[ad_1]
9to5Mac is featured by Concepts App. Draw and design your ideas on an infinite canvas with flexible vector ink. Available on iPad and iPhone. Try it for free.
Apple announced the new iPad Air at its September event alongside Apple Watch Series 6. It’s scheduled to arrive in October and comes with a new full-screen design like the iPad Pro and ditches the home button. And with a more affordable price plus the latest ultra-fast A14 processor and more, it looks like the 2020 iPad Air will offer a lot for your money. Follow along as we dive into a detailed comparison of the iPad Air 2020 to the iPad Pro 2020, as well as the iPad Air 2019.
Since 2018, the iPad Pro has set itself apart from the rest of the iPad lineup with a sleek full-screen design, Face ID instead of the home button, USB-C, the fastest processors, bigger screens, and more. But naturally, all those high-end features have made the iPad Pro the most expensive tablets in Apple’s lineup.
The 2020 iPad Air (4th gen) flips all of that around, as the mid-range iPad gets most of the premium features of the iPad Pro at a very attractive starting price of $ 599. Very remarkably, for the moment at least. , the iPad Air 2020 will also have the most powerful processor with the A14, while the iPad Pro 2020 uses the A12Z.
To make it easier to compare it to the 11-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air 2019, we have placed the iPad Air 2020 in the center column in the charts below. And if you’re looking for the $ 329 iPad mini or 8th-gen iPad, you probably already know that you’re not getting the latest tech from Apple.
IPad Air 2020 comparison
Processor, storage, hardware
Apple’s newest chip debuting on an iPad is the second time we’ve seen this happen since the iPad 2 got the A5 processor before the iPhone 4S. And of course it also puts the iPad Pro in a fun position, as the iPad Air will have a faster processor, at least for a period of time.
The A14 is Apple’s first chip built on the 5nm process and the company says it “features a new 6-core design for a 40 percent increase in CPU performance and a new 4-core graphics architecture for a 30 percent improvement in graphics. ” Meanwhile, the new 16-core neural engine is said to be 2x faster and the new machine learning accelerators are expected to deliver 10x faster performance.
Other notable hardware changes include Touch ID moving to the top button to allow for a full-screen layout, while skipping Face ID helps keep the price down. It’s also great to see USB-C on the iPad Air like the Pro, which offers more flexibility with peripherals.
The iPad Air 2020 also offers second-generation Apple Pencil support and also works with the popular Magic Keyboard that previously only worked with iPad Pro.
We haven’t heard for sure what the RAM will be in the 2020 iPad Air, but it’s likely more than the 3GB found in its predecessor. We don’t think a couple of GB less RAM compared to the iPad Pro should keep you from choosing the iPad Air and again the A14 chip is on the mend.
Storage sizes for the iPad Air are more limited than the iPad Pro, maxing out at 256GB, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most people (an external drive can always be used). Don’t forget that the iPad Air 2020 is distinguished by the fact that you have five great colors to choose from.
Monitor
Another example of how the iPad Air catches up with the iPad Pro is the display. The 2020 Air comes with a nearly identical panel size, 10.9 inches versus 11 inches on the Pro with nearly identical resolutions.
You’re only really missing two fine details, the Pro has an additional 100 nits brightness and a ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate. You probably won’t notice the difference in brightness unless you use your iPad a lot in direct sunlight. And as for ProMotion, if you haven’t had it by now, you should be fine without it. That’s not to say that smooth scrolling and other ways the ProMotion pays for itself aren’t pleasant, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most users.
Cameras
There are several differences between the camera setups on the iPad Air and the iPad Pro. Specifically, you get an ultra-wide lens, a LiDAR scanner, and a flash for rear shooters with the Pro.
However, you’re still getting a very capable rear camera on the iPad Air 2020 that can record 4K video and slo-mo at 1080p, as well as the same FaceTime camera that came with the iPad Pro. And how much are you actually going to use the LiDAR scanner? , ultrawide and flash on an iPad anyway?
Size, weight, battery life
As you can imagine, Apple kept all these specs like weight and battery life. The new iPad Air still weighs just a pound with 10 hours of battery life. The dimensions have been slightly modified and are almost identical to the 11-inch iPad Pro.
Configurations and prices
The new iPad Air brings all of its impressive improvements with a starting price of $ 599. That’s just a $ 100 premium over the 2019 iPad Air. And on top of the regular 2020 iPad Pro list prices, you’re saving between $ 150 and $ 220 depending on the configuration of the iPad Air 2020.
As mentioned above, the iPad Air 2020 doesn’t match all the storage options the iPad Pro offers, but 256GB is a solid amount and you can always use an external drive if needed (easier now with USB-C and iPadOS 14 ).
Wrap
There’s no question that the iPad Air will get you a lot for your money, and for now it packs Apple’s fastest processor in a mobile device. The question of which iPad to choose probably comes down to a few questions.
If an ultrawide camera and LiDAR aren’t a big deal, you don’t need more than 256GB of built-in storage, the ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate is not a necessity and it’s good with Touch ID on the top button vs. Face ID, the iPad. Air 2020 is the clear choice.
If you’re hesitant about losing out on those features you can get with the iPad Pro, narrow down which ones are really important to you and ask yourself if they’re worth $ 200. I think for most people, the iPad Pro will be hard to justify until we see the one. Next-gen model that could introduce more features to differentiate the iPad line in a more meaningful way or until you find a great deal.
9to5Mac is featured by Concepts App. Draw and design your ideas on an infinite canvas with flexible vector ink. Available on iPad and iPhone. Try it for free.
FTC: We use income generating automobile affiliate links. Plus.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more news from Apple:
