The iPad Air got its much-needed refresh back in 2020, and it got everyone quite excited. It was the first time that Apple tried to bring some of the “Pro” features to the iPad Air. While it was a good start, the refreshed iPad Air fell short. Fortunately, the company continued to work on the Air, and the 2022 version is finally a tablet that feels like a complete package.
Although the exterior hasn’t changed in the 2022 edition of the iPad Air, there is quite a substantial spec bump. In this iPad Air review, we will look at the upgraded 2022 version and see if it is indeed worth the hype.
2022 iPad Air Specs
The one thing that got us excited the most during our iPad Air review was the spec sheet. iPads have always been quite capable machines, but Apple hit it with the latest upgrade.
iPad Air specs that did not change
Here is what remains unchanged — the overall look and feel, the 10.9-inch display with a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels, and True Tone technology. We were hoping for ProMotion, but that’s something Apple reserves for its Pro products, so we know it was a long shot anyway. Even if the refresh rate is stuck at 60Hz, it is still a capable panel with great color accuracy and crisp images.
2022 iPad Air reserves its new tone of style and elegance for the 2022 version.
The new iPad Air, like its predecessor, supports Apple Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard. The rear-facing camera is also retained in the newer model. It is a 12 MP with an f/1.8 aperture, decent enough for a quick click here and there.
iPad Air specs that changed in 2022
One of our favorite upgrades comes in the all-new 12 MP ultra-wide front-facing camera. It has a 1220 field of view and a new Center Stage feature that uses AI to track subjects and keeps them in the middle of the frame. The camera zooms in and out to keep the subject focused. We loved this feature.
However, the biggest upgrade comes in Apple’s M1 Chip that now powers both iPad Pro and the 2022 iPad Air! It is Apple’s first custom silicon that has been used in previous versions of Macs. In our iPad Air review, We found that the M1 chip performs almost as well as any of many desktop chips. Everything is fast, smooth, and fluid.
With the M1 chip included in the iPad Air, it should be able to support OS upgrades for quite some time to come.
The USB-C port also gets an upgrade and now supports up to 10GBps transfer speeds. We would have loved to see Apple extend Thunderbolt 4 support to the Air, but we will take the upgraded UAB-C.
The final upgrade that we would like to talk about in this iPad Air review is the 5G support. Although the 5G antenna is the slower version, the sub-6GHz one, it is a good start.
2022 iPad Air Price and availability
The 2022 iPad Air went for sale on March 18, 2022. The Wi-Fi-only base version with 64GB storage will cost you $599. If you want the 5G support, you will have to shell out an additional $150. But in our opinion, the better deal is the 256 GB storage variant which comes in at $749.
Is the 2022 iPad Air the best iPad?
If you were wondering which iPad to buy in 2022, things should have become clearer after reading this iPad Air review. Although it is not the iPad Pro, it offers significant features of the former at a much lower cost, putting it heads and shoulders above the basic iPad.
Besides, with an M1 chip inside, you won’t have to worry about the tablet lagging or stuttering whatsoever. That said, remember that the iPad Air is a tablet at the end of the day, and it has its limitations. It is still a long way from replacing your laptop.