iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 4th Gen

Name: Apple iPad Air 2
Brand: Apple
SKU: apple-ipad-air-2
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.0 (55 reviews)

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Guide

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Swappasaurus says...

The second-generation iPad Air was released in October 2014, and the fourth-generation iPad Air was released in October 2020. Key differences between the second and fourth-generation iPad Air are a larger and higher-resolution display, a newer and more powerful processor, a better camera system, and better accessory support on the fourth-generation iPad Air.

Price Comparison

iPad Air 2

Low price:

$61

Avg price:

$98

How much does iPad Air 2 cost?

iPad Air 4th Gen

Low price:

$198

Avg price:

$294

What's the best iPad Air 4th Gen price?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 4th Gen Pricing

iPad Air 2 prices start at $61, which is cheaper than the iPad Air 4th Gen low price of $198.

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Specs Comparison

The iPad Air (2nd gen) specs include a 9.7” Retina display, an Apple A8X chip, up to 128GB of storage, a Lightning connector, Touch ID in the home button, stereo speakers, an 8MP wide-angle rear camera, and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera. To compare, the iPad Air (4th gen) specs include a 10.9” Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an Apple A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, up to 256GB of storage, USB-C, Touch ID in the top power button, landscape stereo speakers, a 12MP wide-angle rear camera, and a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera. The 4th gen iPad Air also supports more accessories, including the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, Apple Smart Keyboard Folio, and the Apple Magic Keyboard.

Size

Size	iPad Air 2	iPad Air 4th Gen
Width		179 mm 7.0 inches
Height		248 mm 9.8 inches
Depth		6 mm 0.2 inches
Weight		460 g 16.2 ounces

The iPad Air (2nd gen) measurements are as follows: 9.4” (H) x 6.6” (W) x 0.24” (D), and the iPad Air (4th gen) measurements are as follows: 9.74” (H) x 7.02” (W) x 0.24” (D). The WiFi-only 2nd gen iPad Air weighs 0.96 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.98 pounds. In comparison, the WiFi-only 4th gen iPad Air weighs 1.0 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 1.01 pounds. The 2nd gen iPad Air has a 9.7” display size and the 4th gen iPad Air has a 10.9” display size.

Camera

Camera	iPad Air 2	iPad Air 4th Gen
Primary		12.0 MP
Resolution		4000x3000

The iPad Air (2nd gen) has a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front and an 8MP wide-angle camera on the back. In comparison, the iPad Air (4th gen) has a 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front and a 12MP wide-angle camera on the back.

Screen

Display	iPad Air 2	iPad Air 4th Gen
Resolution		1640x2360
Screen Size		276 mm 10.9 in
Pixels Per Inch	ppi	264 ppi

The iPad Air (2nd gen) features a 9.7-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch. This display supports an SDR max brightness of 400 nits, is fully laminated, and has an anti-reflective coating and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. To compare, the iPad Air (4th gen) features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and a resolution of 2360 x 1640 at 264 pixels per inch. The 4th gen iPad Air display supports an SDR max brightness of 500 nits, is fully laminated, and has an anti-reflective coating and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

Battery

Battery	iPad Air 2	iPad Air 4th Gen
Capacity	mAh	7526 mAh
Longevity	hours	9 hours
USB		USB-C

The 2nd gen iPad Air is powered by a 27.3-watt-hour battery and the 4th gen iPad Air is powered by a 28.6-watt-hour battery. The battery capacities of the 2nd gen and the 4th gen iPad Air allow for up to 10 hours of battery life when on WiFi or up to 9 hours of battery life when on cellular. The 2nd gen iPad Air charges via the Lightning connector paired with a Lightning to USB charging cable, and the 4th gen iPad Air charges via the USB-C connector paired with a USB-C charging cable.

Processing

Processor	iPad Air 2	iPad Air 4th Gen
CPU		Apple A14 Bionic APL1001 / APL1W01

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Color Choices

iPad Air 2

Available in 3 colors:

Gold
Gray
Silver

Which iPad Air 2 color should you buy?

iPad Air 4th Gen

Available in 5 colors:

Gray
Green
Rose Gold
Silver
Sky Blue

Which color iPad Air 4th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 4th Gen Colors

The iPad Air 2 introduces four new colors not found in the iPad Air 4th Gen color palette: Gray, Green, Rose Gold, and Sky Blue. Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air 4th Gen share one color: Silver. However, the iPad Air 2 does away with Gold and Gray, previously seen on the iPad Air 4th Gen.

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The iPad Air (2nd gen) is available in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. The Space Gray model has a black bezel on the front and the Silver and Gold models have a white bezel on the front. The iPad Air (4th gen) is available in a wide variety of colors, which include Space Gray, Silver, Rose Gold, Sky Blue, and Green.

Storage Options

iPad Air 2

Choose from 4 storage options:

16GB
32GB
64GB
128GB

Which iPad Air 2 storage should I buy?

iPad Air 4th Gen

Choose from 2 storage options:

64GB
256GB

Which storage iPad Air 4th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 4th Gen Storage

The iPad Air 4th Gen introduces one new storage option not found on the iPad Air 2: 256GB. Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air 4th Gen share one storage option: 64GB. However, the iPad Air 4th Gen does not have options for 32GB, 128GB, and 16GB, as seen on the iPad Air 2.

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The iPad Air (2nd gen) and the iPad Air (4th gen) are available with 64GB of storage space. The iPad Air (2nd gen) is also available in 16GB and 128GB storage configurations and the iPad Air (4th gen) is also available in a 256GB storage configuration.