We’ve seen the most impressive iPad competitor ever launch this year in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, but the tablet world remains dominated by the iPad. With the rumors swirling about the iPad Air 4, it seems like Apple isn’t taking its foot off the gas.
While the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2020) and 11-inch model continue to push the boundaries of what a tablet can achieve, there are plenty of users who want some of the amazing features found in those tablets without having to spend around $1,000 or more.
This was already the position that the iPad Air 3 found itself in when it launched back in 2019, and if the rumors are true Apple,has decided to narrow the gap between the Pro and Air with the iPad Air 4.
Here’s a look at everything we know so far about the iPad Air 4 from its potential release date, specs, price, design and more.
iPad Air 4 release date
The last iPad Air (2019) was released in March of 2019, but the update cycle for the iPad lineup is far less reliable than the iPhone with the iPad Air 2 release being way back in October of 2014 with just a minor spec bump in 2016 to tide us over.
Predicting based on past releases isn’t the best way to go with the iPad Air and unfortunately, rumors regarding the release of the new iPad Air have been a bit hard to pin down. As recently as July, rumors from of DigiTimes suggested that supply chain partners were gearing up for the production of the iPad Air 4 with an eye on shipping the tablet before the end of the year.
This potentially aligns with claims from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who, back in June, claimed that a new iPad would be released in the second half of 2020, but was nonspecific about whether it was a new standard iPad or the iPad Air 4.
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
Further support for a late-year release of the iPad Air 4 came at the end of August with reporting by the French website Consomac. It identified a number of listings with the Eurasian Economic Commission (ECC), a certification organization for products sold in Russia and other countries, which aligned with a tablet running iPadOS 14.
Others have asserted that the iPad Air 4 was moved to a March 2021 release date with frequent Apple leaker @komiya_ki being one of them. And while we need a few more confirmed leaks to establish whether this individual belongs among our most reliable leakers, Chinese site MyDrivers also gave a March 2021 estimate citing “news from foreign experts.”
The conflicting rumors and lack of consistency in Apple’s iPad launch schedule leaves us unsure about the release date of the iPad Air 4. It seems safe to assume that March of 2021 is the latest possible date, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it at an Apple event in September or October.
iPad Air 4 price
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
Much like the release date, there is some serious conflict reigning in the rumors regarding the pricing for the iPad Air 4.
Every iPad Air has launched with a starting price of $499 and while it seems that most sources believe this won’t be the case for the iPad Air 4, some are saying it will start below that number and others say it is going to be well above it.
Let’s take the more consumer-friendly prediction first. Back in July, sources of DigiTimes claimed that the iPad Air 4 would come in for under $499, unfortunately, there was no further elaboration or definitive pricing. It’s safe to assume that Apple wouldn’t possibly go more than $20 to $50 lower for the iPad Air 4 lest it start to compete unnecessarily with the standard iPad (2019).
Returning to the aforementioned MyDrivers leak regarding a March launch date, the site also claimed a $649 starting price point for the iPad Air 4. While this seems a bit pricey, there are quite a few specs bumps reportedly coming as we will address in the next section. So while this would take the iPad Air 4 much closer to the $799 starting price of the iPad Air 11-inch, if the specs rumors hold true, the hardware difference between the two is going to be narrower than ever as well.
iPad Air 4 specs
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
While there are definitely a few squabbles, rumors about the specs of the iPad Air 4 have been much more consistent than the predicted release date and pricing.
Virtually every source appears to agree that the iPad Air 4 will join the iPad Pro line in offering a USB Type-C port as opposed to Lightning. It’s a transition that many expect the rest of Apple’s devices to make over the next couple of years, so the Air is certainly the logical next device up.
The display is also rumored to be getting an iPad Pro makeover, jumping up to 11-inches from its current 10.5-inch display. Don’t expect the 120Hz ProMotion display, but still, the increase in screen real estate is definitely nice for both content consumption and productivity.
iPad Air(gen4)-iPad Pro design -Face ID-11”-USB-C-4 Speakers -Liquid Retina-Single Camera (Ultra Wide?)-A14X-128,256,512GB?-$649~August 11, 2020
Internal specs for the iPad Air 4 get a little more contentious. Some of the early rumors from DigiTimes that were focused on a sub-$499 price also suggested that the iPad Air 4 would be using an A13 Bionic chipset variant, essentially an advanced version of what is in the iPad 11 lineup. This conflicts with the Komiya and MyDrivers leaks, which suggested a later release and more expensive price point. They indicated that the tablet will be powered by an A14x Bionic, a more powerful variant of what is expected for the iPhone 12.
One remaining advantage of the iPad Pro, according to Komiya and an alleged iPad Air 4 manual leaked by @DuanRui, is that the iPad Air 4 will have just a single (wide-angle) lens on the back, as opposed to the dual-lens setup found on the current Pros.
The manual also showed the iPad Air 4 with a Smart Connector again, which would allow for easy connectivity to accessories like the Magic Keyboard.
Finally, a storage bump is reportedly coming to the base iPad Air 4, doubling the capacity to 128GB and the 256GB option will be joined by a new 512GB model.
iPad Air 4 design
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
In keeping with the screen size jump, the overall look of the iPad Air 4 is meant to much more closely mirror the iPad Pro design with this iteration.
If the leaked iPad Air 4 manual images are real, the bezels are similarly minimal to those on the iPad Pros and there is no fingerprint sensor to be found on the front of the tablet. And while some rumors have posited a move to an in-display fingerprint sensor, this manual actually shows a Touch ID sensor on the power button found in its traditional spot on the top corner of the tablet.
iPad Air 4Touch IDvia 小红书 pic.twitter.com/2jc09uAKUYAugust 27, 2020
This would be a very odd move for Apple not to incorporate Face ID on a device without a home button and I doubt that the in-display sensors are where Apple would like them to be, so I’ll believe this one when I see it.
The back of the device is once again a similarly blank slate save for the single-camera in the upper-left corner of the tablet and the Smart Connector centered at the bottom of the tablet.
iPad Air 4 outlook
(Image credit: Future)
While there are still a number of details regarding the iPad Air 4 that remain unclear, it seems like Apple may be taking a page from its iPhone playbook if some of the rumors prove true. The company appears to be leveraging some parts from previous models with the move to an 11-inch display and the basic overall design of the iPad Pro along with USB Type-C.
The price is probably the biggest outstanding question for the iPad Air 4. Apple has managed to hold the Air’s pricing steady to date, but will the features Apple cuts from the Pro, like the 120Hz display, additional cameras and LiDAR, be enough to keep the iPad Air 4 at or near that $499 price point?
At $649, the iPad Air 4 would be a much more difficult to sell even with a number of these iPad Pro enhancements. This creates a significant gulf between it and the standard iPad while also potentially cannibalizing iPad Pro sales. It’s an interesting crossroads for the iPad lineup and we’ll certainly be watching for any additional rumors to clear up Apple’s plans for the iPad Air 4.
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