Why this comparison comes up so often
Shopping for something to replace a notebook or read PDFs “at A4 size”? Headlines only give you screen inches—not whether a full page will feel comfortable. Putting paper you already know next to the device answers that faster than a spec sheet.
A4 paper vs a typical tablet body
A4 is 210 mm wide and 297 mm tall—the tall sheet you print on or write on. It is a bit more elongated than most tablet screens.
An 11-inch iPad Pro is noticeably shorter and narrower than A4. The 12.9″ / 13″ model gets much closer. That is why “11 inch” and “A4 sized” are not the same thing until you have seen them together.
Switch pairs in the chart above, or pick your phone on the Smartphones page and add A4, A5, Letter, or a card. Devices use published body sizes; paper uses everyday printer dimensions.
The inch on the box is not the whole device size
The inch on the box measures the screen diagonal. Paper sizes use the edge length—different rulers. Bezels and rounded corners also change how big the body feels.
Even a large tablet rarely matches A4 edge-to-edge inside a PDF—margins and a little scaling are normal. Look at width and height, not the single inch number on the box.
When lining them up helps
Mostly taking notes or marking up PDFs? Do not stop at “11 inch” or “12.9 inch”—line up the tablets you are considering next to A4 and see if a page feels comfortable. Care more about carrying it? Try iPad mini next to A5, about notebook size.
For phones, a large model next to a business card is the pocket check—width in millimetres means little until you see it beside something you carry every day.
Common pairs people open first
Same shortcuts as on the Paper page. Tap a card to open that pair on the home comparison tool.
- iPad Pro 11″ vs A4
The classic “is my note tablet as tall as printer paper?” pairing.
- iPad Pro 12.9″ vs A4
The big iPad Pro—the one reviews call “close to A4.”
- iPad mini vs A5
Small tablet vs A5—notepad-sized paper.
- Galaxy Tab S8 vs A4
Android tablet vs a sheet of A4—for PDFs and markup.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max vs business card
Pocket check: big phone vs a standard business card.
- Galaxy S24 Ultra vs A5
Large Android phone vs A5 notepad paper.
Compare your own phone or tablet
Close, but not your exact model? Try this:
- Find it on the Smartphones page—or start from any link on this guide.
- Switch to Paper in the picker and add A4, A5, Letter, or a card.
- Open the comparison view. Rotate items if you care about portrait notes vs landscape documents.
- Copy the link in your address bar so others see the same layout.
Browse more models in smartphones or the paper size chart, then open the home comparison tool.
FAQ
Is an iPad Pro the same size as A4 paper?
Not exactly. The 11″ model is shorter and narrower than A4; the 12.9″ / 13″ is much closer. The inch number is the screen—the metal body is what you compare to paper.
Can I compare US Letter instead of A4?
Yes. Letter is a bit shorter and slightly wider than A4. Choose it on the Paper page and pair it with any device on the home page.
Why compare a phone to a business card?
Both go in a pocket. A standard card gives you scale in a second when millimetres feel abstract—especially for large phones.
Does the chart show the screen or the device body?
The body—width, height, and thickness from the manufacturer when we have them. We do not draw the screen diagonal separately.
Can I compare more than two items at once?
Yes. You can add several phones, paper sizes, or even height references—handy for A4 and A5 together with one tablet.