The 5th generation iPad Air follows the colors used in the latest Apple products, but is available in 5 colors with its own blue. The core model, the iPad Air, has the most color variations and is a product with a different taste from the iPad Pro, which emphasizes functions and performance specialized for professional creators.
In particular, the essence of the iPad Pro is incorporated from the predecessor model, and if it has the same specifications, it is $ 150 cheaper on a dollar basis, and it has the character of “easy to reach, but close to full functionality”. Like the MacBook, Pro is a professional creator, and Air is a premium general user who wants sophisticated usage.
The iPad Air is finally equipped with the Apple M1 chip. The M1 has been around for a year and a half, but it is still overwhelming in terms of both performance and power saving for mobile computers. The fact that it came down to the core aircraft is the main focus of the 5th generation.
The advantage of installing M1 is not “explosive speed” but “creative”
With the M1 installed, not only the CPU becomes faster, but also the GPU and Neural Engine are strengthened, and the responsiveness of various creator apps such as photo correction, video editing, 3D modeling that incorporates machine learning processing Increases processing accuracy. As the optimal operation of machine learning progresses, the range that can be automatically processed by touch operation and Apple Pencil will expand, and the hurdle to creative work will be lowered.
In conclusion, while maintaining the character of the most cost-effective core model in the iPad series, this machine with the highest performance continues to be the recommended product in the iPad series without annotations.
In the change from the 4th generation, the latest function called “center frame” has been incorporated into the ultra-wide-angle in-camera, and it has been refreshed according to the times, such as incorporating a 5G modem. Even if you can get a 4th generation model at a low price, there is no reason to choose the old model if you want to use it for a long time.
However, although the high cost performance so far has nothing to do with Apple’s strategy, it is undeniable that the price setting is a little delicate (for Japanese customers) due to the exchange trend swayed by the depreciation of the yen. do not have.
The price difference between the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 5th generation iPad Air, which have the same storage capacity, is only 14,000 yen in Japanese yen, compared to 150 dollars on a US dollar basis. Many people may be wondering which one to choose for this.
The answer will be different for each person, but in other words, there are few concerns about the device other than having to worry about choosing between the 11-inch iPad Pro, whose price is approaching due to the effects of exchange rates.
So what’s the difference between the iPad Air and the 11-inch iPad Pro? You know that the iPad Air has a slightly smaller screen and more color variations, but there are other differences as follows.
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Personal authentication with Touch ID instead of Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
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The maximum brightness of the display is 600 nits vs. 500 nits
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Wide-angle single-lens out-camera without LiDAR compared to twin-lens camera + LiDAR including ultra-wide-angle
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2 speakers that are stereo only on the horizontal screen, as opposed to 4 speakers that can be freely arranged vertically and horizontally
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Dual microphone configuration for directivity control with 5 multi-microphones
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Pro Motion compatible 120Hz display, 60Hz for touch panel scan
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External connection terminal is USB 3.0 (10 Gbps) for Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps)
Arranging them like this is a surprisingly big difference.
With a $ 150 price difference, I could have stated that the iPad Air would be a better choice for many, even with this difference, but it’s no wonder that the difference is 14,000 yen. ..
Among them, the experience level is greatly different.
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2 speakers that are stereo only on the horizontal screen, as opposed to 4 speakers that can be freely arranged vertically and horizontally
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Dual microphone configuration for directivity control with 5 multi-microphones
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Pro Motion compatible 120Hz display, 60Hz for touch panel scan
Is it three points?
In the case of an iPad that can be used both vertically and horizontally, the fact that the stereo effect can be obtained in any direction was a point that impressed me a lot when the iPad Pro two generations ago was announced. After that, it became compatible with spatial audio playback, and I think that the goodness of the 4 speakers became even more prominent.
Even if you don’t want high quality recording for your microphone, it’s useful for beamforming. It’s also a key technology that blocks out living noise and background noise during online meetings, so it’s an annoying difference for those who want to hold online meetings on the iPad.
Regarding ProMotion, there are differences in the “slimy feeling” when scrolling and the feeling that the object to be dragged moves as if it sticks to the finger, but there is no big difference in general use. However, if you are drawing a picture, I think that the improvement of the followability of Apple Pencil is at a level that you can experience.
Regarding personal authentication, whether Face ID is good or Touch ID is good depends on your preference and usage. Face ID supports authentication with a mask on the iPhone, but it cannot be unlocked with a mask on the iPad.
Also, regarding the display quality of the display, although there are differences in specifications, usually, the difference is hardly felt. Whichever you choose, the color reproduction range is wide, and the white balance and gradation expression are accurate. It is a beautiful display that greatly exceeds the industry standard.
Benchmark results are only errors, and you can think that the performance of both is “same”. In other words, it is a high-performance, power-saving terminal that cannot be compared as a portable computer, whether it is a tablet or a mobile computer.
When considering the iPad Air, what do you think about these differences, color variations, etc. On the other hand, it can be said that there are no rivals other than the iPad Pro.
Related article:
IPad Air 5th generation real machine fastest impression seen in the photo
I compared the 5th generation iPad Air with the 11-inch iPad Pro
