Home
News
You are here

iPad Air 4 64GB vs 256GB storage: which one should you get?

By Georgi Zarkov

Updated: Sep 23, 2020, 5:50 AM

2comments

We may earn a commission if you make a purchase from the links on this page.

iPad Air 4 64GB vs 256GB storage: which one should you get?

Apple recently announced its 4th generation iPad Air, but the tablet won’t go on sale until October, giving you the time to consider if you should get one and if yes, then which configuration?

We already went through all the new iPad Air 4 colors and if you’re using an iPad Air 3, then you can check our iPad Air 4 vs iPad Air 3 comparison to check what your gains with this upgrade will be.

But perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make when configuring your new iPad Air 4 is which storage option to go for. Once you’ve made your pick, you’re stuck with your choice, and there’s nothing more annoying than having to delete files or apps to make enough space for new ones. Of course, when it comes to storage, more is always better, but the 256GB version costs $150 more than the 64GB variant. That’s a lot of money for something you might not need.

So, the question is, in which scenario is it okay to go for the 64GB iPad Air 4, and when should you spend the extra money on the 256GB version? Let’s find out!

Apple iPad Air 4

- New design, A14 Bionic chip, Apple Pencil 2 support, 64GB or 256GB storage

Buy at Apple

Storage is an important choice that comes with almost every Apple device purchase

Choose the iPad Air 4 64GB if you’re looking for a new streaming machine

One thing that’s important to note is that for both storage options, the number refers to the total storage the device has. From it, you must remove the space the OS and preinstalled apps take up to get the free storage you have at your disposal. iPadOS typically takes up about 10GB and the preinstalled apps arond 4GB. This leaves you with 50GB or less for your apps and files.

And if you’re looking to buy the iPad Air 4 as a bedside device for entertainment then the 50 gigs will be more than enough. These days you can stream pretty much anything, if your internet is good enough, from music and movies to games. Without the need to download content to your device, you don’t need the extra storage.

The 64GB version still offers enough room to download your favorite apps and it will take a while before you fill it up with photos and videos, which is rarely what iPads are used for anyway.

And, if you’re going camping for the weekend, there’s enough space to download a few movies or TV shows for your kids to enjoy during the trip when the internet becomes unreliable.

Choose the iPad Air 4 256GB if you’re looking to create content or use it for work

The new iPad Air is ready to replace your laptop

With all the changes Apple made to the iPad Air 4, it is now positioned as a budget iPad Pro of sorts. You can get the new Magic Keyboard for it, and iPads can be used with a mouse for a while now. Apple even compared it performance-wise to some Windows laptops, highlighting how much better it performs than some of them.

With this in mind, it’s not a stretch to think you might want to use your iPad Air 4 for a lot more than streaming or browsing the web. You can edit videos, create music, drawings or even 3D animations. The iPad Air 4 certainly has the computing power for all those tasks, but to comfortably use it for work, you’ll need the extra storage.

DJ-ing without touching anything is very 2020

The 64GB version will quickly clog up with your work files, forcing you to either move files from older projects somewhere else or delete what you deem unnecessary. Needless to say, it’s best to have everything at your disposal. Although there’s no guarantee that the 256GB will satisfy your storage requirements, it will certainly go much further towards that goal than the 64GB version.

If you're planning to use the iPad Air 4 to the fullest, squeezing every ounce of performance from its hardware, then the 256GB storage option is the one to get, otherwise you'll workflow will hit a bottleneck pretty quickly.