Apple iPad Air M2 Review: A Solid, Versatile Tablet

Apple offers iPads in a variety of models, with different screen sizes, accessories, and features to help customers choose the perfect tablet for their needs and budget.

iPad Air fits between the regular iPad and the feature-packed iPad Pro.

The iPad Air has a better processor and display than the standard iPad. It may not be as versatile as the Pro, but it has powerful hardware and supports several software applications to provide a good user experience not only for everyday activities and entertainment, but also for productivity.

Below are my thoughts on Apple’s latest iPad Air with M2 silicon.

Display and build quality

The new iPad Air retains the design style of its predecessor, but when you look at the front, you’ll notice one significant change: the 12-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera has been placed in landscape orientation for a better video calling experience.

When it comes to build quality, it is made of the highest quality aircraft-grade aluminum casing. Guess what? It is one of the most environmentally friendly devices in the industry. The metal used is 100% recycled.

Not only that, several internal components are made from recycled materials. The rare earth elements in all the magnets in the device are 100% recycled. In addition, the company has used 100% recycled gold plating and tin soldering in many of the circuit boards in the device.

On the front, it presents a beautiful LCD-based Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2732x2048p. It supports a pixel density of 264 ppi (pixels per inch) and a peak brightness of 600 nits. It also has quad stereo speakers, two on each side (landscape orientation).

It also has an anti-glare coating, which is useful when watching content outdoors. The screen is incredibly good for multimedia consumption.

It has a Type-C port at the base and a TouchID fingerprint sensor at the top. It works like a charm and is much more efficient than a biometric facial recognition security system.

Efficiency

With a 33-core M2 processor, the new iPad Air is nearly 50 percent faster than the previous iPad Air with the M1 processor. It has an eight-core processor with four power-saving cores and four performance cores.

In addition, it is integrated with a 9-core GPU and a 16-core neural processor.

The device can seamlessly perform a wide range of activities, such as digital graphics creation and video editing, as well as standard applications such as office software presentations or school projects.

It runs on the feature-rich iPadOS 17.1. It includes several native productivity apps, such as Notes, Keynote, Freeform, and more. It also supports iMovie, which can help users create fun videos and short films.

Moreover, the device can run many artificial intelligence (AI) applications including ChatGPT, Gencraft, Wonder, and more.

As mentioned earlier in the design section, the iPad Air’s front-facing camera is placed centrally in landscape orientation.

The Centerstage feature allows the camera to focus on a subject and keep it in the center of the frame, even as the presenter moves around the room.

There is also a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera on the back. Both the front and rear cameras support 4K video recording.

With its lightweight design and large display, iPad Air is great for consuming media and playing games for hours. The device supports the Magic Keyboard. If you use a regular keyboard, it will take a few days for your muscle memory to get used to the compact Magic Keyboard.

With Apple Pencil Pro, users can do more with iPad Air. It offers a natural experience similar to writing on a digital screen. The device can imitate the sound of writing with a real pencil on a piece of paper.

Pencil Pro features a new custom haptic engine that can detect pinch and tap gestures to perform functions. A light tap or squeeze registers as confirmation of the operation.

The gyroscope sensor lets users rotate the Apple Pencil Pro to gain precise control over the tool (such as the pen and brush-like effect options) they’re using on iPad. Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of the pen and brush tools, similar to pen and paper. And with the Apple Pencil’s hover feature, users can visualize the exact orientation of the tool before making a mark.

With Apple Intelligence features coming to iPadOS 18 this September, iPad Air will only get better over time. It will introduce Apple Intelligence’s proprietary generative AI (gen AI) technology, a dedicated iPad app with math notes, and more.

It’s a good thing Apple offers a base model with 128GB. That’s enough to store your personal photos and install all your favorite apps. If you want more, the company offers three larger storage options – 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

It also offers good battery life. It can last for 10 hours of video playback with Wi-Fi on.

Unlike Mac laptops, I don’t use the iPad all day. I used to watch TV shows on OTT apps and video blogs on YouTube during my commute from the office to home. It once lasted more than three days.

Please note that if you use the MagicKeyboard smart case on all the time, the battery life may be slightly affected.

Final Thoughts: The Best Alternative to Pricey iPad Pro Models

Apple’s latest iPad Air M2 is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It’s still a solid, versatile tablet and a good, affordable alternative to the iPad Pro.

It has a bright and vibrant display, really good for reading e-books for hours without any eye strain problem. It is great for watching TV series. Also, it is a very useful device for shopping in e-commerce apps to read those important terms that are strategically printed in small font sizes that are often hard to see on a phone.

It’s great for productivity, like creating a Keynote presentation for office work or a school project. It’s also a great portable video conferencing device.

The program also handles editing short videos smoothly, without any noticeable lags.

With accessories like Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, iPad Air becomes even more useful, especially if you are a writer, creative digital artist, or student. The display and Apple Pencil are fully optimized to provide the best writing and drawing experience.

The iPad Air M2 is a great companion for out-of-town tasks. The lightweight tablet is more comfortable to carry than a large laptop. And it can provide long battery life.

And with iPadOS 18 set to launch in September/October this year, the iPad Air M2 will only get better with Apple Intelligence features.

If you have a choice between an 11-inch and a 13-inch, you should go for the latter. The larger display gives you more space to work on creative digital art and take more notes, and it’s also great for media consumption.

The 11-inch iPad Air starts at Rs 59,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 74,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at Rs 79,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 94,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

For students and teachers, Apple is offering huge discounts on iPads (and Mac devices) along with a free Apple Pencil as part of its Back to School sale campaign (through September 30, 2024).

Find the latest product news, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only at DH Tech.