5 Key Differences Between iPad 10th And iPad Air 5th
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Apple recently unveiled the 10th-generation iPad, specifically alongside the new iPad Pro with M2 and the third-generation Apple TV 4K. At first glance, it was easy to notice that the new 10th generation iPad looks all too strikingly similar to the current 5th generation iPad Air, as anyone can attest.
While these two Apple tablets are similar in many ways, they still differ in some key ways. So in this article, we’re going to look at the five main differences between the 10th-generation iPad (hereafter referred to as iPad) and the 5th-generation iPad Air (hereafter referred to as iPad Air). This article will not address price as it changes over time.
Colours
Differences can also be seen in colours and, of course, pricing. As the classic iPad is a cheaper device for everyday use, it is available in four more colourful colours — specifically silver, pink, blue and yellow.
In contrast, the iPad Air can already be considered a more professional device, reflected in the palette of five “pro” colours, including space grey, star white, pink, purple and blue.
Display
As far as the main features are concerned, the displays are very similar — they have the same 10.9″ diagonal, 2360×1640 pixel resolution, 264 PPI fineness, oleophobic anti-smear treatment, and support True Tone.
However, it’s worth noting that the iPad Air also offers an anti-glare coating and a fully laminated display. Aside from that, it’s also important to mention that while the iPad Air’s display supports P3 colour gamut display, the iPad only supports sRGB, which is a big difference to know about.
Accessory support
One of the major drawbacks of the new iPad is that it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, which still charges via the Lightning connector. That’s a problem, though, because the new iPad already has a USB-C connector, and if you want to charge the first-generation Apple Pencil through it, you’ll either have to get an adapter or use another device.
On the other hand, iPad Air supports the second-generation Apple Pencil just fine, charging wirelessly. As for keyboards, the iPad supports its own Magic Keyboard Folio, while the iPad Air supports Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio.
Chip and hardware
Perhaps the biggest difference between the iPad and the iPad Air is the chip used. While the classic iPad uses the A14 Bionic chip in the iPhone 12 (Pro), the iPad Air features the M1 chip from Apple’s computers.
This, of course, implies that the iPad Air is much more powerful. While the iPad with A14 Bionic offers 6 CPU cores (four power saving and two performance), 4 GPU cores and 16 Neural Engine cores, the iPad Air with M1 offers 8 CPU cores (4 power saving and four performance), 8 GPU cores and 16 Neural Engine cores.
As for RAM, the size of it on the iPad is currently unclear, but it will most likely be 4 GB, which is half the size of the iPad Air, which offers 8 GB.
Wireless connectivity
Small differences can then be observed on the wireless connectivity side. The two iPads offer Wi-Fi 6 with a maximum transfer rate of up to 1.2 Gbps, but the iPad Air also offers simultaneous dual-band operation. As for Bluetooth, while the iPad offers a 5.2 version, the iPad Air “only” offers a 5.0 version.
But that’s relatively understandable given that it’s older, and its future updated version will certainly offer a newer version of Bluetooth. Both iPads offer 5G support, that is, if you reach for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version.
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