Is the new iPad basically the same as iPad Air? The answer is no.

They are actually quite a bit different.

Mashable SEA Oct. 19, 2022

Is the new iPad basically the same as iPad Air? The answer is no.

Apple's new iPad launched on Tuesday. The tablet has a new design and a 10.9-inch display that makes it quite similar to the 10.9-inch iPad Air, which launched in March 2022. The new iPad comes with either 64GB or 256GB memory, just like the iPad Air. The two devices have roughly the same cameras, both front and back.

At first glance, the iPad Air might appear superfluous — why pay US$150 more for a device that looks about the same and is the same size as the "ordinary" iPad? But there are differences between the two tablets, both obvious and subtle ones.

First, the obvious: The iPad Air has a vastly more powerful processor, Apple's M1. This is the same processor that powered the company's previous generation of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers — in fact, I'm writing this very text on an M1 MacBook Pro that I bought in 2020, and it still serves me perfectly. In contrast, the new iPad is powered by Apple's A14 Bionic chip, which you can find in the company's iPhone 12 line of products. It's still plenty powerful for most tasks you'd want to do on an iPad, but it's far behind the M1.

The display on the iPad Air is still better

It's the same Liquid Retina display with the same resolution, but on the iPad it's not laminated.

But even if you don't care about the extra computing power, there are other ways in which the iPad differs from the iPad Air.

First, that display, despite being the same size and having the same 2,360x1,640 pixel resolution, is not the same. The display on the iPad Air supports the P3 wide color space, while the new iPad only supports sRGB colors. Also, unlike the iPad Air, the iPad does not have an anti-reflective coating, or a fully laminated display.

That last difference enabled Apple to make the iPad Air a little bit thinner (in accordance with its name and heritage). It's not a huge difference, but it is noticeable: the iPad Air is 0.24 inches thick, whereas the iPad is 0.28 inches thick. The iPad is also slightly heavier, at 477 grams (the iPad Air weighs 461 grams).

Sorry, Pencil users

Here's an odd one: Despite being older, the iPad Air supports the 2nd generation of Apple Pencil, while the new iPad only supports the 1st generation. That comes with an even weirder caveat: Since the 1st gen Apple Pencil has a Lightning port, and the iPad has a USB-C port, you'll have to charge the Pencil with an adapter, which Apple now mercifully ships in the Apple Pencil box.

Finally, there's a difference between the two devices that perhaps favors the iPad over the iPad Air, though that will depend on your preferences. The front-facing camera on the iPad is positioned on the side, meaning it will work best when using the device in landscape mode. On the iPad Air, the front-facing camera is on top of the device. I haven't yet tested the new iPad, but I do have the latest iPad Air, and I can say that I'm mostly using the front camera when the tablet is on a table in front of me in landscape mode, so the landscape-friendly camera does make a little bit more sense.

Finally, a truly vibrant Pink

The new iPad comes in colors that are more vibrant than the ones on the iPad Air.

The colors are very different, too. On the iPad Air, you get to choose between Space Gray, Blue, Pink, Purple, and Starlight, but the colors are quite subdued. The iPad only comes in four colors – Blue, Pink, Silver, and Yellow – but the colors are far more vibrant and cheerful.

Finally, the price. The 64GB iPad costs US$449, while the 256GB iPad costs US$599. The 64GB iPad Air costs US$599, while the 256GB iPad Air costs US$749, so it's a US$150 difference either way. As you can see above, for the extra money you do get a far more powerful processor and a number of small perks. And, finally, a really pink Pink.