iPad Air 4: three months later [Video]

The iPad Air 4 was a tablet that came and went. I personally believe that many people have spent time comparing this tablet to the iPad Pro, simply because they share the same design language. But when you remove the comparison aspect and evaluate the tablet on your own, it is a really attractive device. And more than anything, it doesn’t make me miss my iPad Pro. Here’s why.

Project

The latest iPad Air has the same design language as the current iPad Pro, so it looks like a modern iPad. It is thin, light and very comfortable to wear. And, of course, with Air in particular, you’re getting a handful of different color options that aren’t available on other iPad models. I have the Sky Blue model and initially I was kind of critical about how subtle the blue really is. But, actually, I don’t care. I maintain my claim that this color is more silver with a blue tint than sky blue, but I don’t think sky blue is bad. It just wasn’t what I expected. Overall, it is just a good tablet aesthetically and, like an iPad, one of the best you can have on hand.

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Exhibition

The screen is something I initially talked about a little because of the lack of a 120 Hz screen with a high refresh rate, which is what is on the iPad Pro. But after using it for a few months, it’s not something that I really I think. The screen itself is still high resolution and is great for watching movies, playing games and reading. And because this tablet in general is so consistently fast, I am not constantly looking forward to a higher refresh rate screen. I think 60 Hz on the iPad Air is enough. And the average user will not need a screen with a higher refresh rate at this time.

When it comes to usability in the real world, I would say that bright is probably the weakest link to the Air’s screen. This tablet can only get about 500 nits of maximum brightness, while the iPad Pro can provide up to 600 nits of brightness . When using this tablet indoors, this is not really a major concern, but with only 500 nits of maximum brightness, you may find it difficult to get a good view of the screen when you are outside on a sunny day. I hope they can solve this for generation 5.

TouchID

When I initially bought the Air 4, I didn’t really like the fingerprint sensor. I thought it didn’t make a lot of sense for Apple to do that when FaceID was already running on the iPad Pro. But even though this tablet isn’t substantially cheaper than the 11 ”professional, it is technically inferior. And you can’t expect to get all the shelf features of a middle shelf product. My initial problem with the TouchID was the placement of the sensor. And I still think it makes a lot more sense to place the sensor on the right side above the volume buttons. But after a few months of use, I was definitely more comfortable with the positioning. And it is not something that I consciously think about anymore. The sensor is very fast, so I don’t feel like I’m slowing down the usability process.

acting

The performance on the iPad Air has remained very good for my daily use. Remember that this tablet uses Apple’s A14 processor. This is Apple’s latest mobile processor outside of the M1. Therefore, you will have top-notch performance. Not once did I have Air slowing down or failing to complete a task in an appropriate period of time. And I don’t use this gaming tablet as often. But whenever I do that, it’s usually a great experience.

Battery life

Surprisingly, my Air 4’s battery life hasn’t been great. It is even stranger to me because I am not a heavy user of this iPad. I use it for various things throughout the day, but never for long periods. And there are some days of the week when I hardly use the Air. But whenever I go back to it, I always have 30 or 40% of the remaining battery. I mainly use the iPad to browse the web, watch YouTube videos and use it as a remote monitor for my camera.

There are people who are simply concerned that this pill will last throughout the day, when used consistently. And I would say yes for the most part. But it’s definitely not an iPad with a multi-day battery and I would always keep a charger handy if you plan on using it as your daily driver for productivity.

iPadOS 14

I think the iPadOS is a little underestimated because it is much less buggy than iOS, at least in my experience. I really can’t remember this tablet ever bothering me, even in the slightest sense. And that’s really not something I can say about any other Apple product right now. I had a perfect experience with iPadOS 14 and I think they did a great job of fixing version 13 bugs.

The widgets were a great addition to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. In addition to the fact that they took a long time to arrive, the widgets on iPadOS are aesthetically pleasing and work well. I just wish you could do more with them. It should be obvious that widgets could be placed anywhere on the home screen. Free-form widgets are my # 1 feature on the iPadOS 15 wish list.

Take from 9to5Mac

Overall, the iPad Air is a great tablet in its own right. I still think that anyone who wants to buy a new iPad for school and productivity would probably be better off with an iPad Pro, especially if you are going to buy the pencil and keyboard. An Air 4 with keyboard and pencil costs about $ 200 less than it would be for a Pro with keyboard and pencil. Therefore, you must decide whether the extra features you get with iPad Pro are worth the extra $ 200. If not, Air 4 is a big rip off.

What do you think of the iPad Air 4? Sound off in the comments below!

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