Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) vs Apple iPad Air M4 11-inch

Buy the iPad Air M4 if you want the fastest 11-inch iPad and the longest useful life; its M4 chip, 12GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 7 put it clearly ahead of the A16 iPad on performance and future-proofing. The A16 iPad is the better fit for light use: browsing, streaming, notes and video calls, where the A16 and 8GB of RAM are enough and the 12MP Center Stage front camera matches the Air. Owners rate the Air higher (4.8 from about 2,100 ratings vs 4.4 from about 47,700), and reviewers consistently call the M-series Air the smoother multitasker. Both are 11-inch Liquid Retina at 2360x1640 with 10 hours of battery, so the gap is inside the tablet, not on the screen.

• Choose the iPad 11-inch A16 if your workload is streaming, email, notes and video calls and you want the standard iPad that covers them without paying for power you won't use.
• Choose the iPad Air M4 if you edit video, run several apps at once, use Apple Intelligence features or plan to keep the tablet for many years.