Apple consumers looking to buy an iPad Air or the iPad 4 would be wise to consult a comparison between the two, before making a purchase.

A comparison between Apple's current and former flagship tablets, the iPad Air and iPad 4 (respectively), is presented below.

Design

As far as design is concerned, Apple has certainly outdone itself with the iPad Air, which is thinner (just 7.5mm) smaller (measuring 240 x 169mm) and lighter (weighing 469g) compared to the iPad 4, which measures 9.4mm x 241 x 185mm and weighs 662g. In terms of design iPad Air is the clear winner, as it is more portable, than the iPad 4 which appears bulky in comparison. Both these Apple devices are available in silver and space gray casings.

Display

In terms of screen quality, both the iPad Air and iPad 4 are similar, as they both come with 9.7-inch display and a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels and a 264 Ppi pixel display. As they have IPS-type screens, both devices are excellent at viewing from different angles - ideal for viewing videos and movies. However, Apple has yet to release better screens for its tablets, despite being reputed to be the leader in displays.

Performance

The iPad 4 sports an A6X Dual-Core processor (similar to the one in the iPhone 5), which delivers the large Retina display for additional vibrant and crisper media playing. While the iPad 4 has performed well with iOS 7, there is much room for improvement.

On the other hand, the iPad Air uses the Apple A7 64-bit processor that increases the CPU performance of the tablets two-fold. Having a better Retina display, the iPad Air is an ideal device for advanced gamers, downloaders, as well as extreme media users. However, the iPad 4 is just fine for consumers who use an iPad for simple or daily functions.

Additional Specs

It's important to note that the internal storage of the iPad Air is remarkable, especially when compared to the iPad 4. The iPad Air comes with 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of memory, while the iPad 4 can only reach a maximum memory of 16 GB.

Therefore, the iPad Air is definitely a wiser choice if one looking for a premium tablet with superior quality and a lightweight design.