iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 5th Gen

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

Guide

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Guide

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Swappasaurus says...

Apple released the iPad Air (2nd gen) in October 2014 and released the iPad Air (5th gen) in March 2022. The 5th gen iPad Air is improved in almost every aspect as compared to the 2nd gen iPad Air. Key specs for the iPad Air (5th gen) include a 10.9” Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an Apple M1 chip, up to 256GB of storage, USB-C, and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle front camera with support for Center Stage.

Price Comparison

iPad Air 2

Low price:

$51

Avg price:

$96

How much does iPad Air 2 cost?

iPad Air 5th Gen

Low price:

$300

Avg price:

$418

What's the best iPad Air 5th Gen price?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 5th Gen Pricing

iPad Air 2 prices start at $51, which is cheaper than the iPad Air 5th Gen low price of $300.

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Specs Comparison

Key specs for the 2nd generation iPad Air 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 key specs for the 5th generation iPad Air include a 10.9” Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an Apple M1 chip, 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 12MP FaceTime HD front camera with Center Stage. The 5th gen iPad Air also supports 5G connectivity on the cellular model, and more accessories, including the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, Apple Smart Keyboard Folio, and the Apple Magic Keyboard.

Size

Measurements for the iPad Air (2nd gen) are 9.4” (H) x 6.6” (W) x 0.24” (D), and the measurements for the iPad Air (5th gen) are 9.74” (H) x 7.02” (W) x 0.24” (D). The iPad Air (2nd gen) features a 9.7” display size and the iPad Air (5th gen) features a 10.9” display size. The weight varies slightly by model. The WiFi-only iPad Air (2nd gen) weighs 0.96 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 0.98 pounds. In comparison, the WiFi-only iPad Air (5th gen) weighs 1.02 pounds and the WiFi + Cellular model weighs 1.02 pounds.

Camera

The iPad Air (2nd gen) has an 8MP wide-angle camera on the back and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front. The iPad Air (5th gen) has a 12MP wide-angle camera on the back and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the front. The 5th gen iPad Air front camera also supports Center Stage.

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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 5th Gen

Available in 5 colors:

Blue
Gray
Pink
Purple
Starlight

Which color iPad Air 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 5th Gen Colors

The iPad Air 2 introduces four new colors not found in the iPad Air 5th Gen color palette: Blue, Starlight, Pink, and Purple. Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air 5th Gen share one color: Gray. However, the iPad Air 2 does away with Silver and Gold, previously seen on the iPad Air 5th Gen.

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The iPad Air (2nd gen) is available in three colors and the iPad Air (5th gen) is available in five colors. The colors for the 2nd gen iPad Air include 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 colors for the 5th gen iPad Air include Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue.

Storage Options

iPad Air 2

Choose from 4 storage options:

16GB
32GB
64GB
128GB

Which iPad Air 2 storage should I buy?

iPad Air 5th Gen

Choose from 2 storage options:

64GB
256GB

Which storage iPad Air 5th Gen is the most popular?

iPad Air 2 vs iPad Air 5th Gen Storage

The iPad Air 5th Gen introduces one new storage option not found on the iPad Air 2: 256GB. Both the iPad Air 2 and iPad Air 5th Gen share one storage option: 64GB. However, the iPad Air 5th 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) is available with options for 16GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage space, and the iPad Air (5th gen) is available with options for 64GB or 256GB of storage space.