iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen

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Swappasaurus

Swappasaurus says...

Apple released the iPad Air (1st gen) in November 2013, and released the iPad Air (4th gen) in October 2020. The iPad Air (4th gen) has several notable improvements over the original iPad Air (1st gen). Improvements include a new exterior design with new colors, a 10.9” Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an Apple A14 Bionic chip, Touch ID in the power button, USB-C, and more.

Price Comparison

iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen Pricing

iPad Air prices start at $37, which is cheaper than the iPad Air 4th Gen low price of $216.

Specs Comparison

The iPad Air (1st gen) features include a 9.7” Retina display, an Apple A7 chip, up to 128GB of storage, a Lightning connector, a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front, and a 5MP wide-angle camera on the back. To compare, the iPad Air (4th gen) specs include a 10.9” Liquid Retina display with True Tone technology, an Apple A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine, up to 256GB of storage, landscape stereo speakers, USB-C, a 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front, and a 12MP wide-angle camera on the back. The 4th gen iPad Air also features Touch ID in the top power button and supports the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, Apple Magic Keyboard, and the Smart Keyboard Folio.

Size

Measurements for the iPad Air (1st gen) are as follows: 9.4” (H) x 6.6” (W) x 0.29” (D), with the WiFi-only model weighing 1 pound. The WiFi + Cellular iPad Air (1st gen) weighs 1.05 pounds. In comparison, the measurements for the iPad Air (4th gen) are as follows: 9.74” (H) x 7.02” (W) x 0.24” (D), with the WiFi-only model weighing 1 pound. The WiFi + Cellular iPad Air (4th gen) weighs 1.01 pounds. The iPad Air (1st gen) has a 9.7” display size, and the iPad Air (4th gen) has a 10.9” display size.

Size and Weight: iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen
Size iPad Air 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

Camera

The iPad Air (1st gen) has a 5MP wide-angle camera on the back and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front. In comparison, the iPad Air (4th gen) has a 12MP wide-angle camera on the back and a 7MP FaceTime HD camera on the front.

Cameras: iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen
Camera iPad Air iPad Air 4th Gen
Primary 12.0 MP
Resolution 4000x3000

Screen

The iPad Air (1st gen) has a 9.7-inch LED-backlit multi-touch Retina display with IPS technology. Features for the 1st gen iPad Air display include a native resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 264 pixels per inch, an SDR max brightness of 400 nits, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. In comparison, the iPad Air (4th gen) has a 10.9-inch LED-backlit multi-touch Retina display with IPS technology. Features for the 4th gen iPad Air display include a native resolution of 2360 x 1640 at 264 pixels per inch, an SDR max brightness of 500 nits, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. Additional features for the 4th gen iPad Air display include True Tone, wide color (P3), a fully laminated display, and an anti-reflective coating.

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

Battery

The iPad Air (1st gen) is powered by an 8,820 mAh battery and the iPad Air (4th gen) is powered by a 7,540 mAh battery. The battery capacities of the 1st gen and 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 iPad Air (1st gen) uses the Lightning connector paired with a Lightning to USB charging cable, and the iPad Air (4th gen) uses the USB-C connector paired with a USB-C charging cable.

Battery and Charging: iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen
Battery iPad Air iPad Air 4th Gen
Capacity mAh 7526 mAh
Longevity hours 9 hours
USB USB-C

Processing

Processing: iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen
Processor iPad Air iPad Air 4th Gen
CPU Apple A14 Bionic APL1001 / APL1W01

Color Choices

iPad Air

Available in 2 colors:

  • Gray
  • Silver

iPad Air 4th Gen

Available in 5 colors:

  • Gray
  • Green
  • Rose Gold
  • Silver
  • Sky Blue

iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen Colors

The iPad Air (1st gen) is available in Space Gray and Silver. The Space Gray model has a black bezel on the front and the Silver model has a white bezel on the front. In comparison, the iPad Air (4th gen) is available in Space Gray, Silver, Rose Gold, Sky Blue, and Green.

Storage Options

iPad Air

Choose from 4 storage options:

  • 16GB
  • 32GB
  • 64GB
  • 128GB

iPad Air 4th Gen

Choose from 2 storage options:

  • 64GB
  • 256GB

iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen Storage

Storage options for the iPad Air (1st gen) include 16GB, 32GB, and 128GB. The storage options for the iPad Air (4th gen) include 64GB and 256GB.

Reviews

iPad Air

9 reviews 4.6 stars

iPad Air 4th Gen

28 reviews 5.0 stars

iPad Air vs iPad Air 4th Gen Reviews

Users rate the iPad Air with 4.6 stars, compared to the iPad Air 4th Gen with 5.0 of 5.0 stars.

More Comparisons


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