iPad Air (4th generation)
The Pro's body at $599, with Touch ID moved into the top button and the first 5nm chip in any device.
Released October 23, 2020 · Discontinued March 8, 2022 · From $599 (64 GB, Wi-Fi)
Apple gave the Air the Pro's body. And most of its ideas. A 10.9-inch edge-to-edge screen, flat sides, USB-C, Apple Pencil 2 support, and Touch ID moved into the top button, which is a neat piece of engineering and works better than Face ID when you are wearing a mask, something that mattered rather a lot in late 2020. The A14 Bionic was the first 5nm chip in anything, and it arrived here rather than on the iPhone 12. At $599 it made the $329 base iPad look dated and the $799 Pro look expensive, which is roughly where Apple has kept it since.
Reviews & Reception
The Air took the Pro's flat-edged design, USB-C and second-generation Pencil support, and reviewers called it the tablet for most buyers.
This year, I would upgrade Air to the best tablet for almost everyone, and I'd even argue it's Apple's best high-end tablet.
I'm sold on the iPad and Magic Keyboard as a secondary laptop, but not a primary one - at least not for someone who does a lot of multitasking and cursor work.