gilded) and whether yous want your keyboard built-in or detachable.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Ports
You might not think there'due south much to say near port availability on an iPad, and for the nearly part you'd exist right: the new iPad Pro 2021 still sports just the single charging port on the bottom of the device.
However, the iPad Pro 2021's port at present supports Thunderbolt iv / USB 4, which means you tin claw information technology up a diversity of loftier-performance external storage devices and displays. And so while you may not want to beat out for a second monitor (similar Apple tree'southward $5,000 Pro Brandish XDR) if you did you could hook it upward to the iPad Pro 2021 with attached Magic Keyboard and discover yourself getting piece of work done on your tablet with a big, cute screen.
By comparison, the M1 MacBook Air offers ii Thunderbolt iii USB 4 ports on the left side and a headphone jack on the correct. With those older Thunderbolt 3 ports you won't have as many options for hooking upwardly the latest and greatest external devices, but you at least accept the pick to use two at once. The headphone jack is also prissy to have, especially if you spend a lot of fourth dimension working in noisy environments and adopt wired headphones over a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Cameras
The 720p webcam crowning the M1 MacBook Air'due south brandish delivers decent image quality that volition make yous look simply fine on a Zoom call with your relatives, but you won't be using information technology for anything else.
By comparison, the 12MP cameras on the front and back of the new 2021 iPad Pro seem more than skilful plenty for snapping photos while y'all're out and about, though some people might expect at you funny while you're waving your expensive tablet around.
Simply having a 12MP camera sensor on the front of an iPad Pro (which was previously express to a 7MP sensor) is nice enough, but Apple is including a new front end-facing camera feature with the 2021 iPad Pro: Center Phase. This new characteristic kicks in during video calls, causing the sensor to automatically rails whoever is speaking and continue them centered in the frame (within reason; the iPad presumably won't rotate to follow you lot).
Apple claims information technology can also recognize new speakers who enter the frame and zoom out to capture them every bit well, a neat feature nosotros're eager to examination out nether real-globe atmospheric condition. So if camera quality matters to y'all, the 2021 iPad Pro is probably the better choice.
iPad Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1: Outlook
The iPad Pro 2021 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting iPad launches in years, thanks in large office to the inclusion of the new M1 chip and the introduction of a mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch model.
Factor in the fact that you tin can hook it upwards to Apple tree's excellent Magic Keyboard (though yous'll pay upwards of $300 for the privilege) and the new iPad Pro 2021 starts to await similar the realization of that long-held tech enthusiasts' dream: the great tablet that besides doubles as a great laptop.
Just to get the absolute most out of that setup you're paying at least $1,500, and if y'all're investing that much in a productivity device you should probably pay a bit more for actress storage. At that toll y'all could also become the tiptop-line M1 MacBook Air with extra RAM or storage, and you'd have yourself one of the best laptops on the market, with a built-in keyboard and a bombardment that can outlast the iPad Pro by upwardly to three or four hours.
So if having a top-of-the-line tablet that besides doubles equally a work automobile matters nearly to yous, your probably best off waiting to buy the 2021 iPad Pro. If yous simply demand a great laptop and don't care almost being able to tap the screen, access the iOS app shop, or accept pictures, a new M1 MacBook Air would exist a wise investment.
- Read next: When will we get the new iPad 2021?
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/ipad-pro-2021-vs-macbook-air-m1
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