Verdict
improvement have n’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 face cracking , confirm category - leading accessories , and follow compact top - nick functioning .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
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 pill hard to recommend , and a comme il faut array of spear carrier to make it a significantly better investment than the baseiPad .
When I retrospect the previous version of theiPad Air(a model that ’s now discontinued ) , I awarded it a very rare five stars . This does n’t think of it was perfect , but it was a best - in - division gimmick that I could wholeheartedly urge to anyone in the market for a up to tablet .
The new iPad Air 2022 , or iPad Air 5 , does n’t represent a huge change over the late model – and , as such , it should n’t lure anyone who beak up the 2020 role model to kick upstairs .
Nevertheless , it remains an excellent tablet , further amend domain that were gravid in the last model , rather than addressing any of my concerns .
Screen and Design
These days , Apple ’s ware rarely obtain a Brobdingnagian design overhaul on an one-year basis , and since the iPad Air ’s look and feel change quite considerably in 2020 , the latest looping of the iPad was always going to adhere to that blueprint .
The iPad Air 2022 is near - superposable to the 2020 model , then , aside from some change to the colours in which it ’s available , as has been the shell with its predecessors . Same dimension , same look and only 2 - 3 GiB clayey . This means that if you do make up one’s mind to upgrade to this model , then any accoutrement will work without issue – include the luxuriousMagic Keyboarddock .
This is a smasher of a tablet , in particular in the cryptic blue colour Apple sent in for reappraisal . The flat sides and back have an industrial feel that I much prefer to the rounded iPads and , as is common for Apple gear , the machine is finished to a high standard . The machined jam for the speakers and USB - C interface are precisely completed and even the transmitting aerial lines on this 5G - adequate to mannikin are hidden well .
There ’s an enlarged power button on the top with Touch ID smarts for unlocking the pad securely . confront ID is still notable for its absence , and having spent so much time with the iPad Pro recently , I do really miss Apple ’s first-class facial - unlocking option here . In particular , when the iPad Air is tail in a keyboard case , attain 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 - in size is the sweet spot for a tablet , at least in my belief . It ’s low – and light – enough to slip into my rucksack without any obtrusive addition of weighting , while still being a decent enough size for productivity . It ’s also an ideal size for travelling , with the screenland offering a decent domain on which to catch up on a few sequence of whatever series you have on the go . Pair it with a keyboard and it change state into a compact laptop computer , a series of machine that Apple ditched when it canned the 11 - column inch MacBook Air and 12 - inch MacBook .
While the iPad Air 2022 is visually the same , it suffer an peculiar oddity that I did n’t experience when go over the previous modelling . Grip the pad of paper and twist it slightly and you ’ll listen a discrete cracking noise , from where I assume the battery is located . On function I can hear this sound when I ’m just holding the tablet while show , although it is n’t a unceasing issuing . Still , it certainly is n’t welcome on a pad of paper that costs this much .
When I reviewed the former iPad Air , I remark some areas for improvement . Key among these was the display , either by switching from LCD tech toOLED , or by adding in the currently iPad Pro - exclusiveProMotion . While rumour had suggested OLED might be come to the Air series , this has n’t happen – you ’ll need to opt for the Pro if you desire a refresh charge per unit that ’s above the standard 60Hz .
Having used theiPhone 14 Proand iPad Pro , I ’ve been bumble by high - refresh - rate presentation , with my eyes skin to adapt to the slower jury here . A refresh rate of 120Hz just makes everything feel smoother and string with the Apple Pencil feels a whole lot more natural , too . peradventure one day we ’ll see this characteristic trickle down from the Pro models .
Everything else about the iPad Air 2022 ’s screen is becoming for an LCD panel . It ’s incisive and well reached over 500nitsof cleverness in our research laboratory exam for well-fixed viewing in bright outdoor weather . I put this iPad Air next to the Mini - LED - totingiPad Pro 12.9 - inchand , in SDR telecasting playback , the pricier modelling is n’t too far out front , with both deport pleasing colours . However , theMini - LEDpanel of the Pro pad of paper is far higher-ranking forHDRcontent ( look out an episode of Vikings Valhalla on Netflix , for deterrent example ) , where the well gore technical school allows for near - perfect blackness , higher brightness levels and punchier colours .
Performance
The iPad Air 2022 does n’t really treat the egress I had with the previous model . Instead , Apple has chosen to make aspects that were already in effect , even better . The most obvious example of this have-to doe with to the chipset powering the pad .
No one would kick that the A14 Bionic tuck inside the premature generation role model was a slouch . Even to this day , the iPad Air is one of the best - performing tablets around , well chewing through anything you throw at it with ease . But the fresh iPad Air is even quicker and even more capable thanks to the M1 chipset and 8 GB of memory .
This is the same chip that you ’ll find in theiMac 24 - inch , but this tablet does n’t execute the same MacOS computer software as those machine . You ca n’t install desktop apps such as Final Cut , the full Adobe Creative Cloud cortege or Steam here . rather , apps come from the same App Store as any other iPad .
For many , this will be absolutely o.k. . Apple ’s lozenge App Store is significantly undecomposed than Google ’s due to the fact Android is n’t design or optimised for screen this size in its current state . For the most part , these specifically format apps are far better optimised for a skin senses port and screen this size of it as a event . Yet , it does feel like the major power on go in the iPad Air 2022 is n’t being utilised as much as I ’d care .
During our benchmark psychometric test , the difference between the M1 chip and the A14 Bionic ( the platform on which the M1 is based ) is noticeable . The multi - core musical score in Geekbench 5 ’s C.P.U. test is n’t far off double the A14 , and there ’s extra oomph in graphics , too . The difference is more hard to spot in regular twenty-four hour period - to - day use , though . Apps , specially larger games , open and burden marginally quicker ; but you ’ll only really acknowledge this in a unmediated comparison .
I want to attempt to crusade the M1 further to see if the difference ever became more apparent . import 100 Raw snaps into Lightroom on both tab , the M1 - tug iPad Air completed the task about 25 % faster . surmount this up and the departure will be noticeable in work flow . Next , I exported those files back out as JPEGs – and , again , this mannikin was much quick .
The mental process of importing pic and video like a shot onto the iPad is easy thanks to the USB - C ( USB 3.1 Gen 2 ) porthole . Just bind an Mount Rushmore State carte adapter and apps such as Photos and the said Lightroom can import directly . This is n’t quite as speedy as theThunderbolt 3port on the iPad Pro , but it ’s still faster than it was on the previous tune – and far more useful than the iPhone 13 ’s Lightning embrasure , which is slow .
There ’s a smattering of other in high spirits - visibility apps that can push the M1 chip further , such as video - edit app LumaFusion , but I ’d hump Apple to release some of its own to take lozenge apps to that next layer . A mobile yet in full powered version of Final Cut Pro would really grow the iPad Air 2022 into a equal to portable editing post and aid to differentiate it from the gimcrack models .
The doubling of random access memory from 4 GB to 8 GB is welcome for long - term sustainability . More RAM should allow for Apple to bear on append software updates for long .
Another new feature article this clip is the choice of5 G , rather than just 4G. This remains an added extra ( £ 150/$150 ) , but it ’s a smart selection for those who need to be as mobile as possible . 5 thousand rest a niche feature film for me , and does have a greater shock on barrage life than 4 universal gravitational constant when download hatful of large files .
Along with deciding whether 5 G is a desirable increase , you ’ll also need to intend wisely about which of the two storage options you ’ll go for . Annoyingly , you only get to choose between 64 GB or 256 GB here – the ideal 128 GB is neglect in action , just like it was for the old iPad Air . aboveboard , I struggle to urge 64 GB of storage for those who want to stretch their pad of paper with content for recollective trip-up . When you consider 1080p film downloads from iTunes can often score 8 GB , with game coming in at 4 GB , that 64 GB will soon be full . But 256 GB is likely overkill for the legal age . I ’ve loaded up my 256 GB review unit with mountain of games , downloads and more , and there ’s still well over 150 GB left .
The issue is that by jump to the 256 GB interpretation of the iPad Air 2022 , you ’ll be paying reasonably close to the amount you ’d furcate out for the 128 GB iPad Pro with its superior screen . If presented with that choice , I ’d pay the extra and opt for a professional rather than a 256 GB Air .
The iPad Air 2022 beat all the boxes in other areas , however . There ’s fastWi - Fi 6 , neat speaker and support for Apple ’s fantastic Pencil and Magic Keyboard . The rear camera is a unmarried sensor unit of measurement , and it works well for augmented reality apps and scan documents . It will even take a adequate daylight snap if you ’re in a speck and ca n’t find your phone .
But it ’s the front camera that ’s more exciting . An ultra - wide 12 - megapixel sensing element , it features the sameCenter Stagetech as all the other iPads . If you ’re on a TV call using an app such as Webex , FaceTime or Zoom ( among others ) , for case , the television camera will intelligently pan and surge as you , or someone else , move around the frame . I think this is a great feature on a tablet , and while it can be ho-hum at times , it actually does very well at keeping up with your movements .
woefully , the positioning of the front camera remains a mystery to me . Most of the time when I ’m on a video recording 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 ca n’t get a proper cardinal angle of your aspect unless you ’re holding it in a portraiture view . It ’s tops - frustrating , leaving every video call with a weird side - on view of me . Positioning the tv camera on the long vertical edge would have been a far better pick .
Battery Life
I ’ve been review iPads for a number of years now , from the basic models to the gamy - end Pros , and battery spirit rarely changes – for well or bad . Apple submit an “ all - day ” battery , and around 10 hour of television watching or channel-surf the web .
I ’d have to agree – you could well get 10 hours of use out of the iPad Air 2022 before it requires a charge , even slightly longer if you temper use . I rain cats and dogs 10 hour ’ Charles Frederick Worth of a download iTunes telecasting – Spider - Man : No Way Home , if you ’re concerned – and the battery still had 3 % remaining .
Things are a petty less rosy when you attach the Magic Keyboard . With the iPad Air act more as a laptop computer replacement , electric battery life go from 100 % to 15 % through a taxing 9.30am to 6 necropsy work day . This included some photo editing , a lot of time drop compose in Google Docs , some picture calls and the corresponding .
Unlike the iPhone , the iPad Air 2022 come with a 20W ballyhoo and a USB - C - to - USB - vitamin C cable , which should suffice for for charging . In my tests , a full charge take 2hrs 20mins , with 50 % attainable in just short of an hour .
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Should you buy it?
With many of the features of the iPad Pro and a design that ’s far more modern than the basic framework , this is the iPad that ticks the most boxes .
The storage options here are foreign , with only 64 GB and 256 GB available . The former is is n’t very generous , while the latter brings the price a little too close to that of the iPad Pro . In addition , there ’s no 512 GB , 1 TB or 2 TB options , since those remain Pro sole .
Final Thoughts
The iPad Air 2022 is an outstanding pill and an excellent selection if you ’re look to kick upstairs an mature gimmick . It ’s fast , looks sensational , and can do just about everything the even costly iPad Pro can .
But as an rise to an already fantastic tablet , it misses the mark in a few way . area I ’d trust would be refreshed ( screen technical school , repositing options and front camera placement ) have remain the same , while features that were great already – notably performance – have received all the attention .
Still , this stay my go - to recommendation for anyone looking for a tablet that ’s for more than just free-and-easy WWW browse and emails .
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FAQs
No , the only matter admit with the iPad Air is a charger and cable – all the other accessories will need to be bought separately .
This tablet has a 60Hz LCD dialog box , rather than the 120Hz LCD of the 11 - column inch iPad Pro or the 120Hz Mini - lead .
