iPad Pro vs iPad Air 2: Bigger. Faster. More Productive?

Will the iPad Pro eat the iPad Air's lunch?

Apple may like to give the impression that it has a set way of doing things - that once it sets its mind to something or draws a line in the sand, that is that, and there's no further discussion on the matter or deviation from 'the true path', so to speak. But that's not really true at all. Pretty much every firm backtracks to some extent, but due to Apple's historic adamnt stance on things, its own backtracking has always stood out that little bit more.

Amongst the claims the firm has made over the years, we've heard (several times) that there was no need for larger displays on the iPhone series, that OSX and iOS wouldn't begin to merge, that there was no need for a smaller iPad Mini. And then, very relevant to this article, Apple said there wouldn't be a larger iPad, and that there was no need for a keyboard or stylus pen accessory. Well consider all these things backtracked, and for a lot of them, the iPad Pro is the undoing.

When the iPad first came out in 2010 Steve Jobs said its 9.7-inch form factor was the PERFECT size for a tablet and that no other sizes were needed. But then came the 7.9-inch iPad mini–and, I mean, who would ever need MORE than two sizes of an iPad? Of course, then iPad (and tablet sales in general) started tanking–iPad sales have been declining 20% year over year as most people find that, unlike iPhones, there’s not a lot of point in getting a new tablet each year.

The reason for this is simple: people use phones and tablets very differently and the latter degrade now way near as quickly as the former. For instance, you’re less likely to drop a tablet while walking around town and with a phone you’re constantly hammering the battery with applications, texts, push email, calls, games and music. Tablets get it far easier and, therefore, usually last much, much longer — especially if all you’re using it for is the odd bit of browsing on the sofa in between episodes of Narcos.  

And this might sound like a good thing — which it actually is, obviously – but for Apple it STINKS. Apple wants you buying new gear every year. This is why it releases new iPad models every year — it wants you to buy them and start building a collection of dusty iPads in your office draw. But in order to shock and awe people Apple needed something, well, BIG. That’s when Apple rolled out the big one – the iPad Pro. It is an iPad, the company hopes, that will bring life back into the iPad line and convert the all-important enterprise and creative people from laptops to tablets.

What is kind of annoying about the iPad Pro, however, is how initial reviews have lauded it as something of a game changer, a process that seems to happen every time Apple releases a new product — hello, Apple Watch! But here’s the thing: it is kind of just a big iPad with some new iOS software aboard it — this does not make it a PC and neither does the inclusion of a keyboard or stylus (both of which you have to pay for, FYI).

I’m not the biggest Microsoft fan in the word, but the Surface Pro 4 actually IS a post-PC device. It runs a full desktop operating system and you CAN actually do your day-to-day on it, regardless of your profession. The iPad Pro runs iOS just like the iPhone and this doesn’t bode well for using it for work — not for me anyway. I remember trying to do “work” on my iPad Air 2 once and it was just AWFUL. Needless to say, I will not be doing that again! And no amount of split-screen action of stylus pointing is going to change that.

Now let's take a look at the new iPad Pro versus the popular iPad Air 2 to see how they compare and which you should buy this holiday season.

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro: Design and Specs

iPad Air 2

• Display: 9.7-inch 2048×1536 pixel at 264 pixels per inch
• Colors: Silver, Space Grey, Gold
• Storage: 16, 64, and 128GB
• Processors: 64-bit A8X and M8
• RAM: 2GB
• Touch ID: yes
• Cameras: front 1.2MP 720p HD camera and a rear 8MP 1080p HD camera
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, optional 4G
• Size: 238.8 mm × 167.6 mm × 6.1 mm
• Weight: 437 grams

iPad Pro

• Display: 12.9-inch 2732×2048 pixel at 264 pixels per inch
• Colors: Silver, Space Grey, Gold
• Storage: 32 and 128GB
• Processors: 64-bit A9X and M9
• RAM: 4GB
• Touch ID: yes
• Cameras: front 1.2MP 720p HD camera and a rear 8MP 1080p HD camera
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, optional 4G
• Size: 305 mm × 220 mm × 7 mm
• Weight: 710 grams

We’ll get to the big difference (the display) in just a bit. But first let's take a look at the some of the major internal differences between the two tablets. The biggest differences are in the RAM and CPU department. Apple has packed 4GB of RAM into the iPad Pro–it’s most ever and TWICE as much as the 2GB of RAM found in the iPad Air 2. That extra RAM combined with the A9X processor found in the Pro means the thing will wipe the floor for the Air when it comes to processing power. Apple says the A9X chip has 1.8 times the CPU performance and 2 times the GPU performance of the A8X chip found in the Air.

But besides the RAM and CPU, many of the internal specs of the two tablets are the same. They both have the exact same cameras. Each features a paltry 1.2MP 720p HD camera front FaceTime camera and a slightly more powerful 8MP 1080p HD rear iSight camera. Each iPad also includes the same Wi-Fi connectivity as well as Touch ID and Bluetooth (though the iPad Pro has slightly newer Bluetooth 4.2, but you won’t notice a difference).

“Let’s go over the basics first: Geekbench reports that the A9X is a dual-core chip running at about 2.25GHz. The A8X used three CPU cores to boost performance, but the A9’s “Twister” CPU architecture and the big boosts in clock speed that Apple is squeezing out of it (up from 1.84GHz in the iPad Air 2) both apparently made that third core unnecessary,” notes Ars Technica.

The report added: “The A9X can’t quite get up to the level of a modern U-series Core i5 based on Broadwell or Skylake (see the 2015 MacBook Air and Surface Pro 4 results), but it’s roughly on the same level as a Core i5 from 2013 or so and it’s well ahead of Core M. And despite the fact that it lacks a fan, the A9X shows little sign of throttling in the Geekbench thermal test, which bodes well for the iPad Pro’s ability to run professional-caliber apps for extended periods of time.”

As far as storage goes, the iPad Pro only comes in two models: 32 or 128GB, where the iPad Air 2 comes in three models: 16, 64, or 128 GB. It’s also worth noting the iPad Pro has four internal speakers, so the sound quality of audio should be much improved over the Air.

On the design front, both iPads feature the same aluminum body and both come in Space Grey, Gold, or Silver. The iPad Air 2 is still the thinner one at 6.1mm thick versus the iPad Pro’s 7mm thickness.

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro: Display

Of course the most noticeable difference between the two is the size of their displays. The iPad Air 2 features a 9.7-inch display of 2732×2048 pixel at 264 pixels per inch. The iPad Pro features a 12.9-inch 2732×2048 pixel display at 264 pixels per inch. You’ll note that their PPIs are the same, meaning the displays look identical to the naked eye–the iPad Pro’s is just larger.

The logic behind the iPad Pro’s larger display is simple: by giving you more screen room you can be more productive and do more work. This is helped in part by iOS 9’s split screen mode, whereby you can run two applications side by side, say Safari and Pages, for instance. 

Apple wants you to use the iPad Air 2 as a consumption device and the iPad Pro as a work tool. In order to do this Apple has developed a keyboard and stylus for the iPad Pro, borrowing heavily from Microsoft and Samsung in the process. 

Apple’s Grand Plan is to make people question WHY they need a PC. The iPad Pro is designed to replace MacBooks, but, oddly, Apple is still selling MacBooks. And the reason? Again, simple: Apple wants people to question what they want from a computer too and REALLY push the boundaries with its PC line as well and basically confuse the hell out of everybody as to which product they actually need to do the stuff they’ve been doing for years on things like tablets and PCs anyway.  

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro: Key Features

But of course the iPad Pro isn’t just called the Pro because it has faster specs and a bigger display. It also has a few advanced features that the iPad Air two doesn’t have. These features, however, come in the form of optional accessories. The iPad Pro works with the new Apple Pencil, an advanced stylus that allows artists to work on the iPad as never before. The reason the Pencil only works with the iPad Pro is because of a new Multi‑Touch subsystem built directly into the iPad Pro’s display.

The less cool unique feature is the optional iPad Pro Smart Keyboard accessory. This is essentially an Apple-made keyboard cover for the iPad. I say this feature is less cool because there are plenty of third-party keyboard covers you can buy for the iPad Air 2.

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro: Price and Verdict

Here’s the rundown of the various costs for the different models of each iPad:

iPad Pro: Wi-Fi 32 GB $799, Wi-Fi 128 GB $949, Wi-Fi + Cellular 128 GB $1079.

iPad Air 2: Wi-Fi 16 GB $499, 64 GB $599, 128 GB $699; Wi-Fi + Cellular 16 GB $629, 64 GB $729, 128 GB $829.

As you can see, the iPad Pro (UK pricing not yet available) is significantly more expensive than the iPad Air for the comparable storage size. But cost shouldn’t be the deciding factor for which you buy.

You should get an iPad Pro if you are a professional in the video, graphics, or design industry and you want a touch screen tablet to work on. Or you should get the iPad Pro with Smart Cover if you want to ditch your laptop and carry around a tablet replacement.

But for everyone else, the regular iPad Air 2 is probably the best fit–literally. It’s 9.7-inch display is much easier to hold with one hand, or with both hands while reading in bed at night. In short, the iPad Air 2 is an everyman device. The iPad Pro, one the other hand, as the name suggests, is designed with professionals in mind.

The logic behind the iPad Pro’s larger display is simple: by giving you more screen room you can be more productive and do more work. This is helped in part by iOS 9’s split screen mode, whereby you can run two applications side by side, say Safari and Pages, for instance.
Apple wants you to use the iPad Air 2 as a consumption device and the iPad Pro as a work tool. In order to do this Apple has developed a keyboard and stylus for the iPad Pro, borrowing heavily from Microsoft and Samsung in the process.
Apple’s Grand Plan is to make people question WHY they need a PC. The iPad Pro is designed to replace MacBooks, but, oddly, Apple is still selling MacBooks. And the reason? Again, simple: Apple wants people to question what they want from a computer too and REALLY push the boundaries with its PC line as well and basically confuse the hell out of everybody as to which product they actually need to do the stuff they’ve been doing for years on things like tablets and PCs anyway