I’ve been using the new 11-inch iPad Air (2024) for a few days, and a single feature decision has annoyed me to the point where I’m wondering why it even exists.
In Apple’s current iPad lineup, the iPad Pro (2024) is definitely the choice for professionals, while the regular iPad is the one for bargain hunters. The iPad Air sits awkwardly between them. While it appears to offer all the performance and capabilities you could want without paying the high price of an iPad Pro, it doesn’t have a ProMotion screen with a 120Hz refresh rate — and that’s a serious drawback.
Does this missing feature destroy the M2 iPad Air like the iPad Air (2022) almost did with the M1?
My iPad Air display problem
What’s the situation on the screen for those not used to looking at iPad specs? The M2 iPad Air (2024) has a Liquid Retina IPS screen with a 60Hz refresh rate just like the cheaper regular iPad, and both have the same 2360 x 1640 pixel resolution. To get the 120Hz screen, a technology Apple calls ProMotion, you have to spend an iPad Pro with an Ultra Retina XDR screen, and that has the potential to be a very expensive device.
It’s a very similar situation to the iPhone, where you need either the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max to get the 120Hz ProMotion screen, as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both have a 60Hz screen. But I can more easily accept this decision because Apple does not have an intermediate model in its iPhone 15 line, as there is with the iPad, and the decision to buy is much easier.
This isn’t a new issue either, as the M1 iPad Air released in 2023 also had a Liquid Retina IPS 60Hz screen. At the time, in my eyes, the tablet’s large screen exacerbated the disadvantage of the 60Hz refresh rate screen and almost ruined the iPad M1 for me. It was less fluid when scrolling and during animations, cheapening the experience compared to the ProMotion-equipped iPad model. Has something changed with the M2 iPad Air, or is it still a tablet that has a smaller display?
60Hz vs. 120 Hz
I’ve been using the iPad Air with the M2 processor for a few days now, and it’s replaced the duties of my iPad Pro 2020 and iPad Air M1, which means it’s called into action for video, web browsing, and app use. like Reddit, Amazon and Autotrader, plus reading books through the Kindle app. Something very encouraging happened when I started using the tablet, because under certain circumstances the screen seemed to be a bit smoother than I expected. Not by much, but enough to see that something is different.
Was it all in my mind? To find out, I booted the M1 iPad Air and my 2020 iPad Pro back to life for a direct side-by-side comparison. The whole time I was doing this, I remembered that when I reviewed the iPhone 15 Plus, I noticed that the screen was also a little smoother than expected, improving the less eye-pleasing experience I had with the iPhone 14 Plus. . Like the two iPhone models, the two iPad Air models have the same screens but different processors.
I’ve spent way too much time swiping, opening apps, and scrolling through websites and menus on the three different iPad models I have, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the M2 iPad Air is sometimes smoother, but it could all be in my head. It’s such a minor change, if there is one at all, that you only notice when you put all the tablets side by side. I found it very difficult to show on video as well. Don’t be surprised that it’s imperceptible until you see it in person.
Has anything really improved?
Specifically, I think the M2 iPad Air makes the animation between opening and closing an app less obvious than on the M1 iPad Air, and also a bit smoother when scrolling through text. It might not sound like much, but I found it less distracting and less visually demanding. Elsewhere, however, there are no changes, and unfortunately both seem to have the same level of blurring when navigating through menus, between home screens, and in the app library.
iPad Air 2020 is smoother, no matter what you’re doing on the screen. However, there is a chance that you will not see any difference at all, regardless of the tablet, because the effect of 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates is not always visible to everyone. I can really see that, and while I welcome even the slightest improvement in system fluidity, the fact that I have to thoroughly research these tablets in the first place makes me very angry. At that price, the iPad Air should really have a 120Hz ProMotion screen as standard.
Remember, the M2 iPad Air starts at $600 and the iPad starts at $450, but you have to pay at least $1,000 for the iPad Pro to get the ProMotion screen. That’s a big jump in price, and with it comes a lot of features that many people may not require. I definitely find the new M4 iPad Pro too capable for my needs, but the iPad Air would be perfect if it only had the ProMotion screen.
What should Apple have done?
Apple has been very tight-lipped with upgrades to the M2 iPad Air over its predecessor, with the chip being practically the only one, but the iPad Pro has a wide range of improvements and additional features, including the new M4 processor, Face ID. , four speakers, a 2TB storage model, and the option of nano-textured anti-glare glass. It’s this last item that should be the difference between the Pro and Air screen.
Instead of paying extra for nanotextured glass—it’s an extra $100—it should be standard on the Pro and iPad Air given the 120Hz ProMotion screen. This would give the iPad Air a reason to exist and help convince people to spend more for it than the much cheaper 10th generation iPad. The slight difference I noticed between the smoothness of the M1 iPad Air and the M2 iPad Air (which isn’t driven by screen hardware) isn’t enough to warrant any kind of upgrade.
I can see enough of a difference between 60Hz and 120Hz that I want a better screen on my iPad, but since I don’t need the M4 Pro processor (I’m not sure anyone does) and other spec upgrades, it’s very frustrating to be forced to pay for For me to get him. I really like the M2 iPad Air so far, but every time I look at it, it reminds me that it doesn’t have a single feature I really want. And to get it, I would have to pay at least another $400. That’s poor product planning in my book, and not a great way to drive new iPad sales or, more importantly, iPad upgrades.
Editor’s recommendation