Apple iPad Air (5th generation) review: Mild upgrades, still uncontested

Apple’s technique of slapping highly effective chips into reasonably priced {hardware} isn’t a brand new one, but it surely’s actually kicked it up a notch with the iPad Air (fifth technology). Including laptop-tier silicon to the iPad Professional line was one factor, however a beefy M1 processor in Apple’s light-weight, sub-flagship pill absolutely makes it a no brainer, proper? Sure, however as is usually the case with any piece of fancy tech, it’s not fairly that easy. Let’s break it down on this Apple iPad Air (fifth technology) evaluate.

• iPad Air (Wi-Fi solely, 64GB): $599/£569/€679
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi solely, 256GB): $749/£719/€849
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi + Mobile, 64GB): $749/£719/€849
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi + Mobile, 256GB): $899/£869/€1,019

The Apple iPad Air (fifth gen) — generally known as the iPad Air 5 — replaces the outgoing Air (4th gen), simply seventeen months after the latter’s launch in late October 2020. The iPad Air 5 debuted at Apple’s Peek Efficiency occasion on March 8, 2022, alongside the iPhone SE (2022) and the Mac Studio.

If the earlier iPad Air was a long-overdue “tick,” that is definitively the inevitable “tock” mannequin. Put the 2 aspect by aspect and no one however probably the most die-hard Apple fan will be capable to inform the distinction. It’s a smidgen heavier (1-2g relying on the mannequin) and the colour choices have modified, however the measurement, ports/buttons, show, rear digital camera, and audio system are all equivalent to the iPad Air (4th technology) — try our in-depth take a look at the iPad Air 4 for extra on these options, as we’ll be skipping over a few of the acquainted stuff on this evaluate. It’s additionally suitable with the Apple Pencil (2nd technology) and the Magic Keyboard case, in addition to different current iPad Air equipment.

The 2 largest adjustments are underneath the hood: the M1 processor and 5G assist. The sport-changing M1 chipset ought to require no introduction at this level, however the trickle-down impact of Apple’s silicon technique implies that the 2022 iPad Air — identical to the iPad Professional (fifth technology) earlier than it — packs MacBook-caliber energy, albeit with some delicate structure tweaks. Apple has additionally doubled the RAM on all fashions to 8GB and upgraded the selfie digital camera.

These minor upgrades are accompanied by a minor value hike — however provided that you’ve received your eyes on the mobile mannequin. The Wi-Fi model matches its predecessor, however the freshly 5G-enabled variant will price you an additional $20.

The iPad Air (fifth technology) went on sale on March 11, with transport starting per week in a while March 18, 2022. You should buy the iPad Air (fifth technology) direct from the Apple Retailer, in addition to main third-party retailers like Amazon and Finest Purchase. The iPad Air (fifth technology) colour choices are House Grey, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Starlight.

Whereas it’s not all the time the case, particularly with Apple merchandise, that is one time the place a rehashed design is a web constructive. The entire great things from the iPad Air (4th technology) applies right here: the standard development from glass and recycled aluminum, reasonably-sized bezels that offer you simply sufficient room to grip it with out obscuring the perimeters of the show, and Contact ID for biometrics. The fingerprint reader is baked into the facility button, and whereas the two-step unlock (relaxation finger and push down) is cumbersome, it’s fast and correct.

The iPad Air (fifth technology) has a USB-C port for exterior storage entry and accent assist. This would possibly sound like a given for a contemporary pill, however hey, that is Apple. There’s a minor improve hidden away right here too. The USB-C 3.1 spec is a “Gen 2” model that will increase knowledge switch speeds to a most of 10Gbit/s (was 5Gbit/s). This additionally allows assist for hooking the iPad Air as much as Apple’s Studio Show monitor, one thing you’ll be able to’t do with different Air fashions.

Let’s discuss in regards to the different semi-notable upgrades earlier than we get to the large one. First, 5G assist. It’s predictable and never all that thrilling, but it surely’s good to have for people who need knowledge on the go. The extra fascinating change is the entrance digital camera with its wider aperture and elevated megapixel depend. This is identical digital camera discovered on the iPad Professional (fifth technology). It’s a strong little shooter, delivering pleasing colour accuracy and sufficient element in respectable lighting, although it struggles in dim circumstances. What’s maybe extra thrilling is the addition of Middle Stage — one other “Professional” characteristic trickling down that follows faces across the room, zooming and panning to maintain them in shot. It’s a neat trick and is suitable with FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Meet.

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In fact, the headline improve to the iPad Air (fifth technology) is that brawny M1 chip. It’s the full-fat model too — the one with eight CPU cores and eight GPU cores. That’s lots of energy, maybe an excessive amount of for what the iPad Air can really do (however extra on that later). Nonetheless, there’s simply no competitors right here: that is probably the most highly effective pill you should buy for this value.

The iPad Air handily handled intensive video games like Genshin Impression, with the body fee hovering across the 50-55 mark on common at max settings. Benchmarks solely cement how a lot of a beast this factor is, with numbers that trounce the Tab S8 sequence’ Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 implementation and handily finest Home windows hybrids too. Whereas multitasking was by no means a difficulty on the final mannequin, the doubled RAM depend will even assist future-proof the pill for years to return — and that’s an excellent factor, as a result of Apple sometimes helps its tablets with software program updates for as much as 5 years or extra.

The chip’s effectivity is a boon for battery life, although the iPad Air (fifth technology) largely sticks to the ~10-hour mark we noticed on its predecessor when drained from 100% to zero. It’ll drop sooner with heavy use, however that is all the time an all-day pill after which some. Apple additionally snuck sooner charging into the most recent mannequin, although the included charger solely hits 20W of energy. Should you’ve received a 30W USB PD PPS charger, you’ll be able to refill from empty to full in simply over two hours versus two and a half. Take a look at our information right here for the perfect charger choices.

iPadOS nonetheless awkwardly straddles the road between iOS and macOS, touchdown a lot nearer to its walled-off, cellular roots than the extra open Mac software program platform, however for all its quirks (critically, why aren’t the widgets interactive?) and omissions (desktop mode and multi-user assist, please!), the app ecosystem is unparalleled in each optimization and breadth. You possibly can safely assume that the majority apps will adapt to the display dimensions with customized UI tweaks, one thing you don’t get with even probably the most primary apps on Android or Home windows tablets.

Props to Apple for persevering with to make tablets funky, too. The iPad Air’s pastel shades are a breath of contemporary air (ha) in a market swamped by boring black/grey/silver slabs. That stated, the extra muted Starlight colour pictured on this evaluate is there in case you’re not feeling spicy. I do miss the inexperienced colorway from the earlier technology, although.

We’ve griped about this at size, but it surely bears repeating: 64GB is just not sufficient storage for a tech product anymore, particularly when simply over 10GB of it’s taken up by system storage. Sure, you could possibly stick inside these means in case you solely use just a few apps and are fastidious together with your iCloud administration (or by recurrently plugging in an exterior drive), however the level is you shouldn’t must. 128GB is the usual for some other pill maker working on this value bracket, and there’s no excuse for Apple to not have solved an issue that was already effectively overdue a repair with the earlier technology iPad Air.

What compounds the problem is the value of the 256GB mannequin. At $749 for the Wi-Fi iPad Air with 256GB storage, you’re simply $50 away from the iPad Professional’s $799 asking value. The $100 delta for the mobile mannequin is somewhat steeper, however even regardless of their rising similarities, the Professional continues to be Professional for a motive.

And a kind of “Professional” options you don’t get on the Air is “ProMotion” — a.ok.a. Apple’s fancy title for a excessive refresh fee show. This can be a nice pill show, no query. It’s colourful with out being oversaturated, pixel-rich, and, whereas rated at ~500 nits vs the ~600 nits of the 11-inch Professional, it will get shiny sufficient to be used in something however direct daylight. That 60Hz cap, although, is an actual downer. Once more, different tablets on this value tier are shifting to 90Hz or above. It was already foolish that Apple restricts its vanilla iPhones to 60Hz, however a tool with laptop-grade internals? It could be working at Goku-esque energy ranges, however the lagging animations imply it doesn’t look or really feel as clean because it ought to when flitting between apps and navigating the UI.

Should you’re a newcomer to Apple’s ecosystem, be able to balk at these accent costs. The Magic Keyboard ($299) and Apple Pencil (2nd technology) ($129) actually unlock the iPad Air’s potential, however you’re taking a look at an additional $400+ being taken out of your checking account.

Middle Stage is among the fifth-gen iPad Air’s key upgrades, but it surely’s not distinctive (the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 sequence has an equivalent characteristic), and Apple’s insistence on putting the entrance digital camera on the portrait bezel nonetheless makes it appear to be you’re staring off into house throughout video calls. Not like the rear shooter, the entrance digital camera additionally lacks a 4K seize possibility.

The iPad Air (fifth technology) provides you probably the most bang to your buck of any pill so far. Apple’s software program assist is assured to maintain it contemporary and steady, but it surely’s the overkill M1 chip and wholesome provide of RAM that ensures it’s future-proofed for a lot of, a few years to return.

In fact, except for 5G assist, this was essentially true of the last-gen iPad Air. Certain, it didn’t have an M1 chip, however the A14 Bionic was already far forward of the pack in 2020, and stays aggressive with the easiest cellular silicon immediately. In the meantime, the identical gripes we had with the 2nd technology Air are all current and accounted for, and the grumbles over the 64GB base storage and 60Hz refresh fee have solely gotten louder with the passage of time.

The iPad Air is in a bizarre spot, then. It’s nonetheless a implausible gateway into the iPad ecosystem that provides simply sufficient flexibility to perform as an “iPad Professional Lite” for work and play. Likewise, in case you solely need to stream films and play a handful of video games, the bottom mannequin is a steal, and its display, design, and have set are sufficient of a bump over the common iPad to justify the additional spend. However even with all that bleeding edge uncooked energy, the iPad Air (fifth gen) feels oddly outdated at occasions — a pill that obtained a large enhance in an space it already excelled in, whereas neglecting its legacy flaws.

The true query is: do you have to purchase the iPad Air (fifth technology) or the 11-inch iPad Professional ($749)? Should you can dwell with or work across the paltry storage, the value variations between the bottom fashions (both Wi-Fi or mobile) will prevent a pleasant chunk of change. Nevertheless, in case you’re contemplating the iPad Air with 256GB storage, we’d completely suggest you stump up the additional money.

For $50 extra you’re getting Face ID biometrics, a rear ultrawide digital camera, and quad audio system. The true kicker is that 120Hz show although. When you’ve tried an iPad with lusciously fluid animations, it’s exhausting to return to a stodgy 60Hz. Certain, you’re getting half the storage with the Professional in comparison with the maxed-out Air, however 128GB is a pleasant candy spot.

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Elsewhere in Apple’s ecosystem, you’ve received the iPad Mini ($499) for people who need one thing somewhat extra transportable and the vanilla iPad ($329) for all of the fundamentals on a finances. We’d additionally suggest searching for a renewed iPad Air (4th technology) as virtually all the pieces nice in regards to the newest technology was inherited from its predecessor.

So far as direct competitors goes, the iPad Air (fifth technology) slots in behind the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 ($699) and Lenovo Tab P12 Professional ($699), however forward of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE ($529), except you’re trying on the underpowered 5G mannequin of the latter (which we don’t suggest). The Galaxy Tab S8 will get nearer than ever to difficult Apple’s pill dominance with sooner charging, but it surely’s hampered by Android’s poor optimization for bigger screens, not-so-stellar battery life, and is eons behind on uncooked efficiency.

The iPad Air (fifth technology) continues to be uncontested as the perfect sub-flagship pill you should buy, and probably the best product to suggest from Apple’s total, behemoth ecosystem. Should you’re rocking any pre-2020 iPad and don’t need to go Professional, that is the one to get. Let’s simply hope the following Air will get to “tick” off a few of these persistent caveats.