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:
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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 | 9.7-inch | 9.7-inch |
Resolution | ||
2048x1536px, 4:3 ratio, 264 PPI | 2048x1536px, 264 PPI | 2048x1536px, 4:3 ratio, 264 PPI |
Technology | ||
IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
Screen-to-body | ||
71.65 % | 71.65 % | 72.80 % |
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 |
RAM | ||
2GB (LPDDR4) | 2GB (LPDDR3) | 2GB (LPDDR4) |
Internal storage | ||
available to use: 128 GB | 128GB | 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
Capacity | ||
---|---|---|
8827 mAh | 7340 mAh | 7306 mAh |
Type | ||
Li - Polymer | 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 | ||
1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing | 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling | 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps) Time-lapse video, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing |
Front | ||
1.2 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) | 1.2 MP, Video capture: 1280x720 (HD) (30 fps) | 5 MP (HDR) |
Connectivity & Features
Bluetooth | ||
---|---|---|
4.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
WLAN | ||
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct |
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Multiple antennas, MIMO, Hotspot |
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO |
USB | ||
Lightning | Lightning | Lightning |
Location | ||
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
Sensors | ||
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer |
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(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d) |
4G (TDD) | ||
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) | Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) | |
3G | ||
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) |
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 |
Buyers information
MSRP | ||
---|---|---|
$ 559 | $ 829 | $ 1029 |
In The Box | ||
Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter |
Availability
Officially announced | ||
---|---|---|
Mar 21, 2017 | Oct 16, 2014 | Mar 21, 2016 |
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Apple iPad 9.7-inch vs Apple iPad Air 2 vs Apple iPad Pro 9.7-inch specs comparison
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