Apple iPad Air 5th Gen
New iPad Air 5th Gen vs iPad Air 4th Gen
Apple has recently launched the iPad Air 5th gen with the powerful M1 Processor and 5G support. However, it may be a very hard choice for people who already have iPad Air 4th gen with an A14 Bionic processor. The new iPad Air 5th gen comes with a powerful M1 processor and 5G support and fits in the budget. Here's how they compare.
Apple announced an upgrade to the iPad Air during its "Peak Performance" special event, upgrading it to the fifth generation. The iPad Air was positioned between the basic iPad and the iPad Pro, offering luxury aesthetics at more affordable pricing. In terms of specs, Apple narrows the gap between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro line with the fifth-generation device.
Different ways of looking at it, there may be sufficient reasons for fourth-generation owners to upgrade to the latest model.
iPad Physical Dimensions
Apple made significant improvements to the general design of the iPad Air as it upgraded from the third to the fourth generation. The design of the iPad was replaced with a no-chin, practically edge-to-edge display that was also larger, as well as an iPad Pro-inspired chassis.
The exterior of the fifth-generation iPad Air is unchanged, even though it is a spec-bump edition. It has the same basic look as the original, even down to the actual proportions.
The fourth and fifth-generation devices are both 9.74 inches tall and 7.02 inches broad, with a thin 0.24-inch thickness. However, there is some weight variance.
The Wi-Fi model of the fourth generation weighs exactly one pound, whereas the cellular variant is slightly heavier at 1.01 pounds. Both the Wi-Fi and Cellular variants for the fifth generation are stated as 1.02 pounds, with barely a gram difference.
The latest versions are heavier, but by so little that it's negligible.
Image Credit: Apple
The same 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is used by both. Even though Apple could have switched to miniLED illumination like the iPad Pro models, it chose to stick with LED backlighting.
Both variants have the same resolution of 2,360 by 1,640, giving them a pixel density of 264ppi. You also have similar brightness at 500 nits, complete display lamination, Wide color (P3) support, and True Tone.
In terms of the Apple Pencil, the new model will employ the same second-generation stylus as the previous one.
iPad Air 5th Gen vs iPad Air 4th Gen- Processor Performance
The SoC powering the two versions is the most major difference between the two generations. While the fourth generation employed the A14 Bionic, which had a six-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, a four-core Apple-designed GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, Apple moved a step forward with the fifth.
The newest iPad Air is equipped with the M1, the same desktop-class processor seen in the iPad Pro lineup. It has an eight-core CPU with performance and efficiency cores divided equally an eight-core GPU, and a 16-core "next-generation" Neural Engine.
The M1 chip, according to Apple, makes the 5th-generation iPad Air up to 60% quicker than the prior model. It is also said to have double the graphical power.
Before benchmarks for the fifth-generation iPad Pro are available, the best quick comparison is to use GeekBench and compare the fourth-generation to the 11-inch iPad Pro.
The analogy is appropriate because the lesser M1-equipped iPad Pro devices feature the same 8GB of RAM as the fifth-generation iPad Air. For comparison, the fourth-generation iPad Air offers 4GB of storage.
In Geekbench, the 11-inch iPad Pro with an M1 CPU scores 1,715 single-core and 7,229 multi-core. It is with the M1's 8-core processor.
However, the iPad Air 4 with A14 Bionic scored 1,512 on the single-core and 4,302 on the multi-core. The A14 Bionic features a 6-core CPU, which explains why the multi-core score is lower.
On the graphics front, the A14 achieves 12,480 on Geekbench's Metal test, whereas the M1 achieves 21,285.
iPad Air 5th Gen vs iPad Air 4th Gen- Cameras
Both the fourth and fifth-generation iPad Air's rear cameras, as expected, have almost the same 12-megapixel Wide camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 5x digital zoom, and Smart HDR 3 for Photos.
In terms of video, both are capable of 4K60 footage, 1080p 240fps Slo-mo, and a 3x zoom. The fifth-generation differs in that it has a wider dynamic range for video at up to 30 frames per second.
In the fifth-generation model, the 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera has been replaced by a 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide camera. It also adds a 2x zoom out as part of the upgrades.
The new camera has Center Stage compatibility, which allows you to use the angle of view and zoom in FaceTime.
While the fourth-generation includes 1080p footage with cinematic video stabilization, the fifth generation additionally expands the image contrast for 30fps video.
iPad Air 5th Gen vs iPad Air 4th Gen- Connectivity
Both variants include USB-C ports for connecting to devices and peripherals, such as video output to an outside display and storage capacity.
On the wireless front, all devices offer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, but things vary when it comes to cellular connectivity.
Apart from M1, Apple's second major draw for the fifth-generation device is the 5G connection. This is an upgrade, although it isn't as significant as you may assume.
Apple indicates that 5G functionality is limited to sub-6GHz bands, providing blanket coverage equivalent to LTE. There is no compatibility for mmWave, the highly fast component of 5G that is commonly promoted as a benefit of the standard.
Although the 5G Apple puts in the fifth-generation iPad Air is quicker than LTE, although it can also link to, it is not the same as mmWave.
20W USB- C adaptor in the box
A processor change may occasionally result in different utilization times. This is true for other gadgets, such as iPhones. This isn't happening here.
Both versions adhere to Apple's general tablet guideline of up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing or video viewing. For cellular work, the number drops to up to 9 hours.
Apple includes a 20W USB-C power adaptor for each, that charges identical 28.6-inch batteries.
Rest to open iPad Air with Touch ID
Touch ID is still used for biometric security on both models.
The bundled Smart Connector allows you to use the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio on both devices without any problems.
Both have two speakers that function in landscape mode, thus audio support hasn't changed.
