I am looking at these two, trying to find a deal on the Pro 2022 that makes it close to the price of the 13" 2024 Air. Right now the “deals” are still in the $999 range for it, as opposed to $800 for the Air. Which sucks - seems like the 2022 is still better, but $200 is $200. I have a pro 10.5" now, but the lure of bigger has finally won out, years later. Trying to see if I’m missing anything - on paper the 2022 is still better, even if older.
Advantages of the Pro 2022:
- FaceID, not TouchID
- Promotion display (120hz vs the Air’s 60hz)
- can run external display
Advantages of the Air 2024:
- Cheaper
- Newer - supported longer?
- ? Anything else?
If you watch a lot of video on your iPad, the Pro also has the advantage of a mini-LED backlight screen, which should look significantly better than the 2024 iPad Air’s conventionally backlit screen. I suspect the Pro will also have a wider colour gamut (ie better representation of colour), although that’s speculation on my part.
Also the iPad Pro has 4 speakers and the air has 2, if you care about internal speakers the pro is much better
The pro has an M1 chip, while the Air is M2. Which might not matter because the M1 is plenty fast for a tablet.
The pro has lidar, the air does not The pro has better speakers and better microphones The air has the FaceTime camera on the long side, where it belongs They support different pencils (the air supports the new pro pencil and all its features) The air is lighter The pro has 120Hz The pro has an additional wide angle lens, while the main camera of the air is probably a bit better now due to processing. But in the end, who takes pictures with a tablet. The air has better WiFi and Bluetooth. The pro has thunderbolt and everything, while the air only has normal usb-c.
Pick what is important to you. Keep in mind that the battery of a 2 year old device might not be in perfect condition.
Personally, i think the differences are negligible. I would go with the cheaper option