Verdict
The iPad Air 2024 is n’t the most exciting iPad in Apple ’s range . It lack the stunning display and flagship M4 chip of the Pro , as well as the tantalising price of the al-Qaida iPad 10 . However , sometimes the best pick is n’t the most exciting and for many the iPad Air 2024 is the sodding iPad .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The iPad Air 2024 is the center tike in Apple ’s current tablet kinsperson , put up a few more feature than the basic iPad while cost a lot less than the Pro .
uncommitted in two size for the first time , the iPad Air 2024 will be , for many , thebest iPadthanks to a mixture of high - end features , fast public presentation that ’ll aid length of service and a good price point .
This is n’t the big upgrade I have ever see for the Air , and in some direction it could be seen as a little dull , but tech does n’t always need to be exciting to be a right buy , and this is a cracking example of why .
I ’ve spent the last three weeks with the iPad Air 2024 , comparing it to thebest Android tabletsand deciding who this is for .
Design
While it might have Air in its name , the iPad Air is n’t the lightest member of the iPad family – perhaps Apple want to think about a rebrand next time . The 11 - inch role model of the Air is only slenderly heavier than the 11 - inchiPad Pro 2024 , while the 13 - column inch is 38 g heavy than the same sized Pro .
Apple has n’t toy around too much with the overall facial expression of the iPad Air , and it fit in well with the rest of the iPad family . It comes in slightly more merriment ( if toned down compare to former years ) colours than the Pro , and bring across the landscape - positioned webcam first seen on theiPad 10 . This is a bigger deal than it sound , as your face is far more centrally place in video call through apps like Facetime and Zoom now .
I remain a huge sports fan of the look of the iPad grasp , with the mat English and back , plus the rounded corners . There ’s enough bezel to ensure digit do n’t encroach on the screen but they ’re slender enough to look modern . Some commenters will always be calling for thinner bezels even if they are necessary on a large gadget like a pad of paper .
There ’s elementary ‘ iPad Air ’ branding and a shiny Apple logotype on the back , plus a troika of circular pins required for easy moorage of the Magic Keyboard . Two excellent - sounding speaker sit on either end with a top - floor TouchID - enabled lock clit , while a magnetic tying up power point for the Apple Pencil can be found on the same side as the front tv camera .
The iPad Air 2024 works with either theApple Pencil Proor the Apple Pencil with USB - C , but not the Apple Pencil 2 – a tip that will gravel anyone who ’s promote and hoping to land old appurtenance across . you may use the older Magic Keyboard , just not the newer Magic Keyboard build for the iPad Pro 2024 . This is a shame , as the updated model has a sleeker look and sum up shortcuts .
Screen
you could now get the iPad Air in two screen options , just like the dear Pro course . This is a welcome change and helps severalize the melodic phrase a little more from the cornerstone iPad which can still only be chosen in the smaller 10.9 - inch size .
The 11 - inch and 13 - inch sizes match the Pro , but Apple does incriminate on its site that it ’s just rounding up the previous 12.9 - inch size – likely to make it less confusing to buyers .
I reviewed , and have used extensively , the large 13 - in iPad Pro alongside the 11 - in gentle wind and I think the bigger sizing is a much better selection for those who desire a more productive twist . Using multiple apps side - by - side is easier with that surplus genuine estate , as is draw and write up written document .
With that big screen of course , comes some trade - offs . It ’s less portable , heavier and dodgy to hold comfortably for extended flow . If I am go – locomote between planes , trains and hotels – I prefer the small 11 - column inch model , whereas the 13 - inch option is prosperous to use at a desk , dock into the Magic Keyboard .
Whichever model you choose , you ’re getting fundamentally the same blind tech . There were rumours that Apple would take the split approach , similar to theiPad Pro 2022 , with the larger model catch the betterMini LEDpanel and the small one bond with the same IPS LCD used on the Pro since its inception . That did n’t arrive to pass , with both interpretation instead flummox with IPS LCD .
Coming straight from reviewing the iPad Pro 2024 M4 with its stunningOLEDpanel that can develop a brilliant HDR image and refresh at up to 120Hz , I have to admit that the switch to a more traditional iPad screen was jarring – at least to begin with .
There ’s nothing wrong with the blind and if you ’re coming from a previous iPad Air or base iPad , it will sense familiar . In fact , if you ’re upgrade from a base iPad , including the very goodiPad 10 , the display is superior . This is thanks to good fingerprint resistance and a laminate finish so it feel like you ’re touching the pixels , rather than drinking glass .
Apple uses very skillful IPS LCD and the iPad Air 2024 obligate its own against much of the competitor that has n’t yet switched to OLED . cleverness levels are good ( about 500 nits for the 11 - inch fashion model , somewhat high for the 13 - column inch ) for everyday viewability and colours are accurate . moving-picture show and other depicted object , specially those with darker scenes can look miry , and if you put the iPad Air next to the OLED Pro the difference is huge – even more so when playing back Dolby Vision HDR cognitive content .
I ’d love an iPad Air with an organic light-emitting diode but it ’s going to take a few years for that tech to filter down from the iPad Pro range of mountains .
The locked 60Hz refresh charge per unit is another sacrifice that has been made to distinguish the tune from the Pro communication channel , with the latter able to commute how many time its screen refreshes every second from 10 - 120 . This tech – Apple call itProMotion – dedicate everything a smooth finish , from scrolling to gaming . It has always been stanchly a ‘ Pro ’ feature in Apple ’s eyes with only the MacBook Pro , iPhone Pro model and iPad Pro hold it . Again , it could be years before there ’s a ProMotion - toting iPad Air .
Performance and Software
The iPad Air 2024 is powered by the M2 chip , just like the one-time iPad Pro variants that have since been upgrade with the newM4silicon . While this chip is n’t quite as adequate to as the M3 found in theMacBook Air , it is still very sinewy for a tablet – specially one with a start cost of £ 599/$599 .
In performance tests , it destroy even thebest Android tabletswe’ve reviewed ( including those at double the Mary Leontyne Price , like theSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra ) and matches the iPad Pro 2022 . Considering this was previously Apple ’s flagship and could cost more than £ 1000/$1000 , the performance levels are seriously impressive .
It ’ll also supportApple Intelligencefeatures when they launch alongsideiOS 18 in sure regions too , so you ’re not pass to be go forth behind when Apple ’s big AI push arrives later this yr . These AI feature wo n’t be hail to the iPad 10 with its A - serial chip , so this is another differentiator between the iPads .
There are , of course , mickle of multitude who wo n’t get the full electric potential out of this microprocessor chip . Browsing , gambling , even 4 kB picture editing have been achievable on older iPads and unless you ’re utilising some of the more ‘ Pro ’ focussed apps like Final Cut or Logic or some of the recent M - serial exclusive games likeAssasins ’s Creed Mirage , you wo n’t point out huge performance upgrades .
Having a newer cow chip is n’t just about faster performance however . Aside from financial support for Apple Intelligence , the M2 should get update from Apple for years to come in secure new features are bestow yearly . Wi - Fi 6EandBluetooth 5.3are present , and there are also some Apple Pencil - specific magic trick reserve for this chip , include the hover feature previously only available on the Pro . This lets the iPad see where you ’re lay the style before you do it .
When I review theiPad Air 2022 , one of my biggest issues was the lack of a 128 GB storage variant . The basis of 64 GB did n’t finger large enough , but the jump to 256 GB pushed the cost up to a level that did n’t experience deserving it . Apple must have listened , as now the base entrepot is 128 GB – which I do feel is enough for most tablet substance abuser – and you could opt 256 GB , 512 GB or even 1 TB if you postulate more offline storage infinite .
There ’s also 8 GB RAM across the whole scope . With the iPad Pro , the amount of RAM increased with the store size of it so the 256/512 GB models got 8 Great Britain , whereas the 1 TB and 2 TB got 16 GB . With the iPad Air 2024 , it ’s the same whether you pick out 128 GB or 1 TB .
Like old Air model , a single camera sits on the back with another on the front . Both are 12MP sensor , although the rear torpedo can shoot up to 4 jet 60fps while the front is restricted to 1080p . The front camera is excellent for telecasting song , assist by the raw position on the landscape painting edge , and the rear television camera is ripe for scanning documents and the same .
All iPads run iPadOS and all iPads with an M - series chip welfare from the multitasking - focussedStage Managerview that lets you bring in small resizable window more akin to a traditional desktop personal computer horizon . While it can be seen as an issue for the Pro line , the fact that this £ 599/$599 tablet can do pretty much everything the £ 999/$999 Pro alternative can is a huge win for the Air phone line . Apple does n’t send a ‘ Pro ’ version of iPadOS for the higher - end models and there are n’t any immense changes coming in iPadOS 18 that wo n’t be fend for on this aura .
Battery Life
I have been using the 11 - inch model of the iPad Air 2024 for this review , so all my electric battery judgements are restrain to that poser . However , even though the 13 - inch chance variable has a larger shelling , it should n’t result in a huge survival jump . That extra battery looks to be there strictly to ensure parity between big and small models , and Apple uses the same ‘ 10 time of day of browse the connection ’ title for both .
barrage fire life here lives up to Apple ’s title , and I found it less explosive than the organic light-emitting diode - toting iPad Pro 2024 . With the higher - ending tablet , jacklight up the brightness to 100 % in HDR videos sent the barrage fire tumble down – that ’s not the event with the Air , plainly as it ca n’t push its smartness levels quite so mellow .
I used the iPad Air 2024 on a transatlantic flight of stairs to the USA and after around nine minute of cyclosis downloaded television from Apple TV Plus and Netflix , I had 5 % left once I had landed . That ’s a safe solvent , in line with Apple ’s claims and what I would expect from a pad . There ’s some additional depletion if the lozenge is power the Magic Keyboard , and during a 9:30 – 5:30 body of work Clarence Shepard Day Jr. when I used the iPad Air instead of my laptop , I had 12 % left once it was clip to head home .
For the first metre , Apple no longer includes the 20w wad inside the box of the iPad Air 2024 ( this is the same for the Pro serial ) in some region . I am in the UK and my boxwood included just the tablet and USB - degree centigrade to USB - C overseas telegram – although in the USA there is a 20w quid .
Using Apple ’s 20w plug , the tablet took over two hours to reload with a 50 % charge take just shy of an hour . There ’s been little change in electric battery animation and charging speeding with the iPad orbit in a number of eld . Apple has clearly decided that around 10 hours of utilization is fine , and I mostly agree . However , with Apple ’s M - series laptops often double what the iPad can achieve there needs to be some improvements in the next few years .
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Should you buy it?
With its M2 scrap and documentation for the forthcoming Apple Intelligence AI organisation , this iPad Air will last for years to total with great carrying out .
The iPad Pro 2024 with its OLED board and ProMotion leave the Air ’s IPS LCD in the dust , offering better color reproduction , higher brightness levels and really good HDR support .
Final Thoughts
The iPad Air 2024 is n’t the most exciting lozenge that Apple has ever released . It lacks the stunning display of the Pro and the tempting Leontyne Price of the baseiPad 10 . However , sometimes the best choice is n’t the most exciting and for many the iPad Air 2024 is the perfect choice .
There are enough extras here – higher base depot , a better cover , fast chip , Apple Pencil Pro compatibility and Apple Intelligence support with iOS 18 – to make the jump from the cheapest iPad worth it . Plus , the introduction of the 13 - inch model mean you do n’t need to splosh out £ 1199/$1199 to get an iPad with a screen that ’s larger than 11 - inches .
I still think if money is no object , theiPad Pro 2024with its M4 chip and OLED showing is the ultimate iPad . Do you need to spend at least £ 999/$999 on a tablet though ? When the iPad Air 2024 offers many of the same skills , the solution is probably no .
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FAQs
In the US , it come up with a 20W charger . In the UK it does not . Check your local Apple Store Thomas Nelson Page to see whether or not your region include the plug .
There is . you could choose between a Wi - Fi and Wi - Fi + 5 gigabyte option .
