iPad Air 11" (M4) dupes and alternatives: 4 cheaper tablets, scored
The 11-inch iPad Air (M4) lists at $749 for 128 GB. Apple publishes a 264 ppi screen at 500 nits, 12 GB of memory and 464 g, and it works with Apple Pencil Pro - sold separately. Apple does not publish a refresh rate, a water rating or a card slot for it, which is where the Samsung rivals answer back.
By DupeMap editorialUpdated Scored from published specs, not from testing
Of the 4 alternatives we mapped, the iPad (A16) matches the most of what the iPad Air 11" (M4) offers (94% DupeScore). The biggest list-price saving is the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, $349 (47%) below the iPad Air 11" (M4).
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The dupe map
Every stop is a cheaper way to get what the iPad Air 11" (M4) does. The % on each pin is how much of the iPad Air 11" (M4)’s published spec sheet it matches or beats.
What the % means: the share of the iPad Air 11" (M4)’s published specs an alternative matches or beats. 85% = it equals or beats the iPad Air 11" (M4) on 85% of what matters.
80%+ close match60–79% partialunder 60% looseHow we score →
Apple's own base iPad, $300 less: the same 10.86-inch, 264 ppi, 500-nit screen and the same 128 GB, 13 g heavier at 477 g. It works with Apple Pencil (USB-C) but not Apple Pencil Pro, and Apple does not publish its memory.
What’s the catch?
1 thing the iPad (A16) does worse than the iPad Air 11" (M4). Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Apple, so unproven: Memory (RAM).
Just as good on
Pixel density
Peak brightness
Base storage
Works with a pressure stylus
Apple does not publish Memory (RAM), so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
iPad Air 11" (M4)
iPad (A16)
Screen (diagonal)
10.86 in
10.86 in
Pixel density
264 ppi
264 ppi
Refresh rate
Not listed
Not listed
Peak brightness
500 nits
500 nits
Base storage
128 GB
128 GB
Memory (RAM)
12 GB
Not listed
Weight (Wi-Fi model)
464 g
477 g
Works with a pressure stylus
Yes
Yes
Stylus in the box
No
No
microSD slot
Not listed
Not listed
IP68 water and dust rated
Not listed
Not listed
Battery as listed
28.93 Wh, up to 10 hr web or video
28.93 Wh, up to 10 hr web or video
Spec source: www.apple.com
· list price checked Oct 7, 2026
The same 128 GB for $199 less, with an S Pen in the box, a microSD slot up to 2 TB, an IP68 rating, a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits against 500. The screen is 249 ppi against 264, memory is 8 GB against 12, and it is 33 g heavier at 497 g.
What’s the catch?
3 things the Galaxy Tab S10 FE does worse than the iPad Air 11" (M4). Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Beats the iPad Air 11" (M4) on
Peak brightness: 800 nits vs 500 nits
Stylus in the box
microSD slot
IP68 water and dust rated
Just as good on
Base storage
Works with a pressure stylus
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
iPad Air 11" (M4)
Galaxy Tab S10 FE
Screen (diagonal)
10.86 in
10.9 in
Pixel density
264 ppi
249 ppi
Refresh rate
Not listed
90 Hz
Peak brightness
500 nits
800 nits
Base storage
128 GB
128 GB
Memory (RAM)
12 GB
8 GB
Weight (Wi-Fi model)
464 g
497 g
Works with a pressure stylus
Yes
Yes
Stylus in the box
No
Yes
microSD slot
Not listed
Yes
IP68 water and dust rated
Not listed
Yes
Battery as listed
28.93 Wh, up to 10 hr web or video
8,000 mAh, up to 20 hr video
Spec source: www.samsung.com
· list price checked Oct 7, 2026
A bigger tablet for $49 less: a 13.2-inch screen against 10.86, 315 ppi against 264, 900 nits against 500, and twice the base storage at 256 GB, with the same 12 GB of memory and a 144Hz refresh rate. It is 211 g heavier at 675 g, and the Stylo 2 is sold separately, as Apple Pencil is.
What’s the catch?
1 thing the OnePlus Pad 3 does worse than the iPad Air 11" (M4). Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Beats the iPad Air 11" (M4) on
Pixel density: 315 ppi vs 264 ppi
Peak brightness: 900 nits vs 500 nits
Base storage: 256 GB vs 128 GB
Just as good on
Memory (RAM)
Works with a pressure stylus
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
iPad Air 11" (M4)
OnePlus Pad 3
Screen (diagonal)
10.86 in
13.2 in
Pixel density
264 ppi
315 ppi
Refresh rate
Not listed
144 Hz
Peak brightness
500 nits
900 nits
Base storage
128 GB
256 GB
Memory (RAM)
12 GB
12 GB
Weight (Wi-Fi model)
464 g
675 g
Works with a pressure stylus
Yes
Yes
Stylus in the box
No
No
microSD slot
Not listed
Not listed
IP68 water and dust rated
Not listed
Not listed
Battery as listed
28.93 Wh, up to 10 hr web or video
12,140 mAh, up to 18 hr video
Spec source: www.oneplus.com
· list price checked Oct 7, 2026
The cheapest here at $349 less: the same 128 GB, an S Pen in the box, a microSD slot and a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen is 228 ppi against 264 (computed from Samsung's resolution), memory is 6 GB against 12, it is 60 g heavier at 524 g, and Samsung publishes no brightness figure.
What’s the catch?
3 things the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite does worse than the iPad Air 11" (M4). Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Samsung, so unproven: Peak brightness.
Beats the iPad Air 11" (M4) on
Stylus in the box
microSD slot
Just as good on
Base storage
Works with a pressure stylus
Samsung does not publish Peak brightness, so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
iPad Air 11" (M4)
Galaxy Tab S10 Lite
Screen (diagonal)
10.86 in
10.9 in
Pixel density
264 ppi
228 ppi
Refresh rate
Not listed
90 Hz
Peak brightness
500 nits
Not listed
Base storage
128 GB
128 GB
Memory (RAM)
12 GB
6 GB
Weight (Wi-Fi model)
464 g
524 g
Works with a pressure stylus
Yes
Yes
Stylus in the box
No
Yes
microSD slot
Not listed
Yes
IP68 water and dust rated
Not listed
Not listed
Battery as listed
28.93 Wh, up to 10 hr web or video
8,000 mAh, up to 16 hr video
Spec source: www.samsung.com
· list price checked Oct 7, 2026
Better than the iPad Air 11" (M4) Worse Not listed by the maker
How this page was scored
An iPad is the tablet most people price first, and the Android rivals answer it on paper in a few specific places: more storage or memory for the base price, a sharper or brighter screen, a stylus in the box instead of sold separately, a microSD slot, and a water rating. What you give up is usually weight, and sometimes the screen.
Specs are weighted by how much they matter for a tablet. An alternative earns full credit for matching or beating the iPad Air 11" (M4) on a spec, a proportional share where it falls short, and half credit for a spec its maker does not list. Models that list too few specs to compare fairly are left off. Read the full method.
Savings use maker or named-retailer list prices on the date shown. Amazon prices, where shown, are labelled with the time they were fetched. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Rankings are computed, never soldOrder comes out of the DupeScore calculation. There is no sponsored slot, no pay-to-appear, and no brand has ever been given a say in where it lands.
Every number links to its sourceEach spec comes from the sheet the maker published, linked on the page, with the date the price was checked next to it.
We say what we do not knowA spec a maker never published is shown as not listed and scored at half credit. Nothing is estimated, guessed or filled in to make a table look complete.
Independent of every brand hereDupeMap is not owned by, funded by or affiliated with any brand on the map. No free samples, no briefings, no pre-publication review.
Questions people ask
What is the closest alternative to the iPad Air 11" (M4)?
On published specs, the Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) Wi-Fi 128GB scores 94% against the Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi 128GB.
What is the cheapest iPad Air 11" (M4) alternative?
By maker list price, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite 128GB Wi-Fi at $399.99 against $749 for the iPad Air 11" (M4) (checked Oct 7, 2026). Prices change; check the current price before buying.
Which iPad Air 11" (M4) alternative has the sharpest screen?
The OnePlus OnePlus Pad 3 12GB + 256GB, with 315 ppi against the iPad Air 11" (M4)'s 264 ppi.
Which iPad Air 11" (M4) alternative has the brightest screen?
The OnePlus OnePlus Pad 3 12GB + 256GB, with 900 nits against the iPad Air 11" (M4)'s 500 nits.
Which iPad Air 11" (M4) alternative is the lightest?
The Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) Wi-Fi 128GB, with 477 g. No alternative here beats the iPad Air 11" (M4)'s 464 g.
How is the iPad Air 11" (M4) DupeScore calculated?
Each alternative is scored on the specs Apple publishes for the iPad Air 11" (M4), weighted by how much they matter for a tablet. Matching or beating a spec earns full credit, falling short earns a proportional share, and a spec the rival does not list earns half. Refresh rate, microSD slot and IP68 water and dust rated are not listed for the iPad Air 11" (M4), so they are left out of the score.
Are these prices from Amazon?
The prices used for savings and scores are not: they are the maker's or a named retailer's list price on the date shown. Where an Amazon button shows a price, that one is Amazon's current price, labelled with the time it was fetched.
