Which Big iPad to Choose? Apple iPad Air 13 M2 (2024), iPad Pro 12.9 M2 (2022) or iPad Pro 13 M4 (2024)

Samuel J Tan Tablets, Technology 0

In the market for a big iPad, here are your options, the new iPad Air 13 M2 2024, the first iPad with a huge 13-inch display, the previous 6th generation iPad Pro 12.9 2022 also powered by Apple M2 silicon or the new iPad Pro 13 M4 2024. How to pick the right iPad for you.

Table of Contents

Big 13-inch iPads from Apple

With the new iPad Air and iPad Pro launches in May, here are your large 13-inch tablets from Apple right now:

Apple iPad Air 13 M2 (2024)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 M2 (2022) – outgoing
Apple iPad Pro 13 M4 (2024)

Powerful Slates

Apple M2 and M4 chips are powerful silicone from Apple. Apple boast that the iPad Air M2 is 50% faster overall compared to previous generation iPad Air M1. Although, the general consensus based on benchmarks, the M2 chip is 15% faster in CPU performance and 25% faster in GPU performance compared to M1. Whichever iPad you choose, you won’t be short on computing and graphic power.

We wrote an article comparing the iPad Air 13 M2 (2024) and the outgoing iPad Pro 12.9 M2 (2022) over at Colour My Tech.

While the new iPad Pro 13 2024 advances to the M4 chip, its predecessor, launched in 2022, is powered by the M2 chip, the same as the new iPad Air M2 (2024). This raises the question: how does the iPad Air 13 M2 compare to the iPad Pro 12.9 6th Gen (2022) with the M2 chip? Here is how the two tablets compare.

Apple iPad Air 13 M2 (2024)

Of the three large iPad tablets, the iPad Air 13 is the cheapest and best value. It is also powered by the M2 chip. The Apple silicone that packs 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine and 100GB/s memory bandwidth. And, just right before the new iPad Pro 11 and 13 M4 were announced with the iPad Air 13 M2, the same M2 chip powered Apple’s Pro-Level offerings, the iPad Pro 12.9 6th generation and iPad Pro 11 4th generation, both launched in 2022.

Search Apple iPad Air 13 on Amazon

Plus, without turning the device over to look at the camera (see iPad Pro 12.9 6th gen in the next section), you would be forgiven to mistake this for the outgoing iPad Pro 12.9 6th gen. That’s because aside from colour choices (see image below) on the iPad Air 13 M2, the devices look virtually identical. It even spots a better placement for the front facing camera, solving the age old problem of blocking the FaceTime camera with your hand when trying to make a group video call.

Why choose the iPad Air 13 M2

The new and big iPad Air 13 M2 is also for Pro-level users. There! I said it! So there is no real reasons for paying top dollar to get the other Pro options be it iPad Pro 12.9 M2 from 2022 or iPad Pro 13 M4 from 2024. Unless the former comes down in price in a clearance sale. So here are your reasons to pick the iPad Air 13 M2 over the Pro variants.

better for your bank balance
same M2 chip as previous Pro tablet; fast processor, fast graphics and AI
support for Apple Pencil Pro, the latest stylus from Apple
four colours to choose from (blue, purple, space gray, starlight)
slightly brighter peak brightness on the 13-inch model at 600nits (vs 500nits on the 11)
perfect for creators; designers, videographer, musician, photographers and can handle any processor or graphic intensive tasks.

In summary, this is a pro-tablet without the ultra bright display, multiple rear cameras and LIDAR sensor, fast Thunderbolt/USB4 support, louder speakers with 4 drivers, studio microphones and FaceID. The difference is starting prices for the 13 inch is $799 means you stand to save $500 over being the iPad Pro 13 with 266GB at 1299. Also note that for this price comparison, the iPad Air 13 comes with 128GB storage, just half of that on the iPad Pro 13.

iPad Pro 12.9 M2 6th Gen (2022)

Right up to the launch of new iPad Pro 13 with M4 chip in 2024, this was the flagship iPad Pro. Powered by M2 chip, the pro-level tablet was launched in 2022. Apple has also decided to do away with the decimal (12.9) and round up the number to 13, in the new iPad Pro 13 M4. In introducing the new iPad Pro 13 M4 7th gen, this previous model has been removed from the Apple Store. Still, there are third party resellers that are carrying them and it won’t be long before prices come down to clear the back stock.

Why choose the iPad Pro 12.9 M2 6th Gen

These new iPad Airs are powered by Apple’s M2 chip. So when considering big iPad tablets, your options are the outgoing iPad Pro 12.9 M2 6th gen from 2022 (while stocks last) if the price is right and the iPad Air 13. Choosing this 6th gen flagship has its perks, here are the reasons why you should pick this over the Air.

Search Apple iPad Pro 12.9 2022 on Amazon

super bright Liquid Retina XDR with mini LED backlit capable of full screen XDR brightness at 1000nits and peak HDR brightness at 1600nits. Like the OLED, it also has a high contrast ratio of 1million:1.
The next feature is subjective and depends on how you use your iPad for FaceTime or video calls. The iPad 12.9 M2 6th gen’s camera is on the short edge, so more suited for calls in portrait mode but does not stop you for making calls in landscape mode, just place it on a stand or hold it by the right side.
Two rear shooters, a 12MP Wide and 10MP Ultra Wide with LIDAR sensor
Faster USB-C port that supports Thunderbolt / USB4 bandwidth
Face ID, touch free authentication
Four speakers in landscape mode for bigger volume
Four studio quality microphones for better noise cancelling and audio capture.

iPad Pro 12.9 6th Gen Still Powerful Enough

It does however only support Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and not the new Apple Pencil Pro. It is also not as slim as the latest iPad Pro 13 M4 and is two generation behind in the chip department. As a pro-tablet, it will more than cater to the standard users and meet the demands of power users in content creation, graphic design, CAD drawings, professional music mixing and video editing. There is no doubt that it will not be held back by the M2 chip. So, if the price is right, save yourself some money and pick this over the latest iPad Pro 13 M3. We are already seeing online retailers slashing their prices.

iPad Pro 13 M4 7th Gen (2024)

The latest and most expensive iPad Pro 13 powered by Apple M4 chip is also more expensive at launch by $200 compared to its predecessor. That is to say, at launch it was a priced at $1299 while the previous model above was launched at $1099, a huge $200 jump. The smaller iPad Pro 11 M4 is also more expensive at launch, with a start price of 999 vs previous 4th gen model at 799 again, a $200 difference.

Apart from the exorbitant price and fast M4 chip, the improvements are in the use of Ultra Retina XDR, a full OLED display which the likes of Samsung has been using for some time now but Apple layered them up, to double the peak brightness. This gives it the mini LED backlit level XDR brightness as before minus the thickness.

The Ultra Retina XDR uses tandem OLED panel to boost brightness to 1000 nits max at full screen and 1600 nits peak brightness for HDR content. It also supports ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates from 10Hz to 120Hz, True Tone and Wide colour P3 gamut. No real improvement from before but OLED does offer deeper black as they are self emitting with no need for backlight so the contrast is 2million to 1. There is also a nano-texture display glass option on the 1TB and 2TB models.

With tandem OLED comes slimmer and lighter body measuring only 5.1mm compared to 6.4mm on the iPad Pro 12.9 M2 6th gen and 6.1mm on the iPad Air 13. It weigh only 579 grams (WiFi only) and 582 grams (WiFi and Cellular). The iPad Air 13 weights 617/618 grams (WiFi/ WiFi+Cellular).

Search Apple iPad Pro 13 M4 on Amazon

Why choose iPad Pro 13 M4

latest generation Apple Silicon with two M4 chip offerings, M4 (9-core CPU, 10-core GPU) for 256GB/512GB models and M4 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU) for 1TB/2TB models. Newer chip supports higher memory bandwidth at 120GB/s with 8GB / 16GB RAM memory accordingly.
Newer M4 chip also comes with ProRes encoding and decoding engine plus AV1 decode on board.
One rear shooters, 12MP Wide camera, the same camera on iPad Air 13 but with Adaptive True Tone flash. The extra 10MP Ultra Wide camera on the iPad Pro 12.9 6th is noticeably absent.
Faster USB-C port that supports Thunderbolt/USB4 bandwidth
Slimmer and lighter chassis
FaceID for unlock, Apple Pay and authentications
Four speaker sound system for louder sounds and four studio-quality microphones for better audio capture.

While not a feature directly on the tablet itself but in its supported accessories, here are what you will get with iPad Pro 13 M4.

Supports latest Apple Pencil Pro with squeeze, barrel roll haptic feedback, Find My features not present in the Apple Pencil 2nd gen
Uses a new Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro M4 to accommodate the slimmer body. This new keyboard has the same floating design but with added larger glass trackpad with haptic feedback and 14-key function row.

Summary

If you’re looking for a large tablet and don’t need advanced features like a LiDAR sensor, super bright OLED displays, Thunderbolt 4, or higher volume audio output, the iPad Air 13 2024 offers great value. It shares the same M2 chip as the iPad Pro 12.9 from October 2022, providing ample computing and gaming power. This will not only be powerful enough for the everyday users but for pro-level users too.

You might consider the outgoing iPad Pro 12.9 if the price is right. This will give you access to the same M2 chip but with extra features like brighter mini-LED backlit panel, LIDAR sensor, multiple rear cameras, faster Thunderbolt 4 transfer rate and bigger sound. We can see retailers already slashing their prices.

For the absolute pro-level users who need superior camera, studio-quality microphones, and high-speed Thunderbolt 4 for video transfer and editing direct from external storage, the iPad Pro 13 M4 (2024) is the better choice. It also support the latest Apple Pencil Pro which sadly is not supported on previous iPad Pros. It is also impossibly thin at 5.1mm and has a nano-texture display glass option for high-end, colour managed workflows.

For the lay person, nano-texture glass lining disperses the ambient light to reduce glare. This allows the display to show its true colours, pushing better quality images and contrast while not being affected by the surrounding light sources.

Final Thoughts

We just want to end by saying that as a student even with demands from creative and design workflows, even the cheapest iPad Air 13 M2 will be more than sufficient. Those with a bit more money, like $500 more, can consider the iPad Pro 13 M4. Otherwise, if you chance upon a good deal for the outgoing iPad Pro 12.9 M2 6th at a reasonable price, say around $799 – 900 then we would recommend going for it.