I’ve spent years using various iPads for both entertainment and work and have tested all of the current and recent models to know what they are best suited for. Out of the box, any iPad provides an excellent portable video or movie-watching experience; access to a wide array of apps and games through the App Store; the ability to read ebooks, documents, and web articles on a bright comfortably sized screen; and communicate via email, messaging services, or video calls.
Apple also has a strong track record of supporting the iPad for many years with software updates, so even older models can benefit from the majority of new features.
That means you can often find excellent options on secondhand, open-box, and refurbished iPads that save a lot of money and still offer an up-to-date, performant experience. The refurbished market changes too frequently for me to make specific recommendations in this guide, so everything here is based on the new, full retail cost. But I’ve personally bought multiple refurbished iPads over the years and have never regretted not having the latest and greatest model. Released in 2022, the fifth-generation iPad Air offers a bright 10.9-inch high-resolution display, extremely fast performance thanks to its M1 processor, a modern design with even bezels around the screen, and excellent speakers. It’s compatible with the same keyboard and stylus accessories as the iPad Pro, so it can work well as a small laptop-like device or digital notepad / drawing tablet.
The Air comes in a variety of colors, including blue, pink, purple, gold (which Apple calls “Starlight”), and a dark gray. The iPad Air can be paired with Apple’s Magic Keyboard to turn it into a small laptop replacement for productivity work. It’s significantly larger than a phone and provides a better video-watching, reading, and multitasking experience, but it’s not nearly as large as a laptop display, so it’s easier to carry around or hold when lounging on the couch. The size makes it easy to transition from reading in portrait orientation to knocking out an email in landscape mode.
The jump to 256GB costs $150 (at Apple’s regular retail price), but it’s worthwhile if you plan to hang on to this iPad for multiple years. If you are a frequent traveler and plan to use an iPad outside of your home a lot, however, a built-in cellular connection is often faster, more reliable, and easier than using your phone’s hotspot. I’ve used an iPad Pro with built-in cellular during a long train commute for years, and it’s been worth the cost every time.
The Air’s design is the same as that of the iPad Pro, with a squared-off aluminum back and sides and evenly proportioned bezels around its whole display. But when you’re holding the iPad Air in landscape orientation, the camera feels like it’s in the wrong spot, and Apple’s software tricks to correct it are not always the most convincing. (Apple has addressed this problem with its lower-tier 10th-gen iPad by moving the camera to the longer edge, but it has not yet done so for the rest of the lineup.)
The Air’s stereo speakers (one on the left and right side, when held in landscape orientation) are loud and clear and work great for movie or video watching. The Air also supports Apple’s latest Pencil ($129 retail, sometimes on sale for less) for writing and drawing, and it can magnetically snap to the side of the tablet for charging and storage. You, as a parent, will still want it to be updated to current software and security patches, so it’s important to avoid something that isn’t supported anymore. The ninth-gen model has the traditional iPad look, with larger bezels around the screen and a home button (with Touch ID biometric authentication). It’s clear that even Apple realizes the 10th-gen iPad isn’t quite a direct replacement for the ninth-gen model due to its significantly higher price and different features. So as long as Apple continues to sell the ninth-gen model, that is our recommendation for budget shoppers and an iPad for kids.
It works fine as a stylus for writing and drawing on the screen, but there’s nowhere to store it when you’re not using it unless you buy a third-party case, and charging it requires plugging it into the iPad’s Lightning port, which is awkward and clumsy. In my testing, it never lagged or slowed down when I was using it, the screen is sharp and colorful, and it’s comfortable to hold for long stretches of time. The 12.9-inch Pro rewards you with a more expansive display for juggling multiple apps, especially if you use the new Stage Manager windowing feature. It also has the best screen on any iPad, with its Mini LED technology, providing searing brightness, deep blacks, and rich colors. As a result, many iPad Pro 12.9 owners find they don’t end up taking it out of the Magic Keyboard case very often. A new feature introduced with the 2022 model allows you to preview line strokes or selections with the Apple Pencil before you put them onto the screen. Most people do not need all of the features of the latest iPad Pro, which makes buying an older version a compelling option. At full prices, the iPad Air is a better option than the 11-inch Pro, but if you’re able to find a prior-year model refurbished or on sale, then it might be the one to go with.
The Mini provides access to many more reading sources than a Kindle, though it can’t match the battery life of Amazon’s e-reader. This is the only iPad that Apple doesn’t make a keyboard accessory for, and it’s obvious why: it’s just too small to really be comfortable to type anything of length on.
iPad Air 4 vs iPad Air 5: is Apple’s latest tablet worth getting?
Now that the iPad Air 5 has been out for a few months, and Black Friday is here in a few days, we should see some good price cuts on the newer model. The latest iPad Air comes in space grey, starlight, pink, purple, and blue colours, while the iPad Air 4 offers silver, space grey, rose gold, green, and sky blue.
The similarities don’t end there, with both devices getting a fully laminated, fingerprint-resistant coating and low 1.8% reflectivity. In other words, you don’t necessarily need to spend more on the iPad Air 5 if the display is your primary concern.
Since the chassis designs are so similar, it’s unsurprising that both iPad Air models come with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display. In our iPad Air 4 review, we were very impressed with the all-day battery life that Apple managed to maintain despite adding tons of new features over the device’s predecessor.
In our iPad Air 5 review, we were similarly impressed, although we did notice heavier battery drain when we ran more intensive tasks, like pushing its M1 chip in benchmarking apps. If you like to connect external devices – a camera or SD card reader, for instance – you’ll appreciate the extra speed of the iPad Air 5’s port.
In compatible apps, this automatically crops you into the picture and adjusts the frame if you move or someone else enters the shot (we found this feature a bit creepy, as we explain in our iPad Pro 11-inch M1 review). Both the front and back camera also have more extensive video shooting options, including extra frame rate choices. The iPad Air 5 steps things up a gear in terms of performance (Image credit: Apple) So far, the iPad Air 5 has pulled ahead in small but noticeable ways when it comes to features and its cameras.
If you’re thinking about buying either of these tablets, be sure to check out our round-up of the best iPad Air deals to see how much money you could save. They share the same chassis design (albeit with some different colours), come with the same display, and provide more or less similar battery life. It is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of performance, has a faster USB-C port, and a more feature-rich camera setup.
Is Your iPad Obsolete and Outdated?
In a technical sense, an obsolete device is one that the manufacturer no longer supports. Vintage iPads are not quite obsolete, but they don’t receive full support from Apple. Apple’s official definition of “vintage” is that they’ve been unavailable for sale for five to seven years. The following models are no longer sold, but these devices remain within Apple’s service window for iPadOS updates:
An iPad out of the service window isn’t necessarily useless because it no longer receives iPadOS updates. An older tablet makes a great tableside companion in your living room, an effective e-book reader, or a light-duty device for reading mail or checking your favorite websites.
Still, the longer your iPad goes without updates from Apple, the more likely it is that security glitches could affect your tablet.
Dive into anything
Hello everyone, I’m thinking about getting an iPad for late highschool – mostly for taking notes, a little bit of office work, etc.
The best iPads of 2023: Expert tested and reviewed
iPad Pro (6th generation) specs: Display: 11-inch Liquid Retina display or 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion and True Tone | Processor: Apple Silicon M2 | Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB | Biometrics: Face ID | Colors: Silver, space gray | Cameras: 12MP wide, 10MP ultrawide rear and 12MP TrueDepth FaceTime front | Weight: 11-inch: 1.03 pounds, 12.9-inch: 1.5 pounds | Dimensions: 11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches, 12.9-inch: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25-inches| Connections: USB-C Thunderbolt/USB-4 | Battery life: 10 hours The design hasn’t changed much on the outside, but on the inside, you’ll find Apple’s M2 processor, which consists of 20 billion transistors — 25% more than the M1. “The combination of Stage Manager and external monitor support means you can have up to eight apps open and in use on the iPad Pro at the same time.
The best Apple iPad to buy in 2023
While they look similar, there are plenty of differences to set them apart, which will help you make the right choice based on how you plan to use your iPad.
The Best iPad to Buy (and a Few to Avoid)
It’s not only durable (complete with a rigid bumper), but it has a magnetized cover that stays shut and a flap that allows you to position the screen at eight different angles. It connects via Apple’s Smart Connector, meaning you never need to tinker with Bluetooth or bother charging it.
The keyboard is powered by AAA batteries, which lasted us around four months, so you don’t have to worry about carrying a charger around.
You can mount it to the side of your bed, kitchen counter, or shelf (to view content comfortably and hands-free) or you can use the included stand at your desk. Twelve South StayGo Mini USB-C Hub for $60: Regardless of the iPad model, ports are limited.
iPad Air (4th generation) – Technical Specifications
Wi-Fi + Cellular models Height: 9.74 inches (247.6 mm) Width: 7.02 inches (178.5 mm) Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm) Weight: 1.01 pounds (460 grams) The iPad Air display has rounded corners.
When measured diagonally as a rectangle, the screen is 10.86 inches. 10.9-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG Video formats captured: HEVC and H.264 iPad to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi or cellular iPad to any FaceTime-enabled device over Wi-Fi or cellular
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 technology Wi-Fi + Cellular models For details on LTE support, contact your carrier and see apple.com/ipad/cellular/networks. All models Digital compass Wi‑Fi iBeacon microlocation
Pay with your iPad using Touch ID within apps and on the web Use your voice to send messages, set reminders, and more All models Built‐in 28.6‐watt‐hour rechargeable lithium‑polymer battery Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‐Fi or watching video Charging via power adapter or USB-C to computer system iPadOS comes with powerful features and built-in apps designed to take advantage of the unique capabilities of iPad. Built-in accessibility features supporting vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive disabilities help you get the most out of your iPad. Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, GarageBand, Clips, and Apple Store app are preinstalled on iPad.
Syncing to a Mac or PC requires: macOS Catalina 10.15 or later using the Finder macOS El Capitan 10.11.6 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later Windows 10 and iTunes 12.12 or later (free download from itunes.com/download) English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10 Key, Shuangpin, Stroke), Chinese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10 Key, Shuangpin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10 Key), Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Ainu, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (Modern Standard, Najdi), Armenian, Assamese, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Belarusian, Bodo, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Stroke, Sucheng), Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Fula (Adlam), Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Kannada, Kashmiri (Arabic, Devanagari), Kazakh, Khmer, Konkani (Devanagari), Kurdish (Arabic, Latin), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maithili, Malay (Arabic, Latin), Malayalam, Maltese, Manipuri (Bangla, Meetei Mayek), Maori, Marathi, Mongolian, Navajo, Nepali, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Sanskrit, Santali (Devanagari, Ol Chiki), Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Sindhi (Arabic, Devanagari), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil (Anjal, Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin), Vietnamese, Welsh English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese – Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10 Key, Shuangpin, Stroke), Chinese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin QWERTY, Pinyin 10 Key, Shuangpin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean (2-Set, 10 Key), Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Ainu, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (Modern Standard, Najdi), Armenian, Assamese, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Belarusian, Bodo, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese – Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Stroke, Sucheng), Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dhivehi, Dogri, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Fula (Adlam), Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin, Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Kannada, Kashmiri (Arabic, Devanagari), Kazakh, Khmer, Konkani (Devanagari), Kurdish (Arabic, Latin), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maithili, Malay (Arabic, Latin), Malayalam, Maltese, Manipuri (Bangla, Meetei Mayek), Maori, Marathi, Mongolian, Navajo, Nepali, Norwegian (Bokmål, Nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Punjabi, Rohingya, Romanian, Russian, Sanskrit, Santali (Devanagari, Ol Chiki), Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Sindhi (Arabic, Devanagari), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil (Anjal, Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tongan, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek (Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin), Vietnamese, Welsh QuickType keyboard support with autocorrection Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Najdi), Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Zhuyin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Japan), English (Singapore), English (UK), English (U.S.), Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Dutch (Belgium), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese (Kana), Japanese (Romaji), Korean (2-set), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Tamil (Anjal), Tamil (Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese
Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Najdi), Bangla, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin QWERTY), Chinese – Traditional (Zhuyin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Japan), English (Singapore), English (UK), English (U.S.), Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Dutch (Belgium), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Greek, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Transliteration), Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese (Kana), Japanese (Romaji), Korean (2-set), Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Persian, Persian (Afghanistan), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Tamil (Anjal), Tamil (Tamil 99), Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support with predictive input English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic (Modern Standard, Najdi), Cantonese (Traditional), Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Arabic (Modern Standard, Najdi), Cantonese (Traditional), Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari, Latin), Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese QuickType keyboard support with multilingual input
English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin), French (France), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Latin)
English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese – Simplified (Pinyin), Chinese – Traditional (Pinyin), French (France), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Latin) QuickType keyboard support with contextual suggestions English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Najdi), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Russian, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Vietnamese
English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), French (Belgium), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Najdi), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Russian, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, Vietnamese QuickPath keyboard support English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Swedish, Vietnamese
English (U.S.), English (Australia), English (Canada), English (India), English (Singapore), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), French (Canada), French (France), French (Switzerland), German (Austria), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Dutch (Belgium), Dutch (Netherlands), Swedish, Vietnamese Siri languages English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Republic of Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish ( Türkiye ) English (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Chile, Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese (Japan), Korean (Republic of Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong), Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish (Finland), Hebrew (Israel), Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Norway), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish ( ) Dictation languages English (Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi (India), Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
English (Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, U.S.), French (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), German (Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (China mainland, Taiwan), Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), Arabic (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch (Belgium, Netherlands), Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi (India), Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Shanghainese (China mainland), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese Definition dictionary support English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish Thesaurus English (UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified) Spell check
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Arabic Najdi, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Arabic Najdi, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish Apple Pay supported regions
Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China mainland,10 Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, U.S., Vatican City Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later) Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 4K through USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (adapters sold separately) .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics; .usdz iPad Air is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact.11 See the iPad Air Product Environmental Report
100% recycled rare earth elements in the speaker magnets 100% recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board 35% or more recycled plastic in multiple components
All final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100% renewable energy for Apple production
100% of virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests We’re committed to making our products without taking from the earth, and to become carbon neutral across our entire business, including products, by 2030.
Which model to choose in 2023?
It features a 10.9″ Liquid Retina display, a 7MP FaceTime HD front camera, a 12MP rear camera, the A14 Bionic chip, and a 10-hour long battery life when actively surfing via Wi-Fi or less over 4G networks. It has the same 10.9″ Liquid Retina (LRD) display, an upgraded front camera (12MP), the same rear camera, the newer Apple M1 chip, and the same battery life as its predecessor. When Apple chooses “Air” as part of the name for its products, it usually entails a thinner design than a regular counterpart device.
The iPad Air 4 comes in rose gold, green, sky blue, space gray, and silver.
The iPad Air 5 comes in blue, pink, purple, space gray, and something they call “starlight.” Apart from the colors, there’s not much to tell them apart visually. They both offer a 10.9″ LRD screen, 2,360 x 1,640-pixel resolution, and all of the underlying tech that sets Apple iPad displays apart from the competition.
iPad Air 4 Model iPad Air 5 LRD Type LRD 10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD Size and Tech 10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD 2,360 x 1,640 Resolution 2,360 x 1,640 500 nits SDR Brightness 500 nits Yes (2nd-gen) Apple Pencil Support Yes (2nd-gen) • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating • True Tone display Additional Features • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Retina displays have the most pixels per inch compared to other tablet screen types.
iPads generally offer an exceptional visual experience, and these LRD displays are void of jagged edges and visible pixels. Nevertheless, Apple didn’t upgrade anything in this segment when comparing the iPad Air 4 vs 5. I can’t enjoy music; voices often sound like they’re echoing through a tin can, and how can anyone live without bass?!
Both have two microphones located near the cameras (for video calling and recording needs). As the current Pro offering has advanced to the M2 chip, Apple was free to use the M1 in the iPad Air 5. Both have a 16-core Neural Engine that helps with processing large files such as images. I mean, iPads are on-the-go devices, and if you don’t have internet access on the go, then why bring it with you, right?
Pros and Cons of iPad with Cellular: All points explained! The iPad Air 4 is a solid performer, and there isn’t much you can do on a tablet that it can’t handle.
The iPad Air 5 builds upon that reputation with the M1 chipset, packing a lot of power into a tablet that’s not a “Pro.” But, when you test them side-by-side, you can’t really feel much of a difference. I tried gaming on both and can say that the Air 5 offers an ever so slightly smoother experience.
While the iPad Air 4 initially had iPadOS 13.4, it supports the newest 16.2 version, and you’ll probably be prompted to upgrade yours as soon as you power up for the first time. The iPad Air 5 was initially launched featuring the iPadOS 15.4 but also supports the newest updates.
Writing, designing, producing content of all shapes and sizes, and collaborating with project teammates — Apple’s got you covered. The iPad Air 4 featured a 7MP FaceTime HD camera which left me wanting more.
Center Stage is a cool feature based on machine learning. Basically, if you place your iPad in a fixed position and you move around during a video call, the iPad Air 5’s front camera will zoom in and out, focusing on you instead of empty space. I guess Apple knows all of us probably grab our phone first to snap a picture before we ever reach for our iPads, so, no point in upgrading the rear camera. It turns your iPad Air into a laptop for all intents and purposes, something I appreciate very much as a writer. I’d also recommend a protective layer of Tempered Glass to be on the safe side. I remember sitting in front of a Mac in 1996 and being amazed at how cool it looked, with no idea I was witnessing the future norm.
If you’re an active user, you’re looking at about 10 hours of surfing via Wi-Fi or watching videos, or less if you’re on a cellular connection. Whenever you purchase an iPad, you get a 1-year warranty on hardware and 90 days of complimentary tech support.
One year doesn’t inspire confidence, but you can extend your warranty through a monthly subscription via AppleCare+.
AppleCare+ subscriptions are monthly or yearly, and extended customer service is implied. Apple doesn’t carry the iPad Air 4 anymore, so you’ll have to resort to used and refurbished devices mostly. The only listing I found currently is for the iPad Air 4 256GB version.
You can grab a 64GB iPad Air 5 for less than Apple’s official price. Both are good devices and offer enough power for any tablet user out there.
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