While it’s true that the iPad Pro models are the most powerful iPads available, for most people they are simply overkill. Also, they come with Pro level prices, which isn’t great if you’re only going to use them to watch iPlayer and FaceTime the grandkids. The iPad Air is the perfect solution for the more sophisticated user who needs a lot of power, but at a fair price.
With the recent introduction of the iPad 10.9-inch (10th generation), there’s not much to differntiate that model and this one. You can see the reason for the additional expense if you look closely. Although the two devices are roughly the same in size, the Air is slightly smaller and lighter. Both sport a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, but the one on the Air is fully-laminated, so there’s no air-gap between the glass and digitiser, which makes it feel like you’re touching the actual pixels and makes using the compaible Apple Pencil (2nd gen) that much smoother.
They have identical 12Mp cameras at the back and front. Only the iPad 10.9 inch (10th gen), one is on the longer end of the device. This makes it landscape. The Air’s M1 processor is under the hood. This processor was also used in previous iPad Pros and many Macs. This brings things up a notch. The M1 is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to play games or use graphically-intensive apps, as well as someone who just wants an extremely fast user experience.
The iPad Air (2022) has often be called the iPad Pro for normal people, and that’s exactly what it is. The USB-C port allows you to connect various external devices, such as storage or monitors, so it can easily transform into an erstaz laptop with a processor that’s desktop-class. Apple offers the sleek Magic Keyboard folio case, but at $299/£319 it’s way overpriced, so we’d suggest a third party Bluetooth keyboard and case as more frugal option.
The 64GB of storage on the base model’s base model is the only problem, aside from an Apple price hike for non-US customers. This seems very unprofessional of Apple in 2022, when iPhones typically start at 128GB. With that in mind, you’ll probably want to go for the more expensive 256GB configuration as it will age a bit better.
The following configurations are available for the iPad Air:
- iPad Air (2022, Wi-Fi) 64GB: $599/£669
- iPad Air (2022, Wi-Fi) 256GB: $749/£849
- iPad Air (2022, Wi-Fi + Cellular) 64GB: $749/£849
- iPad Air (2022, Wi-Fi + Cellular) 256GB: $899/£1,029
Take a look at our roundup. best iPad Air deals too, so you don’t miss out on any great offers.
