On Oct. 23, the iPad Air 2020 was launched in Apple stores all around the world. With this new iPad in the market, how should digital artists decide on which iPad version to purchase? 

If you are in the market to find a new iPad to create some digital art pieces, and you are struggling to decide whether the newly released iPad air or the iPad pro 2020 would be the most suitable, this article will be a very helpful guide. 

First off, pricing is very important for many consumers, so I would like to give you a quick breakdown of the price point of both models. One of the most attractive qualities of the newly released iPad air is how many features from the iPad pro have been replicated onto the iPad air, but at a more affordable price. 

Here are the different base prices for the two different iPad’s. The iPad Air 2020 that has 64 GB storage, and a built-in WIFI connectivity comes down to around US$ 599. The same iPad Air 2020, but with both built-in WIFI and cellular connectivity is sold at around US$ 729. For the iPad Pro 2020, with 128 GB and WIFI only costs around US$799, and with cellular connectivity added, the price point comes down to around US$ 949. Overall, the iPad pro stands at around a US$200 difference compared to the iPad air 2020. If you are a student looking for an iPad that is suitable for watching videos, playing games or apps. The iPad air 2020 will be more than sufficient enough for you. 

Another new feature of the iPad air 2020 is the new designs as well as camera buttons. If you look closely at the new iPad air 2020 model, the outlook is peculiarly similar to the 2018 iPad model, except for the flash module. Even though the iPad pro only comes in space grey, the new iPad air offers more options like sky blue, green, and rose gold. 

After detailed comparison of both models, I would like to go over the similarities of both models. Both the iPad air and pro have a liquid retina display screen, and a resolution of 2360 by 1640. So in terms of screen display and resolution, both models will be performing at a high efficiency. 

Something I would like to point out is that the iPad air has a refresh rate of around 60 Hz, while the iPad pro has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The iPad air has a max brightness of 500 NITS, and the iPad pro has 100 more NITS at max brightness.

As a digital artist myself, I tend to care more about the rate response to my brush strokes, and the range of adjustment I can make to the brightness of my iPad. Therefore, I am personally more inclined to the iPad pro 2020. Though it is at a higher price point, I think it is a valuable purchase that will be worth it in the long run.