The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
The Apple iPad Air for 2022 is an excellent device, and it can be ideal for casual and professional users. However, the baseline storage is not enough even for the lower price.What's good
- Fast performance
- Fits existing iPad cases
- Works with 2nd gen apple pencil
What's bad
- Battery life could be better
- 64GB of space is not enough
The iPad Air for 2022 is a collection of many features from other Apple products, with no significant upgrades. Most of the specs are carried over from the 2020 line, so what’s new?
Design
There’s almost no difference between the iPad Air 2022 and the iPad Pro of last year. Aside from the new colors offered, the dual camera of the iPad Pro versus the one lens on the back of the iPad Air is all the differences reviewers could spot. The colors for the iPad Air 2022 are Space Gray, Starlight, Pin, Purple, and Blue.
Display
It’s a negligible difference between the 11-inch iPad Pro and the 10.9-inches of iPad Air 2022. The one thing reviewers did say was unfortunate was the lack of a 120Hz refresh rate, and they also said it seemed to have less brightness than the iPad Pro.
Performance
The main upgrade for this model has to be the upgrade to the M1 chip that exists in most Apple devices now. As such, the performance of the tablet is fast and reliable. Reviewers felt the price of this tablet was excellent considering the power on offer.
Software & Storage
The iPad Air 2022 comes with iOS iPadOS 15 installed, which is standard. The storage, however, disappointed reviewers. 64GB at the cheapest seems small. You can get 256GB, but it’s going to cost you.
Cameras
It’s likely that unless people are still working remotely or contacting families with video calls, anyone will truly notice the cameras, especially the front-facing ones. However, reviewers said that the 12+MP camera did well with taking clear, crisp photos. It also comes with the Center Stage mode, which made reviewers happy.
Battery Life
The iPad Air 2022 didn’t wow reviewers with its battery life, but it depends on what you are doing with your tablet. Intensive gaming and video editing will drain it quickly, but it lasts quite some time if you’re browsing the web or reading a book. USB-C charging offers speedy top-ups for a battery so large.
Audio
Reviewers stated that the tablet got loud enough to fill a mid-sized room even if it didn’t quite have the bass to do it well. It’s best to use the outward audio for podcasts and media mostly centred around talking. For immersing yourself in a movie or show, it’s best to use a Bluetooth device.
Accessories
There aren’t any new accessories being released for this tablet specifically, but it is compatible with existing ones, like the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil second-gen.
Specs at a Glance
- Aluminum design
- 10.9-inch LED-backlit display
- Apple M1 Octa-core processor
- 8GB of RAM
- iOS iPadOS 15
- 64/256GB of storage
- 12+MP cameras
- Less than a full day of battery
- Dolby
- Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2nd-gen support
The Bottom Line
To call the iPad Air 2022 an upgrade would not exactly be accurate. Some things are an improvement, but other features are missing. The 120Hz refresh rate, for instance, does not exist on this tablet. However, it does have the updated M1 chip. However, unless you’re upgrading from a much older model or looking for your first iPad, it’s debatable whether or not it’s worth the price, especially once you pay the premium to upgrade to 256GB of storage.
Tom’s Guide says, “The new iPad Air outshines its predecessor thanks to its powerful M1 chip, 12MP front camera with Center Stage, and 5G connectivity. It sets a new standard for ultra-thin tablets and is one of the best tablets of 2022.”
PC Magazine states, “The 2022 iPad Air offers many of the benefits of the iPad Pro for hundreds of dollars less, making it the ideal tablet for creators.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Stuart Miles, Britta O'Boyle, Pocket-lintIf you don't need the scale of the iPad Pro, but want more power than the 10th Gen iPad, the 2022 iPad Air's addition of an M1 processor helps future-proof it when it comes to running those ever-increasing power-hungry apps. If you own the 2020 model then there's little upgrade appeal, but for every...
- Terry Bass, AXOQuite frankly, after using Android tablets for quite some time now, iPadOS on the iPad Air 5th gen is a digital breath of fresh air. It’s shown me a different landscape of the tablet scene, and to be honest, I’m loving it here. I look forward to picking up the tablet and just start doing whatever it...
- Lewis Painter, Tech AdvisorThe iPad Air (2022) continues to be the sweet spot in Apple’s tablet collection, offering more similarities to the premium iPad Pro 11 than ever without a dramatic price increase. It does practically everything you’ll need from an iPad, and the M1 chip will continue to deliver high performance for s...
- Chris De Hoog, CGMThe 5th generation iPad Air truly fulfills the potential of tablet devices, thanks to its mighty M1 chip. All the power of the iPad Pro or a comparable laptop is now in users’ hands, at a relatively accessible price.
- Siddharth Chauhan, DigitApple gives you a blank canvas with the iPad Air 2022 making it perfect for today’s creative professional. It can help you make projects, edit pictures or videos, take notes, sketch, record music, design, animate and so much more. It’s great for people in colleges who need a powerful and portable de...
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