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iPad Gen 8 4G and iPad Air 4, both introduced by Apple in 2020, continue to capture enthusiasts' attention even after a year. So, which device is the standout investment for you?
What sets apart the designs of iPad Gen 8 4G and iPad Air 4?
The design of iPad 8 4G remains largely unchanged from its predecessors. However, the bezels are slightly smaller now.
The device still features Touch ID, a Home button, and maintains the curved-edge design along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
On the other hand, iPad Air 4 resembles a slightly smaller iPad Pro. Specifically, it boasts a 10.9-inch display, square edges, and no physical Home button.
Since Apple didn't introduce Face ID on iPad Air 4, the company innovatively incorporated Touch ID into the power button on the top edge.
So, when it comes to design, iPad Gen 8 4G appears to lag behind. While retaining the headphone jack is commendable, the overall interface and new color palette of iPad Air 4 surpass it.
Which has a superior display, iPad Gen 8 4G or iPad Air 4?
The 10.2-inch display on iPad 8 remains unchanged from the previous version. This isn't a drawback as the iPad 7 screen was already bright and sharp.
However, it would be beneficial if the device featured a laminated display to eliminate the gap between the glass and the screen—a feature that iPad Air 4 successfully incorporates.
The iPad Air 4 has increased its screen size to 10.9 inches while maintaining the same resolution, resulting in a slightly lower pixel density.
Nevertheless, the difference is subtle and may not be noticeable to the naked eye. The device still features an LCD display with a laminated screen, as mentioned earlier, along with True Tone support and a wide P3 color gamut.
So, when it comes to the display, it's not hard to see that iPad Air 4 is the triumphant device.
Comparing the performance of iPad Gen 8 4G and iPad Air 4
iPad Gen 8 is upgraded to the A12 Bionic chip, introduced in the iPhone XS in 2019.
According to Apple, thanks to the A12 Bionic chip, the CPU performance of iPad 8 has increased by 40%, and the graphics performance has doubled compared to the 2019 iPad, which ran on the A10 Fusion CPU introduced in 2016.
Meanwhile, iPad Air 4 surpassed the iPad Pro series and switched to using the A14 Bionic found in the iPhone 12.
Thanks to the new and powerful chip, iPad Air 4 is nearly 40% faster than iPad Air 3, which used the A12 Bionic like iPad 8. In terms of graphics, the A14 outperforms the A12 by 30%.
Two factors represent the performance of iPad Air 4: the 16-core Neural Engine and RAM. Apple proudly claims that these two factors provide double the operations per second compared to A12 and over 83% more than the A13 Bionic of the iPhone 11.
This will have a significant impact on tasks that can leverage its advantages. That's the theoretical statement, and reality proves that this manufacturer is not just boasting. So, the winner here continues to be the iPad Air 4.
Above is the comparison between iPad Gen 8 4G and iPad Air 4. It's not hard to recognize that iPad Air 4 appears superior in all aspects of comparison. However, this is not surprising since the product is aimed at a more professional customer base!
