Apple iPad Air (1st generation) vs Apple iPad Air (4th generation)

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iPad Air (1st generation) compared with iPad Air (4th generation)

	AppleiPad Air (1st generation)	AppleiPad Air (4th generation)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2013	October 2020
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9.7″	10.9″
Resolution
Resolution	2048 × 1536	2360 × 1640 (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	264 pixels per inch	264 pixels per inch
Panel
Panel	LCD	LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	500 nits
Display type
Display type	Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD	Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle
Pixel density
Pixel density	264 ppi	264 ppi
Display features
Display features	Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating	P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating
Performance
Chip
Chip	A7	A14 Bionic
Memory
Memory	1 GB	4 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB	64 GB, 256 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	64-bit A7; M7 motion coprocessor; 1 GB RAM confirmed by iFixit	6-core A14 Bionic; 4 GB RAM (Notebookcheck)
GPU
GPU	–	4-core GPU
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Cameras
Rear camera
Rear camera	5 MP	12 MP (better)
Ultra wide camera
Ultra wide camera	None	None
Front camera
Front camera	1.2 MP	7 MP (better)
Rear camera
Rear camera	iSight; f/2.4 five-element lens; autofocus; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; HDR; face detection	Wide; f/1.8 five-element lens; backside illumination; hybrid IR filter; autofocus with Focus Pixels; wide colour and Live Photos; Smart HDR 3; panorama up to 63 MP; auto image stabilisation; burst; timer
Front camera
Front camera	FaceTime HD; backside illumination; face detection	FaceTime HD; f/2.2; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; backside illumination; Smart HDR; auto image stabilisation; burst
Video recording
Video recording	Rear 1080p with video stabilisation, face detection and 3x video zoom; front 720p	Rear 4K at 24, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; stabilised time-lapse; cinematic stabilisation; continuous autofocus; front 1080p at 60 fps
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 10 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	32.4 Wh (better)	28.6 Wh
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	Yes	Yes
Stylus
Stylus	Not supported	Supported, sold separately
Keyboard made for it
Keyboard made for it	No	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing, video or music; nine hours cellular browsing	Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing or video; nine hours cellular browsing
Charging
Charging	Power adapter or USB computer charging	20W USB-C power adapter supplied; charging via adapter or computer
USB-C
USB-C	Lightning; 3.5 mm headphone jack; optional adapters support 1080p external video	USB-C with charging and data transfer up to 5 Gb/s; external 4K displays; Smart Connector
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n with MIMO	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); simultaneous dual band; HT80 with MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile network
Mobile network	LTE, UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, GSM/EDGE and CDMA EV-DO; nano-SIM; cellular model weighs 478 g	Gigabit-class LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; cellular model weighs 460 g
Stylus support
Stylus support	No Apple Pencil support	Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately
Keyboards
Keyboards	No Smart Connector	Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately
Design
Weight
Weight	469 g	458 g (better)
Thickness
Thickness	7.5 mm	6.1 mm (better)
Height × width
Height × width	240 × 169.5 mm	247.6 × 178.5 mm
Operating system
Operating system	iOS	iPadOS
Biometrics
Biometrics	No Touch ID	Touch ID in top button
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers (Notebookcheck)	Landscape stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Sensors
Sensors	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; ambient light; compass; assisted GPS and GLONASS on cellular model (Notebookcheck)	Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure (Notebookcheck)	100% recycled aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver, Space Grey	Silver, Space Grey, Rose Gold, Green, Sky Blue
Software at launch
Software at launch	iOS 7	iPadOS 14
In the box
In the box	iPad Air; Lightning to USB cable; USB power adapter	iPad Air; USB-C charge cable (1 m); 20W USB-C power adapter