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Apple iPad 9.7-inch vs iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro 9.7-inch: a specs comparison

by Peter Kostadinov / Mar 21, 2017, 8:57 AM

Apple iPad 9.7-inch vs iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro 9.7-inch: a specs comparison

No, you're not dreaming - Apple just announced a new tablet. We can't say it came out of the blue since we were somewhat expecting a similar device announcement for this week, but anyways, the newest slate from Cupertino is here and it's called the... iPad 9.7-inch and will go for $329.

If its name is ambiguous enough for you, make no mistake - the iPad 9.7-inch comes with 9.7-inch Retina display that is brighter than the one on the Air 2 but dons the same resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. There are close to no changes on the outside, but that's not an issue given that the most important change is inside the slate. It comes with a 64-bit A9 chipset, which is way faster than the one inside the new iPad's predecessor. That's a win, no?

To put things into perspective, we thought it will be neat to compare new versus old and see what the fuss with that fresh iPad 9.7-inch is all about. Here goes:

Apple iPad 9.7-inch vs Apple iPad Air 2 vs Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch

Display

Display size

9.7 inches

Resolution

1536 x 2048 pixels

Aspect Ratio

4:3

Pixel density

264 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

71.65 %

72.80 %

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

8 megapixels

12 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Sapphire crystal lens cover, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.4; Pixel size: 1.1 μm

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal length: 31 mm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 29 mm; Sensor size: 1/3"; Pixel size: 1.22 μm

Video recording

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

Recording format

H.264, MOV

Features

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

Time-lapse video, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Front

1.2 megapixels

5 megapixels

Video capture

1280x720 (HD)

1280x720 (HD) (30 fps)

Design

Dimensions

9.45 x 6.67 x 0.30 inches (240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm)

9.45 x 6.67 x 0.24 inches (240 x 169.5 x 6.1 mm)

9.4 x 6.6 x 0.24 inches (238.8 x 167.6 x 6.1 mm)

Weight

16.86 oz (478 g)

15.41 oz (437 g)

15.66 oz (444 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum

Biometrics

Fingerprint (touch)

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Apple A9 APL0898

Apple A8X

Apple A9X APL1021

Processor

Dual-core, 1850 MHz, Twister, 64-bit, 16 nm

Triple-core, 1500 MHz, Cyclone, 64-bit

Dual-core, 2260 MHz, Twister, 64-bit, 16 nm

GPU

PowerVR GT7600

PowerVR GXA6850

PowerVR Series 7XT

RAM

2 GB LPDDR4

2 GB LPDDR3

2 GB LPDDR4

OS

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x)

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x)

iOS (12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x)

Battery

Capacity

8827 mAh

7340 mAh

7306 mAh

Internet use

LTE: 9 hours; Wi-Fi: 10 hours

3G: 9 hours; LTE: 9 hours; Wi-Fi: 10 hours

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 559

$ 829

$ 1029

Apple iPad 9.7-inch

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15 Comments

1. Ronan

Posts: 51; Member since: Mar 21, 2017

I thought there was supposed to be 10.5 inch option? Guess not.

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 9:03 AM 0

2. kiko007

Posts: 7493; Member since: Feb 17, 2016

The story is they are launching that one some time in April at an event.

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 9:07 AM 1

10. steodoreben

Posts: 379; Member since: Sep 26, 2013

It's hard to tell if you have purchased the newer or older version of iPad because of the same physical design. I worry because I might spent a money on old model thinking it's the new one. Apple should at least put a "2017" logo or what year it is released at the back of Apple devices (iPads and MacBooks).

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 11:09 AM 0

12. zunaidahmed

Posts: 1183; Member since: Dec 24, 2011

if you can get the air 2 at 329USD, that's a great deal too. The A9 is pretty much on par with the A9, is not only slightly worse.

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 11:44 AM 0

14. trojan_horse

Posts: 5868; Member since: May 06, 2016

"The A9 is pretty much on par with the A9, is not only slightly worse." Of course the A9 is on par with the A9, since it's the exact same SoC, bruh.

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 1:40 PM 0

3. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

The new iPad 9.7, which isn't new at all. Its just an Air 2 with a very minor upgrade in the chipset. I can't believe they did nothing to really make it stand out. No new features, same as previous models with iOS10. An Air 2 with iOS 10 is nearly identical to this and the Pro isn't even Pro. I dumped my Air 2, which is better than the Pro with the Air 2 having TriCore and the Pro is only dual when it should be quad. I mean, what makes it "Pro". $200B and this is the best they can do? This is why I rip them. They have all this money people brag about, yet they do nothign with it. Even many competitors aren't bring anything to the table either. Die ALL ARM based tablets. i rather just spend an extra $400 and get a Surface.

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 9:19 AM 0

5. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

The new 9.7in should have at least been given the A10 right!

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 9:57 AM 1

9. mikehunta727 unregistered

@archfiend Agreed dude. A9 is just slightly better then A8X..and although still absolutely capable and about on par with a S820(just slightly under it), would of been much better with a A10

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 10:40 AM 1

8. mikehunta727 unregistered

"I dumped my Air 2, which is better than the Pro with the Air 2 having TriCore and the Pro is only dual when it should be quad." The A9X in the Pro is superior in every single way to the A8X in the Air 2, faster CPU/GPU, more memory bandwidth, faster storage performance over the A8X You don't know what the hell your even saying or talking about. No one but you thinks the A8X is somehow better then the A9X just because they moved from tri-core to dual core on the A9X. It is faster in every single way over the A8X Tech expert my ASS LOL

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 10:39 AM 2

13. IosDroid

Posts: 117; Member since: Dec 03, 2015

I agree with you, it's a lame upgrade. I guess even for Apple the time of the tablet is over...

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 1:07 PM 0

15. trojan_horse

The time of the tablet is most certainly not over yet... It's too early to assume that m

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 1:43 PM 0

4. whatev

Posts: 2193; Member since: Oct 28, 2015

Fandroids are even harder fans of apple than apple users, it's so funny lol

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 9:52 AM 1

6. UnlimitedSkye03

Posts: 290; Member since: Apr 27, 2012

The price for 128gb is quite low, I like the pricing much :) It's a bit surprising for Apple to have priced lower than it's predecessor. :)

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 10:01 AM 0

7. SIGPRO

Posts: 2815; Member since: Oct 03, 2012

Those bezels........YUCK! Exact same model as the previous ones......

posted on Mar 21, 2017, 10:38 AM 0

11. whatev

Sweetie are you ok? Did you take your medicine? I think you're having a meltdown and you're not aware of it, stop trolling apple articles and take a nap please