iPad Air (2020): Honest Review - A Few Months Later By TechSpaceCowboy

All right, I have been using the iPad Air, the 2020 version for a few months now um, and this is a full review of all the things I think are relevant if you've been on this channel for a bit. You know that I always like to start off with talking about just the hardware inside it. What can it do? I always call it the specs, but I'm sick of saying, starting with the specs. So let's just talk about the a14 processor, with four gigabytes of ram. Now, honestly, I think it's great that they put the a14 in here. It probably actually makes it cheaper for them to produce iPhones, because they can order a14s on like a bulk, a bulk scale, with it being in iPads and iPhones, but does having an a14 in here versus having like an a12 in you know the iPad Pro or the a12z in the iPad Pro.

No, it doesn't make really any difference uh over any other iPads, because for the most part, what you do with it on like an iPad Air, what you really would be doing with this content consumption, you can do content creation. I would say, if you're looking to do content creation, this isn't the device for you. So the a14 four gigs of ram handles multitasking, just fine, exactly the way you'd want it to it, handles any apps you'd want for content consumption right. So you know Facebook, YouTube, uh, Netflix, anything you're, watching videos on scrolling through pictures making your snide comments does just fine. You can hook up the keyboard case to it, and it'd be a great productivity machine.

Then again, some previous gen processors are also going to be great productivity machines. The iPad Air. Specifically, I mean it's overpowered for what it needs, which is a good thing, you're getting longevity out of it, then so we got to talk about the design update now this is from. This is the 2020 version right so um. The design update when this was released was kind of a big deal because they were finally matching it to the iPad Pro circa 2018 design, where it's got this kind of flat edges.

It's got the uh, the even bezel around the whole thing so now that it's being updated to the more modern design, language um. What differentiates this from an iPad Pro? Well, it comes in a bunch of colors right. It's uh this one I got is the gold one uh they come in blue, green, a few other colors. I personally don't care about the colors, a ton. I would call it whatever iPad color.

You buy, call that your accent color, because I don't know a single person who has an iPad that doesn't put some sort of case on it. So mine is actually the space gray, even though they call this black, the space gray iPad, with an accent color of gold by the way, if you're into this style of review. Consider subscribing to the channel helps me out. Now I, like that they've updated to this new design language I like the even bezel around it. It does feel more modern.

It doesn't make a functional difference, because the main thing I use my iPad for is watching YouTube videos, while I'm like cooking in the kitchen or while I'm flying the millennium falcon through hyperspace other design touches that have been updated. Uh. Having the speakers having, I mean two speakers on either side makes for a really, really rich and full sound. I love that it looks perfect. It looks nice and symmetrical, but it also just sounds perfect.

I can use this kind of like a portable home pod and that's kind of how I do use it. I set places and play a video which I glance at sometimes, but mostly I'm just listening to them like podcasts. The speakers are great. I can hear this from the other room. It's super loud.

My wife will ask me to turn it down. Sometimes they've also added the little uh magnetic attachment notch thing for the Apple Pencil too, and if you're going to be doing any kind of creative, apps and stuff the Apple Pencil 2 is a lot better than the Apple Pencil one because it can just on to the side and charge there. However, if you're getting an Apple Pencil too, with an iPad Air you're s, you're really selling yourself short, and it's because of the display. So we got to talk about the display one, the big gourd I mean it's gorgeous right. It looks phenomenal.

I love the look of this display, but that right there, which you can't even tell on camera right now, because I'm shooting at 24 frames a second, but this is a 60 hertz display and man do, I feel, just a touch of lag. The input lag to the display is a little noticeable compared to an iPad Pro and just the refresh rate everything looks choppy compared to the 120 hertz refresh rate on an iPad Pro, and I'm coming to this from an iPad Pro. I actually sold my 2018 iPad Pro got a 2020 iPad Pro sold that and got this and uh man. Man do I miss the 120 hertz. I didn't think I would because I really don't use any creative apps that much, but even just the simple system, navigation, the lower refresh rate is noticeable, and you really should try an air next to a pro before settling on the cheaper air.

Keep that in mind right. The display is not as nice to use it's not as enjoyable to use now, while we're going around the whole design. This one has just that single one camera on the back, which actually personally, I think, looks better. Also, you really don't need more cameras on your iPad. I think there are certain professionals that maybe use the cameras on their iPad or certain creatives that maybe use the cameras on their iPad.

I think, for the most part, the cameras are uh. It would feel weird if it didn't have them, but almost always you're using your phone camera, because it's better. So I just don't care about the cameras. I don't think most people who use tablets care that much about the cameras if they removed it from the iPad Air and that reduced the price of it. I would have bought that version, and so that leads me to the last piece of new hardware or new things on here that I've had to kind of adapt to from having an iPad Pro, and that is touch ID in the power button.

Wow, is that a bad choice? Um? I thought I would love it honestly because face ID I was wearing masks a lot, so I was like man it'd be nice to have touch ID in the power button on something uh, but with an iPad. I use it with the smart case, so I open it up and then after opening it up, then I have to hit the touch ID to get into it versus with the iPad Pro. Furthermore, I would open it up and just tap what I wanted to do, because it would see my face man. Furthermore, I didn't realize how inconvenient that was going to be it's so inconvenient that, after a month of trying to get used to it, I disabled the secure I was just like I'd rather not have security on my iPad rather than use touch ID in the power button. My strong opinion on it is whatever it costs.

Remove the touch ID from the power button put face. I'd back on the iPad face ID makes way more sense on the iPad. Can't stand touch ID in the power button on a phone. I probably would enjoy it because it's right there, I've tried phones with like fingerprint identification in the power button, so I'm not making a statement about touch ID overall, I'm just saying on a tablet that has a smart cover touch ID and the power button is stupid, and I don't like it and get out of here- you nerf herder. So overall, should you buy an iPad Air? Well, who are you right if you're a creative professional- and you want to use like your apple if you want to get an apple, pencil, and you're doing the drawing and stuff on this? Not the best experience um right now.

This is selling with apple for 600 bucks I bought it at Best Buy for 549. At the time I bought it, man for 200 more, you could get the 11-inch iPad Pro, or you could for around the same price, try and find a refurbished or used iPad Pro from 2018 2020 regardless. I think that for creatives, it's worth a little of extra money. So this is not a great value for creatives now for consumption now you're stuck between well, this is cheaper than the iPad Pro, so it makes sense. I would say, if you're just going to watch videos, this beats out the iPad Pro, but does it beat out the iPad? So a fancier design is not really a good reason, in my opinion, to get a new product.

So you're, looking at like two to two hundred fifty dollars more for an iPad Air over just an iPad. If you're just going to watch videos on it, it's probably just get the iPad. You know if you're just going to do something really basic on it. But if you want some of those features of the iPad Pro like docking with the keyboard, the really, really nice keyboard case from apple or using the Apple Pencil, 2, there's just enough things. It's like it's giving you just the just right features from the iPad Pro to make it worth it.

But for me the one thing that makes it worth it is: it has USB type-c as the charge port, so the original iPad right, the iPad Mini those use, a lightning connector, and my one of my life goals is to just have everything charged with USB type c. So for me, that's honestly, the main reason I would I got an error over a normal iPad. I paid 200 for that. Most people shouldn't do that if the original iPad, the one that's like, 329 right that one, if that one had an USB type c port on it, I would have bought that over this, because I literally use this only for YouTube and pretty much nothing else. I just watch things on it around the place when I'm doing other activities, and so the overall take on value.

Is this, if you can stretch it, get a pro over this? If you don't mind it get the other one, this kind of sits in that weird middle ground, where it has certain features from the pro, but not some of the ones that really make the pro a pro. So I get why it exists. It's like a's like an iPad Pro light. That'd be the best way I can describe it anyway. That's all! I really got right on the iPad.

It's an okay product right, I wouldn't say you're wasting your money. If you get one clearly, I didn't I, I keep and use this. You know all the time you know if you're new here consider subscribing to the channel, I make videos once a week reviewing tech in this honest kind of casual, open format fashion. Just, however, I feel like it if you're returning love, seeing you here again thanks for coming back. What, if that, what if I just did nothing for the outro and just sat there in silence.

Source : TechSpaceCowboy