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

The iPad Air (M4) is the better tablet for anyone who does real work on a tablet: the M4 chip, 8GB-plus of memory headroom, Wi-Fi 7 and Apple Pencil Pro support put it well ahead of the A16 iPad on performance and accessory range. The 11-inch iPad (A16) is the simpler pick for streaming, browsing, notes and video calls, and owners rate it well at 4.4 out of 5 across a large pool of ratings. Both are aluminum-and-glass iPads with 10-hour battery claims and a 12MP Center Stage front camera, so the gap is chip, connectivity and Pencil support rather than build.

• Choose the 11-inch iPad (A16) if you want a straightforward tablet for streaming, email, reading and video calls and don't need Pencil Pro or desktop-class chip performance.
• Choose the iPad Air (M4) if you'll use Apple Pencil Pro, a Magic Keyboard, multitasking apps or Apple Intelligence features and want the tablet to stay fast for years.