Hardware upgrades
I have never considered buying a 13-inch iPad Pro. In addition to the high price, I also find such a large and heavy iPad difficult to use handheld. It's great when I'm in a keyboard dock, as the larger screen is much better suited for multitasking, but I also want my iPad to be easy to hold for casual tasks, playing games, watching movies, and all the other basic things what tablets are good for.
My current personal iPad is a 2020 11-inch Pro, so I'm an obvious pick for the new iPad Air. And after testing the 13-inch Air, I'm thinking about jumping on the large tablet bandwagon for the first time. Part of my reasoning is that the 13-inch iPad Air weighs less than the previous-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro on which it is based. Those tablets typically weighed about 1.5 pounds, but the Air weighs 1.36 pounds.
That doesn't seem like a major difference, but it's been enough to make me feel more comfortable using the Air as a tablet rather than simply docking it into a type case. It's still a little more unwieldy than I'd like, and it's still heavier and thicker than the new 13-inch iPad Pro. But the iPad Air is $500 cheaper; At that price, I'm willing to accept a small compensation.
The new 11-inch model is indistinguishable from the 10.9-inch model it replaces in dimensions, weight and screen size. Don't let Apple fool you into thinking the screen is 0.1 inches larger this year, because it's not: the company is simply rounding. (The same goes for the 13-inch Air; it has the same 12.9-inch screen size and resolution as the old iPad Pro.)
The M2 chip is a big selling point for the iPad Air, but keep in mind that if you have the 2022 model with an M1, you won't experience big performance improvements here. Geekbench 6 tests show that the M2's GPU is about 30 percent faster than the M1's, with smaller gains in single- and multi-core performance. But compared to my 2020 iPad Pro with A12Z processor, the M2 is more than twice as fast. So if you don't have an iPad with an M-series chip, the new Air will be a big step forward.
That camera is basically the same as the latest iPad Air, but now that it's on the horizontal edge it's much better for video calls when used with a keyboard. In fact, I would now consider taking work calls with the iPad, something that wasn't the case before.
I'm also very happy that the base iPad Air comes with 128GB of storage instead of the meager 64GB it had last time. It's now much easier to recommend people choose the cheapest configuration. And you can also get up to 1TB of storage on Air for the first time, if you need it.
Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro
The Air sticks with the old Magic Keyboard, which is heavier and thicker than the new model and lacks the useful row of function keys. The Magic Keyboard is still very expensive: $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch, but it's still my favorite iPad keyboard. Well, it's my favorite after the updated version for iPad Pro. It's comfortable, quiet, and responsive, especially considering how thin it is, and I have no problem telling stories for hours at a time.
However, if you're a fan of the Apple Pencil, the good news is that the iPad Air is compatible with the new Pencil Pro. I cover it in more detail in my iPad Pro review, but it does everything the old Apple Pencil can do. second generation while adding new features such as haptic feedback, Find My support, a squeezing gesture to open menus, and the ability to roll the pen. in your hand to change the width of a brush thanks to the built-in gyroscopes. It costs $129, which is the same as the second-generation Pencil. The only bad news is that the old Pencil is not compatible with the iPad Air due to a redesigned charging and pairing system that accommodates the horizontal front camera.
what hasn't changed
That's essentially everything new about the iPad Air this year. The screen is still the same standard Apple LCD, which looks great for everything I use an iPad for. It's definitely not in the same league as the iPad Pro's new tandem OLED display, or even the previous mini-LED display. I definitely noticed the comparatively worse brightness and contrast on the Air's screen when comparing it side-by-side with the Pro. But the good news is that I don't spend my entire life comparing screens, and the iPad Air's is still a strong selling point for the tablet. It's laminated to the front glass, unlike the basic iPad's screen, and is bright enough for indoor use.
The only thing I wish it had was a higher frame rate. The iPad Pro's “ProMotion” feature adjusts the frame rate from 10 to 120 Hz, while the Air maxes out at 60 Hz. Over time, I stopped noticing that the UI feels comparatively choppy in animations and I don't think about it too much. But every time I go back to the iPad Pro, I quickly appreciate how much smoother and fluid everything feels.
The rear camera is identical to the previous iPad Air, which is nice. It'll take a decent snapshot in good lighting and can record 4K video at a variety of frame rates. But you can't record in ProRes format; Apple limits it to the iPad Pro. But that probably won't be a problem for anyone considering an iPad Air. Similarly, the iPad Air's USB-C port doesn't support faster Thunderbolt 4 speeds, but in my testing it was fine for taking RAW photos from my camera. If your workflow is such that you will use that port a lot and benefit from faster speeds, I recommend giving the Pro a try.
I haven't even had the iPad Air for a week, so I still have to perform our time-consuming battery test. But from my daily use, it typically meets Apple's 10-hour rating for light tasks like browsing the Internet or watching videos. Performing more processor-intensive tasks is sure to wear it down faster, and I've noticed that battery life tends to drop a bit when using the Magic Keyboard. But, as with most iPads, you won't need to reach for the charger too often.
Wrap
Jumping back and forth between amazon;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1″ href=”https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=amazon&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRDNKN0dQUlgvcmVmPWZzX2FfaXB0Ml91czI_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy1wLXYtaWwtMjAiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjczNjAwYzUzLWE2MjYtNGFhMC05NTE3LTBkMGIyNjE4M2RhMyJ9&signature=AQAAAQIU0Xt4iK0-jSaOoXTbBZwwTF6J61IJOqeYzpIzU5Dw&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0D3J7GPRX%2Fref%3Dfs_a_ipt2_us2″ class=”link rapid-with-clickid etailiffa-link” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:the iPad Air;elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:amazon;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>iPad air and Pro has emphasized the great value that the Air has. I can't deny that there are a number of details that add up to improving the iPad Pro experience. Face ID is clearly superior to Touch ID, for example: I quickly tired of reaching for the power button to unlock the Air. The iPad Pro's screen is the definition of luxury, and the improved keyboard case provides a slightly better experience. It's also lighter and easier to hold, and it has better speakers, too. And of course it has that new M4 chip.
All of these things are important and useful, but after getting used to the Air again, I don't miss them too much. The M2 is plenty powerful for my needs, the Apple Pencil Pro experience is identical, the old Magic Keyboard is still great for writing, the screen is bright and colorful, and, perhaps most importantly, it's $500 cheaper than a comparable iPad Pro .
For some, that extra money might be worth it. There are a few things the Pro can do that the Air can't, like recording ProRes video or entering Apple's Reference Mode to improve color accuracy and consistency against a number of color standards. And the M4 will save time on processor-intensive jobs like rendering video. And some people will just want to get the best iPad they can, money be damned.
But for the rest of us, the iPad Air is still here and offers about 80 percent of the iPad Pro experience for much less money. And for the first time, there's a big-screen iPad at a much more affordable price. My heart may want an iPad Pro, but my head (and my wallet) agree that the iPad Air is a much more reasonable option.
