presentation ipad air

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works

Home / Reviews / Tablets & computers / Tablets / Apple iPad Air 4th generation (2020) review

Apple iPad Air 4th generation (2020) review

A bit more pro and a lot more expensive. Is this iPad Air still the iPad for everyone?

Last year’s iPad Air was the best iPad for most people. More powerful than the standard iPad but more affordable than the iPad Pro, it hit a sweet spot – despite its dated design and relatively poor audio output.

The 4th-generation model ushers in big changes: it looks like an iPad Pro and supports Apple’s snazzy new accessories – but 100 quid has been added to the price. So is there enough of the Pro here that you no longer need to ‘go pro’, and is it worth the extra outlay if you find the standard iPad lacking? Let’s find out.

Design: It’s got the edge

From the front, this iPad Air is the spit of an 11in iPad Pro. The bezel is a touch larger, but don’t gripe – sharing dimensions with an existing iPad means a rich ecosystem of compatible accessories already exists.

The flat edges aren’t sharp, but nor are they tiring to hold. They make the iPad feel properly solid; it’s good in the hand and isn’t too heavy for long touchscreen sessions.

Around back, things diverge more from the Pro: there’s only one camera (a 12MP wide – no ultra wide or LiDAR), but you get more colour options. Along with silver and space grey, you can choose from rose gold, green and sky blue. These shades look good, but most people don’t spend time gawping at the back of their iPads. It’s what’s on the front that really matters.

Screen: Bezel than ever

In eradicating the Home button, the bezel is now even. This helps the unit feel like a no-distraction ‘blank canvas’ in a way its predecessor never was. It also fractionally bumps up the display size, from 10.5in (2224×1668) to 10.9in (2360×1640). In practical terms, this makes little difference, but more screen is more screen.

In use, the screen is clear and bright, with great viewing angles. True Tone adapts for lighting conditions and P3 wide colour makes the Air suitable for creative tasks. Unlike the standard iPad, there’s an anti-reflective coating, and so this tablet doesn’t become a mirror in bright conditions. The one downside? No ProMotion – although that will only be something you’ll notice if you’ve previously spent time with an iPad Pro.

Audio: It’ll make you flip (to landscape)

The third-gen iPad Air’s speakers were both on the same edge as the Home button, meaning audio blasted from one side when the tablet was in landscape – not ideal when using it with a keyboard, watching a movie, or playing most games. The fourth-gen instead has a fully landscape set-up.

The speakers go loud and although the sound is thinner than the 11in iPad Pro’s output, it sometimes offers better clarity in having less bass. There is one problem, though: Apple does nothing to change how audio plays when the device is in portrait.

In that orientation, the left channel plays from the top of the device and the right channel from the bottom. This sounds weird in heavily panned audio and can noticeably affect music, audio and video editors, games and YouTube in portrait. Perhaps Apple could have done something clever with spatial audio. As things stand, the current situation is a rare stumble from this device.

Power: Number cruncher

When this iPad was announced, the A14 Bionic at its heart debuted too. Apple’s cagey about raw numbers, instead preferring to talk about a 40% CPU enhancement over the third-gen iPad Air and a 30% boost to the GPU.

What this means for you is this iPad can draw on serious power. When testing it alongside a 12.9in 2020 iPad Pro, the Air was neck and neck in high-end music apps, photo editing and games. In some cases, it even felt a touch zippier.

So we cracked open some benchmarking tools – and the numbers seemed to confirm our testing. This iPad Air’s raw single-core performance bests every other iPad in Apple’s line-up. Its GPU scores are close to the Pro’s, and although multi-core benchmarks are lower, it’s close.

This iPad does appear to have less RAM than an iPad Pro (4GB versus 6GB), which might limit very high-end creative projects; but for the most part, you’re getting iPad Pro performance for far less money.

Touch ID: Thumbs up

If you’ve used an iPad Pro for some time, you’ll likely spend a while tapping the iPad Air’s display and staring at it like an idiot, waiting for Face ID to fire. The snag: there is no Face ID. Instead, the iPad smartly integrates Touch ID into the power button.

We did miss Face ID – it’s so effortless when unlocking the iPad or paying for something. But Touch ID is responsive, and wasn’t having any of it when we tried to fool the system with random finger placement. The only downside: in an era of mask wearing, you’ll desperately wish Apple had found time to integrate this feature into the iPhone 12 line.

Accessories: USB-C how little we miss Lightning

Like the iPad Pro, this latest iPad Air has ditched Lightning and transitioned to USB-C. That’s great for a whole host of reasons, including compatibility with a range of accessories, from storage to cameras.

The iPad’s more Pro-like nature also brings support for the latest Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. The second-gen Pencil is more expensive than the original (£119 versus £89) but nicer to hold, has double-tap tool-switching smarts, and attaches magnetically to the iPad for charging. It’s so much better than its spindly and unwieldy predecessor.

The Magic Keyboard is also a big step up from the middling and spongy Smart Keyboard Folio. The iPad attaches magnetically and ‘floats’ while you type on laptop-grade keys. However, its tilt is limited, the iPad overhangs the number keys when tilted back to its maximum, there are no media keys, and the keyboard at £299 is wallet-thumpingly expensive. So also consider Logitech’s Folio Touch (£139.95), which adds media keys and an adjustable kickstand – although it is a faff to free the iPad from, unlike Apple’s magnetic marvel.

Random observations

• The 64GB entry capacity isn’t massive and 256GB is the largest this iPad goes. Neither can be expanded and so buy with care, especially if keen to use your iPad for media-intensive creative projects
• The 12MP front camera is the same one as on the iPad Pro and will shoot 4K video
• Apple states the front camera has better low-light performance, but it lacks the portrait mode abilities from the iPad Pro TrueDepth camera
• The cellular option adds £130 to the price, which is 20 quid cheaper than on the iPad Pro. Be mindful you can tether to an iPhone if you only need data occasionally
• iPadOS 14’s new refined app designs make for more productive workflow, and this iPad’s display is large enough for usable Split View
• We’ve banged on enough in the past about the iPad’s unparalleled tablet-optimised apps and games ecosystem. Suffice to say, if you want an app for a task, chances are several will exist and at least one will be very good

Verdict: iPad Air (2020)

We started this review by saying last year’s iPad Air was the best iPad for most people. The fourth-generation iPad Air makes an even stronger argument.

Sure, it’s more expensive and, yes, the weird audio output in portrait is a pity. But the mix of refined design, raw power and accessories support makes it a great buy – if a spanner in the works for anyone who until now was considering an iPad Pro.

You see, if you’re not using audio apps in portrait, aren’t fussed about more advanced cameras and don’t need a 12.9in display, you’d do well to save yourself a couple of hundred quid and get an iPad Air instead.

Stuff Says…

Score: 5 /5

Pointing to iPad’s future rather than its past, this is a meaningful, impressive iPad Air update

Vastly improved design

Almost unreasonably powerful

USB-C for charging and accessories

Speaker set-up weird in portrait

No ProMotion

Limited storage options

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.

Related content

Best upcoming phones for 2025: find your next phone.

Flagships, foldables, midrangers and affordable models – there’s an upcoming phone for all budgets

The ancient Kindle Oasis still has one exclusive feature that I wish Amazon would bring to newer models

It’s the biggest Kindle refresh in years, and the perfect opportunity to upgrade from an aging model like my own – but I’m reluctant

Android 15 is here: the top new features your phone will get in the free update

Android 15 has landed on the Pixel phones. But what should you expect, and when will other handsets get the free software update?

The new Apple iPad Air is great — but it’s not the one to get

The ipad pro is a beast. the two-year-old ipad is more compelling than ever. so what is the air even for anymore.

By David Pierce , editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.

Share this story

The new iPad Air is very good. If you buy one, you’ll almost certainly like it. That’s it, that’s the review.

But is this the iPad you should buy? That’s a more interesting question. The iPad Air is a study in tradeoffs, even more so than before. Starting at $599, it’s not the cheapest iPad you can buy, nor is it the most impressive. It doesn’t support all the accessories, but it does support some of the accessories. It’s fast but not the fastest, thin but not the thinnest, powerful but not the powerful-est. It is Apple’s attempt to find the Goldilocks middle ground — the features that matter most to the most users and nothing else.

Outside of a couple of specific scenarios, I don’t think I’d tell you to buy this year’s iPad Air. Not because it’s not great — it is great! It’s just that for $250 less, you can get the base iPad, which is just about as good at every common iPad activity. The 10th-generation iPad is a couple of years old at this point, but it’s still an excellent device, especially after Apple lowered its price from $449 to $349. The iPad, not the iPad Air, is the right iPad for most people. 

The new Air is pretty much last year’s iPad Pro in the body of last year’s iPad Air . The two models are identical other than the screen size. The new 13-inch model is obviously larger in every dimension and about a third of a pound heavier than the 11-inch Air, which is exactly the same size and weight as the last-gen Air. 

Both new Airs run the same M2 chip as the old Pro and, in my testing, run it practically identically — it’s a fast and reliable chip, though the new M4 processor in this year’s iPad Pro runs laps around it in benchmark tests. The screen is the same as last year’s Air, the battery life is the same, and the rear camera is the same — it’s just a spec bump on the same thing.

In my testing, there’s really only one change from the old Air that I’ve noticed: Apple moved the front-facing camera to the middle of the landscape edge, which means I can use it for video calls without looking like I’m always staring up and away from the screen. This is a great change, and one Apple should have made a long time ago. If you do want to buy an Air, I’d recommend this one over the previous generation just to get the camera in the right place.

Next to this year’s Pro, on the other hand, the Air definitely feels like a lesser model. The Pro has a much better OLED screen, that ultra-powerful M4 chip, full Thunderbolt support on the USB-C connector, more speakers, more storage in every price tier, and is lighter and smaller at both screen sizes. You pay handsomely for those upgrades, but they’re real upgrades.

But honestly? If you’re just looking for a way to send emails, browse the web, play games, and maybe make an iMovie or two, none of that will really change the way you use your iPad. An iPad is an iPad is an iPad, and until Apple either fixes a bunch of things or opens up the operating system — and I wouldn’t hold my breath on either one — you just aren’t going to get enough out of all that extra power to make it a must-have upgrade. You can do lots of things on an iPad, which is great! But the list is pretty much the same no matter which tablet you’re holding. The iPad Pro is the best iPad, no question about it, but it’s also a very expensive iPad. And it’s still an iPad.

There are only two Pro features that I truly missed in everyday use after switching to the iPad Air. The first is Face ID: the Air uses Touch ID in the home button to log you in to your device, which works well enough, but Face ID on the Pro makes it feel like you never have to log in at all. The second is the row of function keys on the Magic Keyboard attachment. On the 13-inch Air in particular, the Magic Keyboard is big and roomy and lovely to type on — which means I’ve missed having quick access to playback, brightness, and more. 

In real use, the Air is much closer to the base iPad than the Pro, which puts it in an awkward tweener position. You do get the M2 chip instead of the A14 Bionic, and as Apple continues to push into on-device AI features, it’s possible that having a bonkers amount of processing power will become very useful. The M2 is certainly the more future-proof option, but the A14 Bionic is fully capable of handling a typical iPad workload.

Otherwise, the base iPad and the Air have the same cameras and camera placement, the same Touch ID system, and the same battery life. The iPad is a bit larger than the Air, but we’re talking hundredths of inches and pounds. Neither has a headphone jack, which remains dumb and bad. The Air’s screen is definitely better — it’s probably the most important spec upgrade over the regular iPad. But the regular iPad is good enough — just don’t look at them side by side. Ignorance is bliss; it’ll be fine.

The Air gets points for supporting the Pencil Pro, which the regular iPad doesn’t. The iPad gets points for having a function row on its Magic Keyboard Folio but loses some because it doesn’t feel as sturdy as the larger accessory. (Can I just say, by the way, that it makes exactly no sense which keyboards get which features on which iPads? No sense at all.) The iPad also comes in much nicer colors, though I love the look of the white Magic Keyboard, and that only comes with the Air.

Ultimately, I think I can answer the Air vs. iPad debate in two questions. Do you want a big screen? Do you use the crap out of your Apple Pencil? If so, buy the Air. The 13-inch model is the cheapest big screen in Apple’s lineup — a whopping $500 less than the comparable iPad Pro — and the 11-inch model is the least expensive way to get access to the Pencil Pro. Done and done.

Otherwise, buy the plain ol’ iPad, which is an already terrific tablet at a newly terrific price. There’s even a better way to upgrade: I’d urge you to spend $150 upgrading the base iPad to the cellular model rather than $250 upgrading to the Air. Having an iPad that is just always connected, without having to think about it, is a game-changer for tablet life.

My standard buying advice is to buy the best stuff you can afford and then keep it as long as possible. But I’m confident that even a two-year-old 10th-generation iPad is capable enough to do most things really well for a long time. So is the Air, obviously! But the bad news for Apple, and the good news for you, is that every iPad is a great iPad — including the cheapest one.

Alien: Romulus is getting a VHS release

Nintendo’s mysterious playtest begins to leak, time to upgrade your reading gadgets, samsung’s z fold special edition flagship is here, apple’s airpods pro hearing health features are as good as they sound.

More from Reviews

Apple iPad Pro (2024) review: the best kind of overkill

The Garmin Lily 2 was the tracker I needed on vacation

Goodbye to Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio, the best iPad Pro accessory

The Flextail Tiny Bike Pump is a solid pump half the time

Keynote User Guide for iPad

• What’s new in Keynote 14.2
• Intro to Keynote
• Intro to images, charts, and other objects
• Create a presentation
• Choose how to navigate your presentation
• Open a presentation
• Save and name a presentation
• Find a presentation
• Print a presentation
• Prevent accidental editing
• Undo or redo changes
• Quick navigation
• Change the working view
• Customize the toolbar
• Copy text and objects between apps
• Basic touchscreen gestures
• Use Apple Pencil with Keynote
• Create a presentation using VoiceOver
• Add or delete slides
• Add and view presenter notes
• Reorder slides
• Group or ungroup slides
• Skip or unskip a slide
• Change the slide size
• Change a slide background
• Add a border around a slide
• Show or hide text placeholders
• Show or hide slide numbers
• Apply a slide layout
• Add and edit slide layouts
• Change a theme
• Add an image
• Add an image gallery
• Edit an image
• Add and edit a shape
• Combine or break apart shapes
• Save a shape to the shapes library
• Add and align text inside a shape
• Add 3D objects
• Add lines and arrows
• Add and edit drawings
• Add video and audio
• Record video and audio
• Edit video and audio
• Add live video
• Set the movie and image formats
• Position and align objects
• Use alignment guides
• Place objects inside a text box or shape
• Layer, group, and lock objects
• Change object transparency
• Fill shapes and text boxes with color or an image
• Add a border to an object
• Add a caption or title
• Add a reflection or shadow
• Use object styles
• Resize, rotate, and flip objects
• Add linked objects to make your presentation interactive
• Select text
• Copy and paste text
• Format a presentation for another language
• Use phonetic guides
• Use bidirectional text
• Use vertical text
• Change the look of text
• Use text styles
• Change text capitalization
• Add drop caps
• Make characters superscript or subscript
• Format fractions automatically
• Format dashes and quotation marks
• Format Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text
• Set tab stops
• Format text into columns
• Adjust line spacing
• Format lists
• Add mathematical equations
• Add borders and rules (lines) to separate text
• Add or delete a table
• Select tables, cells, rows, and columns
• Add or remove rows and columns
• Move rows and columns
• Resize rows and columns
• Merge or unmerge cells
• Change the look of table text
• Show, hide, or edit a table title
• Change table gridlines and colors
• Use table styles
• Resize, move, or lock a table
• Add and edit cell content
• Format dates, currency, and more
• Highlight cells conditionally
• Format tables for bidirectional text
• Alphabetize or sort table data
• Add or delete a chart
• Change a chart from one type to another
• Modify chart data
• Move, resize, and rotate a chart
• Change the look of data series
• Add a legend, gridlines, and other markings
• Change the look of chart text and labels
• Add a chart border and background
• Use chart styles
• Animate objects onto and off a slide
• Animate objects on a slide
• Change build order and timing
• Add transitions
• Present on your iPad
• Present on a separate display
• Present on iPad over the internet
• Use a remote
• Make a presentation advance automatically
• Play a slideshow with multiple presenters
• Rehearse on your device
• Play a recorded presentation
• Check spelling
• Look up words
• Find and replace text
• Replace text automatically
• Set your author name for comments
• Highlight text
• Add and print comments
• Send a presentation
• Intro to collaboration
• Invite others to collaborate
• Collaborate on a shared presentation
• See the latest activity in a shared presentation
• Change a shared presentation’s settings
• Stop sharing a presentation
• Shared folders and collaboration
• Use Box to collaborate
• Create an animated GIF
• Post your presentation in a blog
• Use iCloud Drive with Keynote
• Export to PowerPoint or another file format
• Restore an earlier version of a presentation
• Move a presentation
• Delete a presentation
• Password-protect a presentation
• Create and manage custom themes
• Transfer files with AirDrop
• Transfer presentations with Handoff
• Transfer presentations with the Finder
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcut symbols

Intro to Keynote on iPad

You can use Keynote to create beautiful and engaging presentations with fun animations, interesting transitions, and professional polish.

To create a Keynote presentation, you always start with a theme , then modify it however you want. Slides in a theme include placeholder images and text styled as headlines and body content.

To build your presentation, you replace placeholder content with your own content, or delete placeholders you don’t need. You can also add other objects—like shapes, photos, and charts—to any slide.

You can quickly change the look of the selected text or object by applying a new style to it. Tap one of the alternative styles to change the object’s look, or use the style options to customize the object’s appearance however you like.

To explore the Keynote User Guide, tap one of the “See also” links below, tap Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field.

Keynote 14.2 for iPad requires iPadOS 17 or later. Keynote is available in the App Store and requires an Apple Account to download. Features are subject to change, and some may require internet access. Additional fees and terms may apply.