iPad 2022 vs iPad Air (5th generation): these are key differences

The new iPad (10th generation) initially looks quite similar to the iPad Air (5th generation). Yet there are important differences between this iPad 2022 and iPad Air 2022. You should pay attention to this!

iPad 2022 vs iPad Air: the differences

The new iPad 2022 has a lot of improvements compared to its predecessor from 2021. These improvements have made it look just a bit more like the iPad Air (5th generation). Nevertheless, there are still a lot of differences and some of them are certainly not unimportant!

1. Dimensions and weight

We’ll start with a difference that isn’t immediately noticeable, because it’s one of the smallest differences we’ll mention here. The new iPad is in fact slightly larger (248.6 x 179.5 x 7 mm) than the iPad Air (247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm), and logically also slightly heavier (about 16 grams).

2. Colors

What immediately stands out, on the other hand, are the cheerful, bright colors of the new iPad. In addition to silver, you can now choose pink, blue or yellow. The iPad Air (5th generation) is available in five colors, but they are all more or less pastel shades.

3. Screen

This difference is not immediately noticeable. Both iPads have a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels and a brightness of up to 500 nits. However, there is also an important difference here.

The difference is that the iPad Air’s display is fully laminated and has an anti-reflective coating. First of all, that means that the image quality of the iPad 2022 is somewhat less. Second, the glass and screen on the iPad 2022 are not one, so it doesn’t seem like you’re drawing directly on the screen with the Apple Pencil. Important advantages for the iPad Air!

4. Camera

The cameras of both iPads are completely identical. And although really everything of the cameras is really the same, we can still mention a difference. And that’s where the front camera is. With the iPad 2022, this is on the long side of the tablet. During FaceTime calls in landscape mode (most people will do that anyway) you stay in the center of the picture. The iPad 2022 therefore has a major advantage for video calling.

5. Processor

This is a difference that you do not immediately see, but you probably notice immediately. The new iPad has an A14 Bionic chip. That is admittedly an improvement over the predecessor’s A13 chip, but the iPad Air has an M1 chip. And that works just a little faster.

For comparison, the A14 chip is a 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores, the M1 chip is an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores. The iPad Air (5th generation) comes out on top here too. Moreover, there is also a difference in the software. The iPad Air 2022 can handle Stage Manager, which makes it easier to work with multiple windows at the same time.

6. Apple Pencil

Although you can work with an Apple Pencil on both iPads, there is also a difference here. The iPad Air supports the Apple Pencil (2nd generation), but on the new iPad 2022 you still have to rely on the Apple Pencil (1st generation). Plus, you’ll also need a USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter to charge it.

7. Price

The six differences we mentioned above together make up the seventh difference. And that is a price difference of 200 euros. These are the prices of the iPad 2022:

• iPad 2022 (64GB, Wi-Fi): €589
• iPad 2022 (256GB, Wi-Fi): €789
• iPad 2022 (64GB, Cellular): €789
• iPad 2022 (256GB, Cellular): €989

For comparison the prices of the iPad Air (5th generation):

• iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi): €789
• iPad Air (256GB, Wi-Fi): €989
• iPad Air (64GB, Cellular): €989
• iPad Air (256GB, Cellular): €1189

iPad 2022 vs iPad Air: Conclusion

With the arrival of the iPad 2022, you could save 200 euros compared to the iPad Air. You will have to settle for slightly larger dimensions, a screen that is not laminated and does not have an anti-reflective coating, a slower processor and only support for the 1st generation Apple Pencil. Our advice? With the iPad Air 2022 you get more value for money.

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