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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

Updated: Mar 21, 2017, 8:58 AM

15comments

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	Apple iPad Air 2	Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch

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 / 478.0 g	15.41 oz / 437.0 g	15.66 oz / 444.0 g
Materials
Back: Aluminum	Back: Aluminum	Back: Aluminum
Biometrics
Fingerprint (touch)	Fingerprint (touch)	Fingerprint (touch)
Keys
Right: Volume control	Right: Volume control	Right: Volume control
Colors
Gold, Gray, Silver	Gold, Gray, Silver	Gold, Gray, Pink

Display

Size
9.7-inch, 71.65% screen-to-body	9.7-inch, 71.65% screen-to-body	9.7-inch, 72.80% screen-to-body
Type
IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Resolution
2048x1536px, 4:3 ratio, 264 PPI	2048x1536px, 264 PPI	2048x1536px, 4:3 ratio, 264 PPI
Colors
16 777 216	16 777 216
Features
Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor	Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor	Oleophobic coating, Ambient light sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A9 APL0898 (16 nm)	Apple A8X	Apple A9X APL1021 (16 nm)
Processor
Dual-core 1850 MHz Twister	Triple-core 1500 MHz Cyclone	Dual-core 2260 MHz Twister
GPU
PowerVR GT7600	PowerVR GXA6850	PowerVR Series 7XT
Memory
2GB (LPDDR4) 2GB/32GB 2GB/128GB	2GB (LPDDR3)/128GB 2GB/16GB 2GB/64GB 2GB/128GB	2GB (LPDDR4)/256GB 2GB/32GB 2GB/128GB 2GB/256GB
OS
iOS (13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x)	iOS (13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x, 8.x)	iOS (13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x)

Battery

Type
8827 mAh, Li - Polymer	7340 mAh	7306 mAh, Li - Polymer

Camera

Rear
Single camera	Single camera	Single camera
Main camera
8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.4 Pixel size: 1.1 μm	8 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.4 Focal length: 31 mm	12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, Autofocus, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal length: 29 mm Sensor size: 1/3" Pixel size: 1.22 μm
Flash
		Dual LED
Video recording
1080p (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing	1080p (30 fps), 720p (120 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling	4K UHD (30 fps), 1080p (120 fps), 720p (240 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing
Front
1.2 MP (HDR) Video capture: 720p	1.2 MP Video capture: 720p (30 fps)	5 MP (HDR)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.2	4.0	4.2
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac	a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac	a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
USB
Lightning	Lightning	Lightning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Ambient light sensor	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient light sensor	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Ambient light sensor
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Other
UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop	Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop	NFC, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, AirDrop

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack	3.5mm jack	3.5mm jack
Speakers
Multiple speakers	Multiple speakers	Multiple speakers
Features
Album art cover, Background playback	Album art cover, Background playback	Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share	TV-out
Additional microphone(s)
	Yes	Video recording

Cellular

4G (FDD) Bands
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29
4G (TDD) Bands
38, 39, 40, 41		38, 39, 40, 41
3G Bands
5, 8, 4, 2, 1	5, 8, 4, 2, 1	5, 8, 4, 2, 1
Data Speed
LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s)	LTE, HSPA, UMTS	LTE, HSPA, HSUPA, UMTS
SIM type
Nano SIM	Nano SIM	Nano SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
	Flight mode, Silent mode
Other features
Voice commands, Voice recording	Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
	Date approved: Oct 16, 2014 FCC ID value: BCGA1566
Measured SAR
	Simultaneous Transmission: 1.56 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
Mar 21, 2017	Oct 16, 2014	Mar 21, 2016
Prices (MSRP)
$559	$829	$1029

See the full Apple iPad 9.7-inch vs Apple iPad Air 2 vs Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison tool

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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.

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