iPad Pro 9.7" vs iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021

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Swappasaurus

Swappasaurus says...

Apple released the iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) in March 2016 and released the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) in May 2021. The 2016 iPad Pro 9.7” arrived as the first smaller-sized iPad Pro, and the 2021 iPad Pro 12.9” serves as the 5th generation model in the 12.9” iPad Pro lineup. The iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) is more advanced than the iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) with a list of specs that include a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology, an Apple M1 chip, up to 2TB of storage, USB-C (with Thunderbolt / USB 4 support), Face ID, and more.

Price Comparison

iPad Pro 9.7"

Low price:

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How much does iPad Pro 9.7" cost?

iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021

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What's the best iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 price?

iPad Pro 9.7" vs iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 Pricing

iPad Pro 9.7" prices start at $88, which is cheaper than the iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 low price of $530.

Specs Comparison

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) feature set includes a 9.7-inch Retina display with True Tone, an Apple A9X chip, up to 256GB of storage, a 5MP FaceTime HD front camera, and a 12MP wide-angle rear camera. This model also features a Lightning connector, four-speaker audio, two microphones, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and Touch ID in the home button. Accessory support for the iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) includes the Apple Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil (1st gen). To compare, the highlight specs for the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) include a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with True Tone and ProMotion technology, an Apple M1 chip, up to 2TB of storage, a 12MP (ultra-wide-angle) TrueDepth front camera system with Center Stage, and a dual rear camera array with a 12MP wide-angle lens and a 10MP ultra-wide-angle lens. This model also features a USB-C port (with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4), four-speaker audio, five studio-quality microphones, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.0, Face ID, and 5G cellular. Accessory support for the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) includes the Apple Magic Keyboard, the Smart Keyboard Folio, and the Apple Pencil (2nd gen).

Size

Size iPad Pro 9.7" iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021
Width 215 mm 8.5 inches
Height 281 mm 11.1 inches
Depth 6 mm 0.3 inches
Weight 682 g 24.1 ounces

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) measures 9.4” (H) x 6.6” (W) x 0.24” (D) and features a 9.7-inch display size. The WiFi-only iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) weighs 0.96 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular version weighs 0.98 pounds. To compare, the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) measures 11.04” (H) x 8.46” (W) x 0.25” (D) and features a 12.9-inch display size. The WiFi-only iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) weighs 1.5 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular version weighs 1.51 pounds.

Camera

Camera iPad Pro 9.7" iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021
Primary 12.0 MP
Resolution 4000x3000

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) has a 5MP FaceTime HD front-facing camera and a 12MP wide-angle rear-facing camera. In comparison, the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) has a 12MP TrueDepth (ultra-wide-angle) front-facing camera and a rear-facing camera setup that includes a 12MP wide-angle and 10MP ultra-wide angle lens.

Screen

Display iPad Pro 9.7" iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021
Resolution 2048x2732
Screen Size 328 mm 12.9 in
Pixels Per Inch ppi 265 ppi

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) has a 9.7-inch Retina display and the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) has a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display. Display specs for the iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) include a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch, and an SDR max brightness of 500 nits. Display specs for the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) include a resolution of 2732 x 2048 at 264 pixels per inch, an SDR max brightness of 600 nits, an XDR max brightness of 1000 nits, and ProMotion technology. Both of these displays support True Tone and are fully laminated with an anti-reflective coating and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

Battery

Battery iPad Pro 9.7" iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021
Capacity mAh 10702 mAh
Longevity hours 10 hours
USB USB-C

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) is equipped with a 27.5-watt-hour battery and the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) is equipped with a 40.88-watt-hour battery, both of which allow for up to 10 hours of battery life when on WiFi or up to 9 hours of battery life when on cellular. The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) charges via the Lightning connector and the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) charges via USB-C.

Processing

Processor iPad Pro 9.7" iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021
CPU Apple M1 APL1102

Color Choices

iPad Pro 9.7"

Available in 4 colors:

  • Gold
  • Gray
  • Rose Gold
  • Silver

Which iPad Pro 9.7" color should you buy?

iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021

Available in 2 colors:

  • Gray
  • Silver

Which color iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 is the most popular?

iPad Pro 9.7" vs iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 Colors

Both the iPad Pro 9.7" and iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 share two colors: Silver and Gray. However, the iPad Pro 9.7" does away with Rose Gold and Gold, previously seen on the iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021.
Swappasaurus

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) is available in Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold. The Space Gray model has a black bezel on the front, and the Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold models have a white bezel on the front. The iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) is available in two colors: Space Gray and Silver.

Storage Options

iPad Pro 9.7"

Choose from 3 storage options:

  • 32GB
  • 128GB
  • 256GB

Which iPad Pro 9.7" storage should I buy?

iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021

Choose from 5 storage options:

  • 128GB
  • 256GB
  • 512GB
  • 1TB
  • 2TB

Which storage iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 is the most popular?

iPad Pro 9.7" vs iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 Storage

The iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 introduces three new storage options not found on the iPad Pro 9.7": 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Both the iPad Pro 9.7" and iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 share two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. However, the iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 does not have options for 32GB, as seen on the iPad Pro 9.7".
Swappasaurus

The iPad Pro 9.7” (2016) storage options top out at 256GB and the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) storage options top out at 2TB. The full range of storage options for the iPad Pro 9.7” (2016 includes 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB, and the full range of storage options for the iPad Pro 12.9” (2021) include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.

Reviews

iPad Pro 9.7"

27 reviews 4.9 stars

iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021

44 reviews 4.9 stars

iPad Pro 9.7" vs iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 Reviews

Both the iPad Pro 9.7" and iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen 2021 earn 4.9 of 5.0 stars from Swappa user reviews.

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