What if someone told you the MacBook Air is heavier than the MacBook Pro? Of course, not. But that’s the case with Apple’s new iPad lineup launched during the “Let Loose” hardware event on Tuesday.
Apple upgraded the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models with its freshly-baked M4 chip. On the other hand, the M2 chip powers this year’s 11-inch iPad Air and a new 13-inch variant. A trip to the iPad comparison tool on Apple’s website reveals that the 2024 iPad Air models are heavier than their respective iPad Pro counterparts.
In other words, the new 13-inch iPad Pro M4 weighs 1.28 pounds (579 grams) compared to the 13-inch iPad Air M2’s 1.36 pounds (617 grams). Similarly, the 11-inch iPad Air M2 with 1.02 pounds (462 grams) on paper is a bit heavier than the 11-inch iPad Pro M4 which weighs 0.98 pounds (444 grams).
The iPad Pro gets extra points when talking about the device’s thickness. Both iPad Air M2 models have a 6.1mm thickness compared to 5.3mm on the 11-inch iPad Pro M4 and 5.1mm on the 13-inch iPad Pro M4, respectively.
Apple’s “Air” branding has previously been associated with terms like “thinner” and “lighter”. When it launched the first iPad Air back in 2013, Apple marketed the device by saying that “iPad Air is 20 percent thinner and 28 percent lighter than the fourth generation iPad, and with a narrower bezel the borders of iPad Air are dramatically thinner—making content even more immersive.”
With the new numbers on the specs sheet, the iPad Air is certainly not the thinnest and lightest tablet in Apple’s lineup. It remains to be seen how the Cupertino giant wants to perceive the Air brand name moving forward. For starters, the iPad Air product page on Apple’s website carries the tagline “Fresh Air.”
Via MacRumors