During yesterday’s keynote, Apple launched the new 4th generation iPad Air. It is definitely one of the most interesting tablets of the year because it is powered by the new Apple A14 Bionic chipset: the same we will find in the iPhone 12 lineup. But is it worth choosing the last Apple’s tablet or there is something even more interesting in the Android world? In order to establish it, we compared the latest iPad with the flagships Android tablets Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Huawei MatePad 10.8. The former brings 5G connectivity, while the latter is offered at a very good price. Let’s see which one is the best depending on the users’ needs.
Apple iPad Air 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 vs Huawei MatePad 10.8
| Huawei MediaPad Pro | Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 | Apple iPad Air 4 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 257 x 170 x 7.2 mm, 500 g | 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.3 mm, 498 grams | 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm, 458 g |
| DISPLAY | 10.8 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), IPS LCD | 11 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), LTPS IPS LCD | 10.9 inches, 1640 x 2360p (Quad HD+), Liquid Retina IPS LCD |
| PROCESSOR | Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 990, octa-core 2.86 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, octa-core 3.1 GHz | Apple A14 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB – micro SD dedicated slot | 64 GB – 256 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, EMUI | Android 10, One UI | iPadOS 14 |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Single 13 MP f/1.8 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 13 + 5 MP, f/2.0 and f/2.2 8 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Single 12 MP f/1.8 7 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 7500 mAh, fast charging 18W | 8000 mAh, fast charging 45W | 28.6 Wh |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Pen support, keyboard support, optional LTE | 5G, pen support, keyboard support | Optional LTE, Pen support, keyboard support |
Design
Thanks to their narrower bezels, the iPad Air 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 bring more elegant and futuristic designs to the market. The Apple iPad Air 4 has a cleaner look on the rear side, as well as a lighter body: that is the reason why it is my favorite one. But the Samsung Galaxy S7 has a slightly higher screen-to-body ratio. Both come with an aluminum body just like premium laptops. All of these tablets support an external keyboard and a stylus, with the S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 being the most convincing stylus of the trio and the Apple Smart Keyboard being the best keyboard.
Display
Overall, the most wonderful display of this comparison belongs to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. Unlike its rivals, it features a high 120 Hz refresh rate and the HDR10+ certification. While the image quality provided should not be so different from the Apple iPad Air 4, it offers a smoother viewing experience thanks to its high refresh rate. Unfortunately, no one of these tablets has an AMOLED panel. Despite its affordable price, Huawei MatePad 10.8 still comes with a very nice QHD+ display.
Hardware/Software
The most performing tablet of the trio is the Apple iPad 4 for two reasons: it has a better (and more efficient) chipset (the Apple A13 Bionic built at 5 nm) and a greatly-optimized operating system. We are naturally talking about iPadOS 14, which is also a better operating system for productivity than Android. Well, with the Samsung Galaxy S7 you get the DeX mode turning it into a desktop PC if you connect it to an external monitor, but in the tablet mode, the iPad Air 4 has no rivals. In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is superior to the Huawei MatePad 10.8 thanks to its Snapdragon 865+ chipset. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is also the only tablet of this comparison to support 5G.
Camera
The main 12 MP camera found on the Apple iPad Air 4 actually provides a better photo quality and it wins the camera comparison. It is a 12 MP sensor that can record videos in 4K resolution @ 60 fps. Despite the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 has an inferior main camera, it offers something more interesting since it packs an ultrawide secondary sensor. The Huawei MatePad 10.8 does not have a bad camera, but it is less interesting than its opponents.
Battery
Unfortunately, we still do not know how much Apple iPad Air 4 will exactly last on a single charge because no one had the chance to test it as it was announced yesterday. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 has a bigger battery than Huawei MatePad 10.8 and it should last more if you do not use the 5G connectivity. Further, it has the fastest charging tech with a 45W power.
Price
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 has a €700/$650 starting price globally, Huawei MatePad 10.8 is priced just €300/$355 in China, and Apple iPad Air 4 starts from €640/$599. Huawei MatePad 10.8 loses the comparison but it has a higher value for money. The iPad Air 4 wins the comparison due to its great operating system, better cameras, and good performance, but Samsung Galaxy S7 is slightly more interesting on the paper because it has 5G, a 120 Hz display, DeX mode, and more interesting features.
Apple iPad Air 4 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 vs Huawei MatePad 10.8: PRO and CONS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
PROS
- 5G
- 120 Hz and HDR10+ display
- Ultrawide camera
- Fastest charging
CONS
- Price
Huawei MatePad 10.8
PROS
- Very affordable
- Nice cameras
- Flagship hardware at low price
CONS
- No Google services
Apple iPad Air 4
PROS
- Awesome hardware
- Great OS for productivity
- Awesome camera
- eSIM
- Great accessories
CONS
- No expansion slot
