2 minute review
The XNUMX iPad Air, also known colloquially as the iPad Air XNUMX, has quite a tough act to follow in the manner of the awesome XNUMX Air.
This model brought an attractive new design, more power than many expected, and was the ideal showcase for iPadOS. The new Air is essentially more of the same, with a more powerful chipset.
If that sounds like a half-hearted tablet, it's far from it: We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the new iPad. The 5 Air has the same cost as its predecessor, but increases the power, adds XNUMXG and brings an all-new front camera for better video calls.
The angular, industrial design of the iPhone XNUMX and iPad Pro lineup returns, allowing Apple Pencil XNUMX to clip to the top of the tablet and be instantly within reach for drawing or notetaking; it also charges when plugged in.
It's annoying that the magnet isn't a bit stronger due to the fact that while it holds the Pen firmly when you're carrying the iPad Air, it might fall off when you slip the tablet into a bag or wear it. a car seat
- Apple iPad Air (99) on Amazon for €XNUMX
The new iPad Air is beautifully designed and lightweight, with a XNUMX-inch display that's the perfect size for viewing your apps, emails and movies on the go.
We hit a snag: the Touch ID sensor is still housed in the long, thin power button at the top of the tablet, and like the previous model, it clicks lightly under your finger, which really slows down the power. feeling of quality.
(Note: This rattling wasn't present on all of the review models we tested, but it was disconcerting enough to be an issue with our main review device.)
The screen is bright enough, with decent color reproduction for all tasks. Brightness isn't quite on par with the iPad Pro (500 nits peak brightness vs. 600 nits), but most people would have a hard time seeing the difference if they weren't editing video or studying images up close.
We're still not big fans of the Apple Pencil as a stylus because no matter what people say, it doesn't mimic the feel of pencil on paper in a way that would convince us to steer clear of scribbling on dead trees. If Apple could develop intelligent haptic ways to mimic the flow of lead on paper, we'd be everywhere, and Apple Pencil in general; As it stands, the rubber tip still glides too freely across the screen.
That said, the number of things you can do with the pen is impressive. The range of drawing and photo-editing apps now available for the iPad means you can turn the iPad into a brilliant creative tool, though you'll have to spend $129 / £119 / AU$189 to add the stylus to your arsenal, which it's a hefty expense on top of the cost of the tablet.
The M1 chip in the 2022 iPad Air provides a huge power boost, putting the tablet neck-and-neck with the iPad Pro series in terms of raw power.
There was nothing we could throw at the Air that would remotely compromise its performance - both in benchmark tests and in actual use, it proved far superior to the Air. 'iPad Air from two years ago, and it's rare to see such a step change between iterations.
The M1 chip is designed for those who want to seamlessly manipulate 3D models in Procreate, or want to run (or code for) their higher graphics games on the fly. Want to switch from The Last Campfire to Affinity Photo to GarageBand? This tablet can do just that. The change isn't instantaneous, as apps freeze when they're not on the screen, but the time it takes for an app to come back to life is minimal.
The iPadOS 15.4 software that the new iPad Air runs on is good... but it's only good for a tablet. And that ties into our biggest problem with the new Air: who and what is it really for? It's good for a lot of things, but it's not the best for a lot of those things.
iPadOS is a great operating system for a tablet, with lots of easy-to-use apps and a sleek user interface that lets you go from one high-level task to the next. Pair it with the Magic Keyboard (while you still have $299 / £299 / AU$499 spare) and Apple Pencil, and the iPad Air can be a digital drawing pad, a range of high-end gaming devices, a laptop. highly portable and entertainment center all in one.
But… there are better options for all these tasks. We attempted to write this review on the iPad itself and, for the most part, it was possible and sometimes very helpful when we needed a small, lightweight laptop that we could pull out while waiting for the train and do some typing. words.
The keyboard and trackpad feel a bit cramped, though, and while the Safari and Chrome browsers can offer a true desktop experience, they're not as spacious as on a full-fledged laptop.
We couldn't work with spreadsheets with the same level of control. Google Docs is not as responsive as Apple Pages when trying to edit documents. Watching movies is nice, but the dual speakers and LCD screen don't provide the best viewing experience. It's a powerful mobile gaming experience, but it's not the best.
And while iPadOS is good, it's not quite ready for productivity yet, and 64GB as a base storage level just isn't enough when apps regularly top 1GB or more.
For many of the things listed above: digital sketches, games, watching movies, etc. – the iPad Pro 11 is superior and its cost isn't much different now that it's been out for a year.
A dedicated laptop is always better for working on the go, and if you just want iPadOS and the wide variety of apps, then the base model iPad is already perfect.
The iPad Air 2022 is a good tablet without a doubt. Works well on just about anything I'd buy it for. But for all these tasks, there is something better for a similar (or even lower) cost.
The new iPad Air is one of the best iPads – and one of the best tablets – on the market, and you won't regret buying it; but some key improvements to things like storage and screen quality would have helped. Ultimately, it comes down to whether you want a tablet that does most tasks well, and many very well, but you're not willing to spend more on the iPad Pro.
IPad Air 2022 release date and price
- iPad Air 2022 release date: March 18
- iPad Air 2022 price: Starting at $599 / £569 / AU$929
Pricing for the 2022 iPad Air starts at $599 / £569 / AU$929 for the 64GB Wi-Fi-only model, and goes up if you want 5G connectivity, 256GB storage, or both.
iPad Air 2022 priceFor comparison, the 4 iPad Air 2020 costs $599 / £579 / AU$899 for the base model with 64GB storage, Wi-Fi only.
The iPad Air 2022 release date is confirmed for March 18. It's worth noting that the latest-gen iPad Air was very difficult to buy at launch, so check out our hub for all the iPad Air 5 ordering information, including when and where you can buy the latest Apple tablet.
iPad Air 2022: design and screen
The design of the iPad Air 2022 will impress you the moment you put it in your hands. The sharp, angular edges don't hurt to hold: they give the impression of premium construction, with a rigidity that indicates you're holding a well-assembled product.
Anodized aluminum, available in a variety of colors (we're on the blue one sent to us for review) feels smooth to the touch, and the flat edges allow Apple Pencil to easily slide to the side for storage and charging. - although, as we mentioned, it can come off too easily.
iPad Air 2022 weighs just 469g (Wi-Fi) or 478g (5G) and fits easily in your hand and in a bag. Granted, if you put it inside the heavy Magic Keyboard, which is the accessory we recommend you buy (assuming you can afford it), the weight goes up to over 1kg, but it's still less than many laptops, and with that much power under the hood, so it's a good compromise.
The only issue we have with the iPad Air's build quality is the Touch ID sensor, which sits on the power button at the top (or on the left side, if you're using the tablet in landscape mode). . On our main review device, it moved slightly under the finger when pressed, which instantly diminished the 'premium feel', though a second Air we tested didn't show the problem to exactly the same extent.
Other than that, the build quality is excellent. The USB-C connector on the bottom of the tablet (or on the right side in landscape mode) is easy to plug in for charging and doesn't get in the way too much.
Apple built a good tablet in 2020 with the iPad Air 4, and the new model is identical (to the point where we'd be constantly wrong if our 2022 and 2020 models weren't different colors). It looks like an iPad Pro Lite if such a device existed, and that's how it works each and every day.
Today's best Apple Magic Keyboard (iPad Air 4th Gen) deals
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The iPad Air 2022's screen hasn't been updated from that of its predecessor, and while that's not an issue in terms of usability, it lacks the OLED display on the iPhone 13 series and rival tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. ultra.
The 10,9-inch display is great for portability, and you'll quickly get used to the smaller dimensions compared to a typical laptop, as long as you're not regularly using spreadsheets or browsing websites that require a wider reach. . view so you can see everything at once; we found that doing either quickly became frustrating and required us to reach for the laptop in order to do more.
It's hard not to compare the iPad Air's display to that of the iPad Pro 11, which has a nearly identical screen size (11-inches, as the name suggests); But while both use IPS LCD technology, the Pro offers a smoother XNUMXHz...