Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019) vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

58 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.5
VS
68 out 100
Apple iPad Air 10.9
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019) Manufactured in March, 2019, with display 10.5 with chipsetApple A12 Bionic, vs Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020), Manufactured in October, 2020with chipsetApple A14 Bionic. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Lighter design: 456g vs 458g
  • Higher battery capacity: 8134mAh vs 7606mAh
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
  • Larger display: 10.9in

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 3/64 GB
- 3/256 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
vs
iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD IPS LCD
Size 10.5 in 10.9 in
Resolution 1668x2224 pixels 1640x2360 pixels
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Pixel density 265 ppi 264 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 500 nits 500 nits
HDR support No No
Screen-to-body ratio 78.3 % 80.1 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
483 nits
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
484 nits
sRGB gamut99.7 %99.3 %
Response time40 ms36 ms
Contrast1256:11305:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 250.6 mm (9.87 in) 247.6 mm (9.75 in)
Width 174.1 mm (6.85 in) 178.5 mm (7.03 in)
Thickness 6.1 mm (0.24 in) 6.1 mm (0.24 in)
Weight 456 g (16.08 oz) 458 g (16.16 oz)
Area 436 cm² (67.58 in²) 442 cm² (68.51 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray		 - Silver
- Gray
- Blue
- Green
- Rose Gold
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
78.3 %
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
80.1 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019) and Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
Max Frequency 2500 MHz 3000 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
- 2/2.49 (Vortex)		 - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 7 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A12 GPU Apple A14 GPU
GPU Cores 256 256
GPU Frequency 1125 MHz 1278 MHz
FLOPS 576 GFLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
1318
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
2161
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
3134
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
5121
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)13182161
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)31345121
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
648570
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
1049395
CPU198130314838
GPU196532370516
Memory119198154798
UX134710209243
NanoReview Score6485701049395
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
6380
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
8602
Max Surface Temp.39 °C37.6 °C
Stability88 %94 %
Graphics Test38 fps51 fps
Graphics Score63808602
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)], [Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 3 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iPadOS 12.1.3 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3) iPadOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.3)

Battery

Volume 8134 mAh 7606 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 30 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (60% in 60 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 2:28 h 2:10 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
27:43
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
27:28
Web Browsing10:03 h09:35 h
Video Playback14:13 h13:46 h
Games06:32 h06:51 h
Standby Mode156 h158 h

Main camera

Matrix 8 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution n/a 4032x3024 pixels
Flash No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (720p) 240 fps (1080p)
Lenses count Standard: 8 MP Standard: 12 MP
Features Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix8 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.4f/1.8
Focal length31 mmn/a
Sensor sizen/a1/3.0"
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 7 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels 3472x2063 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
Focal length 31 mm 31 mm
Autofocus No No
Stabilization No Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B48/B66/B71)
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Air 10.5" (3 Gen, 2019)
92.5 dB
Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020)
86.3 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced March, 2019 yr September, 2020 yr
Release Date March, 2019 yr October, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 599
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 12 W Yes 20 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Air 10.9" (4th Gen, 2020) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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