In addition to the new 8th generation iPad Apple also introduced the new iPad Air. This offers Touch ID without a home button, a 10,9 inch display, up to 256 GB of storage and a USB-C connection. In addition, the tablet equipped with the A14 Bionic Chip is compatible with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil. Of course, the corresponding new features of iPadOS 14 come into play here. Further technical details and important information as well as pictures and the price of the device can be found in this post.
Chapter in this post:
Apple iPad Air (2020) specifications
The new Apple iPad Air represents the 4th generation of this model series. The 3rd generation came on the market in March 2019, brought a home button and only supported the first version of the Apple Pencil. Since then the specs have changed significantly. The A12 Bionic Chip is no longer used, but the newly introduced A14 Bionic Chip. All important technical data from the iPad Air data sheet for 2020 can be found in the following list:
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Model: iPad Air (4th Gen)
- Device type: tablet computer
- Dimensions: 24,8 x 17,9 x 0,61 cm
- Weight: 458 g (Wi-Fi model) or 460 g (Wi-Fi + Cellular model)
- Display diagonal: 10,9 inches (27,69 cm)
- Display resolution: 2.360. x 1.640 pixels @ 264 ppi
- Internal storage: 64 GB or 256 GB
- System on chip: A14 bionic chip
- Apple Pencil compatible: yes, with the 2st generation
- Main camera (rear): 12 MP with ƒ / 1.8 aperture, various photo and video modes
- Video recording (main camera): 4K with 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, 1080p at 30 fps or 60 fps, slow motion in 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps
- FaceTime camera (selfie cam): 7 MP with ƒ / 2.0 aperture, Smart HDR, various modes
- Video recording (FaceTime camera): 1080p videos
- Operating system: iPadOS 14
- Sensors: Touch ID, 3-axis gyro sensor, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor
- WLAN: in all models 802.11ax WLAN 6, simultaneous dual band (2,4 GHz and 5 GHz)
- Bluetooth: in all models Bluetooth 5.0
- Cellular: in Wi-Fi + Cellular models with UMTS / HSPA / HSPA + / DC ‑ HSDPA, GSM / EDGE and LTE (only data and WLAN calls, no cellular telephony)
- SIM format: Nano-SIM and eSIM
- Physical interface: USB-C
- Scope of delivery: iPad Air, USB-C charging cable (1 m), 20W USB-C power adapter
- Price: from 632,60 euros (see below)
- More info: Apple press release
iPad Air (2020) - price depending on version
The price of an iPad always depends on two factors: cellular compatibility and storage capacity. With the iPad Air from September 2020 described here, there is the option of cellular or exclusive WiFi use as well as two different storage sizes. This results in the following prices:
Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + Cellular | |
64 GB memory | 632,60 € | 769,10 € |
256 GB memory | 798,35 € | 934,80 € |
Comparison of iPad (8th Gen) and iPad Air (4th Gen)
One might think that the iPad Air is a “light” and therefore slimmed-down version of the iPad. But that's not true. Rather, the iPad is the entry-level model for anyone who wants to use an iPad but doesn't want to spend too much money on it. With the current version, the iPad Air has become the budget version of the Pro series. This is also clear in a direct comparison of the two iPads presented on Tuesday.
iPad (8th gen) | iPad Air (4th gen) | |
Display diagonal | 10,2 inches (25,91 cm) | 10,9 inches (27,69 cm) |
System on Chip | A12 Bionic from 2018 | A14 Bionic from 2020 |
Internal memory | 32 GB or 128 GB | 64 GB or 256 GB |
Physical interface | lightning | USB-C |
Cameras | 1080p / 720p | 4K/1080p |
Pencil compatibility | 1. generation | 2. generation |
Bluetooth | 4.2 | 5.0 |
WiFi | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11ax WLAN 6 |
Weight | 490 g or 495 g | 458 g or 460 g |
touch ID | in the home button | in the power button |
The new A14 Bionic Chip as a mobile "Apple Silicon"
The new A14 Bionic chip will certainly also be installed in the upcoming iPhone 12 models. If they had been part of the September 2020 keynote, the new SoC would certainly have been presented in conjunction with them. But the iPad Air was used for the presentation. In addition to pro-video components for 4K video editing on the tablet, there is a low power design, a highly efficient audio processor, a 40% faster one CPU, 30% faster graphics performance, etc.
Thanks to the 5 nm technology, 11,8 billion transistors are used. These enable an incredible number of operations at the same time and implement machine learning on a new level. The Neural Engine also has 16 cores, the CPU works with 6 cores and the GPU with 4 cores. The A14 Bionic Chip also includes a secure enclave, a performance controller for best performance and much more.
The Apple iPad Air (2020) in the video
Apple has an illustration of the new iPad Air Video released. This was also part of the special event that I gave you summarized at this point have. In addition to the two iPad models, the most important ones played Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple WatchSE a role. There were also the two new subscription services “Fitness +” and “Apple One”. For the time being, however, these are rather uninteresting for users in Germany.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_VSll0WLZE
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After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.