iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 Detailed Comparison: Should You Upgrade?

Apple has revealed its new iPad Air 5 alongside other many products including iPhone SE and mac studio just a day before in Apple’s “peak performance” event held on March 08. Clearly, iPad Air 2022 is catching attention as it comes with improvement and efficiency in many of its components. It has brought several significant changes in processor performance, camera and others. Today we are comparing iPad Air 2022 against iPad Air 2022 to find out what actually separates them and is it worth upgrading. So here is the detailed comparison between iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020.

iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 Specification Comparison:

iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 : Design and Display

Both versions of iPad Air look alike in terms of design. The drastic change in design was not much expected as Apple had changed its design pattern into its previous model significantly. In terms of design both looks identical as both carry aluminium back, sturdy aluminium frame, and scratch-resistant glass at the front.

In the display specifications also, there is no change. Both versions of the iPad Air sport a 10.9-inch LED IPS display with backlit multi-touch display technology. Furthermore, they also have the same screen resolution of 2360 X 1640 pixels at the density of 264 PPI. In the ability to work with the Apple pencil 2nd generation and in true tone display support, they completely sync with each other. Alongside the display, other parts including volume rockers, magnetic connectors, USB-C connectors, speakers, microphones and camera bumps are also the same.

You will spot a bit different in terms of design when it comes to colour options. iPhone Air 2022 is available in starlight, pink, space grey, blue and purple while iPad Air 2020 is available in space grey, green, sky blue and rose gold.

iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 : Processor & Performance

The surprise, Apple has given us in iPad Air and the major diffractor against the iPad Air 2020 is its processor. iPad Air wrapped Apple’s M1 chip which made it a different factor to consider. While talking about the processor, iPad Air 2020 has an A14 processor and everybody had expected a new iPad with an A15 processor but the announcement of the iPad with an M1 chip made them blown away.

When it comes to the comparison between the A14 chip vs M15 chip, the company has claimed M1 will deliver 60% faster performance which is the major difference. M1 is further incorporated with an 8-core GPU to provide 2X faster graphics. There is also a 16- core Neural Engine to support more efficient machine learning. So to say in just a line, the M1 chip is all way ahead of A14 to fulfil your requirement and expectations.

iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 : Camera

Though major change is not noticeable camera section of both versions of the iPad. Although they have the same camera of 12MP, the iPad Air 2022 features a much-improved 12MP ultra-wide front camera which enables centre stage. If you don’t know what centre stage does then it automatically adjust the front-facing camera when you use video apps that need faceTime. That means, if you moved during the video call, the camera will adjust you in the frame using the centre stage.

Meanwhile, in the case of a selfie camera, iPad Air 2020 has a 7MP selfie camera. But the FaceTime Camera can be your preferred choice.

iPad Air (2022) vs iPad Air (2020) : Connectivity and Battery

Furthermore, talking about connectivity, there is just a bit of difference otherwise it has also the same option. iPad Air 2022 supports 5G whereas iPad Air 2020 only has 4G, which makes the latter lag behind. however, both these iPad Air models support Wi-Fi 6 which is the latest iteration of Wi-Fi.

Furthermore, iPad Air 2022, like its predecessor, features a USB-C port.

Also Read : Apple Event in Nutshell: A New iPhone, iPad Air, Mac Studio computer & M1 Ultra Chip

iPad Air 2022 vs iPad Air 2020 : Rest of Features

You may be the guy who knows that Apple isn’t for RAM upgrading in its iPhone and iPad. But with a very surprise, Apple has made its RAM of 8GB from 4GB in its new iPad Air which will surely make your device faster for intensive games. Storage is of the same capacity with 64GB and 256 GB.

More on significant features, the iPad Air 2020 and Air 2022 are compatible with iPadOS 15. So you needn’t be worried about the operating system and keyboard support.

More on Apple Pencil, both support Apple Pencil 2, so there is also not any difference.

Also Read: Apple Launches New iPhone SE 2022 with A15 Bionic, 5G, Better Battery life

iPad Air (2022) vs iPad Air (2020) : Price

The pricing of the iPad has got a smarter move. iPad Air 2022 is clearly a spec bump as it incorporates M1 within but apple kept pricing unchanged. The iPad Air 2022 will be available at the same price as iPad Air 2020 starting from $599. At this point, Apple played smarter keeping the price steady to play safe.

Verdict

Comparing iPad Air 2022 with iPad Air 2020, you will get nothing new in design thing. The reason for upgrading your iPad Air is its processor which is very awesome compared to the previous model. If you looked at specs closely, you would get what the M1 chip is to the A14 chip. But the question arises when you already own iPad Air 2020 and thinking of upgrading, that won’t be a great step unless you are a power user who rushes gaming and use intensive apps. The camera part has improved the central stage. If you want to tighten your budget for what iPad Pro provides, it may fulfil your wish.

In just a sentence, iPad air 2020 covers 80-90% of new iPad unless it comes for power use.