Apple iPad Air 5th Gen (2022) vs Apple iPad (A16) 2025

Apple M1 chip

A16 chip

8-core CPU

8-core graphics

Apple Neural Engine

8GB RAM

5-core CPU

4-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

64GB | 256GB

128GB | 256GB | 512GB

iOS 15

iPadOS 18

iPadOS comes with powerful features and built-in apps designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of iPad.

Learn more about iPadOS 18

Activate hands‑free with only your voice using “Siri” or “Hey Siri,” or use Type to Siri

Protected by the strongest privacy of any intelligent assistant

Learn more about Siri

 

n77 C-band

Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79

5G (sub 6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO

5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261)

5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n78, n79)

Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71

850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz

850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz

802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO

Simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz & 5GHz)

Bluetooth 5.0 technology

5.3

Nano‑SIM (supports Apple SIM)

eSIM

eSIM

iPad uses advanced eSIM technology for more convenience and security (not compatible with physical SIM cards)

Learn more about eSIM

Learn more about traveling with eSIM

Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA

Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71

Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48

FaceTime video

Center Stage

iPad to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi or cellular

FaceTime audio

Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO

Yes

Safari

Touch ID, Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Barometer, Ambient light

Touch ID

Three-axis gyro

Accelerometer

Barometer

Ambient light sensor

Yes

Yes

Apple Music®

Apple Music®

AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos

Apple Music

Apple Music®

Via lockscreen

Yes

VoiceOver, Voice Control, Zoom, Magnifier, RTT support, Siri and Dictation, Type to Siri, Switch Control, Closed Captions, AssistiveTouch, Spoken Content

Built-in accessibility features supporting vision, mobility, hearing and cognitive disabilities help you get the most out of your iPad. Learn more

Features include:

VoiceOver

Zoom

Magnifier

Spoken Content

Voice Control

Switch Control

AssistiveTouch

Siri and Dictation

Type to Siri

Real-Time Text

Audio Descriptions

Subtitles and Closed Captioning

Live Captions