If you’ve been waiting impatiently to buy the new iPad Air, preorders for the 4th-gen device are now open, alongside those for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. You can place your order today, and receive your iPad a week later, on October 23. Apple first announced the new model a month ago.
The 4th-gen iPad Air is probably the model most people should be buying …
It not only updates the form factor to virtually the same as the iPad Pro – with the Home button removed in favor of slim bezels all around – but it also shares many of the same features as the more expensive Pro. Here’s where the new Air matches the Pro features:
- Screen size almost identical (10.9-inch versus 11-inch)
- Better chip than the Pro (A14 versus A12Z)
- Same compatibility with Magic Keyboard and 2nd-gen Apple Pencil
- USB-C
- Fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating
- Same 264ppi pixel density
- P3 color gamut
- True Tone
- 12MP wide camera with f/1.8 aperture
- Auto-focus with Focus Pixels
- Smart HDR
- 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
- Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
- 7MP front camera
- 1080p video with front camera
The Pro does still retain some extra features over the new Air, but not that many:
- Up to 1TB storage (Air: 256GB)
- Ultra-wide camera
- Brighter True Tone flash
- 600 nits typical maximum brightness (Air: 500 nits)
- ProMotion
- Portrait Mode on front camera
- Animoji and Memoji
- Four speakers (Air: Two)
- Face ID (Air: Touch ID in power button)
- LiDAR scanner
If you’re still not sure whether to upgrade from the 2019 model, you can find a three-way comparison here.
Wi-Fi models of iPad Air are available from $599, while cellular models start at $729. You can choose between 64GB and 256GB storage, and five colors: silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue.
You can buy the new iPad Air today for delivery on October 23 at apple.com.
