All iPads will iPad Air 4 outlast iPad Pro 2020?

[RdwTech]

What should I go for?
Air 4: £522
Pro 2020: £572

The Air 4 will be enough as I only want it for streaming, web browsing and the odd day I’m working from home (emails, spreadsheets etc. Nothing heavy) is it worth the extra £50 for the 2020 pro? Or will this become redundant before the Air 4 and it’s newer A14 chip?
Thanks!

 

[Shirasaki]

It depends on how much you like promotion, somewhat better camera and love to sketch random stuff using Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil experience on iPad Pro is leagues away from iPad. 120Hz screen is very difficult to abandon once you hook into it. I can see Home Screen scrolling on iPad Air worse than scrolling on iPad Pro.

 

[PaladinGuy]

I’d honestly go for the Pro 2020, if you’re just talking a $50 difference. The ProMotion display, higher storage capacity (likely), better speakers, and additional RAM will matter more than the A12Z vs A14. That’s just me. I bought my 2020 iPad Pro used, so it was about the same cost as a new iPad Air. If I had to pay hundreds more for it, I’d consider the iPad Air more heavily. I really wanted ProMotion though for writing. To me, it’s a noticeable difference for someone like me that is used to using an iPad Pro.

 

[rui no onna]

128GB on 2020 iPP vs 64GB on Air 4 makes the Pro the automatic choice for me. Sounds like that's not an issue for you though. Support, they'd probably receive the same firmware updates from now although it's also entirely possible the Air 4 could get 1-2 years more.

 

[svish]

What should I go for?
Air 4: £522
Pro 2020: £572

The Air 4 will be enough as I only want it for streaming, web browsing and the odd day I’m working from home (emails, spreadsheets etc. Nothing heavy) is it worth the extra £50 for the 2020 pro? Or will this become redundant before the Air 4 and it’s newer A14 chip?
Thanks!

Assuming you are comparing base variants(64GB Air 4 vs 128GB 2020 Pro). For the extra £50, you get 2 GB RAM more, 120 Hz display and also more storage capacity. The A12Z(2020 Pro) and A14(Air 4) are excellent chips and can last a long time. Additional RAM can be beneficial.

I would suggest to go for the 2020 Pro.

 

[one more]

If TouchID is not important to you, I would go Pro 2020 vs Air 4 - more RAM, more storage on entry models, better screen and speakers. Basically, well worth an extra £50, IMO. As for “lasting longer” - my Air 2 is still doing well after 6 years of heavy use and can be upgraded to iPadOS 15. It all depends on how you use it. 🤚

 

[RdwTech]

Thanks everyone! Will definitely be going for the pro 😊

 

[snipr125]

Thanks everyone! Will definitely be going for the pro 😊

Yes I would agree, if you can get the 2020 Pro brand new for only £50 more than the Air 4, I would go with the Pro. The A12Z might be 2 generations old now, but still a powerful processor.

 

[MhaelK]

Honestly, for your needs it sounds like the budget iPad might even be enough, and leave you with enough money to buy a never gen budget iPad in between you would have replaced the Air/pro.

I know that the current budget iPad is less sexy than the Air/pro. But the above would especially be true if you were able to wait for the rumored 2021 upgrade that didnt come this spring (If it comes this fall)

iPad: Should You Buy? Feature List, Reviews, and Advice

The "iPad" is Apple's low-priced mainstream iPad, last updated in October 2022 with a complete redesign, larger display, USB-C port, A14...

www.macrumors.com

But in the end. You have to choose what fits you the best, and every iPad sold is a solid tablet with its own pros and cons.

 

[Yebubbleman]

What should I go for?
Air 4: £522
Pro 2020: £572

The Air 4 will be enough as I only want it for streaming, web browsing and the odd day I’m working from home (emails, spreadsheets etc. Nothing heavy) is it worth the extra £50 for the 2020 pro? Or will this become redundant before the Air 4 and it’s newer A14 chip?
Thanks!

If you're asking which one will stop receiving iPadOS releases first, it will kind of depend where Apple draws the line. With iPadOS 13 (the requirements for which are also the same for iPadOS 14 and iPadOS 15), the cutoff is devices with less than 2GB of RAM. Devices with low RAM amounts have often been a factor in culling support for older iPads. The 2020 iPad Pros have 6GB of RAM; the iPad Air 4 has 4GB of RAM. So, if a future cut-off is based on RAM, then the Air 4 will likely get cut first. But if a future cutoff is based on features inherent to the CPU cores themselves or the GPU cores or anything else in the SoC, then the 2020 Pros will be cut from support first while the Air 4 will make it through. And, mind you, that assumes both aren't cut at the same time.

Put it this way, the Air 4's computing guts are newer and have support for newer architectural features. The 2020 Pros' computing guts are brawnier and can outperform that of the Air 4 when it comes to raw performance.

For your needs, the Air 4 sounds fine. Though, I might also consider a refurbished 2018 Pro as that is the best bang for buck right now.

 

[drlunanerd]

What should I go for?
Air 4: £522
Pro 2020: £572

The Air 4 will be enough as I only want it for streaming, web browsing and the odd day I’m working from home (emails, spreadsheets etc. Nothing heavy) is it worth the extra £50 for the 2020 pro? Or will this become redundant before the Air 4 and it’s newer A14 chip?
Thanks!

 

[AutomaticApple]

What should I go for?
Air 4: £522
Pro 2020: £572

The Air 4 will be enough as I only want it for streaming, web browsing and the odd day I’m working from home (emails, spreadsheets etc. Nothing heavy) is it worth the extra £50 for the 2020 pro? Or will this become redundant before the Air 4 and it’s newer A14 chip?
Thanks!

I would go for the 2020 iPad Pro at that price.