2022 IPad Air review: The iPad truest to Apple s original vision. Apple iPad air 2022

22 iPad Air

The new 2022 iPad Air 5 is peak Apple. It’s incredibly fast, comes in fun new colors, and has great cameras. But its woeful storage options have much to be desired.

Apple released the 2022 iPad Air about a year and a half over the fourth-generation model. With the fourth-generation Air, Apple introduced a new design that mixed fun colors with an iPad Pro-inspired aesthetic.

This model didn’t get a redesign, but its new color choices are paired with the incredibly-capable M1 processor. It’s got speed to spare for almost everyone and is one reason why we are always quick to recommend this model to users.

Starting with specs

The fifth-generation iPad Air retains the same dimensions as its predecessor. It’s 9.7 inches tall.24 inches thick, and 7.02 inches wide. That allows the iPad Air to once again occupy nearly the same footprint as the 11-inch iPad Pro.

And if you’re wondering, you can use 11-inch iPad Pro cases with the 2022 iPad Air.

The A14 Bionic processor has been upgraded for a new M1 processor, the same one found in several Macs and the iPad Pro line.

It comes in five colors, some as holdovers while others are new.

There is Space Grey, a common choice. There’s a new blue supplanting the old one, Pink replaces Rose Gold, silver has been abandoned in favor of Starlight, and green is gone in favor of purple.

Our absolute favorite is this new blue. This stunning colorway is arguably the best color Apple has introduced on an anodized aluminum product. It is a rich, vibrant, metallic blue that we haven’t seen before.

Apple iPad Air 2020. A TRUE User Review & Upgrade Story

Apple has this tendency to embrace pastels or less-saturated hues in many of its products. Even the blue it is replacing was a light sky blue. It can sometimes be hard to capture, and various lighting can impact its appearance, from light gunmetal to a warm ocean blue.

iPad Air 5

The 2022 iPad Air features Apple’s M1 chip, a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and 5G capability (Wi-Fi Cellular models only).

iPad Air M1 Review: Don’t Choose Wrong!

The other colors look nice if you aren’t a fan of blue, though they aren’t as vibrant. The Starlight color is nice, though possibly a bit divisive. Silver has been retired in favor of Starlight, which has a bit of a gold tint.

This generation of the iPad Air sports the same 10.9-inch LCD, which measures 2360 by 1640 in resolution, just a minutia smaller than that of the 11-inch iPad Pro’s display.

Apple has Touch ID built into the power toggle button, it’s got a set of stereo speakers, and is outfitted with a USB-C port on the bottom. On the side is the volume rocker, which now borrows functionality from the iPad mini by default. As you rotate the tablet, the uppermost button will automatically be associated with “volume up.”

The rear-facing camera is a 12MP camera, the same as last-gen, while the front-facing camera is now a 12MP module, up from 7MP.

The new iPad Air brings along Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, plus has newfound support for sub-6Ghz 5G alongside gigabit-class 4G LTE.

The everyone iPad

Here’s the thing with the 2022 iPad Air. It is simultaneously a boring upgrade while also being our most oft-recommended. Chief upgrades include that M1 processor, a faster USB-C port, 5G, and some new colors.

Typically kinds of upgrades aren’t particularly headline-grabbing, and they don’t sound like much written out. We end up devoting several paragraphs to changes in color — did we mention how cool the blue looks — as we’re devoid of other monumental changes.

The M1 is the most profound upgrade, bringing this widely-appealing tablet into the same performance bracket as Apple’s most expensive tablets. At least for the time being.

But even then, this isn’t something you’ll notice with day-to-day use. Apple’s fourth-generation iPad Air was already a fast device. It never felt slow and could crunch through almost all tasks it was handed.

That A14 Bionic fell short with heavy-duty tasks — like encoding a 4K or 8K video. Here, the M1 is ensuring that new iPad Air owners will have a fast tablet for many years to come, as well as helping with processor-laden tasks.

There is hope that Apple has grand plans for iPadOS to more fully take advantage of the immense processing power it has bestowed on its tablets, but we’ll never tell you to pick up something with the hopes of future updates.

Since it is the same chip as the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, its Geekbench scores are nearly identical. They oscillate within the expected margin of error, with the iPad Air getting around a single-core of 1715 and a multi-core score of 7229.

The last-generation iPad Air had a USB-C port, though its speed was less impressive. It was capped at 5Gb/s and couldn’t support an external 5K display.

Apple updated the 2022 iPad Air with a USB-C 3.1 gen 2 port that can now handle up to 10Gb/s of data and drive up to a 6K display. That includes Apple’s new Studio Display, by the way.

The improved USB-C speed makes a big difference in transferring data if you have a fast enough drive to support it. Many NVMe-based SSDs will see quicker transfers if you have multiple drives connected to a hub.

Since launch, we’ve toiled away consuming and creating with the 2022 iPad Air. We’ve caught up on our Apple TV watch list using picture-in-picture while writing inside of Bear. We did what you do with an Apple Pencil — sketching, document completion, and note-taking.

Opening apps was effortless, as was jumping between tabs in Safari. Everything about the experience felt fluid and Rapid. The only thing holding it back was iPadOS itself.

While a capable operating system, it still lacks the wealth of functionality of the more-mature macOS.

Center Stage is a neat effect on the new 12MP front-facing shooter, but zooming in too much hurts the final resolution of the image. It’s great for video calls, and still pics have good clarity, skin tones, and balance.

Using split-screen apps on the iPad Air is also only so-so. It is functionally acceptable, but the apps don’t have much space to stretch out. You can use two apps at once, but we felt more comfortable with certain apps in Slide-Over instead.

If you intend on multitasking by watching videos in PiP and apps side-by-side, we’d recommend you invest in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Which is best: iPad Air or iPad Pro

When Apple introduced the 2021 iPad Pro, we recommended almost nobody buy the 11-inch version. We think that most users would be better off buying the iPad Air or jumping up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is better equipped, not just with a larger display, but a higher quality display with mini-LED. The jump to the similarly-sized 11-inch iPad Pro isn’t as much of an upgrade over the Air.

Now that Apple has upped the USB-C speed, dropped in 5G, and included the same M1 processor, it’s even harder for us to recommend the 11-inch iPad Pro.

The 11-inch iPad Pro still has some benefits, including ProMotion with refresh rates up to 120Hz, Thunderbolt support, additional storage options, Face ID, and mmWave 5G.

If some of those are imminently important to you, go for that 11-inch iPad Pro, or consider the 12.9-inch size. For everyone else, feel comfortable with the iPad Air.

With the new iPad Air, Apple only presents two options to buyers. Choose the base model and get 64GB, or spend another 150 and get 256GB.

There is no 128GB choice. To put this in perspective, you can get a 256GB iPad Air for 200 less than the 256GB 11-inch iPad Pro. Or, you can pick up a 128GB 11-inch iPad Pro for only 50 than the 256GB iPad Air.

Your use-cases will dictate which makes the most sense, but it can complicate comparing various storage configurations across multiple product lines.

Should you buy the 2022 iPad Air?

Based on what we know about our readers in the aggregate, if you’re in the market for an iPad of some sort, your best choice is probably the iPad Air. The iPad Pro is expensive, with features that likely won’t matter to the average user. At the same time, the ninth-generation iPad lacks many of the modern features of the iPad Air.

We feel that the new iPad Air is just the right amount of iPad, sitting right in the middle of Apple’s lineup. There are still some things Apple could improve upon here, but not by much. ProMotion is a nice-to-have, and mmWave 5G isn’t a big deal yet.

Thunderbolt is only advantageous for niche users, and while Face ID is much faster and more convenient, it alone isn’t a reason to upgrade.

We love the new iPad Air. Apple took its most wide-appeal tablet, upped the front-facing camera, provided optional 5G support, and made it even faster. All at the same price.

The iPad Air is the sweet spot in the entire iPad lineup for most people, from 329 to 2000 or more. If you’re looking for our color preference, might we recommend the blue model?

• Brilliant color choices, especially blue
• As fast as Apple’s most expensive tablet
• USB-C is twice as fast and supports 6K displays
• 5G support
• Same staring price
• Improved front-facing camera with Center Stage
• Silver is no longer an option
• Only supports sub-6GHz 5G
• No 128GB option and low base model storage capacity
• speed than iPadOS can take advantage of

Where to buy

Retailers are already discounting the 2022 Air, with the best iPad deals and at your fingertips in our iPad Air 5 Price Guide.

At press time, BH Photo Video and Amazon are leading the pack with double-digit discounts on select models.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Andrew O’Hara has spent the last eight years embedded in all aspects of the digital space from leading digital marketing teams to front-end web development and design. He started producing vid.

TheObannonFile

Now that Apple is putting the M1 in it, expanded storage options would be great. People that have been using an iPad Pro with M1 that need 1-2TB could feasibly go for this model, provided pro motion, 2 cameras, LiDAR, and better speakers were not required for what they do.

I think this iPad could easily go up to 1TB, maybe even 2, perhaps the expanded RAM, and people would buy those models.

charlesn

This is the shady pricing game Apple now plays with all of its non-Pro iPads. The base price looks super attractive until you realize that it’s only 64GBand then you realize there’s no reasonably priced upgrade to 128GB, which would be the right amount for most people buying a non-Pro iPad. Instead, 150 for 256GB is the only step up. That’s practically a 50% premium on a regular iPad. Think about this: Apple can sell you a whole, complete iPad with 64GB of storage for 329, but charges you 150 more for just the extra 192GB of storage that’s more than you need, but will have to buy anyway.

entropys

Daughter just bought one. Very nice, noticeably faster than my IPP 10.5, but you have to do side by side to actually notice. I will still update to the next IPP myself. Particularly for proMotion, but truthfully I would be OK with the Air. The Air probably suits most people.

thing is speed doesn’t matter when iPadOS limitations is the main thing holding iPad back.

radarthekat

The USB C port makes it a potential iPad for editing videos (with Lumafusion). That port allows you to plug in a GoPro or other USB C equipped camera to directly load video files onto the device. But 256gb is entirely inadequate for such use. Ugh. Back to shopping the iPad Pro line.

scottw2

I can see an iPad Air / iPad Pro being laptop replacement one day. Imagine this: take the iPad with you wherever you go. Sit down at a desk, plug it into a dock and you get dual screen, keyboard and mouse. For that, the storage needs to get bigger and the iPad OS needs to move closer to macOS. Or they can just shrink down macOS now that the laptop and the tablet are sharing the same CPU.

iPad Air (2022) review: Making 1,000 Android tablets look silly

The spectacle of flashy new hardware can be a lot of fun, but there’s something respectably honest about new versions of products that are blatantly iterative — not everything can be reinvented from the ground up every couple of years, as much as tech companies would like to pretend otherwise. The 2022 iPad Air is such an iterative update: Apple took 2020’s model, jammed newer parts in it, and shoved it out the door at the same 600 MSRP. The result is a crazy-powerful tablet at what seems like an uncharacteristically fair price, but whether it’s right for you is going to come down to the details.

Apple iPad Air (2022)

The 2022 iPad Air is a powerful, attractive tablet at a very fair price, but its 64 gigabytes of base storage may be too low for some, and the steep cost of upgrading to 256 gigs makes the tablet a worse deal.

• Storage: 64, 256GB
• CPU: Apple M1
• Memory: 8GB
• Operating System: iPadOS 15.4
• Battery: “28.6-watt‐hour”
• Ports: USB-C 3.1
• Camera (Rear, Front): 12MP f/1.8 rear; 12MP f/2.4 front
• Display (Size, Resolution): 10.9″ 2630×1640 IPS LCD, 60Hz
• Price: Starting at 599
• Measurements: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, 1.02 lbs
• Extremely fast performance
• Great accessory selection
• Same price as the last version
• 64GB base storage is too low and it costs too much to upgrade
• All those great first-party accessories are expensive
• Build quality might not be up to Apple’s normal standard

Design, hardware, what’s in the box

The new iPad Air looks like every other modern iPad: it’s slim and boxy with rounded corners, and a selfie camera that’s centered when the tablet is held vertically, in portrait. That selfie camera is one of few upgrades from the last iPad Air: it’s an updated 12-megapixel sensor with a 122-degree field of view and support for Apple’s Center Stage subject tracking.

Physically, most of 2022’s model is unchanged from 2020’s. It’s the same design in the exact same size, with the same 11-inch, 60Hz LCD display — buttons, ports, connectors, and cameras are all where they were two years ago. Considering the previous generation’s look was already modern and handsome, it’s hard to complain about any of this. You can also get the Air in a lovely blue finish this year.

Even if it is a little dated by Android standards, the iPad Air’s LCD screen is crisp and vibrant, and Apple’s True Tone feature that aims to match color temperature to your environment really does make reading text on white backgrounds a little nicer (you can turn True Tone off if you value color accuracy over comfort). Its stereo speakers, also unchanged from the previous generation, are loud and surprisingly full and bassy for such a thin device.

The tablet isn’t as sturdy as I’d expect an Apple product to be, though. The new Air bends and creaks a bit when flexed — and with troublingly little pressure applied to its back, you can see some internal part pressing against the underside of the display. I assume this has to do with shuffling the tablet’s guts around to accommodate updated components, and I don’t ever see it being an issue in normal use. Still, I shudder to think what could happen if you forgot you left the thing on your couch.

The iPad Air comes with a 20-watt power brick and a USB-C-to-C cable — along with the usual literature and Apple logo stickers.

Software, performance, and battery

Coming from Android, iPadOS is only slightly foreign. Navigation, file management, and even notifications all work kind of the way you’re used to, and iPadOS has only gotten more Android-like in recent years with additions like home screen widgets and an app drawer (well, it’s not really a drawer on iPad, but it’s the same idea).

Some quirks are easier to live with than others. Android and iPadOS’s gesture navigation, for example, are broadly similar, and on a device you’ll only ever use two-handed, not having a universal back gesture isn’t so bad. Other UI decisions — ones that might make sense to someone who’s used Apple software for years — are positively arcane coming from Android.

Case in point: I often like to use wallpapers from Chrome OS on other devices, so I downloaded some on my iPad. Looking at them in the Files app, though, I couldn’t see how to apply them. After a few minutes of poking around, I gave up and Googled it. Turns out I had to go to the image I wanted to use in Files, tap the share icon, then select an option labeled Save Image to make it appear in the Gallery app. Once the image was in my camera roll, I could apply it as a wallpaper from there. Maybe there’s some logic to doing things that way, but it’s lost on me — it’s just opaque and frustrating.

Some iPad software features are a joy, though. Certain ones, like the ability to swipe up from the bottom right corner of the screen at any time to open a floating Apple Notes window, have secured spots in my daily routine. There’s also a wealth of ecosystem tie-ins, many of which are fantastic — if you’ve got any other Apple devices around to take advantage of them. My favorite right now is Universal Control, which, with very little setup required, lets you control an iPad and a Mac computer running MacOS 12.3 simultaneously with a single mouse and keyboard: Just move the cursor off your computer screen in the direction of your iPad and bam, you’re controlling the tablet. You can even drag files back and forth. It’s extremely cool.

The most notable difference in this year’s iPad Air from the 2020 model is the inclusion of Apple’s M1 chip, which powers not only the most recent iPad Pro, but also a number of the company’s laptop and desktop computers. It’s not Apple’s most powerful CPU anymore — there are now several tiers of M1, this being the lowest — but for a mobile device, it’s wickedly fast. RAM’s also been doubled from four gigs in 2020’s model to eight gigs here.

The iPad Air positively flies through everyday tablet use cases like games and web browsing, and it even shrugs off intensive tasks like editing large images in Adobe Lightroom. I thought mobile photo editing on the 2021 iPad Mini was quick, but boy, I didn’t know what I was missing.

If you’re thinking you don’t have any use for that much horsepower in a tablet, you’re probably not wrong. Despite decent mouse support and pricey accessories like the Magic Keyboard that turns your iPad Air or Pro into a quasi-laptop, iPadOS still isn’t a replacement for a real desktop operating system: File management is awkward, multitasking is a bit of a pain, and you can’t use desktop web browsers. The previous-gen iPad Air is still eminently capable of anything the vast majority of users will want to do on a tablet; for most people, this generation is not an essential upgrade from that one.

Apple says the new iPad Air’s battery is good for “10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi,” and that seems about right; I haven’t yet seen its battery tap out in a single day. Heavier workloads are obviously more taxing, but assuming you’re not illustrating or playing big 3D games for long stretches, you’ll probably only need to top up every few days.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Google’s hard at work trying to right its tablet wrongs with Android 12L, and apparently also getting back into making its own tablets. That’s all very exciting, but it doesn’t change much right now — and right now, the 2022 iPad Air is a hell of a little machine. It’s among the fastest tablets you can buy — and at 600, it makes most premium Android tablets seem a little silly.

Even if you don’t need a tablet with class-leading computing power today, Apple managed to hit the same MSRP this year as it did with 2020’s iPad Air, and the M1 chip powering this new model guarantees the tablet will feel fast for years to come. Things get a little murkier if the base model’s paltry 64GB of storage space won’t be enough for you, though.

The 2022 iPad Air is a hell of a little machine.

Upgrading to the next storage tier — 256 gigs, not 128 — will run you an extra 150. At 750, you’re a stone’s throw from the 128-gig iPad Pro, which is the same size and uses the same M1 chip, but also has a 120Hz display, Face ID, stereo speakers in portrait or landscape orientation, and more (and better) cameras for 800. If I had to choose between a 256-gig Air for 750 and a 128-gig Pro for 800, I’d GoPro every time — if only because, being used to high-refresh rate displays on Android phones, 60Hz on a tablet looks a little pedestrian.

Apple its products like this on purpose; it always wants to nudge you into buying something just a little more expensive. If you’re confident you can get by on 64 gigabytes, though, it’s not easy to find fault with the 600 iPad Air: it’s a materially better product than the previous generation, offered at the same price point. That’s an easy win in my book.

• Samsung’s recent offerings like the Galaxy Tab S8 don’t speak to you.
• You’re rocking an older tablet that’s starting to feel slow.
• You have an iPhone or Mac and want to get in on Apple’s neat cross-device features.

Don’t buy it if.

• Android 12L has you especially hopeful about the immediate future of Android tablets.
• Your current tablet meets your needs. The M1-powered Air is quick as hell, but all that power won’t mean much if your workflow never uses it.
• You want to download lots of apps and media. The 600 model only comes with 64 gigabytes of storage.

Apple iPad (10th gen) vs iPad Air (2022): What’s the difference?

Here is how the iPad (10th generation) compares to the iPad Air (2022). Which should you buy?

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Apple revealed the 10th generation of the entry-level iPad in October 2022, offering a redesign, chip upgrade and a colour refresh over its predecessor.

The redesign of the entry level iPad sees it finally ditch the Home Button and opt for a very similar look to the iPad Air. The price has also increased, making the decision between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Air that little bit harder.

With that in mind, we’ve run up the differences between the iPad (10th generation, 2022) and the iPad Air (2022) to help you work out what the differences are and which might make the most sense to buy.

Apple iPad (2022)

Price

Let’s first start with the price as this may be the deciding factor between these two models, depending on your budget.

The iPad (10th generation) hit shelves on 26 October 2022. It starts at 449 in the US and £499 in the UK for the Wi-Fi only model.

The iPad Air meanwhile, starts at £669 in the UK and 599 in the US. That’s again for the Wi-Fi only model. Both the iPad (10th gen) and the iPad Air come in Wi-Fi and Cellular models too though.

Design

The Apple iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air are virtually identical in terms of their designs. Both opt for uniformed bezels around their displays, aluminium bodies with flat edges and they both have a power button at the top with Touch ID built in.

The two devices also both have a single camera lens in the top left corner of the rear, a USB-C charging port flanked by speakers at the bottom and a Smart Connector. The iPad (10th gen) has its Smart Connector on the left edge, while the iPad Air has its Smart Connector on the rear.

The colours are also different between the devices. The iPad (10th generation) comes in Silver, Pink, Yellow and Blue options, while the iPad Air comes in Space Grey, Starlight, Purple, Blue and Pink. Where the iPad (10th gen)’s colours are bright though, the iPad Air’s colours are pastel and more muted.

The other difference between the two models in terms of design is the FaceTime HD front camera is positioned on the right edge of the iPad (10th generation), which makes it more useful for video calling when held horizontally. The iPad Air meanwhile, has the front camera at the top of the display when held vertically.

In terms of measurements, the iPad (10th generation) is slightly larger. fractionally mind. and it is 1mm thicker too. It is also slightly heavier.

Apple iPad Air (2022)

The perfect Apple tablet for those who need a bit more power and Smart features from their device.

Display

The Apple iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air both come with a 10.9-inch display offering a 2360 x 1640 pixel resolution. It means both devices have a pixel density of 264ppi.

The two tablets opt for a Liquid Retina Display and they both have a maximum brightness of 500nits. Apple’s True Tone technology is also supported on both devices and they both have a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

There are a couple of differences in the iPad (10th gen) and iPad Air displays though. The iPad Air offers a P3 wide colour display, while the iPad (10th gen) is RGB. The iPad Air also has a fully laminated display and an anti-reflective coating, which you do notice in use.

Hardware and specs

The Apple iPad (10th generation) runs on the A14 Bionic chip, which offers a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU. There’s a 16-core Neural Engine on board too. The iPad Air meanwhile, runs on the M1 chip, which offers an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. It has a 16-core Neural Engine too, but there’s 8GB of RAM on board as well. The iPad Air also has a Media Engine on board.

In terms of other specifications, both the iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air have a 12-megapixel rear camera on board, with an f/1.8 aperture, 5x digital zoom and Smart HDR 3 for photos. They also both offer up to 4K video recording up to 60fps. On the front, both tablets have a 12-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture, a Retina Flash and features like Centre Stage.

They also both have the same battery promise, with up to 10 hours of watching video or up to 9 hours surfing the web. Both have USB-C for charging. Storage options are the same too, with both the iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air offered in 64GB and 256GB options.

Elsewhere, the iPad Air is compatible with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, while the iPad (10th generation) is only compatible with the first generation Apple Pencil.

Software

Both the iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air will run on iPadOS 16 so the experience will be familiar across both devices.

The iPad Air offers Stage Manager, while the iPad (10th generation) doesn’t, but most features transfer across both models.

Conclusion

The Apple iPad (10th generation) and the iPad Air feature a very similar design, along with the same size display, same storage options, same battery and the same cameras.

The iPad Air has a more powerful processor under its hood, and it comes with some extra features, like Stage Manager, as well as compatibility with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard Folio. The Air’s display also has an anti-reflective coating and fully laminated display.

Overall, on paper, the iPad (10th generation) makes a lot of sense and for many, it will be the most obvious choice between these two devices. Some will want the extra power. of which the M1 chip offers in abundance. but for others, the iPad (10th generation) will be the one to buy. The Air is an excellent middling device bridging the entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro models though so if you want a little more but don’t want to pay Pro prices, the Air is a brilliant option. You can read our full iPad Air (2022) review and read our full iPad (10th generation, 2022) review for a full rundown on both models.

iPad Air (2022) review: So good I almost regret buying my iPad Pro

Apple’s tablet lineup is complete. Or at least, on the same page. Apple announced the fifth-generation iPad Air during its Peek Performance event in early March. The new Air has a beefed-up processor, new color options, 5G connectivity and Center Stage, Apple’s fancy video call feature for the front camera.

For the last five days, I’ve been testing the iPad Air, replacing my iPad Pro.- which is normally within arms reach at all times.- with the new Air. Outside of display differences (both in size and quality), I haven’t missed my iPad Pro one bit. And heck, I imagine with another week of use, I won’t even miss my Pro’s 12.9-inch screen.

Apple iPad Air (fifth-generation)

pros and cons

My experience with the iPad Air has been everything I figured it would be with strong performance and long battery life. And as much as I hate to admit it, there’s a touch of buyer’s remorse thrown in.

Design

A few years ago it felt as if Apple had all but forgotten about the iPad Air. But in 2020 we saw a fresh new design come to the fourth generation iPad Air. Just 18 months later, Apple has once again updated the iPad Air. Only instead of a complete design overhaul for the fifth-generation Air, this year’s update focuses on performance.

That means the outside of this year’s iPad Air looks identical to the 2020 model, save for new colors. The iPad Air now comes in space gray, pink, purple, blue and starlight.

The best tablets (aren’t all iPads)

Choosing the best tablet can be tricky. Yes, the top picks include the Apple iPad and iPad Pro, but we also love the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, Microsoft Surface Go 3, and others.

The iPad Air still has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display that reaches nearly edge-to-edge. There’s a new 12-megapixel ultra wide FaceTime camera centered at the top of the screen.

After Apple released the ninth-generation iPad, the iPad Air was the only tablet left in the lineup that lacked Apple’s Center Stage feature for the FaceTime camera. The new iPad Air gains Center Stage, which uses the wide-angle camera to keep you in the frame of video calls in FaceTime and third-party apps like Zoom. It’s a handy feature to have and use, and one I’m sure iPad Air owners will find convenient as well.

On the right edge of the tablet are the volume up/down buttons and a space to store/charge a second-generation Apple Pencil.

If you opt for a cellular model, you’ll also find a nano-SIM card tray on the right side of the iPad Air. You don’t have to use the SIM tray, however, as the Air supports eSIM technology that allows you to set up service with your carrier of choice with the tap of just a few buttons. The iPad Air now supports 5G cellular connectivity, but not mmWave, only the slower Sub6 standard. Don’t be discouraged, though. Just like with the new iPhone SE, the lack of mmWave isn’t a dealbreaker due to the lack of widespread rollout and issues with signal interference.

On the top of the iPad Air is the top button that continues to double as a fingerprint reader with Touch ID built into it. It’s fast and easy to wake and unlock the iPad Air by pressing and then resetting your finger on the top button.

As with the last refresh of the iPad Air, for the first day or so I missed my iPad Pro’s Face ID unlock method, but as I sit here writing this review, my muscle memory is already reaching for the top button to unlock the iPad Air or authenticate my password manager.

For charging and syncing the iPad Air, there’s a USB-C port on the bottom of the housing. Apple opted to not include Thunderbolt 4 capabilities in the iPad Air’s USB-C port, even though it, in theory, would support it. Instead, you can expect up to 10Gbps transfer speeds when doing things like offloading photos or videos from a digital camera, as well as output up to 6K when connected to an external monitor. Thanks to the speed boost of the USB-C port, the iPad Air is compatible with Apple’s new Studio Display when it comes to using the full resolution of the screen. You won’t be able to extend your iPad’s display to it, nor can you use the display’s built-in camera for FaceTime calls. Instead, you’re stuck mirroring your iPad’s display to the monitor.

On the back of the iPad Air is Apple’s Smart Connector for use with one of Apple’s keyboard accessories, like the 299 Magic Keyboard or the 179 Smart Keyboard Folio. Also located on the back of the Air is a 12-megapixel rear camera.

Performance

Apple’s spring event had the tagline of “Peek Performance” and for good reason. The Mac Studio. according to Apple, is the most powerful Mac in its lineup. The iPhone SE uses the same design as its predecessor, but has brand-new internals that makes it just as powerful as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The new iPad Air takes the same route the iPhone SE took, using the same design as the 2020 iPad Air, but with a big increase in performance thanks to Apple adding the M1 Apple processor.

The best Macs

Apple’s Mac lineup can be confusing as the company transitions from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon processors. But we’re here to help.

It’s the same processor that Apple debuted in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini to begin the transition from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon processors. Last year, Apple added the M1 chip to the iPad Pro lineup, and now it’s trickled down to the iPad Air.

The fifth-generation iPad Air comes with 64GB for 599 or 256GB of storage for 749. I don’t understand the reasoning for starting the iPad Air at 64GB of storage. Maybe Apple has usage stats that show 64GB is more than enough for this price range to justify it. Or maybe the sales pitch is that if you need more base storage, then the iPad Pro is where to look. Either way, 64GB of storage feels like it’s just not enough space, especially if you have an Apple One subscription that provides access to the Apple Arcade, Apple TV and Apple Music catalogs.

Like I did with the new iPhone SE, I ran the Geekbench 5 benchmark app on the new iPad Air to compare its performance to the 2021 iPad Pro. Mind you, benchmarks aren’t the only way to gauge a device’s performance, but they provide a baseline of what you can expect on a device. Geekbench 5 on the iPad Air resulted in a single-core score of 1,701 and a multi-core score of 7,137. I ran the same test on my personal 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the same M1 processor with 16GB of memory, compared to the iPad Air’s 8GB, and the scores were much closer than I anticipated. The iPad Pro scored 1,708 for single-core and 7,297 in the multi-core test.

In other words, the 599 iPad Air is just as powerful as my 1,999 iPad Pro. I’m starting to feel a touch of buyer’s remorse.

To see how it compared to the competition, I ran the same Geekbench 5 tests on the 899 Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus. which uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The Tab S8 Plus scored 1,219 for single-core and 3,219 for multi-core performance. Compare the two tablets, and single-core performance is sort of close, but multi-core performance on the iPad Air is more than double that of Qualcomm’s latest chip in Samsung’s latest tablet. Crazy.

But, as I said, benchmarks aren’t everything. My real-world use has mirrored that of my iPad Pro. Apps not only load fast, but there are no performance issues while multitasking and using more than one app at a time.

Performance isn’t an issue with the iPad Air (or iPad Pro). However, the limiting factor for what a person can or can’t do on the tablet turned hybrid-laptop is iPadOS itself. It’s the same story that’s been written countless times over the years, but it’s getting shorter. Apple has made great strides in building out the tools that iPad power and casual users have been asking for since the transition to iPadOS. But as the company continues to increase the performance of the iPad to be equal to the Mac lineup, the expectations.- right or wrong.- increase as well.

That said, the iPad Air, with iPadOS 15.4, is fully capable of replacing a laptop for a lot of people.

As far as battery life is concerned, the iPad Air’s battery lasts just as long as my iPad Pro. That means I can get a full day of use out of it if it’s my lone computer for the day, or I can stretch it a few days if I’m jumping between computers and my tablet.

Bottom line

When it’s all said and done, you’re looking at 599 for the 64GB iPad Air, 129 for the Apple Pencil and 299 for the Magic Keyboard. That’s 1,027 to buy everything you’d need to convert the iPad Air into a 2-in-1 device, with just 64GB of storage. For some that’s sure to be enough space, but not for everyone. The base storage model should be 128GB, and it’s unfortunate that’s not the case.

But, really, the base storage is my only gripe with this year’s edition of the iPad Air. It’s as powerful as the iPad Pro, but costs hundreds of dollars less.- even when you max out the storage.- with a display that’s on par with the 11-inch iPad Pro.

If you’re in the market for an iPad, and the base model and iPad Mini aren’t enough for you, the iPad Air is where your search should begin, and most likely, end. The more Apple pays attention to the iPad Air, the less the 11-inch iPad Pro makes sense to me.

iPad Air 2022 Review

Improvements haven’t been made in the areas I’d hoped for. Nevertheless, the iPad Air 2022 remains a superb tablet in a number of ways: it looks great, supports class-leading accessories, and comes packing top-notch performance.

Availability

Introduction

The iPad Air 2022 remains Apple’s best all-around tablet. It has just enough ‘Pro’ features to make the current the higher-end tablet difficult to recommend, and a decent array of extras to make it a significantly better investment than the base iPad.

When I reviewed the previous version of the iPad Air (a model that’s now discontinued), I awarded it a very rare five stars. This doesn’t mean it was perfect, but it was a best-in-class device that I could wholeheartedly recommend to anyone in the market for a capable tablet.

The new iPad Air 2022, or iPad Air 5, doesn’t represent a huge change over the previous model – and, as such, it shouldn’t entice anyone who picked up the 2020 model to upgrade.

Nevertheless, it remains an excellent tablet, further improving areas that were great in the last model, rather than addressing any of my concerns.

Screen and Design

These days, Apple’s products rarely receive a huge design overhaul on an annual basis, and since the iPad Air’s look and feel changed quite considerably in 2020, the latest iteration of the iPad was always going to adhere to that blueprint.

The iPad Air 2022 is near-identical to the 2020 model, then, aside from some changes to the colours in which it’s available, as has been the case with its predecessors. Same dimensions, same look and only 2-3g heavier. This means that if you do decide to upgrade to this model, then any accessories will work without issue – including the luxurious Magic Keyboard dock.

This is a stunner of a tablet, in particular in the deep blue colour Apple sent in for review. The flat sides and back have an industrial feel that I much prefer to the rounded iPads and, as is usual for Apple gear, the device is finished to a high standard. The machined holes for the speakers and USB-C port are precisely completed and even the antenna lines on this 5G-capable model are hidden well.

There’s an enlarged power button on the top with Touch ID smarts for unlocking the tablet securely. Face ID is still notable for its absence, and having spent so much time with the iPad Pro recently, I do really miss Apple’s excellent facial-unlocking option here. In particular, when the iPad Air is docked in a keyboard case, reaching out to unlock it via the button is quite a faff, whereas the Pro allows you to do so simply by looking at the screen.

The 11-inch size is the sweet spot for a tablet, at least in my opinion. It’s small – and light – enough to slip into my rucksack without any noticeable addition of weight, while still being a decent enough size for productivity. It’s also an ideal size for travel, with the screen offering a decent area on which to catch up on a few episodes of whatever series you have on the go. Pair it with a keyboard and it turns into a compact laptop, a series of devices that Apple ditched when it canned the 11-inch MacBook Air and 12-inch MacBook.

While the iPad Air 2022 is visually the same, it suffers an odd quirk that I didn’t experience when reviewing the previous model. Grip the tablet and twist it slightly and you’ll hear a distinct cracking noise, from where I assume the battery is located. On occasion I can hear this sound when I’m just holding the tablet while reading, although it isn’t a constant issue. Still, it certainly isn’t welcome on a tablet that costs this much.

When I reviewed the previous iPad Air, I noted some areas for improvement. Key among these was the display, either by switching from LCD tech to OLED, or by adding in the currently iPad Pro-exclusive ProMotion. While rumours had suggested OLED might be coming to the Air series, this hasn’t happened – you’ll need to opt for the Pro if you want a refresh rate that’s above the standard 60Hz.

Having used the iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro, I’ve been spoiled by high-refresh-rate displays, with my eyes struggling to adapt to the slower panel here. A refresh rate of 120Hz just makes everything feel smoother and drawing with the Apple Pencil feels a whole lot more natural, too. Maybe one day we’ll see this feature trickle down from the Pro models.

Everything else about the iPad Air 2022’s screen is decent for an LCD panel. It’s sharp and easily reached over 500 nits of brightness in our lab tests for comfortable viewing in bright outdoor conditions. I put this iPad Air next to the Mini-LED-toting iPad Pro 12.9-inch and, in SDR video playback, the pricier model isn’t too far ahead, with both delivering pleasing colours. However, the Mini-LED panel of the Pro tablet is far superior for HDR content (watching an episode of Vikings Valhalla on Netflix, for example), where the better panel tech allows for near-perfect blacks, higher brightness levels and punchier colours.

Performance

The iPad Air 2022 doesn’t really address the issues I had with the previous model. Instead, Apple has chosen to make aspects that were already good, even better. The most obvious example of this relates to the chipset powering the tablet.

No one would complain that the A14 Bionic tucked inside the previous generation model was a slouch. Even to this day, the iPad Air is one of the best-performing tablets around, comfortably chewing through anything you throw at it with ease. But the new iPad Air is even faster and even more capable thanks to the M1 chipset and 8GB of memory.

This is the same chip that you’ll find in the iMac 24-inch, but this tablet doesn’t run the same MacOS software as those machines. You can’t install desktop apps such as Final Cut, the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite or Steam here. Instead, apps come from the same App Store as any other iPad.

For many, this will be perfectly fine. Apple’s tablet App Store is significantly better than Google’s due to the fact Android isn’t designed or optimised for screens this size in its current state. For the most part, these specifically formatted apps are far better optimised for a touch interface and screen this size as a result. Yet, it does feel like the power on offer in the iPad Air 2022 isn’t being utilised as much as I’d like.

During our benchmark tests, the difference between the M1 chip and the A14 Bionic (the platform on which the M1 is based) is noticeable. The multi-core score in Geekbench 5’s CPU test isn’t far off double the A14, and there’s extra oomph in graphics, too. The difference is more difficult to spot in regular day-to-day use, though. Apps, especially larger games, open and load marginally faster; but you’ll only really notice this in a direct comparison.

I wanted to try to push the M1 further to see if the difference ever became more apparent. Importing 100 Raw snaps into Lightroom on both tablets, the M1-toting iPad Air completed the task about 25% faster. Scale this up and the difference will be noticeable in workflow. Next, I exported those files back out as JPEGs – and, again, this model was much quicker.

The process of importing photos and videos directly onto the iPad is easy thanks to the USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) port. Just attach an SD card adapter and apps such as Photos and the aforementioned Lightroom can import directly. This isn’t quite as speedy as the Thunderbolt 3 port on the iPad Pro, but it’s still faster than it was on the previous Air – and far more useful than the iPhone 13’s Lightning port, which is slow.

There’s a smattering of other high-profile apps that can push the M1 chip further, such as video-editing app LumaFusion, but I’d love Apple to release some of its own to take tablet apps to that next level. A mobile yet fully powered version of Final Cut Pro would really turn the iPad Air 2022 into a capable portable editing station and help to differentiate it from the cheaper models.

The doubling of RAM from 4GB to 8GB is welcome for long-term sustainability. RAM should allow Apple to continue supplying software updates for longer.

Another new feature this time is the option of 5G, rather than just 4G. This remains an added extra (£150/150), but it’s a Smart choice for those who want to be as mobile as possible. 5G remains a niche feature for me, and does have a greater impact on battery life than 4G when downloading lots of large files.

Along with deciding whether 5G is a worthy addition, you’ll also need to think wisely about which of the two storage options you’ll go for. Annoyingly, you only get to choose between 64GB or 256GB here – the ideal 128GB is missing in action, just like it was for the previous iPad Air. Honestly, I struggle to recommend 64GB of storage for those who want to load their tablet with content for long trips. When you consider 1080p film downloads from iTunes can often hit 8GB, with games coming in at 4GB, that 64GB will soon be full. But 256GB is probably overkill for the majority. I’ve loaded up my 256GB review unit with plenty of games, downloads and more, and there’s still well over 150GB left.

The issue is that by jumping to the 256GB version of the iPad Air 2022, you’ll be paying pretty close to the amount you’d fork out for the 128GB iPad Pro with its superior screen. If presented with that choice, I’d pay the extra and opt for a Pro rather than a 256GB Air.

The iPad Air 2022 ticks all the boxes in other areas, however. There’s fast Wi-Fi 6, great speakers and support for Apple’s fantastic Pencil and Magic Keyboard. The rear camera is a single sensor unit, and it works well for augmented reality apps and scanning documents. It will even take a decent daylight snap if you’re in a pinch and can’t find your phone.

But it’s the front camera that’s more exciting. An ultra-wide 12-megapixel sensor, it features the same Center Stage tech as all the other iPads. If you’re on a video call using an app such as Webex, FaceTime or Zoom (among others), for example, the camera will intelligently pan and zoom as you, or someone else, moves around the frame. I think this is a great feature on a tablet, and while it can be slow at times, it actually does very well at keeping up with your movements.

Sadly, the positioning of the front camera remains a mystery to me. Most of the time when I’m on a video call, I’ll either have the iPad docked into a keyboard or will be holding it horizontally. However, because the camera is positioned on the top, you can’t get a proper central angle of your face unless you’re holding it in a portrait view. It’s super-frustrating, leaving every video call with a weird side-on view of me. Positioning the camera on the long vertical edge would have been a far better option.

Battery Life

I’ve been reviewing iPads for a number of years now, from the basic models to the high-end Pros, and battery life rarely changes – for better or worse. Apple states an “all-day” battery, and around 10 hours of video watching or surfing the web.

I’d have to agree – you can easily get 10 hours of use out of the iPad Air 2022 before it requires a charge, even slightly longer if you temper use. I streamed 10 hours’ worth of a downloaded iTunes video – Spider-Man: No Way Home, if you’re interested – and the battery still had 3% remaining.

Things are a little less rosy when you attach the Magic Keyboard. With the iPad Air acting more as a laptop replacement, battery life went from 100% to 15% through a taxing 9.30am to 6pm workday. This included some photo editing, a lot of time spent writing in Google Docs, some video calls and the like.

Unlike the iPhone, the iPad Air 2022 comes with a 20W plug and a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, which should suffice for for charging. In my tests, a full charge took 2hrs 20mins, with 50% attainable in just short of an hour.

Should you buy it?

If you want Apple’s best all-around tablet With many of the features of the iPad Pro and a design that’s far more modern than the basic model, this is the iPad that ticks the most boxes.

You want to store lots of files offline The storage options here are strange, with only 64GB and 256GB available. The former is isn’t very generous, while the latter brings the price a little too close to that of the iPad Pro. In addition, there’s no 512GB, 1TB or 2TB options, since those remain Pro exclusive.

Final Thoughts

The iPad Air 2022 is an outstanding tablet and an excellent choice if you’re looking to upgrade an ageing device. It’s fast, looks stunning, and can do just about everything the even pricier iPad Pro can.

But as an upgrade to an already fantastic tablet, it misses the mark in a few ways. Areas I’d hoped would be refreshed (screen tech, storage options and front camera placement) have remained the same, while features that were great already – notably performance – have received all the attention.

Still, this remains my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a tablet that’s for more than just casual web browsing and emails.