iPad Air (2024) review: Why it's the best iPad for most of us (2024)

Understanding Apple’s iPad range isn’t as simple as buying a smartphone and picking between the entry-level iPhone SE, the default iPhone 15 and the premium iPhone 15 Pro.

When it comes to iPads, there’s – deep breath – a “mini” model, a just-discontinued ninth generation, a just-discounted tenth generation, the new iPad Air, and the upgraded Pro. And, for now, you may be able to find the 2022 versions of the Air and Pro too. We know that picking the right one for your needs can feel challenging.

We didn’t need long to see that the newest revision to the iPad Air (the first updated variant in two years) is a lot like an optimised version of the iPad Air we already know and love. We’ve had the 13-inch iPad Air for hands-on testing over the last several days, and below we’ll go through the specifications, key features and noticeable upgrades.

Apple’s new iPad Air models come with overall improvements to the specifications, including the performance and accessory support. The biggest change is that there’s now an option with a larger display, something that’s popular with buyers of the Pro-level iPad models.

The 13-inch version of the Air has a 30% larger screen than the 11-inch model, ideal for multitasking and entertainment. Both sizes feature an M2 processor, providing a 50% increase in speed over the previous M1 chip.

The front camera is now positioned on the landscape edge for better video call placement, and the new iPad Air supports the upgraded Apple Pencil Pro and USB-C Pencil, but not the stylus (the 2nd gen Apple Pencil) that works with the 2022 Air. The 11-inch model begins at the same price but now starts with a 128GB storage option.

The appeal of the iPad Air is that it delivers iPad Pro features for less. They both have 12MP front and rear cameras, they come in roughly the same sizes, have the same wireless support and have a USB-C port (all current iPads do now, except the just-discontinued 9th generation). The similarities between the Air and the Pro extend to their accessory support too – they both work with versions of the Magic Keyboard and the latest Apple Pencil Pro.

While the launch of a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro confuses things slightly, the Air works with the same version of the Magic Keyboard that you could buy for the 2022 iPad Pro and Air. We love this keyboard – it raises and tilts the iPad slightly so you can position it at just the right viewing angle for typing. It also has a trackpad, making your iPad feel more like a laptop.

To avoid doubt, you’ll want to look for the now-renamed Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (M2), but not the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro (M4).

The new Apple Pencil Pro adds several features to make work easier for artists, including Find My support, haptic feedback for subtle vibrations in use, intuitive squeeze controls and a “barrel roll” response that makes it work like a real pen or pencil.

While you’ll see a lot of discussion about the new screen technologies in the iPad Pro, it’s worth mentioning that the iPad Air has the same LCD as its predecessor. With this model, you aren’t getting a new OLED panel or a higher refresh rate, but we don’t always think those upgrades are noticeable if you don’t know what you’re looking for. For most users, the iPad Air’s screen is rich, detailed and more than vibrant enough.

In our hands-on tests, we used it to watch the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who, some reading in the Kindle app and a FaceTime call. The difference between the 11-inch model we’re used to and the expansive 13-inch display you can pick for the new one was immediately noticeable, and we do think a lot of us will get along well with the extra space for bigger videos, more text or larger fonts, and the ability to see more notes and more photos at once. It’s powerful for multitasking, for example, if you’re planning a holiday and need to have the Notes app and Maps available simultaneously.

The operating system of an iPad is much more capable than that of an iPhone, and it’s worth knowing just how clever the multitasking features are on the iPad. It is possible to manage files, to work with several apps at once and to get proper work done on the tablet with ease. In fact, we’ve used the 13-inch iPad Air and its keyboard to write most of this review.

We’re confident the Air can manage photo editing, video processing, rendering, animation, drawing and much more. But, it is still slightly more limited than a desktop setup like macOS when it comes to customisability and handling several apps. We think this is sometimes a benefit, though – for us, it’s much easier to stay focused on a single task when on an iPad. If using several applications at the same time sounds like that’s something you’ll need, it’s worth looking at the portable M3 MacBook Air instead. Or, if you need much more demanding apps, you’ll want the MacBook Pro.

The iPad Air hasn’t made the leap to Apple’s M4 chip in its new iPad Pro, or to the M3 chip in some of the brand’s latest laptops, but the M2 present here is the same processor that’s in the Vision Pro headset, as well as the last generations of the iPad Pro.

The chip is best described as the “brain” of the device, and it’s capable of faster performance, graphics and on-device AI (artificial intelligence) with the optimised “Neural Engine” – overall, it’s 50% faster than the Air with M1. And it does this while delivering the same 10-hour battery life.

The M1 Air, though, is fast enough for most workloads. While we find almost every aspect of the new iPad impressive, we’d say the same about the previous version. Apple has optimised rather than reinvented the iPad Air, so we should be clear that we haven’t noticed a big difference in the performance compared to the last Air.

The new iPad Air comes with a starting storage of 128GB, but you can also buy it with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. The previous version of the iPad Air had starting storage of just 64GB, which we’d argue is easy to fill up quickly depending on the number of photos, movies, apps and files you store on the device rather than in the cloud.

In particular, if you need photo editing apps, drawing and design software or several downloaded shows from Netflix for a long flight, the extra space will be noticeable and appreciated.

Alongside the storage increase, the best news from the iPad launch is that the UK price for the base iPad Air model is unchanged from the last generation. You’re still getting the 11-inch Air for a starting price of £599, while the new 13-inch iPad Air has a higher cost for its bigger screen. The 13-inch Air now starts at £799.

At this price for either model, it’s possible to pick up an iPad and keyboard as a laptop replacement for a lower price than it might cost you for a MacBook with similar specifications. Whether this will work for you depends on what you need from a computer, but we now consider iPads powerful and capable enough to handle most jobs you can throw at them.

From our perspective, the iPad Air remains the best iPad for most people because it offers a great balance of features, performance, and price. It has the same powerful chip as the Vision Pro and the previous generation of the iPad Pro and MacBook Air, making it highly capable of handling multitasking and intensive tasks with ease.

However, much of this is true of the 2022 iPad Air too, so we wouldn’t recommend you rush out and upgrade if your iPad still works well for you.

Like its predecessor, the display is excellent, but we find the new 13-inch model especially convincing for its versatility. We’re happy to see the storage start at a much more useful 128GB, and we appreciate that the new position of the front-facing camera makes positioning the iPad for calls more straightforward. While iPadOS doesn’t match desktop systems for multipurpose use, it’s well-made for entertainment, creativity and note-taking.

Because it also works well with the latest Apple Pencil Pro and with the Magic Keyboard (not supported by more affordable iPads), it’s a versatile tool for work, drawing, and video calls. While it may not have the Pro's facial recognition or high-quality display, it delivers the most essential Pro features at a more affordable price.

We know picking the right iPad for your needs can still be tricky, but we can simplify things. Most beginners looking for their first iPad should get the tenth-generation iPad (now reduced to £349).

However, upgraders and those looking for the best possible experience should get either the iPad Air from 2022 (while it’s available) or the latest just-announced version. If you want more storage, a bigger screen or support for the new Apple Pencil Pro, get the newest iPad Air. Don’t worry about the iPad Pro unless you need seriously high-end specifications or are using the tablet for work, artistry, design or animation.

You might want to look at other tablets if you’re an Android user or don’t have other Apple devices or apps. As we’ve explained, though, we find iPadOS a better tablet operating system with optimised apps compared to much of what you’ll find on Android, but the Google Pixel tablet should work well for those after an affordable slate to fit into with other Google apps and services.