Apple revamped its iPad lineup at its Time Flies event on September 15, announcing new versions of the standard iPad and iPad Air. These updates join the new iPad Pro that Apple announced earlier this year, all running iPadOS 14.

The iPad 8 is largely a processor upgrade that should improve the performance of Apple's most widely used tablet. But as welcome as the A12 processor is to the iPad 8, even bigger processor news comes in the iPad Air (2020). iPad Air 4 is the first Apple device to feature Apple's new A14 processor, and the iPhone 12, and the iPad Air 4 boasts many other improvements, including new colors, slimmer bezels, and Touch ID built into the tablet's top button.

All of this together makes both of Apple's tablets interesting updates targeted at specific users. To understand the background behind these changes, this iPad 8 vs. iPad Air 4 showdown looks at all the improvements added to both updated iPads.

There's no need to wait for the iPad 8, which can be pre-ordered now before it hits store shelves on Friday (September 18); the iPad Air 4 won't be available until next month; the iPad 8 will be available on September 18; and the iPad Air 4 will be available on September 18.

As before, the iPad 8 will be the less expensive of the two tablets. Pricing will start at $329 for a model with Wi-Fi connectivity only, and $459 for cellular connectivity. The base model comes with 32GB of storage, which can be upgraded to 128GB for an additional $100. iPad 8 pre-order instructions can be found here.

The iPad Air will start at $599 and the cellular version will sell for $729. iPad Air 4 pre-orders have not yet begun.

There are no major differences between the new iPad and the seventh-generation model it replaces, with Apple reserving the biggest changes for the device's internals. As before, it has a 10.2-inch Retina display in a 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.29-inch body. iPad 8 colors are fairly typical of Apple's palette: silver, gold, and, as usual, space gray.

When the iPad Air 4 and iPad 8 are placed side by side, the iPad Air 4's new design stands out: while the iPad retains the same bezels and Touch ID buttons as before, the iPad 4 has slimmed down the bezels surrounding the 10.9-inch Retina display. The home button is gone, and Apple has moved the fingerprint sensor to a button on the top edge of the iPad Air.

The iPad Air 4's screen is slightly larger than before - last year's edition of the tablet had a 10.5-inch screen - but the device remains as thin as ever at 0.24 inches. Silver and space gray are joined by rose gold, green, and sky blue. This is the most colorful iPad offered by Apple.

Other changes in the iPad Air's design include stereo speakers when the tablet is used in landscape orientation and a USB-C port. iPad 8 continues to use Lightning as its connection interface.

Comparing the iPad 8 to the iPad Air 4 is a tale of two processors. Apple's 8th generation iPad adds the A12 Bionic chip, which is an upgrade from the A10 Fusion processor in the previous model. According to Apple, CPU performance is 40% better and graphics performance is twice as good as before; the A12 processor also includes Apple's Neural Engine, which improves Siri performance, photo editing, and augmented reality experiences.

If this sounds like a big jump, consider the iPad Air 14, which introduces an all-new Apple-designed processor: the A14 Bionic chip is the first 5-nanometer processor in an Apple mobile device and offers more power in a more compact design and delivers more power in a more compact design. This means a 40% performance boost compared to the A12 Bionic chip in the iPad Air 3. According to Apple, graphics should also be 30% better.

The iPad 8's rear camera is unchanged from the 8 megapixel sensor in the previous generation model. The iPad Air 4, on the other hand, uses the iPad Pro's 12MP rear camera, allowing the new tablet to shoot 4K video.

Special features of the iPad 8 are largely limited to improvements Apple will introduce in iPadOS 14. These include the ability to doodle on the tablet screen using the Apple Pencil (unfortunately the Apple Pencil 2 is not supported in iPad 8) and convert it to text. Other iPadOS 14 improvements include more compact notifications, a new app sidebar, and improved universal search, but these features are not limited to the iPad 8 and will be included on all iPads when iPadOS 14 becomes available for download on September 16

iPad Air

The iPad Air 4 has Apple's Smart Connector, which allows the use of the Magic Keyboard accessory not available on the iPad 8. The new tablet will also work with the Apple Pencil 2, a much better version of Apple's input device. And all of the iPadOS 14 improvements planned for the iPad 8 will also be available to iPad Air 4 users.

When Apple announced the iPad 8 and iPad Air 4, it did not say much about battery life. However, based on the spec sheets for both tablets, we can expect similar longevity: both the iPad 8 and iPad Air 4 promise up to 10 hours of battery life when surfing the web or watching videos over LTE.

The iPad and iPad Air have always attracted different users, with the iPad appealing to a more general audience and the iPad Air appealing to those who want a light, thin tablet that can serve as a productivity device. iPad8 and iPad Air 4 will continue to differ We believe that the iPad 8 and iPad Air 4 will continue to be different. We look forward to seeing how these two tablets stack up in real-world use.