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InnoReviews

iPad 9th Gen (A13) vs iPad Air (A12)

WINNER
iPad 9th Gen (A13)
45.2Inno Score
VS
iPad Air (A12)
44.4Inno Score
40.5chipPerformancechip35.8
32.9Display32.9
37.6Battery38.1
66.1Portability85.8
71.2Features61.2
2 spec wins — iPad 9th Gen (A13)3 spec wins — iPad Air (A12)

InnoReviews verdict

This one is close to a dead heat: iPad 9th Gen (A13) scores 45.2 against 44.4 for iPad Air (A12). Pick by the categories that matter to you — iPad 9th Gen (A13) edges ahead in features and performance, or by price.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the iPad 9th Gen (A13)

  • Stronger performance score: 41 vs 36
  • Stronger features score: 71 vs 61
  • 71% higher Front camera: 12 MP vs 7 MP
  • Lower launch price: $329 vs $499

Reasons to pick the iPad Air (A12)

  • Stronger portability score: 86 vs 66
  • 19% lower thickness: 6.1 mm vs 7.5 mm

Display

Display comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
Screen size10.2 ″10.5 ″+3%
Panel typeRetina IPS LCDRetina IPS LCD
Resolution2160x16202224x1668
Pixel density264 ppi264 ppi
Refresh rate60 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness500 nits500 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
ChipsetApple A13 BionicApple A12 Bionic
RAM3 GB3 GB
Storage options64GB / 256GB64GB / 256GB

Battery

Battery comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
Capacity8,557 mAh+5%8,134 mAh
Charging20 W—

Design

Design comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
Weight487 g456 g+6%
Thickness7.5 mm6.1 mm+19%
MaterialAluminumAluminum

Camera

Camera comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
Rear camera8 MP8 MP
Front camera12 MP+71%7 MP

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth4.25.0
Cellular4G LTE optionalLTE optional
USBLightning (USB 2.0)Lightning

Features

Features comparison: iPad 9th Gen (A13) versus iPad Air (A12)
SpeciPad 9th Gen (A13)iPad Air (A12)
StylusApple Pencil (1st generation)Apple Pencil (1st generation)
Keyboard supportYesYes
SpeakersStereoStereo
Operating systemiPadOS 15iPadOS 26

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