I always look forward to the introduction of new iPads, also because I regularly get my hands on them for review. This is why a review of the iPad Air 2024 or, if you prefer, the iPad Air M2 could also be created now. I'm not a regular user though, because the iPad is probably not the product for me. Although I try everything possible and impossible on it for the first few days, after a while the use is limited to internet consumption and playing games, which seems a bit low for a product for such money. Of course, I don't want to slander the iPad in any way. I have a number of people around me who use the potential of an apple tablet far better than I do, but I will probably forever stick with the combination of iPhone and MacBook. And the iPad Air didn't convince me to buy an iPad either, even though it's a stylish and powerful tool that, if you find a use for it, will entertain you for a long time.
If you have been following the events surrounding Apple tablets for some time, it is probably clear to you that this year's iPad Air will only be a small evolution, with the biggest change most likely being the implementation of a more powerful chip. And it really is. If we decide to include a 13-inch variant in the "Air" segment, don't expect any changes in terms of design or functionality. If, like me, you intend to consume content on the Internet, scroll through social networks and play a simple game here and there, I would go for the older one. But if you think ahead, edit photos, take the iPad as a work tool or think about some AAA game with an already purchased controller, the iPad Air with M2 is not a bad choice. Let's break it down in a little more detail.
Package contents
Of course, the first thing we will do is the box itself. The new tablet arrives in a very slim box that, as always, reveals the front of the iPad with an emphasis on the bezel-less design. The thin design of the packaging indicates only one thing. You won't find a charging adapter here, which basically no one counts on nowadays. In addition to the iPad Air, you'll find some talk and a meter-long braided USB-C charging cable in the box.
Performance
As is already clear, Apple inserted a chip into the new generation iPad Air Apple M2. Yes, it's no longer the most powerful chip, but you'd have to work really hard to really "seal" it. Since I don't edit videos or edit photos, my performance testing is limited to gaming. So every time I rush to download all kinds of games. I played a fair few hours of Call of Duty: Mobile, Genshin Impact, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village or the remastered versions of GTA: San Andreas and Vice City. With any title, this iPad had no trouble at all, although with something like Resident Evil: Village it will depend a lot on how you set the details.
Apple also a few days after the introduction of the iPad Air with the M2, he admitted that these chips have a nine-core GPU. Apple until now, it only offered these chips in versions with 8 and 10 GPU cores. So it can be thought that these are imperfectly manufactured versions of the 10-core chip. It's hard to tell if you can tell the difference. In the final, it will most likely be a negligible change. The chip is then supported by 8 GB of RAM. Gaming on the iPad Air is really great, however, we cannot recommend a wireless controller for more comfortable gaming. The 13" version of the iPad is really big in the hands, which puts you at a significant disadvantage in situations where you need fast hands. Resident Evil is played really badly without a controller, because a virtual controller appears on the screen every time you touch it, which spoils the whole experience of playing. On the other hand, I almost finished GTA: Vice City remastered without a controller, even with occasional cursing. Below you can see how the games look on the apple tablet.
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Display
There are no significant news regarding the iPad Air's display, if we exclude the already mentioned novelty in the form of a new and larger diagonal. If I have to start with the positives, it is a perfectly adequate Multi‑Touch display with LED backlighting and IPS technology with a resolution of 2732 × 2048 at a fineness of 264 ppi, which is readable even in direct sunlight and has a very decent color rendering. It should be said that the 13-inch version has a brightness of 600 nits, while the smaller version has 100 nits less. The display itself probably won't excite you anymore, but I can't imagine that it will make you uncomfortable in any way. Of course, the presentation of black is not the best, but you have to count with it due to the technology used. The oleophobic layer also did not undergo any changes. The display will therefore be clogged almost immediately, and if you are a dog about cleanliness, you will clean it almost constantly.
Regarding the iPad Air's display, I dare (again) to open a question that has been vexing Apple fans for several years, namely: "Shouldn't there already be a panel with a higher refresh rate?" I'm by no means spoiled in this regard. I myself have been using iPhone XR for many years. However, it is a machine that costs 13 crowns in the 25-inch version. It definitely deserves a better display. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to "play" with the iPad Pro with the M4 for a while during the iPad Air testing. It is probably clear to you that the display is a completely different song in this case. The color rendition is incredible and it all runs smoothly. So when I went back to the iPad Air afterwards, the movement suddenly felt terribly choppy. And all this in a situation where I use it lying down and have it relatively close to my eyes. It is clear to me that most of you will agree with me regarding the deployment of a 120 Hz display. It is, however, a policy that Apple has been minting for many years, and this "display" privilege belongs only to the "Pro" models. Even if the competition in this price category (even in a much lower one) offers displays with a higher frequency, we unfortunately have to accept this as Apple users. I would bet that we will see displays with a higher refresh rate first in the basic models of the iPhones. Hopefully it will be soon, and hopefully iPads will arrive soon as well.
Sound
Also briefly about the sound. There are two speakers on either side, with a total of 4 vents present. As you hold the speaker horizontally, you will probably block the two vents with your hands. However, it doesn't matter that much and you won't lose the stereo even in this situation. I rate the musical performance of the iPad Air positively. At times, I even wondered how a tablet whose thickness is only 6,1 mm could actually play. The sound is quite dynamic and loud enough. How many times have I not even reached for the wireless speaker while listening to music and just let the iPad play. The iPad's audio performance is therefore a very pleasant surprise for me.
Design and construction
Even in this case, there were no big surprises and the iPad Air, as expected, copies the design of earlier models. So we have a frameless design here, where Touch ID is hidden in the top button. I've reviewed several iPads with this design before, and I've always complained about this button's annoying and loud wobble. The button wobbles even now, but it needs a lot of help and the wobble in this case is not audible at all. So be yourself Apple improved in terms of construction, or I was just unlucky lately.
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The new iPad Air arrived in four color variants, namely blue, space gray, purple and starry white. I received the blue variant, which probably reminds you of the "blue" variant of the iPhone 13 Pro. The color is nice and playful, but I will always prefer to look for Space Grey. The dimensions of the variant I tested are 214,9 x 280,6 x 6,1 mm. The Wi-Fi version weighs 617 grams. The cellular version is a gram heavier. As for the layout of the control elements, in addition to the aforementioned main button, you will also find the volume buttons and, of course, the magnetic connector and the Smart Connector. You can also count on a USB-C charging connector. The iPad Air looks and feels very nice. On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that the frames around the display could be noticeably narrower. I have no complaints about the rear design. It is a classic metal design that simply suits the iPad and will suit it for a long time to come. In short, the safe bet on Apple pays off well, and you will simply like the iPad.
touch ID
Probably no one expected the new iPad Air to feature anything other than Touch ID. As it has been for a few years, we can find it again in the top button. Touch ID is convenient to use. It is fast and relatively accurate. Be careful not to have an oily or wet finger. If you want to make Touch ID a bit more precise, you can, as before, scan your finger up to 5 times. A question mark hangs over the fact whether we will ever see Face ID in this series as well. If we look more closely at the numbers, according to Apple, the possibility of "breaking" Touch ID is 1:50000. For Face ID it is 1:1000000. Face ID is therefore 20x more secure by the numbers. Sure, the price would go up a bit. However, the iPad Air is no longer one of the cheapest, and for me, Face ID could already be here. After all, it is a technology that Apple unveiled in 2017 alongside the iPhone X. So isn't it time?
Camera
As I always say, you most likely won't be using the iPad as your primary camera. But it's nice that he's here. If we look at the technical data, we can count on a 12MP wide-angle camera on the back, aperture ƒ/1,8, 5x digital zoom, five-part lens, Focus Pixels autofocus technology, panorama (up to 63 megapixels), Smart HDR 4 , automatic image stabilization, etc. The new iPad Air does not take bad pictures. I dare not say if there is any progress since the last version. However, the photos don't look bad at all. And hell, take the fact that the iPad doesn't take really good photos due to its size. In daylight, the photos are great, but don't compare them to the iPhone.
As for the front camera, you will find a 12MP ultra-wide-angle front camera with an aperture of ƒ/2 and Smart HDR 4. The camera is now located on the side of the iPad Air, so it is perfectly suited for FaceTime calls or other conferences. You put your iPad on your side and thanks to the wide-angle camera and lens correction, the camera will always find you, even if you move around the table. Forget selfies, but for the purposes of the aforementioned conferences, the front camera is quite sufficient. The change in the location of the front camera was already explained some Friday, so it is not a big surprise. The good news is that you won't notice the camera at all while using it. So if you're worried that the iPad will look unnatural when used in portrait mode, you're worried for nothing.
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Battery
Apple to the battery section, they claim that the iPad can handle up to 10 hours of watching video or browsing the Internet on a single charge. Battery life is quite difficult to assess, as it will largely depend on how you use the iPad. If I browsed the Internet occasionally on a daily basis, the iPad lasted even 4 days without charging. In normal use, according to my iPad Air, it really is a "holder". If you play, you will drain the battery in an afternoon. I can immediately recommend getting a decent charger for the iPad Air. With a slow 5W charger, you will "feed" the iPad for all eternity. If you own a MacBook, this problem is solved.
Summary
The novelty in the form of an iPad Air with an M2 chip is quite difficult for me to evaluate, and I actually don't know to whom I would recommend it. As I've said several times, I'm not the target audience for the iPad. It really is a beautiful and powerful tool that has a lot of uses. You will have a lot of fun with it and get a lot of work done with it. A question mark hangs over whether you could do the job more efficiently on something else. Yes, you can write a term paper or other text on the iPad as well. But you have to buy a keyboard. So why not do such work right away on a MacBook?
The basic iPad Air with M2 in the 13" variant, i.e. in the 128 GB memory variant, costs a full 23990 crowns, which in my opinion is a bit steep. The iPad Air costs 256 crowns in the 26990 GB variant, which is the basic storage variant of the MacBook Air. It is worth noting that the basic MacBook Air (256 GB) is only 3 thousand crowns more expensive. If you buy a better keyboard for the iPad Air, it's basically a "slut". If you then put iPadOS and macOS between them, investing in a MacBook will be much more reasonable. If the iPad Air with the M2 was 5 thousand cheaper, I probably wouldn't have a problem with it. At the same time, it remains a bit of reason to include the M2 chip. The previous version of the iPad Air (2022) received the M1. Apple's hand would not drop if, even considering the passage of two years, it included the M3 chip. There is also a difference of two chip generations between the iPad Pros. So, as I say, I don't fully understand what Apple is doing.
Unfortunately, I can't afford it from the Czech salary after the elaborate stuffed toy and now with phyalism...
So find a better job. Or do yourself a favor (educate yourself, learn something) so you have a chance to get her.
I love these cries.
Fialism or Fyalism? You see, first the state paid for a vacation and someone also paid for a photographer on Instagram, and now the files have arrived. Since you don't take care of yourself, you still rely on these politicians for everything and life pays for you last, then you look the same as those who take out a loan for the mentioned vacation to the sea and their payments will be combined with others for Christmas gifts...
I don't have it either, or I don't want the file. But life is all about priorities, what to spend money on, but I definitely don't lie and fart! Because I don't even have a new BMW, a bike for 200k, a barrack, a swimming pool, a holiday in the Maldives, etc. that's all, I would just whine…
I replaced my aging iPad Pro 11″ (1st gen) with it, great performance. I just can't get used to TouchID (versus Face ID) :)