When Apple announced the iPad Air, the company said that words alone wouldn't do it justice —users had to feel its latest tablet to truly appreciate the difference. As it turns out, they were right.

Overall, the Apple iPad Air easily beats the previous generation Apple iPad 4 , both in terms of performance as well as design. Unlike the Apple iPhone 5S, which is a nearly identical smartphone with the Apple iPhone 5 , the iPad Air is an almost completely different machine compared to the iPad 4.

The iPad Air (2020) offers a great screen, supremely powerful processor, premium design and great Apple Pencil support… it's simply excellent. It's a shame the price has crept up, but it's still the tablet to beat.

Sleek design in great colours; Detailed screen; So fast and slick; Apple Pencil 2 support; Impressive spatial audio

Mediocre cameras; No 120Hz or OLED screen; Screen only medium brightness; Notable price jump from previous version

This iPad costs significantly less than the Pro model and, for many users, it offers significantly better value - although the price can quickly ramp up with accessories. The Air is powerful, desirable, fun and functional - it's an iPad for all seasons.

Excellent performance; USB-C forward-looking; Touch ID button works well; Trackpad support means true laptop replacement; Variety of colours

Lack of Face ID can annoy; No 128GB option; Accessories expensive; No rear camera flash

The new iPad Air might feel like a minor update from last year’s model, but it’s improved enough that its features and specs are now mostly on par with the pricier iPad Pro. It’s not just the best iPad for most people -- it’s arguably even Apple’s best tablet for the money.

Fast performance and WiFi speeds; Healthy battery life; Fun new color options; Supports Apple’s second-gen Apple Pencil; Very similar to the pricier iPad Pro

Still no Face ID; Only two speakers; The cost adds up with accessories meant to make it a laptop replacement

If you’re looking to get an iPad right now and can afford it, the new $599 iPad Air is the best tablet for most people. Apple has taken the design from the more expensive iPad Pro and brought it down to a more reasonable price point.

Excellent screen; Compatible with iPad Pro accessories; Very fast processor

Price increase; Only step-up storage option is a big jump; $749 for 256GB; Touch ID on the power button takes some getting used to

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

The Apple iPad Air looks a lot like the 11-inch iPad Pro, and that is a great thing. Mind you, there are some under the hood differences though. It’s a different processor line, for starters.

The fourth-generation iPad Air gives you the power of an iPad Pro for less money, making it the best Apple tablet to buy in 2020.

Super-fast processor and internet speeds; Excellent cameras; Fantastic build quality

Unimpressive battery life; iPadOS still doesn't multitask as well as Mac/Windows

The iPad Air is essentially an 11in iPad Pro but with a few high-end features removed for a £190 price cut. That means it has Apple’s attractive, modern tablet design, slim bezels, top performance, long and reliable battery life and a robust software ecosystem that will be kept updated for five-plus...

modern design; great performance; good battery life; great screen; USB-C; iPadOS; plenty of apps; great speakers; great mics; great video-call camera; long support; recycled aluminium.

no Fortnite or cloud game streaming; no multiuser support; relatively small storage on the starting model with no way to add more; comparatively expensive.