Apple's new iPad v/s iPad Air: Which one to buy?
What's the story
Alongside the new iPhones and Apple Watch, Apple has also announced the 7th-generation of its entry-level iPad with a slightly larger screen, support for smart keyboard, and other minor updates. Interestingly, the new iPad, with a 10.2-inch display and similar design, comes close to being a more affordable version of the 10.5-inch iPad Air. But which one should you buy? Let's find out.
At a glance
7th-generation iPad v/s iPad Air: Design
Right of the bat, both the models look almost exactly the same. Their bodies measure exactly 9.8-inch by 6.8-inch, with the iPad Air being 1.4mm thinner and 0.7 pounds lighter. However, the side bezels on the 7th-generation iPad are slightly thicker than on the iPad Air. Both models also come with Touch ID, Lightning connector, Smart Connector (for keyboards), and a headphone jack.
Display
All about the screen
The iPad Air sports a 10.5-inch LED display with a resolution of 2224x1668 pixels and a pixel density of 264ppi. In comparison, the 7th-generation iPad gets a 10.2-inch screen with 2160x1620 resolution at 264ppi. Both models also support 1st-generation Apple Pencil. That said, the entry-level iPad misses out on features like antireflective coating, wide color display (P3), and True Tone display.
Information
Both iPads come with a single 8MP rear camera
Both the models offer a single 8MP (f/2.4) rear camera with support for Live Photos, HDR, 1080p video recording at 30fps, and 720p slo-mo video at 120fps. On the front, the iPad Air has a 7MP camera whereas the entry-level iPad offers a 1.2MP snapper.
Internals
Under the hood
The 10.2-inch iPad is powered by the same A10 Fusion chip we saw on last year's 9.7-inch model, while the iPad Air has a much superior A12 Bionic chip that includes Apple's second-generation Neural Engine for optimized machine learning. The 7th-generation iPad only comes in 32GB and 128GB storage options, while the iPad Air starts at 64GB and goes upto 256GB configuration.
Other stuff
Nitty-gritty
As for battery performance, both models are touted to offer up to 10 hours of battery life on Wi-Fi and up to 9 hours on cellular data mode. They also offer stereo speakers, dual-band Wi‑Fia/c, Bluetooth 5.0 (on iPad Air), and dual-SIM support (Physical+eSIM). In India, the iPad Air (Wi-Fi only) starts at Rs. 44,900 while the 7th-generation iPad starts at Rs. 29,900.
Information
How things stack up?
With a faster chip, more storage space, and connectivity support, the iPad Air can be a more efficient "laptop alternative" than the 7th-generation iPad. However, if you're looking for a tablet for streaming videos and web browsing, the new entry-level iPad should meet your needs.