iPad Air Is it worth buying an Air 4 in 2022?

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

I wish Apple would sell versions of iPads without cameras. Some of us just don’t care about having a camera on iPads.

I’d agree if we were just talking about the rear camera. I don’t think I’ve ever seriously used that on any iPad, unless there was nothing else around to take a picture with.
Then again, I have seen tourists taking pictures with iPads.

The front camera is useful, though, for FaceTime etc imo.

 

[Isengardtom]

I don’t think the Air 5 will have a price increase since the Air 4 got that at the redesign in 2020

later this year the 11” pro will if it switches to mini LED.

 

[MartyvH]

New Low-Cost iPhone SE 5G and iPad Air Coming on March 8

March 8! So close. There is no feature on the horizon that justifies a price increase. Mini-LED is not even in the 11-inch iPad Pro and is rumoured for later this year in that model only.

New model out shortly at the same price or the current model at some small discount somewhere? Given the very long useful life of iPads now, you can extend them far into the future so a discount is not worth it to me. Get the most value out of it that you can by just getting the latest model.

 

[ian87w]

It's never worth it to buy an Apple product in its late days. The best way is to buy them at launch or close to launch date. That will get you the most out of its life since Apple rarely discount their prices.

 

[ian87w]

My local Best Buy has a Pro 11 128GB open box (2021) for $899cdn, very tempting. Just $120cdn more than for a new air 4.

I wouldn't buy an open box anything from any store, unless it has full warranty (which it won't).

 

[teerexx52]

which color did you get?

Blue

 

[snipr125]

OP, the Air gen 4 is still worth it for sure in 2022 (get it for the lowest price possible though), however try and wait for a month until they announce the new SE and Air gen 5 and see what its like. Apple may surprise us with an OLED screen, and not just the A15, 5G and Centre stage camera that everyone is purporting.

 

[SkiHound2]

Only if the Air 4 came with a $100+ discount.

That's my thinking right now. Unless one really NEEDS a device NOW I'd wait unless you get a substantial discount. The Air 4 is still a very nice device but with the 5 just around the corner I'd only consider it with a substantial discount.

 

[ggibson913]

I would wait until the rumored March event, it is only a month away.

 

[mansplains]

I personally would go with a 11" Pro instead of the air, I have a 2nd Gen 12.9" Pro that's aged really well still. I bought a cellular 11" Pro to try replacing it and found no need. But the Pro longevity for price, and the cheap bar of entry for base iPad, make me wonder why the Air exists to an extent. Biometrics seem to be a deal-breaker for a lot of people though, either one beats passcode entry.

 

[DeepSix]

OP, the Air gen 4 is still worth it for sure in 2022 (get it for the lowest price possible though), however try and wait for a month until they announce the new SE and Air gen 5 and see what its like. Apple may surprise us with an OLED screen, and not just the A15, 5G and Centre stage camera that everyone is purporting.

If Air 5 has an OLED screen, it will for sure have a price higher. The A14 vs A15 and center stage camera doesn't attract me but a discounted price and an OLED screen at the same price or more RAM would.

If I recall correctly, Apple don't discount older model ipads.

 

[DeepSix]

I personally would go with a 11" Pro instead of the air, I have a 2nd Gen 12.9" Pro that's aged really well still. I bought a cellular 11" Pro to try replacing it and found no need. But the Pro longevity for price, and the cheap bar of entry for base iPad, make me wonder why the Air exists to an extent. Biometrics seem to be a deal-breaker for a lot of people though, either one beats passcode entry.

This is what I'm leaning towards, getting a 3rd gen 11 Pro. But it's backordered everywhere right now. From the sounds of it, the Pro 11 isn't much more but you get double the storage, pro motion, 100 nits brighter screen, 2GB more of ram. All would be welcome upgrades in my case.

If Apple releases a 11 Pro with mini-LED this Fall, it will have a price hike. Mini-LED isn't a must for me.

I'm heading to the Apple store here in a couple of hours to replace my mini 6. I will see if they have stock on the Pro 11 2021 model.

 

[XIO[-]OIX]

Buy yesterday if you need it. Buy tomorrow if you want it.

couldn’t be answered better.
especially today - and for iPadAir.

//Its an amazing device, really really great. I’d buy one if I didnt allready have iPad Air 4. I’m actually waiting for the Pro with M2. I got my Air with 64Gigs, and since I’ve made it my main digital device, I‘m gonna need more storadge space (will go for 512, so quite a big upgrade). If it wasnt for storadge expansion, I’d not change my Air in 4 years at least, maybe more.

 

[Joniz]

Depends.

Do you mean January, 2022?

Or December, 2022?

 

[rui no onna]

This is what I'm leaning towards, getting a 3rd gen 11 Pro. But it's backordered everywhere right now. From the sounds of it, the Pro 11 isn't much more but you get double the storage, pro motion, 100 nits brighter screen, 2GB more of ram. All would be welcome upgrades in my case.

If Apple releases a 11 Pro with mini-LED this Fall, it will have a price hike. Mini-LED isn't a must for me.

I'm heading to the Apple store here in a couple of hours to replace my mini 6. I will see if they have stock on the Pro 11 2021 model.

That's actually at least double the RAM vs Air 4 (8GB vs 4GB). One of the main reasons I'm predisposed towards the 2021 Pro.

 

[DeepSix]

That's actually at least double the RAM vs Air 4 (8GB vs 4GB). One of the main reasons I'm predisposed towards the 2021 Pro.

Played around with the 11 Pro and it’s great but like the air, not comfortable thumb typing in portrait mode so it will mainly be a desk device for my note taking.

I don’t notice anymore smoothness in pro motion but it’s sure nice to write on. The screens look identical comparing 11 Pro to Air 4.

I’ll likely settle for either the Air 5 or Pro 11 and still keep my mini 6 just because the mini serves a specific use for me and is still way more portable as a take with me everywhere device.

Being able to one hand the mini is still a top perk it has over the Air and Pro, even though some are able to one hand the Pro

 

[chrfr]

If FaceID with mask had already been available at the time, I would’ve gone M1 iPad Pro 11” all the way.

At least as of now, Face ID with mask is purely an iPhone feature. I would not make longer term buying plans based on this moving to the iPad.

 

[1BadManVan]

The CPU upgrade isn’t significant. A14 to A15 is kinda like A12X to A12Z so I wouldn’t make a decision based on chipset alone.

iPad mini (6th generation) vs iPad Air (4th generation) - Geekbench

Same camera setup for Air 5 as mini 6 is a given. It’s the RAM and base storage that are still unknown.

Keep in mind the A15 in the mini 6 is a downclocked version making it closer to an A14. But either way still not a huge performance boost even with a full power A15

 

[1BadManVan]

Played around with the 11 Pro and it’s great but like the air, not comfortable thumb typing in portrait mode so it will mainly be a desk device for my note taking.

I don’t notice anymore smoothness in pro motion but it’s sure nice to write on. The screens look identical comparing 11 Pro to Air 4.

I’ll likely settle for either the Air 5 or Pro 11 and still keep my mini 6 just because the mini serves a specific use for me and is still way more portable as a take with me everywhere device.

Being able to one hand the mini is still a top perk it has over the Air and Pro, even though some are able to one hand the Pro

The promotion observation I definitely don’t agree with. The promotion display made a huge difference in smoothness in a day to day usage. I had an air 4, I have air 3’s for my kids as well and the jump to the 11” pro was very noticeable. Noticeable as well moving from the 12 pro max to the 13 pro max with the 120hz

Some people it doesn’t matter as much but the tech geek in me loves it and definitely feels it

 

[1BadManVan]

At least as of now, Face ID with mask is purely an iPhone feature. I would not make longer term buying plans based on this moving to the iPad.

I sure hope it comes to the iPad pros, can’t imagine they have any less face is tech, heck they allow Face ID in portrait on the iPad. Obviously it’s not the same level of priority as most people aren’t wandering around with their iPad in hand in places that need a mask as often as an iPhone. But there’s still use cases it would come in handy for some

 

[rui no onna]

most people aren’t wandering around with their iPad in hand in places that need a mask as often as an iPhone.

Alas, I do, which is why I have a 256GB Air 4.

Otherwise, would’ve preferred to have 8GB RAM+512GB storage on my backup iPad.

 

[rui no onna]

If I recall correctly, Apple don't discount older model ipads.

Apple does but only for walk-ins for in-store stock (usually just $50 off though).

However, in the US there are plenty of authorized retailers that do (Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, B&H, etc).

 

[DeepSix]

The promotion observation I definitely don’t agree with. The promotion display made a huge difference in smoothness in a day to day usage. I had an air 4, I have air 3’s for my kids as well and the jump to the 11” pro was very noticeable. Noticeable as well moving from the 12 pro max to the 13 pro max with the 120hz

Some people it doesn’t matter as much but the tech geek in me loves it and definitely feels it

Maybe I need to use it more and in real life usage. I still do believe it's worth the extra money for the Pro 11 2021 over the Air 4 because of double the ram, M1 over the A14, 0.75" larger display, 100 higher nits in brightness, double the storage and likely a better battery too. I would pay more just for double the ram and the M1 alone (though M1 is overkill on ipad but it makes the 2021 Pro more future proof than the Air 4.

 

[DcGamer05]

Maybe I need to use it more and in real life usage. I still do believe it's worth the extra money for the Pro 11 2021 over the Air 4 because of double the ram, M1 over the A14, 0.75" larger display, 100 higher nits in brightness, double the storage and likely a better battery too. I would pay more just for double the ram and the M1 alone (though M1 is overkill on ipad but it makes the 2021 Pro more future proof than the Air 4.

Air 4 once you get it home and use it a few days the reloading of apps may drive you crazy. The pro is overkill but the air 4 really isn’t enough. I had my air 4 for about one week returned and got the pro. It really is worth the future proofing and extra space as well. Good luck

 

[Teledatageek]

I personally would go with a 11" Pro instead of the air, I have a 2nd Gen 12.9" Pro that's aged really well still. I bought a cellular 11" Pro to try replacing it and found no need. But the Pro longevity for price, and the cheap bar of entry for base iPad, make me wonder why the Air exists to an extent. Biometrics seem to be a deal-breaker for a lot of people though, either one beats passcode entry.

That's what I just did. Returned the Air 4 I bought a week ago. Especially made sense as I found I was using 56GB out of 64GB. Pro with 128GB for the nominal price difference seems to make a lot of sense.