Comparison winner
vs
vs

43 facts in comparison

Apple iPad Air 13 (2026) vs Apple iPad (2025)

DesignDisplayPerformanceBatteryCamerasProductivity & connectivitySensors

Tap a category to see which one wins it.

91Points
54Points

Why is Apple iPad Air 13 (2026) better than Apple iPad (2025)?

  • 0.9 mm less Thickness ?6.1 mm vs 7 mm
  • 2 " more Screen size ?13 " vs 11 "
  • 372 px more Resolution ?2,732 px vs 2,360 px
  • 100 nits more Peak brightness ?600 nits vs 500 nits
  • 6 GB more RAM ?12 GB vs 6 GB
  • 9,676.07 mAh more Battery capacity ?9,705 mAh vs 28.93 mAh
  • 7.66 W more Wired charging ?36.59 W vs 28.93 W
  • 0.4 f/ less Front camera aperture ?2 f/ vs 2.4 f/
  • Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi standard ?Wi-Fi 6E vs Wi-Fi 5
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What matters to you?

Drag the sliders to weight each category and re-rank the products to suit your priorities.

Design
Display
Performance
Battery
Cameras
Productivity & connectivity
Your ranking
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)Your pick93
Apple iPad (2025)Your pick52

Score breakdown

Design
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)43
Apple iPad (2025)71
Display
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)100
Apple iPad (2025)38
Performance
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)100
Apple iPad (2025)50
Battery
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)100
Apple iPad (2025)14
Cameras
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)100
Apple iPad (2025)100
Productivity & connectivity
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)100
Apple iPad (2025)83
Sensors
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)0
Apple iPad (2025)0

Design

Weight ?
616 g
477 g

A lighter tablet is more comfortable to hold.

Thickness ?
6.1 mm
7 mm

A thinner tablet is easier to carry.

Build material ?
Glass front
Glass front

The frame and back materials of the device.

Biometric unlock ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Unlock with a fingerprint or face scan.

Colors ?
Space Gray, Starlight, Purple, Blue
Silver, Blue, Pink, Yellow

The colour options the tablet is sold in.

Display

Screen size ?
13 "
11 "

A larger screen is better for media and productivity.

Resolution ?
2,732 px
2,360 px

The vertical pixel count; higher is sharper.

Pixel density ?
264 ppi
264 ppi

More pixels per inch produce crisper text and images.

Refresh rate ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

A higher refresh rate produces smoother motion and scrolling.

Peak brightness ?
600 nits
500 nits

Higher peak brightness is easier to read in bright light.

Panel type ?
Liquid Retina IPS LCD
Liquid Retina IPS LCD

The underlying panel technology (e.g. OLED, IPS).

OLED display ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

OLED panels offer deeper blacks and better contrast than LCD.

Laminated display ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

A laminated screen reduces glare and stylus parallax.

Contrast ratio ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

The ratio between the brightest white and darkest black.

Performance

Chipset ?
Apple M4
Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm)

The system-on-chip that powers the device.

RAM ?
12 GB
6 GB

More RAM keeps more apps running smoothly at once.

Internal storage ?
128 GB
128 GB

More storage holds more apps, media and files.

Storage type ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

The storage standard (e.g. UFS 4.0); newer is faster.

Expandable storage (microSD) ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Storage can be expanded with a memory card.

AnTuTu benchmark ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

A synthetic score estimating overall performance.

Geekbench multi-core ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

Multi-core CPU benchmark score; higher is faster.

Geekbench single-core ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

Single-core CPU benchmark score; higher is faster.

RAM type ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

The memory standard (e.g. LPDDR5X); newer is faster.

Battery

Battery capacity ?
9,705 mAh
28.93 mAh

A larger battery generally lasts longer between charges.

Battery life ?
? Unknown (Apple iPad Air 13 (2026))
? Unknown (Apple iPad (2025))

Estimated hours of mixed use on a charge.

Wired charging ?
36.59 W
28.93 W

Higher wattage charges the battery faster.

USB-C ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

A reversible, widely compatible charging and data port.

Battery type ?
Li-Po
Li-Po

The battery chemistry (e.g. Li-Po, Li-Ion).

Cameras

Rear camera ?
12 MP
12 MP

A higher megapixel count can capture more detail.

Front camera ?
12 MP
12 MP

A higher resolution front camera improves video calls.

Records 4K video ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Captures high-resolution 4K footage.

Front camera aperture ?
2 f/
2.4 f/

A lower f-number lets in more light for video calls.

Productivity & connectivity

Stylus support ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Works with an active stylus for notes and drawing.

Keyboard support ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Pairs with a dedicated keyboard accessory.

5G support ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Connects to fast 5G mobile networks on the go.

Wi-Fi standard ?
Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi 5

The Wi-Fi generation supported; later is faster.

Stereo speakers ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Multiple speakers deliver richer, more immersive sound.

Bluetooth version ?
6
5.3

A newer Bluetooth version improves range and efficiency.

NFC ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Enables contactless pairing and payments.

Operating system ?
iPadOS 26.3
iPadOS 18.3.2

The software platform the device runs.

Sensors

Accelerometer ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Detects motion and orientation for auto-rotate.

Gyroscope ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

Senses rotation for gaming and photography.

Compass ?
Apple iPad Air 13 (2026)
Apple iPad (2025)

A magnetometer for navigation and maps.

The bottom line

The Apple iPad Air 13 (2026) is the clear winner, scoring 91 to 54 on our VS Score. It leads on Display, Performance and Battery. The Apple iPad (2025) answers back with stronger Design. Pick the Apple iPad Air 13 (2026) unless Design matters most to you — then the Apple iPad (2025) is the smarter buy.

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