M2 IPad Air (2024) Review: A Tablet With Totally Fine Updates

Compared to the flashy M4 iPad Pro, the new M2 iPad Air may seem a bit on the boring side. It didn’t get a new OLED screen, didn’t get a thinner body, didn’t get a new Magic Keyboard, and didn’t get the newest M4 Apple silicon. But Apple did introduce a larger 13-inch option for the Air, gave it enough of a silicon bump to keep things zippy, and doubled the base storage amount, all while keeping it at the same affordable price. I am certain that will be enough to keep the 2024 iPad Air as the best-selling iPad (and tablet) in the world for the next couple of years.

About this review:Apple sent me an 11-inch M2 iPad Air to test. The company had no input in this review.

iPad Air (M2, 2024)

The upper mid-tier iPad is the best value iPad

The 2024 iPad Air features the Apple M2 processor and a new design that’s avaialble in two sizes for the first time, adding a 13-inch model on top of an improved 11-inch version.

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

CPU

Apple M2 (8-core CPU)

Memory

8GB LPDDR5

Operating System

iPadOS 17.5

Battery

11-inch: 28.93Wh, 13-inch: 36.59Wh

Ports

USB-C

Camera (Rear, Front)

Rear: 12MP Wide, AF, f/1.8, Front: 12MP Ultra-wide, f/2.4

Display type

11-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 10.9-inch, 3:2, 2360 x 1640 resolution, 264 PPI, 13-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 12.9-inch, 3:2, 2732 x 2040 resolution, 264 PPI

Price

11-inch: $599, 13-inch: $799

Size

11-inch: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, 13-inch: 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1mm

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, optional 5G cellular

Weight

11-inch Wi-Fi: 462g, 11-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular: 462g, 13-inch Wi-Fi: 617g, 13-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular: 618g

IP rating

Not rated

Pros

• M2 is actually more than powerful enough for 99% of tablet users
• Double the storage from last generation iPad Air but same price
• New 13-inch option makes the Air more appealing for productivity

Cons

• M2’s improvements over M1 was small on MacOS; on iPadOS it’s even smaller
• The 60Hz LCD screen lags behind not just iPad Pro, but rival Android tablets at similar price point
• Not supporting the second-generation Apple Pencil is abusrd

M2 iPad Air pricing and availability

The M2 iPad Air is available practically worldwide. The tablet comes in two sizes now, with an 11-inch and a new 13-inch variant. Prices start at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch version, with 128GB of storage. These prices include just the tablet, so if you add a Magic Keyboard or a stylus (this iPad Air supports either Apple Pencil 2nd gen or the new Apple Pencil Pro), the price can cross four-digits easily.

Hardware overview

New chip, new larger option, that’s about it

As mentioned, the new iPad Air got a few relatively average updates. Here are its upgrades over the previous M1 iPad Air launched in 2022:

• It gets the newer M2 silicon, instead of the M1
• It has its front-facing camera repositioned to a center-top bezel while in landscape more
• Its base storage increased from 64GB to 128GB
• It supports the new Apple Pencil Pro
• It is available in a larger 13-inch size option

The unit I’m testing is the smaller 11-inch model, but everything is the same between the two models other than screen size and battery capacity.

By the way, even though the smaller iPad Air is marketed as having an 11-inch screen (compared to 10.9-inch in years past) that’s just due to Apple now rounding it to a whole number. The screen sizes and overall dimensions of the new iPad Air are actually the exact same as the older iPad Air.

Apple has confirmed that the existing Magic Keyboard made for the 10.9-inch iPad Air from the past will work fine with the 2024 11-inch model. I purchased a third-party keyboard case that was designed for the M1 iPad Air and my 2024 unit fit into the case perfectly fine. A benefit of buying Apple products is there are much more third-party case options than other Android brands.

M2 iPad Air with third-party keyboard case

From the outside, there really isn’t much to talk about. It’s an iPad. You’ve seen this design many times over the past few years. And yes, the iPad Air tablets are slightly heavier than their same-sized iPad Pro counterparts, which seems a bit silly, but it’s not enough of a difference to even notice.

What I like

The number one thing I like about it is the M2 silicon, which powered very capable flagship Apple computers just a calendar year ago, and this silicon is now available for as low as $599 in a small, lightweight, thin device.

I must point out that if you’re upgrading from the M1 iPad Air, then the performance gains are minor (a 30% CPU bump). But if you’re jumping from a 2020 iPad Air running on Apple’s A-series chip, the M2 will be a significant increase in performance. M2 allows this iPad Air to run Final Cut Pro and edit 4K videos without any semblance of lag or load times, with really fast export times too. It’s an extremely capable silicon even in 2024, and beats the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip used in the highest end Android tablets right now, in both efficiency and GPU performance.

For example, I can place multiple tracks of 4K footage on the Final Cut Pro timeline and there’s no lag in scrubbing. But this isn’t anything too new, since the M1 iPad Air could do the same, but the M2 does offer faster export times.

iPadOS still has some limitations, but I think many people would say that they could do work on the iPad these days. Running multiple windows isn’t going to be as seamless it is on MacOS or Windows, but with Stage Manager, it’s not hard. I personally like to export the iPad Air to a pair of AR Glasses which become my external display, giving me full visuals in widescreen mode, allowing me to open two windows and not feel as cramped.

Related

iPad Pro (M4, 2024) review: The best tablet in the world gets better, but by how much?

The new iPad Pro with M4 is the most capable and powerful tablet on the market. But is it that much better than the M2 iPad Pro?

What I don’t like

With that said, there is still a lack of optimization from Apple here. For example, iPad’s native on-screen keyboard can only display in full (as shown in the above photo) or in a smaller form. You can’t actually split up the keyboard to make the letters easier to reach, which would be ideal for a handheld tablet. I don’t complain about this on iPad Pros because I tend to use the larger 13-inch model that stays tethered to a desk. But this smaller 11-inch size means I am tempted to hold it with my hands at times.

Another area where this iPad Air is lagging behind the competition is its LCD. It’s not bad by any means, but after days of using the M4 iPad Pro’s gorgeous OLED screen, this display panel is noticeably lacking in contrast, vibrancy, and performance, as the 60Hz refresh rate feels slow.

You may be thinking that this is not a fair comparison because the iPad Pro is so much pricier. That may be true, but this iPad Air’s screen is inferior to even something like the OnePlus Pad’s display.

Despite the bezels being thicker on this iPad Air, there’s no TrueDepth camera system for Face ID, so unlocking is done via fingerprint scanner located on the power button. I use my iPads mostly as a deskbound laptop-like device, so needing to take my hand off the keyboard to touch the power button to unlock it is a minor hassle, but others may be more bothered by this.

Battery life on the 11-inch Air is also a bit on the weak side, with the tablet draining at about 10% per hour during basic productivity use, like word processing and answering emails. The new iPad Pro, with the more efficient silicon and OLED screen, gets noticeably better battery life.

Furthermore (and this last bit is typical Apple nonsense) this M2 iPad Air only supports the new Apple Pencil Pro or the Apple Pencil with USB-C (which quietly launched without fanfare last year because it was mostly designed for the vanilla iPad). This means the second-gen Apple Pencil, which is the Apple Pencil most current iPad users know, does not work with this M2 iPad Air at all (even though it works with the M2 iPad Pro that came out in 2022).

Should you buy the M2 iPad Air?

You should buy the M2 iPad Air if:

• You want an iPad that’s powerful but not luxuriously priced
• You want a single device that can handle work and play for short trips
• You want a tablet that excels at almost everything that a tablet should

You should not buy the M2 iPad Air if:

• You already own the M1 iPad Air
• You want the best tablet display

This is a pretty straightforward no-brainer conclusion. If you’re in the market for a new tablet and money is no object, get the M4 iPad Pro with a better screen, even more powerful silicon, and slightly lighter and thinner. But if you, like most average consumers, would prefer to pay just $600-$1100 as opposed to $1000 to $1700 for a do-it-all style tablet, then the iPad Air is the way to go.

The M4 is more powerful than the M2, but only the most demanding of creative professionals would push the tablet hard enough to see the difference. The M2 iPad Air is still an insanely powerful portable computer.

I predict the 13-inch model is going to be the best-selling iPad for next year or two, because it seems to check all the boxes that most consumers likely want from a tablet.

iPad Air (M2, 2024)

The upper mid-tier iPad is the best value iPad

The 2024 iPad Air features the Apple M2 processor and a new design that’s avaialble in two sizes for the first time, adding a 13-inch model on top of an improved 11-inch version.

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

CPU

Apple M2 (8-core CPU)

Memory

8GB LPDDR5

Operating System

iPadOS 17.5

Battery

11-inch: 28.93Wh, 13-inch: 36.59Wh

Ports

USB-C

Camera (Rear, Front)

Rear: 12MP Wide, AF, f/1.8, Front: 12MP Ultra-wide, f/2.4

Display type

11-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 10.9-inch, 3:2, 2360 x 1640 resolution, 264 PPI, 13-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 12.9-inch, 3:2, 2732 x 2040 resolution, 264 PPI

Price

11-inch: $599, 13-inch: $799

Size

11-inch: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, 13-inch: 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1mm

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, optional 5G cellular

Weight

11-inch Wi-Fi: 462g, 11-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular: 462g, 13-inch Wi-Fi: 617g, 13-inch Wi-Fi + Cellular: 618g

IP rating

Not rated

Pros

• M2 is actually more than powerful enough for 99% of tablet users
• Double the storage from last generation iPad Air but same price
• New 13-inch option m akes the Air more appealing for productivity

Cons

• M2’s improvements over M1 was small on MacOS; on iPadOS it’s even smaller
• The 60Hz LCD screen lags behind not just iPad Pro, but rival Android tablets at similar price point
• Not supporting the second-generation Apple Pencil is abusrd