With an all-new A14 processor, USB-C and all the other improvements inside Apple’s recently-announced iPad Air 4, Jonny Evans says the current generation iPad Pro still makes sense for certain buyers.
The new A14 chip inside the Air is fantastic, and actually delivers some advantages in contrast to the Pro, but the A12Z Bionic processor inside the higher end device actually delivers more performance where it matters.
That is because, while the iPad Air 4 processor is more recent, is more advanced and contains unique advantages such as the improved Neural Engine, the processor design is based on a six-core CPU supported by a four-core GPU.
That’s plenty of power for loads of tasks but doesn’t quite deliver the same latent power you’ll find in an iPad Pro, in which the A12Z Bionic chip delivers an eight-core CPU and eight-core GPU…
My thinking is that iPad Air is absolutely now the best Apple tablet for most of us… but if you want a machine that’s fast and really has been custom-built for pro workflow, the Pro remains the device to seek.
MacDailyNews Take: Especially for those who use and depend on the Apple Pencil (2nd gen.) and/or who work with Augmented Reality, the iPad Pro is the iPad you want, over and above the iPad Air as ProMotion and the LiDAR Scanner are essential.
The keyboard! The iPad Pro keyboard is Magic!!
And works with the Air, I believe.
The extra screen real estate on my 12.9 in Pro is worth the extra $$ for me. Plus, it’s my primary computer, so I’ll generally always go pro.
Promotion really is a game changer. Even if the CPU is slower and it’s an older generation iPad Pro, it still feels like a superior user experience Compared to a regular iPad or iPad Air without pro motion.
Though unconfirmed, you’re probably looking at just 4GB of RAM in the Airs vs 6GB for all 2020 Pros. The Air really doesn’t have any advantage over the Pros besides color, from the above we learn that the A14 isn’t even better than the A12Z, Touch ID instead of Face ID is worse, the screen is slightly smaller, the camera and display are worse. It’s not even cheaper when you eliminate the $599 64GB model that won’t be enough for most people. For $749 for the 256GB model you’re paying about as much as the 11″ Pro 128GB, the new Air doesn’t have this storage tier because Apple thinks it can up-sell people into buying what is essentially a stripped down, higher profit margin Pro.