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New tablets: the fourth generation iPad Air on the left, the eighth generation iPad on the right
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
Space gray, of all things.
Well, you can't choose which color you get with test devices, so I have both the new eighth-generation iPad and the fourth-generation iPad Air in front of me in Apple's signature dark metallic gray.
At least the Air is available in four other colors, including new pink, blue and green tones.
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So many colors: The iPad Air will be really colorful this year.
Photo: APPLE / HANDOUT HANDOUT / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
I've waited a long time for the test, after all, Apple presented the iPads on September 15th.
The eighth generation iPad, I'll call it iPad 8, has been on the market for a few weeks now at prices starting at 369 euros.
You had to wait a little longer for the iPad Air - starting price 632 euros.
The reason for this, one can only oracle, could be his motivation.
Because with the Air, Apple also presented the new A14 Bionic processor in September, which also powers the new iPhones.
The chip is significantly more powerful than its predecessor and offers more speed, especially when it comes to machine learning.
Image editing apps such as Pixelmator Photo, for example, benefit from this, as certain functions can be edited much faster than with conventional processors.
Faster than the fastest iPhone
The new iPad without "Air" also benefits from this technology.
Apple's entry-level tablet is not powered by the new A14 chip, but is powered by the A12, which also contains areas for machine learning.
It is not nearly as fast as the A14, but apps that use these functions run noticeably faster on the eighth generation iPad than on its predecessor.
The iPad Air is, however, much faster: In test programs it achieved a good 50 percent higher values than the iPad 8 and is even faster than the new iPhone 12. Perhaps that is the reason why test devices were only shipped after the Apple cell phone, after all It would have looked weird if testers had praised the smartphone's performance, but at the same time pointed out that it was slower than the tablet.
Wrong world with the battery
Whatever the reasons for the delay in shipping the iPad Air, it's definitely fast enough for anything you can do with the tablet.
The same applies to the iPad 8: Regardless of whether it's a space shooting game or image editing or music production - all apps that I let loose on the two tablets during the test ran perfectly smoothly.
The only difference between the two iPads in terms of performance is that apps on the Air start a little faster.
And of course the expansion reserve: With the A14, the iPad Air will be able to keep up with new apps and operating systems for longer than the iPad 8.
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Accessories: Both iPads are supplied with 20 watt power adapters
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
Fun fact: In terms of stamina, the relationship between the two iPads was reversed: While the iPad 8 played full HD films for ten hours at full screen brightness before it switched off, the iPad Air was already on after a little over eight hours due to lack of energy.
The screens: good and better
As with the performance, there are also significant differences in the other features of the new Apple tablets, which explain the price difference.
Most noticeable are the screens, of course, after all, iPads are actually nothing more than a screen with computer technology behind them.
With the iPad 8, it is 10.2 inches tall and framed by a thick frame at the top and bottom.
The iPad Air is 10.9 inches with an evenly narrow all-round frame.
But while the size does not differ significantly, the same is true for the image quality.
The display of the iPad 8 is already pretty good and will be sufficient for most users, but the iPad Air can display more and more realistic colors, which is noticeable in photos, for example.
It also has Apple's True Tone technology, which adapts the color impression to the ambient light.
Most important for me: It has an anti-reflective coating, which ensures that lamps are not reflected so much in the image when streaming videos, for example.
This is particularly pleasant in the dark season.
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The iPad Air's fingerprint sensor
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
The different widths of the frames and the displays have technical reasons: While the iPad 8 has the traditional fingerprint sensor at the front, which many still appreciate, Apple is trying something new with the iPad Air, namely a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button.
This is unusual at first, but it works well.
Both do not have face recognition.
Do you prefer typing or writing?
For this you can buy a pen for both of them, with which you can draw, paint and make handwritten notes on the screen.
The iPad 8 is the first-generation Apple Pencil (96.50 euros), which you can charge by plugging it into the tablet's Lightning socket.
With the iPad Air, on the other hand, it is the second generation Pencil (131.55 euros) that sticks magnetically to the case and is charged wirelessly there.
Both work equally well, the newer model is just more practical because of the magnetic suspension.
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With a pen, the iPad becomes an endless notepad
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
If you want to do more than just surf the web and stream films with the tablets, the keyboards, which you can buy as accessories, are also useful.
For the iPad, Apple offers the Smart Keyboard, which sticks magnetically to the tablet and is barely bearable at EUR 174.45.
The writing experience is unusual at first, but over time, I can say from experience, you get used to it.
For the iPad Air, besides the Smart Keyboard Folio (193.95 euros), the Magic Keyboard known from the iPad Pro, which costs 330.45 euros, is almost as much as the smaller iPad.
It is very robust and protects the tablet well against falls and bumps when folded.
Above all, however, it has keys like a notebook that can be typed quickly and that are illuminated by a backlight useful in the dark.
A USB-C socket is attached to the side, which can be used to charge the iPad or connect it to digital cameras.
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The USB-C socket of the Magic Keyboard
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
In any case, USB-C is the only socket on the iPad Air, while the iPad still comes with a Lightning socket and headphone jack.
The WiFi functions also differ, because only the Air already masters the new WiFi 6 standard, which hardly anyone has at home until now, but which will be important in the future.
In everyday life it should be more relevant that the iPad Air has the noticeably better selfie camera, which with its full HD resolution (1080p) provides a clearly better image than the HD for video conferences, whether via face time, zoom or teams. Model (720p) in iPad 8. The quality differences of the main cameras are similarly different: The 8-megapixel model in the iPad 8 is sufficient for snapshots, with the 12-megapixel camera of the iPad Air you can take quite good photos - you should really want to take photos with such a large tablet.
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New Apple iPad (10.2 inch, Wi-Fi, 32 GB) - Space Gray (latest model, 8th generation)
From € 369.40
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October 21, 2020 3:03 p.m.
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What is the same for both: For a surcharge you can get it with LTE cellular, 5G is currently reserved for the new iPhones.
There are big differences when it comes to memory: the basic version of the iPad 8 is pretty meager with 32 gigabytes (GB).
Better to grab the 128 GB version for 466.90 euros.
The basic version of the iPad Air looks better with 64 GB.
But if you buy such an expensive tablet, you will probably prefer the version with 256 GB, which at 798.35 euros is really a steep price.
Conclusion
There is not much to argue about: Even in the eighth generation, the iPad is the right device for everyone who just wants a tablet to surf on the couch, watch a series or play a game on the subway to play.
The new iPad Air, on the other hand, is already the luxury version: Its technology is more modern and so is its look.
In combination with the Magic Keyboard, it can be used as a casual notebook replacement, is as expensive as a good notebook, but slimmer and lighter - and with the optional LTE module, it is also more independent.
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