NIX STORIES / TECH / LIFE ON THE ROAD

BY NIX · 22 OCTOBER 2026 · 6 MIN READ

I love technology. That much is probably obvious. I like a clever bit of engineering, I appreciate good design, and I am not exactly a stranger to an Apple box turning up in my life. But there is one thing I respect more than a flashy launch video: a piece of kit that still earns its place years later.

Which brings me to my fourth-generation iPad Air. It arrived as a model in 2020, the year Apple gave the Air a proper redesign. Here we are in October 2026 and the old thing is still part of my setup. Not because it is the newest. Not because it wins every benchmark. Simply because it remains a really nice-sized screen that does a useful job.

The sweet spot between a phone and a laptop

My iPhone 17 Pro Max is the device that goes everywhere. My 15-inch MacBook Air is for the bigger jobs — writing, organising and getting stuck into NIXDRONES. But the iPad? It is the halfway house. Bigger and calmer than a phone, less of a production than opening a laptop.

That 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display still looks crisp. It has True Tone, a wide-colour display and a fully laminated screen. Apple built the fourth-generation Air around the A14 Bionic chip, and gave it USB-C and a Touch ID button on the top. Nothing revolutionary now, but in 2020 it was a thoroughly modern bit of kit. It still feels like a proper iPad, not a cheap compromise.

The screen where journeys become stories

I spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at the world through lenses. Drones, an Action camera, the phone — if there is a landscape worth filming, chances are I want to see it from another angle. A tablet is brilliant territory for looking back through photographs, checking a clip and planning the next story.

The iPad is not a substitute for the Mac when I want to do a full session of publishing or arranging a pile of images. But as a portable viewer, it makes perfect sense. A photograph deserves more than a quick glance at a little screen. So does drone footage. And there is something rather satisfying about seeing a landscape fill nearly eleven inches instead of squinting at it on a phone.

Vanilla, a quiet evening and something to watch

Then there is Vanilla, my VW T6.1 campervan. I have spent a fair bit of time making the van comfortable and its off-grid power system properly useful. A good screen belongs in that picture just as much as the fridge, the Webasto or a decent cup of coffee.

I have a Nebula Capsule 3 Laser projector for the full Vanilla’s Cinema treatment. But not every evening requires a miniature Odeon. For a documentary, a YouTube rabbit hole, a downloaded film or a bit of football coverage, the iPad is exactly the sort of simple option that makes sense. Prop it up, put the kettle on, and forget the faff.

It is also a handy match for how I travel. With films or programmes downloaded before setting off, poor reception does not automatically mean a dull night. The iPad charges over USB-C, and Vanilla has a seriously thought-through electrical setup — including the Fogstar lithium battery and my Jackery gear. I am not claiming a magic number of hours; battery age, screen brightness and how the video is played all make a difference.

Small design details I still like

There is a little bit of old-school engineering satisfaction in the fourth-generation Air. It is just 6.1 mm thin, with clean, squared-off edges. Touch ID is in the power button rather than taking up space below the display. Landscape stereo speakers mean video sounds considerably more balanced when the tablet is held horizontally. And the USB-C port is useful when everything else in the travel bag seems to need charging.

The bits that show its age

Of course, 2020 is a long time ago in the world of consumer electronics. The Air 4 does not have an OLED display, so those inky cinema blacks you get from a modern iPad Pro are not there. It is a 60Hz LCD, not a high-refresh-rate ProMotion panel. There is no microSD slot, so storage needs a bit of planning if I want to carry lots of films. And an older battery will never behave like one fresh out of the box.

I have been eyeing up the modern iPads, particularly the Pro with its magnificent OLED screen. It is the one that would actually make me say “now that is different” when a film starts. A newer ordinary iPad or even another LCD Air? I am not convinced that would give me enough of a visual leap from what I already have.

My verdict: keep the good kit working

We live in a funny age. A device can be completely useful on Wednesday and apparently obsolete on Thursday because somebody on a stage announces something thinner. I like the latest technology as much as anyone. I also like getting my money’s worth.

My iPad Air 4 will not win a spec-sheet contest with Apple’s newest Pro. But it has a great-sized screen, a genuinely good design, and a place in a life that involves cameras, miles of road, writing stories and the occasional well-earned evening doing absolutely nothing.

The upgrade can wait until the experience really improves. Until then, the Air 4 is staying on the team.