Published On: Tue, Sep 15th, 2020

The new iPad Air makes Apple’s tablet lineup messier by outshining the iPad Pro

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Apple favors simplicity, and nowhere is that more apparent — other than product design — than in the company’s product lineups. But the newly announced iPad Air, which now features a screen identical to that of the pricier Pro with the added benefit of being the only device so far to carry the new A14 Bionic processor, is further complicating what was once the company’s most elegant product lineup.

The iPad lineup used to be simple: you wanted the big one or the little one, and then you had to choose how much storage and maybe pick a color. But starting with the introduction of the Smart Keyboard and the ill-fated 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 2016, the iPad lineup began to bloat.

As of last spring, there were five different models of iPad, spanning two different connector types (Lightning versus USB-C) and even two different types of digital stylus, as the updated Apple Pencil only worked on newer Apple tablets. That remains true today.

Now, with the reimagined iPad Air, which Apple only reintroduced into its lineup alongside the refreshed iPad mini about 18 months ago, it’s gotten even more confusing. The primary question today is: why buy an iPad Pro? The Pro used to carry certain privileges, like being able to use the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil while enjoying a prettier bezel-less display.

But nearly all of those benefits, save the higher refresh rate 120Hz screen on the post-2018 iPad Pro models and Face ID, are available on the new Air. The Air also starts much cheaper at $599 compared to the iPad Pro 11-inch’s $799 price tag, and it boasts a faster processor with the A14. Tech enthusiasts were quick to take notice.

We haven’t tested the A14 Bionic chip yet, and it’s too early to say if it’s going to offer the iPad Air a huge enough leap over the current-gen iPad Pro models to create a noticeable performance gap. Apple only says the iPad Air’s new chip gives it 40 percent performance improvement over the prior iPad Air, and it’s worth noting that the A14 Bionic is a 6-core chip while the A12Z Bionic is an 8-core one with specific benefits toward computer-like use. But given that these new chips are likely to go into the next-gen iPhones, it’s safe to say the A14 Bionic will be an upgrade over the A12 series.

So if you’re shopping for a new iPad, it’s important to take note of what you do get when buying the 11-inch or 12.9-inch Pro versus the new Air. It’s also a good idea to check what compromises you make by scaling down to the standard iPad, which saw a refresh today as well, or even last year’s fifth-gen iPad mini. Here’s how all of the specs break down:

Current iPad model comparison (September 2020)

Category 12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th-gen) 11-inch iPad Pro (2nd-gen) iPad Air (4th-gen) iPad (8th-gen) iPad mini (5th-gen)
Category 12.9-inch iPad Pro (4th-gen) 11-inch iPad Pro (2nd-gen) iPad Air (4th-gen) iPad (8th-gen) iPad mini (5th-gen)
Screen type 12.9‑inch Liquid Retina display 11‑inch Liquid Retina display 10.9‑inch Liquid Retina display 10.2-inch Retina display 7.2-inch Retina display
Resolution 2732 x 2048 2388 x 1668 2360 x 1640 2160 x 1620 2048 x 1536
Front camera 7 megapixels 7 megapixels 7 megapixels 1.2 megapixels 7 megapixels
Rear camera 12 megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels 8 megapixels 8 megapixels
Stylus support Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) Apple Pencil (1st-gen) Apple Pencil (1st-gen)
Keyboard support Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Bluetooth keyboards Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Bluetooth keyboards Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Bluetooth keyboards Smart Keyboard (non-folio) and Bluetooth keyboards Only Bluetooth keyboards
Port USB-C USB-C USB-C Lightning Lightning
Processor A12X Bionic A12X Bionic A14 Bionic A12 Bionic A12 Bionic
Storage 128 / 256 / 512GB / 1TB 128 / 256 / 512GB / 1TB 64 / 256GB 32 / 128GB 64 / 256GB
Weight 1.41 pounds 1.04 pounds 1 pound 1.08 pounds 0.68 pound
Price (Wi-Fi) $999 / $1,099 / $1,299 / $1,499 $799 / $899 / $1,099 / $1,299 $599 / $749 $329 / $429 $399 / $549
Price (Wi-Fi + Cellular) $1,149 / $1,249 / $1,449 / $1,649 $949 / $1,049 / $1,249 / $1,449 $729 / $879 $459 / $559 $529 / $679
Authentication Face ID Face ID Touch ID built into power button Touch ID built into home button Touch ID built into home button
Battery life 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours
Misc. True Tone, ProMotion, Wi-Fi 6, no headphone jack True Tone, ProMotion, Wi-Fi 6, no headphone jack True Tone, Wi-Fi 6, no headphone jack Headphone jack True Tone, Headphone jack

There are some oddities you can find in the chart above, mainly between the iPad mini and the new eighth-gen base model iPad. Why, for instance, does the smaller of the two devices have a much better front-facing camera and a True Tone display, when the new eighth-gen iPad does not? It’s also curious that the storage options are doubled for the iPad mini when they remain abysmally low for the base model. Who knows!

Yet, you can clearly see in comparing the two current iPad Pro models with the new Air that you’re getting a whole lot more bang for your buck with the Air. All you’re really compromising on is storage and the lack of ProMotion, thanks to the 120Hz display. But everything else is there, plus the A14 Bionic. So it’s safe to say that, for right now, the iPad Air is a killer deal for anyone who was even considering an iPad Pro.



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