IPad Air (4th generation)

Not to be confused with iPad (4th generation) or iPad Mini 4.

iPad Air (4th generation)

Also known as	iPad Air 4, iPad Air (10.9-inch)
Developer	Apple Inc.
Manufacturer	Foxconn
Product family	iPad Air
Type	Tablet computer
Generation	4th
Release date	October 23, 2020;3 years ago (2020-10-23)
Introductory price	$599 USD £579 GBP €649 EUR $779 CAD $879 SGD $899 AUD R11 500 ZAR ₹54 900 INR
Discontinued	March 8, 2022 (2022-03-08)
Operating system	Original: iPadOS 14 Current: iPadOS 17.4.1, released March 21, 2024 [1]
System on a chip	Apple A14 Bionic with 64-bit architecture and embedded motion co-processor
CPU	Hexa-core (2× 3.1 GHz Firestorm and 4× 1.82 GHz Icestorm)
Memory	4 GB [2]
Storage	64 or 256 GB flash memory
Display	10.9 inches (280 mm) (2,360 x 1,640) px (264 ppi), 500-nits Max Brightness, Wide-Color Display (P3), True Tone Display, Fully Laminated Display, 1.8% Reflectivity and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) support
Graphics	Apple-designed 4-core
Sound	Stereo speakers
Input	Multi-touch screen, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, digital compass, dual microphone, Touch ID fingerprint reader, barometer
Camera	Front: 7 MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, burst mode, timer mode, exposure control, face detection, Smart HDR, wide-color capture, auto image stabilization, Retina flash, 1080p HD video recording Rear: 12 MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture, five-element lens, burst mode, timer mode, exposure control, noise reduction, face detection, Hybrid IR filter, Live Photos with stabilization, Autofocus with Focus Pixels, face detection, Smart HDR, panorama, wide-color capture, auto image stabilization, 1080p HD 30fps video recording, video stabilization, slo-mo, time-lapse
Connectivity	Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular: 802.11 Wi-Fi 6 dual-band (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz) and MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi + Cellular: GPS & GLONASS GSM UMTS / HSDPA 850, 1700, 1800, 1900 MHz LTE Multiple bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71
Power	28.6  W·h lithium-polymer battery
Online services	App Store, iTunes Store, iBookstore, iCloud, Game Center
Dimensions	9.74 inches (247.6 mm);"(h) 7 inches (178.5 mm);(w) 0.24 inch (6.1 mm);(d)
Mass	Wi-Fi: 1.0 pound (458 grams) Wi-Fi + Cellular: 1.01 pounds (460 grams)
Predecessor	iPad Air (3rd generation)
Successor	iPad Air (5th generation)
Website	iPad Air - Apple at the Wayback Machine (archived February 21, 2022)

The iPad Air (4th generation), informally referred to as iPad Air 4, is a tablet computer designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced by Apple on September 15, 2020. Pre-orders began on October 16, 2020, and shipping began a week later on October 23, 2020 alongside the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. The device closely resembles the design of the 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation) and has several features that were previously exclusive to the iPad Pro line, such as support for Magic Keyboard and the second-generation Apple Pencil. It is available in five colors: Space Gray, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue.

The 4th generation iPad Air was discontinued on March 8, 2022, following the announcement of its successor, the 5th generation iPad Air.

Features

Hardware

The Apple A14 Bionic SoC has 11.9 billion transistors inside, allowing for higher efficiency in terms of both power and performance. The chip has a 6-core CPU that is 40 percent faster than the A12, a 4-core GPU that is 30 percent faster, and Apple's 16-core Neural Engine, which is twice as fast and features improved machine learning. ^[3] The Neural Engine can process more than 11 trillion operations per second. ^[4]

It has a wider 60 Hz ^[5] 10.9-inch 2360 by 1640 Liquid Retina Display display with 3.8 million pixels. The display is laminated and has an anti-reflective coating, as well as featuring wide color and True Tone. ^[6]

The Home Button in the previous generation has been removed; the Touch ID sensor has been relocated to the Sleep/Wake button attached on the top right edge of the device. ^[7] Landscape stereo audio effect is also added to the system's audio recording system. ^[8]

It features a rear 12MP camera capable of 4K video recording at up to 60fps as well as a 7MP FaceTime camera capable of 1080p 60fps video. ^[9]

Connectivity

With the release of its fourth-generation iPad Air, Apple discontinued the proprietary Lightning port in favor of a universal USB-C port that is used for charging as well as connecting external devices and accessories. The port is capable of transferring up to 5  Gbit/s (625  MB/s), allowing for fast connections to cameras and external storage, as well as support for monitors with up to 4K resolution. ^[10] For wireless connection, the device comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6 (802.11ax). ^[11]

It is compatible with the second-generation Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard for iPad, and Smart Keyboard Folio. ^[12]

Reception

Apple's fourth-generation iPad Air has drawn criticism for being more expensive than its predecessor. In general, though, the iPad Air 4 has been widely praised by consumers and tech reviewers alike, with Henry T. Casey of Tom's Guide saying it is "the best tablet for most people" and "one of the best iPads ever," ^[13] and with James Peckham of TechRadar calling it "a phenomenally well-made tablet." ^[14] PCMag.com included the iPad Air (4th generation) in its Best Tech Products of the Year list in 2020 and awarded it their Editors' Choice for high-end tablets. ^[15]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple was praised for keeping Touch ID integrated into the power button instead of Face ID, because early on in the pandemic, Face ID was unable to work when a user was wearing a face covering. ^{[16] [17]}

Timeline of iPad models

Timeline of iPad models v t e
See also: Timeline of Apple Inc. products

Source: Apple Newsroom Archive. ^[18]

References

1. "About iPadOS 17 Updates". Apple Support. iPadOS 17.4.1.
2. Espósito, Filipe (October 4, 2020). "iPad Air 4 benchmark results emerge on the web as Apple reportedly prepares A14 Apple TV [U]".
3. "iPad Air : Completely Redesigned, Available Now". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
4. Jonny Evans (September 16, 2020). "There's something in the iPad Air for enterprise IT". Computerworld. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
5. Jason Cross (September 15, 2020). "iPad Air (2020): Seven things you need to know about Apple's redesigned tablet". Macworld. Archived from the original on May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
6. James Peckham (February 28, 2021). "iPad Air 4 (2020) review". TechRadar . Retrieved September 9, 2015.
7. Warren, Tom (2020-09-15). "Apple announces new iPad Air that looks more like an iPad Pro, starting at $599". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
8. Sascha Segan (October 27, 2020). "Apple iPad Air (2020) Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
9. "iPad Air (4th generation) - Technical Specifications". support.apple.com. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
10. "All-new iPad Air with advanced A14 Bionic chip available to order starting today". Apple.com. Apple, Inc. October 16, 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-28. A USB-C port comes to iPad Air for up to 5Gbps data transfer, which is 10 times faster, for connecting to cameras, hard drives, and external monitors up to 4K.
11. "iPad Air - Technical Specifications". Apple. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
12. Arjun Sha (September 19, 2020). "15 Best iPad Air (4th Gen) Accessories You Can Buy". Beebom. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
13. May 2021, Henry T. Casey 19 (2021-05-19). "Apple iPad Air (2020) review: The best tablet for most people". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
14. June 2021, James Peckham 07 (2021-06-07). "iPad Air 4 (2020) review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
15. "Apple iPad Air (2020) Review". PCMAG. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
16. Tibken, Shara (October 13, 2020). "iPhone 12 and the Touch ID button: Why Apple probably won't give it to us this year". CNET. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
17. Collins, Katie (October 20, 2020). "Our masks make Face ID useless. iPhone 12 did nothing to fix it". CNET. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
18. Apple Inc. (2010–2011). iPad News – Newsroom Archive. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

Preceded by iPad Air (3rd generation)	iPad Air (4th generation) 2020	Succeeded by iPad Air (5th generation)