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Buyer's Guide for the iPad Air 4 vs. iPad Air 3

Apple updated its iconic iPad Air in September 2020, adding a faster A14 Bionic processor, a wider display, USB-C, compatibility with the Magic Keyboard, a variety of colours, and a complete redesign.

While Apple is no longer selling the previous 3rd generation iPad Air from 2019, it continues to be readily available at third-party retailers. As the 2019 model varies markedly from the current iPad Air 4, it can be found at a slightly lower price.

What do these two iPad Air models have in common, and should you consider saving money by buying the older model? The question of how to determine which of these two generations is better for you is answered by our guide. Generally speaking, the iPad Air 4 is a big improvement over the iPad Air 3.

Comparing the iPad Air 2019 and the iPad Air 2020

Although both models have a slightly different design, more features are shared than you would expect. Apple lists the same characteristics of the two iPad Air generations:

Similarities

• Accessible in Space Grey and Silver
• With Real Tone LED-backlit Retina monitor
• 64-bit Bionic desktop-class chip with Neural Engine
• 7MP front-facing camera
• Dual speakers
• Compatible via Smart Connector with keyboards
• Apple Pencil compatible
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Up to 256GB storage
• Battery life of up to ten hours

The breakdown of Apple reveals that a number of core features are shared by the two generations. However, between the 2019 iPad Air and the 2020 iPad Air, there are a large range of major variations that are worth highlighting, including the design, the processor, and the rear camera.

Differences

2019 iPad Air (3rd generation)

• A 10.5-inch, 2224-by-1668 pixel Retina display.
• A12 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
• 1st generation Apple Pencil compliant
• Compatible with Smart Keyboard
• 8MP Wide rear camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture
• Live Photos
• Autofocus
• Auto HDR for photos
• Panorama (up to 43MP)
• Recording 1080p HD video at 30 fps
• Support for Slo-mo 720p video at 120 fps
• Video stabilization
• Tap when recording to concentrate
• Two-speaker audio
• Integrated fingerprint scanner into the Home button
• Wi‑Fi 5 with speeds up to 866Mb/s
• LTE (up to 28 bands) Gigabit-class
• Lightning connector
• Older style with the button for Home

2020 iPad Air (4th generation)

• 10.9 inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2360-by-1640
• A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
• Compatible with the Apple Pencil 2nd Generation
• Compatible with ‌Smart Keyboard‌ Folio and Magic Keyboard
• 12MP Wide rear camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture
• ‌Live Photos‌ with stabilization
• Autofocus with Focus Pixels
• Smart HDR for photos
• Panorama (up to 63MP)
• At 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 4 K video recording
• 1080p video support for Slo-mo at 120 fps or 240 fps
• Cinematic video stabilization
• Continuous autofocus video
• Two-speaker audio landscape mode
• Built-in fingerprint scanner on the top button
• Wi‑Fi 6 with speeds up to 1.2Gb/s
• Gigabit-class LTE (up to 30 bands)
• USB‑C
• New industrial design with squared-off sides, angled display corners, narrower bezels, and no Home button

Read on for a closer look at both of these items, and see just what the two most recent iPad Air generations have to bring.

Design and Authentication

With chamfered front edges, curved rear edges, a wide rectangular display, and a round Home button, the 2019 iPad Air mirrored the style of many iPads that came before it. The size and measurements are almost exactly the same as 2017's 10.5-inch iPad Pro, but this style of iPad design goes back as far as 2012's first-generation iPad mini. It is available in Silver , Gold, and Space Gray.

Following the concepts developed by the iPad Pro 2018, the 2020 iPad Air has adopted a completely new design. Squared-off edges and a larger display element in the new industrial design, with a slimmer, even bezel around the edge and curved corners. The new iPad Air also comes in a variety of colours, such as Silver and Space Gray, as well as Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue. Since the iPad Air 2020 has no home button to allow the display to stretch on all sides, for the first time, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner has been moved to the top button.

The architecture of the 2020 iPad Air is much more modern and will age much better than that of the 2019 iPad Air, which when it arrived last year already seemed slightly outdated. If you are a fan of the variety of colours and industrial design of the iPad Air 4, it will certainly be worth getting the newer edition. The older iPad Air will be perfectly usable if the design is not so important to you, or maybe you are happier with the more "modern" iPad design with a Home button.

Since the older version is drastically different from that of the current 2020 iPad Air and will possibly not age well since it is already eight years old, it is difficult to suggest the design-based iPad Air 2019. Using the current preferred design language of Apple simply makes it feel like a much more modern device with the new iPad Air.

Display

With Multi-Touch, IPS technology, and True Sound, the 2019 iPad Air has a 2224x1668 10.5-inch LED-backlit Retina display. A Multi-Touch, IPS, and True Tone 2360x1640 10.9-inch LED-backlit is eligible for the 2020 iPad Air. Although a slightly larger monitor is available for the newer model, the displays themselves are still very similar. They both have a maximum luminosity of 500 nits, a wide colour of P3 and 264 pixels per inch.

The curved corners of the 2020 iPad Air monitor would possibly be a more visible difference than the small rise in height. If you want or believe that curved corners are more aesthetically appealing on the largest possible screen on an iPad Air, then there is no question that you should get the newer model. However, the disparity between the two displays is insignificant for most individuals and the older model would suffice.

A12 vs. A14

While both processors are 64-bit Bionic desktop-class chips with Neural Engines, the A14 chip sees a major performance and efficiency leap in the 2020 iPad Air. Since the 2020 iPad Air skips the A13 to include the new A14 processor, also introduced on the iPhone 12, the processor is one of the fourth-generation iPad Air's key advantages.

Early presumed benchmarks indicate that the A14 is a 6-core processor with a memory base frequency of 2.99GHz and 3.66 GB, achieving a single-core score of 1,583 and a multi-core score of 4,198.

This is markedly greater than the A13 Bionic's 1,336 in single-core and 3,569 in multi-core. The A14 performs better than the A12Z in single-core at 1,118 and marginally lower than in multi-core at 4,564, compared to the A12Z processor from the 2020 iPad Pro. However, compared with the A12X, the A12Z has an extra GPU heart. These early benchmarks show that the A14 in the 2019 iPad Air has major performance enhancements over the A12.

Apple claims there is a "next-generation" 16-core Neural Engine for the A14 Bionic chip that delivers 11 trillion operations per second, more than twice as many as the A12. There are new-to-mobile accelerators that are said to offer up to 10 times better performance in machine learning. Improved image signal processing is also available and it is the first commercial chip with a 5 nm process to be manufactured. This combination of the latest Neural Engine, CPU machine learning accelerators and high-performance GPU allows image recognition, natural language learning, motion detection, and more to provide powerful on-device experiences.

The A12 is still a very capable processor, however. Compared with its predecessor, the 2019 iPad Air offers a 70 percent improvement in performance and twice the graphics capability. The A12 also has the Neural Engine, which uses advanced machine learning and Core ML for AR interactions, photo-realistic effects in 3D games, and excellent graphics output to power the next generation of applications and 'iPad' workflows. It is extremely doubtful that users would find the performance of the A12 disappointing in any way.

Nonetheless, in the current iPad Air, the big performance improvements of missing a chip generation give a highly persuasive argument to get the newer edition.

Cameras and Audio

The camera is another field of major divergence between the two versions of the iPad Air. The 2019 iPad Air features an 8MP wide rear camera with an aperture of ⁇ /2.4, facilitating up to 43MP for Live Images, autofocus, auto HDR, panorama. The 2020 iPad Air features a big 12MP rear camera with a ⁇ /1.8 aperture and provides stabilisation, autofocus with Focus Pixels, Smart HDR, and panorama up to 63MP for Live Images. In the high-end iPad Pro, this is the same rear camera configuration that is found.

For video, with video stabilisation, the 2019 iPad Air can capture 1080p HD video at 30 fps, 720p slo-mo video at 120 fps, and tap to focus while recording. The 2020 model will capture 4 K video at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps, with cinematic video stabilisation and continuous autofocus, or slo-mo video at 1080p and 240 fps.

The camera capabilities of the iPad Air 4 are much more fully featured than its predecessor, but for many iPad users, the camera appears to be a less significant feature. If your iPad is used as a viewfinder or for videography, the

 Improvements to the camera and added functionality of the 2020 iPad Air are possibly not worthwhile compared to the previous edition.

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 5 with speeds of up to 866Mb / s and gigabit-class LTE with up to 28 bands is enabled by the iPad Air 3. On the other side, Wi-Fi 6 with speeds up to 1.2Gb / s and gigabit-class LTE with up to 30 bands is enabled by the iPad Air 4. Although these wireless communication changes are limited, they make the newer iPad Air a model that is more future-proof.

The iPad Air 3 uses the Lightning connector, while the iPad Air 4 uses the much more powerful USB-C for data transfer of up to 5 Gbps. If you plan to use your iPad Air for work and benefit from the ability to connect external screens, USB thumb drives, external hard drives, SD cards, wired ethernet, and more, the unparalleled ability will be offered by the USB-C connector of the new iPad Air. Alternatively, USB-C is not likely to open up any more features for you if your iPad Air 4 is solely for media use, so the older model would be sufficient. The Lightning connector continues to be used by Apple on many of its products, so it is not yet a redundant port, but the USB-C is clearly more flexible.

Accessories

While all iPad Air versions support the Apple Pencil, the second generation Apple Pencil is supported by the newer model, while the first generation Apple Pencil is supported by the 2019 iPad Air. To charge, the first generation must be wired to the Lightning port, but the second generation Apple Pencil charges wirelessly on the side of the iPad Air via a magnetic link. 4. The Apple Pencil of the second generation can also be stored here, while the Apple Pencil of the first generation can not be added for storage to the iPad.

The iPad Air 4 is compatible with the Magic Keyboard and 'Smart Keyboard' Folio for productivity. Only the Smart Keyboard is compatible with the iPad Air 3. Compatibility with the Magic Keyboard makes the 2020 iPad Air much more of a serious working computer with its floating nature, built-in trackpad, pass-through USB-C charging, and full-sized scissor mechanism keys with optimised travel.

The 2019 iPad Air is adequate for light Apple Pencil or keyboard use, but the hardware enhancements of the second-generation Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard allow for a substantially more polished experience. The newer iPad Air is the obvious alternative if you intend to use one of these accessories.

Other iPad Options

You may want to consider the eighth-generation iPad if you are a first-time iPad-buyer, on a budget, or only have limited needs. In reality, many of the features of the iPad Air 3 are identical to the new iPad, such as the A12 processor, design, smart keyboard support, and Apple Pencil support of the first generation. The iPad is a budget offering, starting at just $329, and if you are looking for the cheapest possible iPad or are just a light user, the standard iPad can satisfy your needs better than the iPad Air.

Alternatively, you might want to consider the iPad Pro if you wish to use the' iPad Air' for work, such as graphic design or video editing. The iPad Pro is a higher-end computer with its high refresh-rate ProMotion display, excellent graphics efficiency, "studio-quality" mics, quad-speaker configuration, True Tone flash, and LiDAR scanner. If you are still leaning towards the 2020 iPad Air, what the higher-end model has to offer will be worth considering.

Which iPad Air Should You Buy?

In almost every region, the iPad Air 4 enhances the iPad Air 3 and is a significant upgrade. The iPad Air 4 makes the Magic Keyboard communication and USB-C a powerful productivity machine and a viable substitute for laptops. The 2020 iPad Air will be the go-to option for most iPad customers with the new A14 chip, larger display and industrial design. The cumulative impact of the multitude of changes to the iPad Air 2020 is that it is substantially more future-proof, and is likely to be as persuasive in years to come.

As the iPad Air 4 is a fully featured and updated unit, the older 2019 model is extremely difficult to recommend. If the $599 starting price of the iPad Air 4 is out of your range, you can consider the older iPad Air 3 only, and even then, the regular eighth-generation iPad could be a more cost-effective offering for those customers. Otherwise, for an all-round package with noteworthy improvements in almost every region, most clients should purchase the new iPad Air.