Apple iPad Air (4th generation) vs Apple iPad Air (5th generation)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiPad Air (4th generation) | AppleiPad Air (5th generation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2020 | March 2022 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 10.9″ | 10.9″ |
| Resolution | 2360 × 1640 | 2360 × 1640 |
| Sharpness | 264 pixels per inch | 264 pixels per inch |
| Panel | LCD | LCD |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Display type | Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle | Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS LCD; 10.86 inches measured diagonally as a rectangle |
| Pixel density | 264 ppi | 264 ppi |
| Display features | P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating | P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; anti-reflective coating with 1.8% reflectivity; oleophobic coating |
| Performance | ||
| Chip | A14 Bionic | M1 |
| Memory | 4 GB | 8 GB (better) |
| Storage | 64 GB, 256 GB | 64 GB, 256 GB |
| CPU | 6-core A14 Bionic; 4 GB RAM (Notebookcheck) | 8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores; 8 GB RAM |
| GPU | 4-core GPU | 8-core GPU; Media Engine with hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC video decode and encode |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Cameras | ||
| Rear camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Ultra wide camera | None | None |
| Front camera | 7 MP | 12 MP (better) |
| Rear camera | 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 | Wide; f/1.8 five-element lens; autofocus with Focus Pixels; digital zoom up to 5x; wide colour and Live Photos; Smart HDR 3; panorama up to 63 MP; auto image stabilisation; burst; geotagging; HEIF and JPEG |
| Front camera | FaceTime HD; f/2.2; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; backside illumination; Smart HDR; auto image stabilisation; burst | Ultra Wide; 122° field of view; f/2.4; Centre Stage; Smart HDR 3; lens correction; Retina Flash; wide colour capture; auto image stabilisation; burst |
| Video recording | 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 | Rear 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slow-motion 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; stabilised time-lapse; cinematic stabilisation; continuous autofocus; HEVC and H.264; front 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps |
| Battery and connections | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 10 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Battery capacity | 28.6 Wh | 28.6 Wh |
| Mobile data option | Yes | Yes |
| Stylus | Supported, sold separately | Supported, sold separately |
| Keyboard made for it | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life detail | Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing or video; nine hours cellular browsing | Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi browsing or video; nine hours cellular browsing |
| Charging | 20W USB-C power adapter supplied; charging via adapter or computer | 20W USB-C power adapter supplied; charging via adapter or computer |
| USB-C | USB-C with charging and data transfer up to 5 Gb/s; external 4K displays; Smart Connector | USB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; one external display up to 6K at 60 Hz; Smart Connector |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); simultaneous dual band; HT80 with MIMO | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax); simultaneous dual band; HT80 with MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Mobile network | Gigabit-class LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; cellular model weighs 460 g | 5G (sub-6 GHz) and Gigabit LTE; nano-SIM and eSIM; cellular model weighs 462 g |
| Stylus support | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately | Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately |
| Keyboards | Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately | Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio, sold separately |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 458 g (better) | 461 g |
| Thickness | 6.1 mm | 6.1 mm |
| Height × width | 247.6 × 178.5 mm | 247.6 × 178.5 mm |
| Operating system | iPadOS | iPadOS |
| Biometrics | Touch ID in top button | Touch ID in top button |
| Speakers | Landscape stereo speakers | Landscape stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Dual microphones | Dual microphones |
| Sensors | Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model | Three-axis gyro; accelerometer; barometer; ambient light; compass; iBeacon; GPS and GNSS on cellular model |
| Materials | 100% recycled aluminium enclosure | 100% recycled aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | Silver, Space Grey, Rose Gold, Green, Sky Blue | Space Grey, Starlight, Pink, Purple, Blue |
| Software at launch | iPadOS 14 | iPadOS 15 |
| In the box | iPad Air; USB-C charge cable (1 m); 20W USB-C power adapter | iPad Air; USB-C charge cable (1 m); 20W USB-C power adapter |
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