Apple released the redesigned iPad Air at its September ‘Special Event’ last year. The model brings it very close to the iPad Pro in terms of design, however, there are many differences which make the two different and unique. Nonetheless, among all the iPads, the iPad Air is the best value for money device with a modern design and a long life expectancy.
The $329 10.2” iPad is the cheapest iPad in the market at the moment. However, it is not the best as it ships with an old design with a physical home button and huge bezels around the display. But if somebody is planning to buy a tablet which just works, then the $320 iPad is actually a good choice. Also, some people actually prefer the traditional home button over the gesture based navigation as it provides tactile feedback.
iPad Air vs iPad Pro vs 10.2″ iPad
The iPad Pro which starts at $799 offers a premium experience with very slim bezels around the display, quad (four) speakers for an amazing stereo experience, and FaceID for easy authentication of payments and for unlocking the device. Also, it uses the powerful M1 but it can barely do anything professional, as there are very ‘Pro grade’ apps available for the iPad.
On the other hand, the iPad Air costs $599 and it still has slim bezels around the display, however, not as slim as the ones on the iPad Pro. In place of FaceID, Apple has decided to use a new TouchID system on the iPad Air by placing it inside the power button at the top. While the placement of TouchID on the power button is a nice move, many users have reported that it is not very reliable (and quick) but it works.
Also, the iPad Air works perfectly well with the Magic Keyboard that was released for iPad Pro last year. Unless Apple brings ‘Pro grade’ apps to the iPad to use the raw power of the M1 chip, the iPad Air continues to be a better option at a decent price.
