If you live in the U.S. Best Buy has the 13" M2 iPP for $899 today if you'd rather buy a new one. At only $100USD more than the new Air, it's a pretty good deal.
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Review: Three Weeks With the M2 iPad Air
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FaceID is rock solid for me. Glasses or no glasses, hat, hoodie, beard, etc.
This is true on iPhone or iPad.
After using the iPad Pro 11” from 2020 I decided to upgrade to the M2 iPad Air.
It's been three weeks since Apple introduced the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, and after revisiting the iPad Pro last week, we thought we'd take a deeper look at the iPad Air now that it's been out long enough for day-to-day usage testing.
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The iPad Air is the best iPad for people who want a powerful tablet that's also fairly affordable. The M2 chip is close to the same chip that Apple used in the prior-generation iPad Pro, and while it's a little older now, it's still more than powerful enough for anything you might want to do on a tablet.
It is worth noting that Apple recently admitted an error and clarified that the M2 chip in the iPad Air has a 9-core GPU instead of a 10-core GPU, but in comparing the M2 iPad Pro with 10-core GPU to the M2 iPad Air with 9-core GPU, there was basically no difference in performance for day-to-day tasks and even with more system intensive apps like those used for video editing.
As we said in our M4 iPad Pro review, there's nothing that can really tax the M4 chip, and that's also true of the M2. With iPadOS 18 and the AI capabilities that Apple is working on, chip performance might become much more important in the future, but as of now, the M2 iPad Air isn't going to really struggle with anything you throw at it.
The iPad Air doesn't have the OLED display technology of the iPad Pro, and it lacks features like ProMotion 120Hz refresh rates, but it otherwise offers a lot of the features you get with the iPad Pro at much more affordable prices. The iPad Pro starts at $999, while the iPad Air starts at $599.
Face ID is not available on the iPad Air, with Apple instead using a Touch ID power button. Touch ID isn't as reliable as Face ID because it can fail depending on finger placement, but it works fine for the most part. The iPad Pro has a Thunderbolt port, but the iPad Air is limited to USB-C, so you can't connect Thunderbolt devices.
You're mostly missing out on OLED and the M4 chip with the iPad Pro, but you also won't be able to use the redesigned Magic Keyboard that Apple made for the iPad Pro because it isn't compatible with the iPad Air. Apple is selling the older Magic Keyboard alongside the iPad Air, and it lacks the aluminum frame and palm rest, function keys, and the larger glass trackpad. You can still use the Apple Pencil Pro and all of its features with the iPad Air, though.
One of the nice features about the iPad Air compared to prior-generation models is the relocated front-facing camera, which is now on the landscape edge instead of the portrait edge. That means the camera is in an upright orientation when it's in landscape mode, such as when connected to a keyboard, so it no longer looks funny if you're FaceTiming while holding the iPad horizontally.
The M2 iPad Air is essentially an M2 iPad Pro without the higher-quality display, and it's a good middle tier option if you want solid performance for futureproofing but also don't want to spend $1,000+ on a tablet. For a lot of people who just want a tablet for browsing the web, sending emails, and other simple day-to-day tasks, the iPad Air may even be overkill.
Article Link: Review: Three Weeks With the M2 iPad Air
Got it yesterday! Returning it today.
Never thought the 60hz will be such a downgrade vs. the 120hz. Also the Apple Pencile 2 not fitting it is a bit disappointing.
I’m going to sell my old iPad Pro on Ebay and get a refurbished M2 iPad Pro, which is basically the M2 iPad Air but with all the missing functions.
Thank you for that clarification. I didn't care to much for recording anything on the iPad itself but would have liked to be able to edit ProRes videos recorded from iPhone if I ever needed to do that. At one point I tried to do TikTok/YouTube videos but haven't messed with it in a year or so.
I wonder if it is possible to record in ProRes on the Air with a HDMI Capture card though... 🤔
If it had FaceID, I would have upgraded my 2018 11" iPad Pro to the new 13" iPad Air. My uses are basic—browsing, mail, DMing, Facetime, the rare calls when my phone isn't nearby, watching movies on planes, using it as my nightstand phone display, etc. I don't take videos, need a pimped-up camera (that's what my iPhone 15 ProMax is for), or do intense editing. So, in the meantime, I'm content with my old Pro.
Yes it has that potential, that’s why I said:
But of course it depends on specific usage whether ProMotion is actually battery-saving (due to variable refresh rate) or battery-costing (due to higher max refresh rate). My guess is for average usage it may somewhat even out with constant 60hz, since there doesn’t seem to be any consensus that there is significant battery-life disparity between ProMotion and non-ProMotion devices.
Also I don’t know if any tests have been done, but it would be interesting to see exactly how much battery the variable refresh rate saves. A good test might be to load eg. a Pages doc, and in test A let the doc sit still for x amount of time, and in test B constantly scroll the doc up and down for the same x amount of time, and see the difference in battery drain. Of course, one would have to be careful there are no other subtle variables going on.
Actually, I just remembered with ProMotion you can set the max frame rate to 60hz, and I believe it still remains variable refresh. So I would want ProMotion in my devices for that most ideal battery-saving option, assuming variable refresh does make a significant energy difference with 60hz.
We are at odds and complete opposites lol (or maybe inverses). The only reason I got the 13” iPad Air was because it had Touch ID as it’s the only Touch ID 13” iPad, otherwise I would have wanted to get the Pro. What would be perfect for both of us is if Apple put Touch ID on the Pro and Face ID on the Air 😂.
Only Apple would market a 120hz screen as a ‘Pro’ feature and be able to get away with it. The 2024 iPad Air M2 is a solid tablet with desktop grade performance, and if it had some kind of faster refresh screen e.g. fixed 90hz or 120hz (non adaptive), these would seriously cannibalise the Pro models and Apple know this very well.
i'm in the same predicament, i think the processor upgrade would be significant but also concerned about poorer sound quality, so really cant make a sensible decision. However the air being same size will fit in my current targus versavu case so thats a positive! Also not keen on touch id but the saving makes me think i can put up with it.
A 6th Generation iPad mini seems like it would render any 10.9-11-inch iPad (the "11-inch" M2 iPad Air included) redundant, for my use cases. Certainly, if the iPad mini gets discontinued or morphs into that foldable iPhone, then I'll fall back on whatever 11-inch iPad Air exists at the time.
The "13-inch" iPad Air is a different story. I have a 3rd Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, don't need any of the features that make it "Pro" over "Air" and would, therefore, be gravitating toward the larger M2 Air as the logical replacement. Yet...I don't think I really need this kind of device. There's nothing I do on my 12.9-inch iPad Pro (and thusly would want to keep doing on a "13-inch" iPad Air) that I can't do on a 13-inch or 14-inch MacBook Pro or Air.
I'm intrigued by the idea of these 12.9/13-inch iPads being alternative computing devices to 13/14 inch MacBooks and I might keep exploring that out of being a tech nerd that likes exploring all kinds of options that exist out there. But as far as any kind of practical needs that a 12.9/13-inch iPad would serve me that I don't already have elsewhere? I don't think there are any. I think my 6th Generation iPad mini and my M1 13-inch MacBook Pro cover me just fine and probably will until something newer comes along that motivates me to replace either or both devices. Until then...it looks cool, but I might end up passing on it.
The "13-inch" iPad Air is a different story. I have a 3rd Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, don't need any of the features that make it "Pro" over "Air" and would, therefore, be gravitating toward the larger M2 Air as the logical replacement. Yet...I don't think I really need this kind of device. There's nothing I do on my 12.9-inch iPad Pro (and thusly would want to keep doing on a "13-inch" iPad Air) that I can't do on a 13-inch or 14-inch MacBook Pro or Air.
I'm intrigued by the idea of these 12.9/13-inch iPads being alternative computing devices to 13/14 inch MacBooks and I might keep exploring that out of being a tech nerd that likes exploring all kinds of options that exist out there. But as far as any kind of practical needs that a 12.9/13-inch iPad would serve me that I don't already have elsewhere? I don't think there are any. I think my 6th Generation iPad mini and my M1 13-inch MacBook Pro cover me just fine and probably will until something newer comes along that motivates me to replace either or both devices. Until then...it looks cool, but I might end up passing on it.
The sound quality on the iPad Airs (2020 models onwards) are honestly very good (landscape stereo just like the Pro) but lack some clarity and bass in direct comparison. If using headphones, airpods etc then sound from the speakers is irrelevant right? What most people (might) have an issue with when switching from an older IPP to an new Air is the lack of Promotion screen and Face ID.
Yes, it is a high refresh monitor. I don't know if it is the response time or it is because the Mac only drives until 120hz.
I’m happy my 4th gen Air with A14 chip. For what I use it for watching YouTube and browsing the web it’s perfect.
What did you notice with the upgrade?
Upgrading from a iPad Air 3rd Gen (A12 chip, older form factor with touch id home button and lightning etc) to a modern iPad Air with USB C (2020 onwards) is quite a noticeable upgrade In terms of features, form factor and performance. Ive got the iPad Air 3 and 4th gens and thats what i noticed, and jumping to the new iPad Air M2 adds even more performance especially with 8GB RAM, so more apps and tabs open in the background for a start.
I happened to pass by an Apple Store today and decided to go in and check out the iPads. I currently have the latest Mini and never thought about replacing it, but seeing the 11" M2 Air paired with a Magic Keyboard impressed me. I'm now thinking about selling my M2 MacBook Air and iPad Mini and going for the Air + keyboard. I would go 11" because I want an iPad that is portable when not in the keyboard case, and 13" is a little too big. I use my Mini for reading, and the MacBook is mostly for browsing -- I have a work MacBook Pro for any heavy lifting -- so I think it would be a great option to pair from two devices to one.
Oh OK, 120Hz sounds pretty good to me; I thought you were stuck at 60
Sometimes the DP or HDMI sockets on the monitor cap out at different framerates, or require something like DSC to hit the highest refresh rates. Don't know which generation of MBP you have, but if the specs say it can go higher than 120, then I'd look at the details of the monitor inputs.