Apple starts taking preorders for iPad Air 4

By William Gallagher

The new iPad Air 4 is now officially on sale, with pre-orders starting today and shipments beginning next week.

Apple's new 2020 iPad Air

Apple's new 2020 iPad Air

At its September "Time Flies" event, Apple was unusually vague about when the new iPad Air 4 would go on sale, and simply said it would be "next month." Now the device is available for pre-orders in all its configurations, and the first buyers will be receiving their iPad Air 4 from next week.

The iPad Air 4 was a stand-out launch at the September event, bringing as it does many of the iPad Pro's features to the middle-range device. The new 2020 model is significantly improved on last year's iPad Air 3, with a larger screen, faster processor, and improved rear camera.

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This 2020 model also received a physical redesign, which makes it more resemble the current iPad Pro range. A combination of the redesign, and the improved specifications, even mean that for some users, the new iPad Air 4 is a better buy than the 11-inch iPad Pro.

That's because the iPad Air 4 features a similar larger screen size -- 10.9 inches versus 11 inches -- plus the A14 Bionic processor instead of the iPad Pro's A12Z Bionic one. It's also now got the faster USB-C charging connector.

The iPad Air 4 starts at $599 for a 64GB Wi-Fi-only model. It's also available in 256GB, and optionally with LTE cellular. The highest capacity LTE model costs $879, and Apple is promoting how you can buy using Apple Card and spread out the cost with interest-free instalments.