iPad Air 2020 vs. iPad Pro 2021 Buyer's Guide

[HowardEv]

Are there any benchmarks for Garageband on Pro versus Air? Number of virtual instruments and tracks must surely benefit from the extra cores and RAM right? $200 bucks is certainly worth extra tracks available. And any word on Logic Pro coming to iOS? Would it be available for both Air and Pro?

 

[GuruZac]

• I want a 256GB iPad.
• It's another £120 to go from Air to Pro.

That seems like £120 well-spent - especially given the processor.

Processor, twice the RAM, cameras, FaceID, speakers, Thunderbolt, ProMotion display. The 256GB Air makes no sense in my opinion from a value point of view.

 

[frifra]

I thought True Tone referred to the screen (as in True Tone display), meaning pretty much the same thing as Retina Flash. But maybe I’m mistaken.

But the macrumors arcticle talks about the rear cameras. That is where my quote is from. And the iPad Pro has a true tone rear flash. But the iPad Air does not have any rear flash and that might be a deciding factor for one's purchase. The litle dot below the iPad Air's camera is a mic.

Is there a way to contact macrumors about the mistake? I cannot PM the macrumors account.

EDIT: Will try to contact a moderator.

 

[MrGuder]

I traded in my iPad mini 4 so I’m looking to buy a larger iPad. I’m still not sure if I want the Air or the 11 pro. The 4 GB of ram is fine for me on the Air but I want the 4 speakers on the 11 pro. Not sure if $200 is worth it for better speakers.

 

[toke lahti]

"The iPad Pro has extended dynamic range when recording video up to 30 fps, and also features a brighter True Tone flash than the iPad Air."


Where is the iPad Air's true tone flash?
The iPad Air 2020 has no true tone flash.

It only has a retina flash which refers to the screen being used with the facetime camera but no flash on the back.

Well, the pro has brighter flash than the very-true-tone-no-flash-at-all on my new(ish) Air...

 

[toke lahti]

Processor, twice the RAM, cameras, FaceID, speakers, Thunderbolt, ProMotion display. The 256GB Air makes no sense in my opinion from a value point of view.

I don’t have any use for more ram or faster cpu. The only things I might use is a flash and maybe lidar, but when they are in a phone...
I do have use for that extra 120€ to somewhere else... like for an hdmi adaptor...

 

[hatchettjack]

Sky blue is why I bought my air! Looks great with my navy blue smart folio! I also use the gen 2 Apple Pencil extensively and have seen no lag, it’s just like putting pen to paper!

 

[Darth Tulhu]

We are not yet there, IMO. On the surface it all sounds good, but in my experience you should still keep a traditional computer for “Just that one thing I cannot still do on an iPad”. That computer does not need to be new, however. My 2015 MBP, for example, does everything I still can’t do on an iPad. 🖐

Yep, for you they're not there yet. And this is gonna be true for many others.

But for me the main limitation of the iPad was the too-soon-to-be-obsolete hardware specs like low RAM count and limited external accessibility.

That is now gone.

The Mac is still the pickup truck in Apple's lineup, but the iPad has gone from a two-seater to a small SUV.

Wait 'till WWDC...

 

[t0pher]

I see a lot of comparisons stating the iPad Pro is $200+ more. While it is true, I don’t think it’s a fair argument by itself. One of the main things to consider is how much storage you need. The base iPad Air model has 64GB of storage for $599, which is hardly enough storage these days. So the next option is 256GB for $749. However, we’re now already creeping into iPad Pro prices. The iPad Pro starts at $799 for 128GB, which is a comfortable size as well. It basically ends up boiling down to whether I want Touch ID or Face ID. I prefer the latter, plus I’ll get all the other upgrades as a nice bonus for only $50 more, not $200.

I’m struggling with this too.

5 year old has mums old gen 2 iPad
Mum has an iPad Air 3 + 2012 iMac
I have an iPad Air 2 + 2016 MBp

the old iPad needs replacing, Mum & I are happy with our Airs. Do i get the iPad 8 128GB and give 5 year old the air 2 or do I spend a bit more and get the iPad Pro 11” 128GB? Cost of air 4 256GB vs iPad Pro 11” is negligible. Costco uk are already beating apple store prices on the iPad 8 and air 4 which I expect to continue with the pro 11”.

if the tb4 port means I can plug the pro into a monitor and storage in the future then that May save a future purchase.

apple need to kill off the iPad or rename the air the iPad, there is not enough differentiation in price or features for 3 iPads.

also why buy an iMac if an iPad Pro aligned with an external screen can do the job?


I’m really struggling to spend my money here.