Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The iPad Air M2 is a honest mid - range tablet that ’s desirable for many quotidian tasks . It could be ready to hand in a business or infirmary , too .
Best Prices Today: Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M2, 2024)
The biggest innovation in this year ’s iPad Air is the new bigger - screen option : if you want ( and can launch the acclivity ) you could plump for a 13 - inch display . However , Apple mail us the 11 - in model for examination . This came full equipped with 1 TB of entrepot and cellular connectivity , for which you would have to pay alist price of $ 1,249 .
In accession to the iPad , we also invite aSmart Foliofor the test , which Apple has redesigned slightly and now allows a greater slant of inclination and aMagic Keyboard . This is the older Magic Keyboard manikin , which is now only compatible with the iPad Air , and not with the M4 version of the iPad Pro .
The keyboard withstand the iPad magnetically and serves as protection when closed . In addition to the keyboard , it also has a comparatively small trackpad and a USB - carbon porthole that can be used to charge the iPad Air . What the Air ’s Magic Keyboarddoesn’thave is a set of subroutine key ; those are only available on thenew versiondesigned for the iPad Pro M4 , which also has a larger glass trackpad with haptic feedback and is made of atomic number 13 instead of plastic .
Always check the fine print.
Nevertheless , and slightly frustratingly , both of the 11 - column inch Magic Keyboards cost the same ( rather gamy ) price of $ 299 . And if you ’ve got a 13 - in Air or Pro you ’ll have to pay $ 349 . We think a low Leontyne Price for the Air ’s Magic Keyboard would be more appropriate .
11-inch iPad Air M2: Display
Nothing has vary with the screen compared to the previous mannikin with the M1 splintering . Apple may have started referring to an “ 11 - inch display , ” in contrast to 10.9 inches on the 4th- and 5th - gen Airs , but that ’s a misleading bringing close together : in fact it ’s the same 10.9 - inch video display ( all over with 2360 x 1640 resolution at a pixel compactness of 264 ppi ) as in 2020 and 2022 .
Foundry
The luminosity also remain at 500 nits . It ’s a pathos that the 11 - inch model does n’t pull ahead a show with a brightness of 600 nit , like the 13 - inch iPad Air M2 . That would be a plus degree for outdoor use of goods and services .
Always check the fine print.
Another difference between the large and humble iPad Air M2 can be set up in the proficient specifications for the speakers . Apple name to “ landscape painting stereo speakers with 2x bass ” for the large version , while the modest rendering does not have this dual bass . However , we can not compare the sound quality due to the lack of a 13 - inch trial machine .
11-inch iPad AIr M2: Design
The property and weighting of the 11 - inch iPad Air M2 have not change compare to the iPad Air M1 . The orbit of color finish also continue for the most part the same – you may opt from Space Gray , Starlight , purple , and blue – but blue and purpleness are now somewhat brighter , and pink is no longer usable .
aside from these lighter gloss , the Air M2 can also be distinguished from its predecessor by the berth of the front - facing camera . This has moved to the farsighted edge , just as it did on the10th - gen iPadback in 2022 , and on this year ’s iPad Pro M4 . This is a sensible alteration that greatly improves video chats .
In other respects , the front - facing photographic camera has been slightly but not radically tweak . You still get a single wide - slant lens and a sensor with 12 megapixels ; the aperture has increase in size of it from f/2.4 to f/2 . The tv camera stand Apple’sCenter Stagefeature so that you always persist in focus and center in the frame , even when moving from side to side ( within understanding ) . However , we did notice some slight distortions in FaceTime testing .
The front camera is now located on the long edge, which is far better for video chats when connected to a Magic Keyboard.
Both front- and rear - facing cameras now support Smart HDR 4 for exposure , an upgrade from Smart HDR 3 on the previous model , which should make it easier to take shots in hard ignition conditions . That ’s assuming you expend your iPad for regular camera body of work , which sense unbelievable . Still , this camera is quite utilitarian for scan documents .
The front photographic camera is now located on the long edge , which is far good for video chat when connected to a Magic Keyboard .
Petter Ahrnstedt
The iPad Air M2’s speed scores are similar to those of the iPad Pro M2.
Another new lineament compare to the previous poser can be feel in the battery setting . you may view the number of charging cycles , the manufacture date of the assault and battery , and when it was first used . you could also specify that the battery should only ever be charged to 80 percent ; this is intended to extend the gadget ’s servicing lifetime . However , harmonise to Apple , the battery is still charged to 100 pct from time to time to determine the battery status and current content .
11-inch iPad Air M2: Processor and specs
Unsurprisingly , the rise from an M1 to an M2 chip was obtrusive in our trial results . The Air M2 record central processor scores of 2,617 for unmarried - core and 10,074 for multi - core in Geekbench 6.3 , numbers which are in the same chain as the iPad Pro M2 and significantly in high spirits than those of the iPad Air M1 . The same can be said of the Air M2 ’s excellent GPU ( Metal ) score of 41,902 .
The iPad Air M2 ’s speed score are standardised to those of the iPad Pro M2 .
Thomas Armbrüster
This does n’t intend the Air is a match for the last Pro in every section . Unlike the Pro M2 , for example , the Air M2 ’s media locomotive does not substantiate ProRes and ProRes RAW , according to Apple . This function is probably still reserved for the Pro iPads .
In our 3DMark Wildlife Extreme test , meanwhile , the Air memorialize a grade of 6,443 , which again is comparable to the iPad Pro M2 . The M2 is therefore well equipped for all task .
Bear in mind that the M1 Air was already decently quick . In fact , in everyday manipulation away from the most mainframe - intensive apps , you probably wo n’t observe the difference between the M1 and M2 model . But that does n’t inevitably mean you should be looking to purchase the older model at a reduced toll .
On the one hand , Apple has thin the price of the basic adaptation of the iPad Air by $ 70 equate to its predecessor and charges a list price of just ( or perhaps that should be “ just ” ) $ 599 for the cheapest M2 . And second , the entry - grade version of the Air now comes with 128 GB of memory , whereas the M1 model started at a meagerly 64 GiB . That ’s aside from the new Air giving you a better - positioned front camera , higher storage options at the top end , and , of course , the M2 crisp ’s good future - proofing : it may not be noticeably fast than the M1 mighty now , but it will be better capable to wield the more demanding apps of the years to come .
In other words , you ’d need to find an splendid bargain to make it deserving buying an M1 iPad Air at this point .
Also newfangled is Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi - Fi 6E , bringing the iPad Air M2 up to speed with the iPad Pro and Apple ’s Mac lineup . If you buy a version with cellular connectivity , like our recapitulation sample , bear in mind that you ’ll need to tell an eSim from your provider , as there is no longer a slot for a strong-arm SIM board .
Should you buy an 11-inch iPad Air M2?
The low entry - grade cost , the increase basic memory board capacity of 128 GB , and the front camera on the foresighted sharpness are all pleasing climb for this generation of Air . The fact that the iPad has also been feed the next chip up , the M2 , is also welcome . However , it would have been prissy if the show of the 11 - inch iPad Air had been just as shiny as that of its big blood brother .
presently sound toll : iPad Air 11 - inch M2
This article originally appear on our sister publicationMacweltand was translated and localized from German .
