Difference Between iPad Air 4 and 5 Generation

Now that Apple’s new iPad Air 2022 has been released, it is reasonable for iPad fans to ask themselves if this is a proper upgrade and improvement over the previous generation of this iPad, which was quite a powerful device, and is it worth buying? With these questions in mind, let’s compare the new iPad Air (2022) with the iPad Air (2020), also known as the iPad Air 5 and iPad Air 4, respectively in this post by Technology Gadgets Magazine.

Difference Between iPad Air 4 and 5 Generation

iPad Air 4 vs iPad Air 5 – Colors & Storage

The blue color of iPad Air 5 is different and new compared to Air 4. Apart from the color options, their appearance is the same. Unlike the iPad Pro, both of these iPad Air models come in a rainbow of colors. So if you’re looking for more color options, chances are you’ll find your favorite color between these two tablets.

iPad Air 5 colors are: blue, purple, pink, starlight, space gray

iPad Air 4 colors are: sky blue, green, rose gold, silver, space gray

When it comes to storage options, these two devices are a little disappointing. Both the iPad Air 5 and iPad Air 4 come with only 64GB or 256GB of storage, which are big leaps in price. However, if you’re a content creator, the 256GB iPad Air model is definitely for you, as the 64GB fills up quickly once you start recording or streaming video. In addition, if you want to have all your movies, shows and music and download various games, 64 GB may not be enough for you.

iPad Air 4 vs iPad Air 5 – Design & Display

As you’ve probably noticed, the new iPad Air 5 is visually identical to the iPad Air 4. In both tablets we have a great build, glass screen, metal frame and back, smooth edges and relatively small and symmetrical bezels. They’re a little bigger than the iPad Pro, but they’re perfect for your fingers to work on easily. Both iPad Air models are very light with a weight of about 16.23 ounces (460.0 grams) and uniform weight distribution. This means that it will be easier to hold them for a long time than other tablets.

At the bottom, we see the USB Type-C ports instead of the Lightning port that is still present in modern iPhones. According to Apple, the iPad Air 5’s USB port has “up to 2x faster transfer speeds than the previous generation,” so there’s a nice edge over the iPad Air 4 in that department.

Both tablets also have four speaker vents, two on each side, but actually only two speakers on the back, one on each side. These two iPads also have a magnetic charging dock for the Apple Pencil (2nd generation).

And perhaps most importantly, in the upper right corner of both, we have Apple’s old Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button. Hassle-free and quick setup and works great. If you want Face ID instead, that feature is still only available on the iPad Pro.

iPad Air 4 vs iPad Air 5 – Performance

Apple M1 vs. A14 Bionic

This is where the biggest leap from a theoretical point of view between these two iPad Air models is evident. We say these are just theories because the iPad Air 4 was already fully capable of taking full advantage of what iPadOS 15 has to offer thanks to its powerful A14 Bionic processor. But now the new iPad Air 5 comes with Apple’s wildly popular M1 processor, making an industry-leading mid-range tablet even more powerful. But unless Apple plans to update iPadOS with features exclusive to the M1 iPads, I really doubt the difference in performance will be noticeable to anyone. Of course, those who produce content with iPad Air in a specialized way may feel the differences.

The new iPad Air 5 is also upgraded with 8 GB of RAM, which is twice as much as the iPad Air 4. Again, while this sounds like a big leap (and it is), iPadOS is highly optimized, so most casual users probably won’t notice a difference.

More RAM means more apps can stay open in the background for longer, without having to reset data when you come back to them. So if you ever had this problem on iPad Air 4 (I know you usually have this problem with Safari tabs), you will see this problem less on the new iPad Air 5. There’s also a significant jump in multi-core M1 performance in the new iPad Air, according to benchmarks. But its single core is not much different.

Summing Up

In this post by Technology Gadgets Magazine, we focused on the Difference Between iPad Air 4 and 5 Generation. Hope you found the guide useful. Keep browsing for more helpful content.