2020 iPad Air 4th Gen review: Pro in all but name - MSPoweruser

The 2020 iPad Air 4th Gen is the perfect option for those who can’t quite get together the cash for a Pro device. In fact, with only minor caveats compared to Apple’s more expensive offering, there’s very little reason not to get the Air, unless you crave a larger screen. It’s perfect for drawing, great for editing, even fantastic for day-to-day work.

In 2008, the 13” MacBook and MacBook Pro looked the same and had nearly the same specs. The few advantages the Pro had back then weren’t worth it for a lot of people, and the regular MacBook did very well that year. I happened to own that 2008 MacBook, and I never felt envy for the Pro model above it.

That’s how it feels with the 2020 iPad Air and the 2018 iPad Pro. The Air is so good, and even better in terms of performance in some cases, that it really makes you wonder why someone would opt for the more expensive 11” iPad Pro.

In 2008 this weird year lead to a more clear distinction between the Pro and non-Pro MacBooks. I expect that will happen in 2021 as well, which only gets me extra excited to see what the new Pro line of iPads have in store for us next year.