Buying an iPad in 2024 is a really confusing proposition, due to the sheer number of different models available and the sometimes vague distinctions between them. The iPad Air is a prime example. It’s a tablet with a powerful M2 processor, but it lacks the pro features of the iPad Pro. This puts it in an awkward middle ground between the iPad and the iPad Pro, which will probably cause some people to skip the iPad Air in favor of one of the other models. It’s a shame, because the iPad Air is the best tablet for most people.
While the iPad Air uses the M2 processor instead of the M4 chip in the latest iPad Pro, it’s still an extremely powerful laptop processor that makes it one of the best devices for watching TV shows or reading. Plus, its $599 starting price brings it within range of the regular iPad, which still has the same processor as the iPhone 12. Either way, the iPad Air shakes out as the best iPad model and makes a real case for ditching the base iPad altogether.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Design
The iPad Air, as its name suggests, is an incredibly thin device, measuring just 0.24 inches thin, which is thinner than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Oddly enough, it is actually thicker than the iPad Pro, which is 0.20 inches thick. It’s not a world of difference, but the iPad Air is technically no longer the thinnest iPad, measuring just foreignThe extra 0.04 inches aren’t noticeable though and it’s still an extremely sleek piece of hardware.
At the top of the iPad Air is the power button, which has a built-in fingerprint reader for TouchID. That means you don’t have FaceID support like the iPad Pro does, but it’s proven to be a huge bonus. The amount of time I find myself using the tablet in portrait mode, playing games like Marvel Snap or reading comics, is astronomical, and being able to scan my fingerprint is far more convenient than having to spend a minute turning the tablet sideways so it can scan my face.
The fingerprint sensor is joined by dual speaker grilles along the top, which are paired with two more along the bottom near the USB-C port. This is a little misleading, as the iPad Air only has two speakers, one on the top and one on the bottom. The speakers sound incredible, however, and while the iPad Air’s built-in speakers aren’t going to offer much of a rival to competent headphones, they’re still great for watching shows in your spare time.
On the back, you’ll find a camera, and it looks positively outdated by 2024 standards. It’s a single lens with a flash sensor. And while it still sticks out from the back of the device, it’s not as big a camera bump as other mobile devices these days. I wish Apple had either ditched the rear-facing camera or just made a low-end shooter that fit into the body. It’s not that the camera is good – more on that later – and it would be great if the iPad Air could be laid flat on a table without a case. Remember when phones and tablets could lie flat on a surface? Those were the days.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Display
While the iPad Air doesn’t have the same Tandem OLED display as the iPad Pro that released at the same time, its 2048p IPS display is extremely good. It has the same P3 color gamut support as its more expensive sibling, and can still punch out 600 nits of brightness. That’s not bright enough to watch a dark show outside on a sunny day, but it’s still more than bright enough to enjoy your shows indoors. It does struggle a little with dark scenes, though, as any IPS display should, especially in bright light.
Inside, though, the iPad Air screen is incredible. I brought the tablet with me on a recent trip to LA, and while watching The Acolyte in my hotel room, I was blown away by the vibrant colors and fluid motion this screen can render. It still doesn’t have the brightness of an OLED panel, but this is an incredible screen for watching movies on the go, especially if you opt for the 13-inch model Apple sent over for review.
The iPad Air is also compatible with the new Apple Pencil Pro , and the two together provide one of the best ways to take notes on the go. The screen is extremely responsive, despite not supporting Apple’s ProMotion technology, and can even keep up with me as I write. It’s not exactly accurate at translating my handwriting into text, but that’s probably more due to my handwriting than anything else.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Camera
The iPad Air has a single camera, and it’s a 12MP camera on the back. It’s not a particularly impressive camera, but then again, the iPad Air isn’t really a device that’s meant to take vibrant photos all the time. I find myself using it a lot when I’m taking notes, since the built-in notes app lets you just snap a photo and insert it directly into your current document. It’s a great feature, but every time I tried to capture something in low-light environments, all I ended up with was a pixelated mess.
It’s nice that the iPad Air has a camera, but don’t expect it to come close to the camera on your phone.
iPad Air (13-inch, 2024) – Specs & Performance
While the M2 chip that powers the iPad Air is old hat by now, it’s still quite powerful for a tablet. Compared to the M4 in the latest iPad Pro, which released at the same time, the tablet struggles, but the iPad Air is still an affordable alternative that will be more than good enough for most people.
In Geekbench, which measures raw CPU performance, the iPad Air’s M2 scores a respectable 9,660 points for its multi-core performance. That’s more than enough juice for most people, but compare it to the iPad Pro’s M4’s 14,636 points and you can see where the extra money goes for Apple’s creative powerhouse. Gaming benchmarks tell a similar story, with the iPad Air scoring 2,007 points on the GFXBench Aztec Ruins (High Tier) test, compared to the iPad Pro’s 3,861 points.
It doesn’t help that the M2’s 8GB of RAM is a bit of a letdown, and could really hold the tablet back when it comes to creative tasks like video editing. But the tablet isn’t really meant for creative types.
Thanks to iPadOS optimizations, you’ll never find yourself in a situation where your memory is limited if you’re only using your device for light web browsing or media consumption.
In the two weeks that I’ve been using the iPad Air, I’ve been blown away by how responsive it is, even after hours of playing Zenless Zone Zero. Framerates for the new gacha hotness have been incredibly stable, though I can definitely tell the tablet has its work cut out for it with the amount of heat radiating through the chassis and display. I’d recommend getting a case for the iPad, simply because the thinness of the device can mean it gets extremely hot in your hands after a while. Plus, it’s an expensive device and you’re going to want to protect it.