Device hub · Tablets · Desk research
iPad Air (4th generation)
Air (4th generation) is the September 2020 $599 leftover 10.86-inch Liquid Retina iPad: A14, USB-C, top-button Touch ID, Pencil 2nd gen, LTE not 5G.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensediPad Air (4th generation)
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
Placeholder — OEM press not licensediPad Air (4th generation)
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
Air (4th generation) is the September 2020 $599 leftover 10.86-inch Liquid Retina iPad: A14, USB-C, top-button Touch ID, Pencil 2nd gen, LTE not 5G. Buy leftover if you want the first flat-edge Air. Skip it if you want M-series silicon or 5G — that starts at Air 5.
Who it is for
- Leftover / refurb shoppers who want the first all-screen 10.86-inch Air with A14, USB-C, and top-button Touch ID.
- People comparing Air 4 vs Air 5 on silicon (A14 vs M1), radios (LTE vs 5G), USB wording (USB-C vs published USB 3 10Gb/s), and front camera (7MP vs 12MP Center Stage).
- Color-sensitive shoppers: Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green, Sky Blue.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants current Air silicon and radios. That is iPad Air (M4): 12GB, N1 Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 / Thread, 11- and 13-inch.
- Buyers who want M1 or later, a published 8GB RAM row, USB 3 10Gb/s, or 5G. That starts at Air (5th generation).
- People who need tandem OLED, four speakers, Face ID, LiDAR, or Thunderbolt.
Key differentiators
- First iPad Air with an all-screen 10.86-inch Liquid Retina, Touch ID in the top button, and A14 Bionic.
- USB-C + Smart Connector + magnetic Pencil. Support 111905 does not print USB 3 / 10Gb/s — Air 5 Support 111887 does.
- Cellular SKUs are Gigabit-class LTE, not 5G. Do not copy Air 5 NR bands onto this first table.
- Wi-Fi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0. RAM is not published on Support 111905 — do not invent 4GB from a teardown.
Caveats
- This is four Air generations behind the March 2026 M4 Air. Street and refurb prices change.
- Brightness (500 nits) and 10-hour battery lines are Apple claims from Support 111905 testing footnotes (August 2020).
- Do not invent Pencil hover, a 13-inch SKU, 5G, USB 3 10Gb/s, or a RAM figure the Support sheet does not print.
- Apple product photography is not hosted here.
Tablet-category specs
Same rows on every tablet page (iPad Pro / Air / mini, Galaxy Tab S, Pixel Tablet).
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 10.9-inch (diagonal) marketed size; 10.86-inch rectangle diagonal in Apple’s rounded-corner footnote | Apple Support 111905 |
| Display type | Liquid Retina; LED-backlit Multi-Touch with IPS technology | Apple Support 111905 |
| Display resolution | 2360 × 1640 at 264 ppi | Apple Support 111905 |
| Peak brightness (OEM) | 500 nits | Apple Support 111905 |
| Refresh rate | Not published | Apple Support 111905 |
| Display features | Wide color (P3); True Tone; oleophobic coating; fully laminated; antireflective coating; 1.8% reflectivity | Apple Support 111905 |
| Sold size(s) | One size: iPad Air (4th generation), 10.86-inch class. Two-size Air starts with M2. | Apple Newsroom, 2020-09-15 |
| Dimensions | 247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1 mm | Apple Support 111905 |
| Weight | Wi-Fi 458 g; Wi-Fi + Cellular 460 g | Apple Support 111905 |
| Finishes | Silver; Space Gray; Rose Gold; Green; Sky Blue | Apple Support 111905 |
| Chassis / enclosure | Support Environment block: 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure | Apple Support 111905 |
| Chip / processor | Not published | Apple Support 111905; Apple Newsroom 2020-10-16 |
| Memory (RAM) | Not published | Apple Support 111905 |
| On-device storage | 64GB or 256GB (no microSD) | Apple Support 111905 |
| Operating system | Support 111905 still names iPadOS 15 on the OS row we pulled. Quote the live signed iPadOS on apple.com/ipados — do not freeze 2020 launch software as the only possible image. | Apple Support 111905 |
| Pencil / stylus | Supports Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C). Neither Pencil is in the box. Hover is not listed on the Support 111905 display block we pulled. | Apple Support 111905 |
| Keyboard / cover (OEM) | Newsroom education block: Smart Keyboard Folio $159; Magic Keyboard $279. Smart Connector and magnetic connector on the chassis. Keyboards sold separately. | Apple Newsroom, 2020-09-15; Support 111905 buttons/connectors |
| Biometrics | Touch ID in the top button | Apple Support 111905 |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers | Apple Support 111905 |
| Microphones | Dual microphones for calls, video recording, and audio recording | Apple Support 111905 |
| Cellular | Wi-Fi models: none. Wi-Fi + Cellular: Gigabit-class LTE (model A2324 band list on Support); nano-SIM + eSIM; data only. Not 5G — do not copy Air 5 NR onto this leftover. | Apple Support 111905 |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6; simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz); HT80 with MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0 | Apple Support 111905 |
| Ports / expansion | USB-C (Support Charging and Expansion row does not print USB 3 / 10Gb/s); Smart Connector; magnetic connector; nano-SIM tray on cellular SKUs | Apple Support 111905 |
| Rear camera | 12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8; 4K video at 24/30/60 fps | Apple Support 111905 |
| Front camera | 7MP FaceTime HD, ƒ/2.2; 1080p HD video at 60 fps. Center Stage is not on the Support 111905 camera block we pulled — that 12MP Ultra Wide row starts on Air 5. | Apple Support 111905 |
| Battery (OEM) | 28.6Wh. Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi web or video; cellular models up to 9 hours web on cellular | Apple Support 111905 |
| Charging (OEM) | USB-C Charge Cable (1 meter) and 20W USB-C Power Adapter in the box. Charging via adapter or USB-C to computer. | Apple Support 111905 |
| Durability / ingress | Not published | Apple Support 111905 |
| Location / GNSS | All models: digital compass, Wi-Fi, iBeacon. Cellular models add GPS/GNSS | Apple Support 111905 |
| US MSRP (launch) | Wi-Fi $599; Wi-Fi + Cellular $729 (Newsroom 15 September 2020 and 16 October 2020). Education start $549. | Apple Newsroom, 2020-09-15; 2020-10-16 |
| Price band | Previous mid-flagship tablet ($599 US launch before Pencil/Keyboard) | Derived from Apple launch prices |
| Announced | 15 September 2020 | Apple Newsroom |
| Availability | Newsroom 15 September 2020: available starting the following month. 16 October 2020 order post: order that day, arriving Friday 23 October 2020. Current Air is M4. | Apple Newsroom 2020-09-15; 2020-10-16 |
iPad Air (4th generation) extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other tablets keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| First all-screen iPad Air | Flat-edge 10.86-inch Liquid Retina, top-button Touch ID, USB-C. Home-button Air ends here. | Apple Newsroom, 2020-09-15; Support 111905 |
| LTE, not 5G | Support 111905 cellular block is Gigabit-class LTE. 5G on Air starts with Air (5th generation). | Apple Support 111905 |
| In the box | iPad Air; USB-C Charge Cable (1 meter); 20W USB-C Power Adapter | Apple Support 111905 |
| Later leftover sibling | Air (5th generation) is live at /tablets/ipad-air-5th-generation/ — M1, 8GB, USB 3 10Gb/s, 5G, 12MP Center Stage front camera. | Apple Support 111887 |
| Leftover predecessor | Air (3rd generation) is live at /tablets/ipad-air-3rd-generation/ — 10.5-inch laminated Retina, A12, Lightning, Home-button Touch ID, Pencil 1st gen, 30.2Wh. | Apple Support 111939 |
Overview
iPad Air (4th generation) is the September 2020 Air — the first all-screen 10.86-inch Air, and the last A-series Air before M1. Current Air sell-in is M4. This hub stays so leftover shoppers have a tablets-v1 record instead of mixing A14 LTE with later M-series 5G.
We have not used this iPad. Newsroom “most powerful and capable iPad Air ever” stays an Apple claim from 2020.
Display, chip, speakers
IPS Liquid Retina, 2360 × 1640, 264 ppi, 500 nits, P3, True Tone, laminated, antireflective. No ProMotion row.
Support 111905 chip row is A14 Bionic + Neural Engine. The 16 October 2020 Newsroom availability post adds a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU sentence. RAM is not published. Storage is 64GB or 256GB only. Speakers are stereo.
Pencil and radios
Pencil 2nd gen + USB-C. Hover is not on the Support 111905 display block we pulled. Wi-Fi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0. USB-C without a printed USB 3 speed. Cellular is LTE, not 5G. Front camera is 7MP FaceTime HD — Center Stage starts on Air 5.
Battery
28.6Wh; up to 10 hours Wi-Fi; 9 hours cellular; 20W brick in the box.
How this page compares on a desk (not a vs-page)
| Desk fact (OEM) | Air (4th gen) | Air (5th gen) | Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip / RAM | A14 / RAM not on 111905 | M1 / 8GB | M4 / 12GB |
| Cellular | Gigabit LTE | 5G | 5G |
| USB wording | USB-C | USB 3 up to 10Gb/s | USB-C (later Air sheets) |
| Front camera | 7MP FaceTime HD | 12MP Center Stage | 12MP landscape Center Stage |
| US Wi-Fi start | $599 (Sep 2020) | $599 (Mar 2022) | $599 / $799 (Mar 2026) |
Sources
- Apple Newsroom — Apple unveils all-new iPad Air with A14 Bionic, Apple’s most advanced chip — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — All-new iPad Air with advanced A14 Bionic chip available to order starting today — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Support — iPad Air (4th generation) tech specs — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is this still the current Air?
No. Current Air on 19 September 2026 is iPad Air (M4). This slug is the leftover first all-screen A14 Air.
Does Air 4 have 5G?
No. Support 111905 lists Gigabit-class LTE on cellular models. 5G on Air starts at Air (5th generation).
How much RAM?
Support 111905 does not print a RAM figure. We do not invent 4GB from a teardown.
Official product page: iPad Air (4th generation). Tech specs: iPad Air (4th generation) specs.