iPad Air vs. iPad 4: Features Of Apple’s Latest Tablets Pitted Against Their Built & Design; Processor & Price Are Key Differences For Both Units

iPad Air vs. iPad 4: Specs of these two Apple tablets are very similar in many ways, but the latest improvement in the fifth iteration of the flagship tablet could spell the difference for the prospective buyer. Based on our review, under the hood features ad price of these two units are the key differentiators for the unit.

Build & Design
When it comes to the build and design, it is a no brainer that the iPad Air takes the crown. This tablet gets its name from the fact that it is only 7.5mm thick and 478g in weight. There is no other full-sized tablet in the market today that is this thin and powerful. It is very comfortable to hold for hours and you practically don’t feel the added weight in your bag.
The iPad 4 on the other hand is 9.4mm thick and weighs 184g more than the Air. Both tablets come with a great aluminum case.

Display
When it comes to the screen, it is a flawless draw. Both tablets have a 9.7-inch display. The displays have a resolution of a whopping 2048 by 1536p. They both display at 264 pixels-per-inch with an LED backlight on the LCD displays. There are no strong competing tablets in the market when it comes to their displays that make for sharp images and text as well as multiple viewing angles.

Operating Systems
The iPad Air runs the new preinstalled iOS 7 while the iPad 4 comes with the iOS6. It is however, possible to upgrade the iPad 4 to the iOS7 for about $30. The iPad Air is still able to handle the iOS7 better than the iPad 4. There are no major issues in how the OS runs on the iPad 4 but the apps and games open and run much faster on the Air.

Performance
The iPad Air delivers a smoother performance thanks to its 64-bit A& chip from Apple. The iPad 4 runs on the A6 processor. While the iPad Air runs on a powerful quad-core processor, the iPad 4 relies on a dual-core processor. Both devices perform pretty well but users of the iPad Air will notice that it is a tad bit faster and smoother.

Cameras
Apple decided to put the same cameras in the same setup on both of their devices. They each have a 5MP rear camera with no flash as well as a 1.2MP front-facing camera that allows for FaceTime. These rear cameras take very detailed and colorful images when in a lighted environment but still need a lot of improvement for shooting in dim lighting.

Battery Life & Storage
Due to the fact that it is slimmer, the iPad Air obviously needed to have a smaller battery. This battery is 32.4Wh which is about 10Wh less than that of the iPad 4. Despite this difference, the iPad Air battery still lasts longer (13 hours) than that of the iPad 4 by about 3 more hours.

Both devices come with the same storage options depending on the user’s needs and of course budget freedom. You can buy the devices with either 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB.

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