Buying an iPad in 2024 is really confusing because of how many different models there are and sometimes the differences between them are unclear. The iPad Air is a shining example of this. It’s a tablet with a powerful M2 processor, but it lacks the professional features of the iPad Pro. This makes it sit in a weird middle ground between the iPad and the iPad Pro, which will likely cause some people to skip the iPad Air for one of the other models. It’s a shame, because the iPad Air is the best tablet for most people.
Even though the iPad Air uses an M2 processor instead of the M4 chip in the latest iPad Pro, it’s still an extremely powerful processor for a laptop, making it one of the best devices for watching TV or reading. Plus, the entry-level price of $599 puts it within reach of the regular iPad, which still rocks the same processor as the iPhone 12. Either way, the iPad Air boasts that it’s the best model of the iPad, and really just makes a case to top off the base iPad.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Design
True to its name, the iPad Air is an incredibly thin device at just 0.24 inches thin, which is thinner than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But curiously, it’s actually thicker than the iPad Pro, which measures 0.20 inches. It’s not a world of difference, but the iPad Air isn’t technically the thinnest iPad anymore, which it is strange. The extra 0.04 inches isn’t noticeable, though, and it’s still an extremely neat piece of hardware.
At the top of the iPad Air is the power button, which has a built-in fingerprint reader for TouchID. That means it doesn’t support FaceID like the iPad Pro, but it turns out to be a huge win. The number of times I use the tablet in portrait mode, play games like Marvel Snap, or read comics is astronomical, and scanning a fingerprint is much more convenient than turning the tablet sideways for a minute so it can scan my face.
The fingerprint scanner is accompanied by two speaker grilles on the top, which are paired with two more USB-C ports. This is a bit misleading because the iPad Air only has two speakers, one on the top and one on the bottom. The speakers do sound incredible, though, and while the iPad Air’s built-in speakers won’t quite compete with competent headphones, they’re still great for watching shows during downtime.
You’ll find the camera around the back, and by 2024 standards it looks downright quaint. This is a single lens with a flash sensor. And while it still protrudes from the back of the device, it’s not as big of a camera bump as other mobile devices these days. I wish Apple would either ditch the rear camera or just commit to a low-end shooter that can be flush with the chassis. It’s not like the camera is any good – more on that later – and being able to lay the iPad Air flat on a table without a case would be amazing. Remember when phones and tablets could be laid flat on a surface? Those were the times.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Display
While the iPad Air doesn’t have the same tandem OLED display as the iPad Pro that came out at the same time, the 2048p IPS display is extremely good. It features the same P3 color gamut support as its more expensive sibling and still manages to pump out 600 nits of brightness. That’s not enough to watch a dark show outside on a sunny day, but it’s still more than bright enough to enjoy your shows indoors. It struggles a bit in dark scenes, like any IPS display, especially in bright lighting.
Inside, though, the iPad Air’s display is incredible. I brought the tablet with me on a recent trip to LA, and while watching The Acolyte in my hotel room, I was amazed at the vivid colors and fluid motion this display can produce. It still doesn’t have the brightness of an OLED panel, but it’s an incredible display for watching movies on the go, especially if you go with the 13-inch model Apple sent you to review.
iPad Air is also compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro, and the two devices together are one of the best ways to take notes on the go. The display is extremely responsive, even though it doesn’t support Apple’s ProMotion technology, and can actually keep up with me as I type. While it’s not entirely accurate in converting my handwriting to text, that probably has more to do with my handwriting than anything else.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Camera
The iPad Air has one camera and it’s a 12MP rear shooter. It’s not exactly an impressive camera, but the iPad Air isn’t a device that’s really supposed to be taking live pictures all the time. I use this a lot when I’m taking notes because the native notes app allows you to simply take a picture and immediately place it in the current document. It’s an awesome feature, but whenever I tried to capture something in a low-light environment, all I got was a pixelated mess.
It’s good that the iPad Air has a camera, but don’t expect it to come close to the shooter on your phone.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Specs and performance
While the M2 chip powering the iPad Air is old technology at this point, it’s still pretty powerful for a tablet. However, compared to the M4 in the latest iPad Pro that was released at the same time, this tablet struggles, but the iPad Air is still an affordable alternative that will be more than good enough for most people.
In Geekbench, which measures raw CPU performance, the M2 in the iPad Air scored a respectable 9,660 for its multi-core performance. That’s more than enough juice for most people, but compared to the iPad Pro M4’s 14,636 points, you can see where the extra money is going for Apple’s creative power. Gaming benchmarks tell the same story, with the iPad Air scoring 2,007 points in the GFXBench Aztec Ruins (High Tier) test, compared to the 3,861 points scored by the iPad Pro.
It doesn’t help that the 8GB of RAM that comes with the M2 is a bit lackluster and could really hold the tablet back for creative work like video editing. However, the tablet isn’t really meant for creatives.
With the way iPadOS is optimized, you won’t find yourself running out of memory if you’re using it for casual web browsing or media consumption.
In the two weeks I’ve spent with the iPad Air, I’ve been surprised at how responsive it is, even after hours of playing Zenless Zone Zero. The framerates for the new hotness of Gacha are incredibly stable, although I can safely say that with the amount of heat radiated through the chassis and display, the tablet really has a lot to do. I would recommend getting a case for the iPad, just because of the thinness of the device it can get extremely hot in your hands after a while. Plus, it’s an expensive device and you’ll want to protect it.