WHY PAY MORE? iPad 8 vs iPad Air 4 Buying Guide! By Tech Gear Talk

For users, who want one of the newer iPads but are not looking to spend top dollar on the 2020 iPad Pro the choice comes down to the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4. Now I think it's pretty clear that the iPad Air 4 is more powerful, has a larger screen and some better features. So, if you're, just making your decision based on specs and money, isn't really an issue, the choice is easy, but the question that I always ask is whether the features and specs I'm getting on the higher end device justify the increase in cost. What's up guys segue here and welcome to another tech gear talk now. A lot of you have left me comments telling me that you're choosing between these two devices, and you've asked specific questions in this video I'll use. My two months of experience with these two devices we'll talk about the features that actually matter and which storage size you should get so.

Hopefully I can help you choose the right iPad for you. Let's get started as far as physical dimensions, the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4 are pretty much the same size again as far as the body is concerned. The screen size is larger on the air 4 which I'll get to in a minute, but the actual form factor isn't really something that would make me choose one over the other when you're, using them as a tablet or with an external keyboard you're not really going to notice a difference and even though the cases and accessories are not interchangeable between the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4. They are extremely similar in size and design I'll get to this in more detail in the accessory section, but I want to mention that there are some more advanced and higher end options for the iPad Air 4. Next, let's take a look at the design, so the iPad 8 has the traditional, rounded bottom design with the larger bezels on the top and the bottom, which accommodate the older home button.

The iPad Air 4 has the squared off edge design that we saw on all four models of the iPhone 12 and, of course, the iPad Pro. Personally, I love how the iPad Air 4 looks and feels I also like the smaller bezels and the cleaner overall design without the home button. I also find the iPad Air force slightly more comfortable to hold and use without a case which, admittedly, for me, is extremely rare. I don't think that that preference is enough of a reason to choose the iPad Air 4 over the 8, but it's a point. Furthermore, I'm going to give the air for moving on to biometric authentication, both iPads use, touch ID to unlock and authenticate things like purchases and passwords, and the iPad 8 uses the traditional home button and the iPad Air 4 uses a new touch ID on the top button.

In both cases you can unlock and authenticate with one press and regardless of which one you buy, make sure that you set both your right and left hand, so you can easily unlock in any orientation. I was initially worried about the iPad Air 4 touch ID because the button is smaller, but it's worked great. I find that on the iPad 8 I end up using my thumbs to unlock and on the iPad Air 4. Furthermore, I use my index fingers because of the positioning of the buttons. Furthermore, I wouldn't say that one is better than the other in terms of actual functionality and the advantage of the new touch ID on the iPad.

Air 4 mostly boils down to how it impacts the screen design. Now speaking of screens, I already mentioned that the iPad Air 4 has a larger screen because of the smaller bezels, so we're getting a 10.9 inch display instead of a 10.2 inch display on the iPad 8. The iPad Air 4 also has a liquid retina display versus a retina display on the iPad 8. We're getting 2 360 by 1640 versus 2160 by 1620. Both are at 264 pixels per inch and have a maximum brightness of 500 nits and a fingerprint resistant coating where we start seeing some differences.

That may be important. So when we look at the types of display, the iPad 8 has a non-laminated display, whereas the iPad Air 4 has a fully laminated display. If you're not familiar with this term, it means that the display panel, the touch layer and the cover glass are laminated into one single piece of display and glass. That makes the screen thinner and there is no air gap. The image looks like it's painted right on the screen itself, like it's right at the top versus on the iPad 8.

You can see that there's like a little gap and the image is a little below the glass, if you're, just using your iPad to watch content surf the web, or even just doing some note-taking this, isn't really going to make a big difference, because the image quality on both models is fantastic. But if you plan on doing a lot of writing on the screen using the Apple Pencil or if you plan on drawing a lot, then you're most likely going to want to go with a fully laminated display. It's not that you can't write or draw on the iPad 8, but on the iPad Air 4. The tip of the pencil feels like it's touching the content that you're creating, whereas on the iPad 8 because of the air gap, you can notice that separation there's also a sound difference between the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4. The iPad 8 sounds a little hollow when the tip of the pencil hits it, and this may sound a little picky here, but I'm trying to give you some info, so I can help you choose if you're someone who isn't super careful with their attack and if you don't use a case or a screen protector, keep in mind that if you crack the glass on the iPad 8, it's possible that only the top layer will break which will be less expensive to replace on a fully laminated display like on the iPad Air 4.

Since the top three layers essentially become one component, the screen replacement is likely to be more expensive. Next, I want to talk about the camera systems and speakers and in both cases, the iPad Air 4 has the advantage, starting with the iPad 8, we're getting an 8, megapixel, f, 2.8, rear facing camera versus 12, megapixel, f, 1.8 on the iPad Air 4. , so we're getting a high resolution, camera and better low light performance on the iPad Air 4 because of the larger aperture. We're also able to record 4k video at 24, 30 and 60 frames per second on the iPad Air 4 versus only 1080p 30 frames per second on the iPad 8. And finally, if you like slow motion, the iPad Air 4 can do 1080p at 120 and frames per second, which is awesome versus only 720p at 120 frames per second on the iPad 8.

In every case, the iPad Air 4 gives us a higher resolution, better low light performance and more frames per second option. So, if you plan on creating content with this device, the iPad Air 4 is a better fit. I mostly use my phone or a dedicated camera to create content and then use the iPad to edit. So it's not that big. A deal for me, but like with every product that I talk about, I try to give you as much information as possible so that you can choose based on how you plan on using it.

As far as the front-facing camera, the iPad 8 has a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera and the iPad Air 4 has a 7 megapixel FaceTime camera. In addition to better and higher resolution photos, the iPad Air 4 front facing camerae is also capable of 1080p video versus only 720p on the iPad 8. So it will give you better quality. Video for your video calls. Now.

Moving on to speakers, the iPad 8 has a two speaker system, but both speakers are on the bottom. So when you're in landscape mode, depending on how you hold it, they're both pointed to one side on the iPad Air 4. It's still a two speaker system, but there are two speakers on the top and two on the bottom. So you're not getting four different sounds you're getting two, but when you hold it in landscape, you're, getting more of a stereo surround sound experience. Now, when viewing content or playing games, I definitely prefer the iPad Air 4 over the iPad 8, because it does create a fuller, sound stage now, a little of personal experience here, probably 99 of the time that I'm using these iPads, I'm using my air pods, AirPods Pro or another set of headphones that I'm testing.

So the improved speakers are not a major selling point to me. But if you're watching content- and you like to use the speakers, the iPad Air 4 provides a better experience. The next feature that I want to talk about is compatibility with the Apple Pencil, keyboards and other accessories. The iPad 8 still uses a lightning port, and it's compatible with the older gen 1 Apple Pencil. It works great, but it requires the pencil to be plugged into the iPad to pair, and it's how I mostly charge it.

If you don't feel comfortable having the Apple Pencil sticking out of the iPad 8, you can use an external charger like this one from tempt the iPad Air 4 uses an USB c port, and it's compatible with the second generation Apple Pencil. It's a more comfortable design. In my opinion, it's less likely to roll off the table because of the flat edge it offers double tap functionality for alternating between tools, and it pairs and charges wirelessly. I also want to reiterate the point that I mentioned in the display section where the actual Apple Pencil user experience on the iPad Air 4 is better because of the fully laminated display. So if you're a user, that's going to use the Apple Pencil a lot, the iPad Air 4 does have the edge with a more ergonomic pencil, design, easier, pairing and more convenient charging better functionality and an improved user experience.

Now as far as apple keyboards, the iPad 8 is compatible with the apple smart keyboard, whereas the iPad Air 4 is compatible with the smart keyboard and the magic keyboard. If you want a keyboard with a trackpad from apple, the iPad Air 4 is the better choice and I have a dedicated review of the magic keyboard where I talk about whether it's actually worth 300 bucks, so I'll link to it at the end of this video. In both cases, there are third-party options like the Logitech slim folio for the iPad 8 and the folio touch for the iPad Air 4, which also comes with a trackpad. I love the function keys on both of these boards and, if you're interested in a comparison between the folio touch and the magic keyboard I'll link to that video as well back to the ports. As I mentioned, the iPad 8 uses the lightning port, and it works with a variety of dongles for extended functionality like a SD card reader and connectivity with an external display, a camera or an external SSD.

It's also more limited in regard to which external SSDs it'll work with because of the power supply. So if you want to learn more about that check out my 10 day, review of the iPad 8. , the iPad Air 4 uses an USB c port. So it's a lot more versatility in terms of expanding functionality with the USB hub. We can connect several devices at once and still provide power could also use the USB pass-through feature on the magic keyboard to charge the iPad Air 4 and then leave the USB port open for either another accessory or just because it's a better user experience to have the charging cable be flat on the desk.

Next, I'm going to very quickly talk about processing power because I think for the majority of users, this isn't a real concern and I say that because, unless you're doing very specific tasks, having just more processing power isn't necessarily worth the extra money, but having more power is better, obviously, but you should only pay for it if you plan on using it. I also want you to think ahead when you're making this choice. So will you be doing different things in a year or two that might require this additional power and also think about how long you plan on keeping this device as you'd expect. The iPad 8 is less powerful than the iPad Air 4, but it has the same a12 bionic chip as my iPhone 10s and for viewing content playing games, doing some photo editing and even video editing. It's worked great for me so far, so in terms of sheer processing power, I expect it to be plenty for the majority of users.

The iPad Air 4 uses the a14 bionic chip, which is more powerful in essentially every way, and it's likely to have longer support because it's newer. The iPad Air 4 also has 4 gigs of ram versus 3 on the iPad 8. So when looking at overall processing power, if you plan on doing a lot of resource intensive work like a lot of photo and video editing, the iPad Air 4 will be more capable. I still use my iPad Air 2, which I think I bought in 2014. So it really depends on how you use your device and what are your expectations from it going forward before I move on to the storage options, if you like what you've seen so far and have gotten value from this video, let me know by giving it a thumbs up.

It helps the video and the channel, and it lets me know what kind of content you like, so that I can make more of it and if it's your first time here, hit to subscribe and notification buttons, so you can stay up to date on all the latest apple gear and tutorials all right. Next, let's talk about the storage options and how much storage you actually need, so the iPad 8 comes in 32 and 128 gigs and the iPad Air 4 comes in 64 and 256 gig models, if you're only using your iPad to view content and surf the web or even download some games.32 gigabytes should be enough. The system files take up about 14, gigs of storage, leaving you about 18 gigs of free space. As an example, a game like PUBG takes up a little over three gigs and Call of Duty takes up about four and a half. You can also uninstall apps that you don't plan on using to free up some additional space.

Now, if you plan on doing any more than that, and you're choosing the iPad, 8 you'll definitely want to go with the 128 gig option. It's an excellent value, and it will allow you to download a lot of large games and also store photos and videos on your iPad. Now going to the iPad Air 4, the 64 gig version gives you enough storage space if you're a casual user. Even if you want to download a few larger games and store some documents again, you'll want more storage. If you plan on doing photo and video editing, even if you plan on using files that you shot on a DSLR or mirrorless camera using an external SSD, because most of the time you're required to copy those files onto the iPad before you can work with them now, how much space you actually need will depend on whether you're using 1080p or 4k video? How much of it as well as how often you want to offload the content once you're done editing! Remember that internal storage is not upgradable on either.

One of these so think ahead. Think of what you might be doing in the future and make sure that you account for that when you're making your choice all right. So hopefully this comparison between the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4 helped you pick the right iPad for your needs. The iPad 8 starts at 329 and the iPad Air 4 at 599, and remember to check the links in the description for any specials and student discounts. If there are any other aspects of the iPads that you want me to cover in future videos.

Let me know in the comment section and I really hope I was able to give you a good comparison between the iPad 8 and the iPad Air 4. If I did please, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, tweet it share it and if you haven't yet join the community by hitting to subscribe and notification buttons, you can always find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. At tech gear talk, you know what I always say: buy it nice or buy twice good luck and see you soon.

Source : Tech Gear Talk