iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: A literal big deal
Tony Polanco
The new iPad Air might not be as exciting as the M4 iPad Pro. It hasn’t been radically redesigned, nor does it sport an OLED display. Aside from being upgraded with an M2 chip, this could be confused for the iPad Air M1. Well, almost, as the iPad Air now comes in two sizes and has a landscape-oriented front camera.
But after getting some brief hands-on time with the Air, I'm confident this will be the better seller of the two tablets — delivering an excellent balance of features and price. The new purple and blue color options are quite nice, and the 13-inch model is a great alternative if you want a larger display. Faster Wi-Fi 6E is also a nice bonus.
We’ll have a full review of the iPad Air 2024 soon. For now, check out my initial thoughts.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Specs
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Price & availability
The new iPad Air is now available for pre-order on Apple’s website and goes on sale next week for $599. This starting configuration features an 11-inch display, 128GB of storage, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Upgrading to 1TB of storage and Wi-Fi + Cellular bumps the price to $1,299.
Starting at $799, you can get the 13-inch iPad Air with 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity. That price goes up to $1,499 if you include 1TB of storage and Wi-Fi + Cellular. Like the 11-inch model, the larger tablet also comes in blue, purple, space gray, and starlight.
Lastly, we have accessories. For $129, you can include the brand-new Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple Magic Keyboard costs $299 or $349 for the 11- and 13-inch models (respectively).
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Design & display
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The iPad Air hasn’t received a radical new design but the few additions make using the slate more pleasant.
The biggest difference is Apple's decision to move the front camera to the landscape edge. This will make it easier to make video calls when using the iPad Air in laptop mode.
There are also landscape stereo speakers and a Touch ID button for logging in. For the money you'll drop on this, I (and many other face authentication lovers) would have loved to see Face ID make the transition to the Air.
I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the 13-inch iPad Air. While it’s heavier than the 11-inch model, it doesn’t feel cumbersome to hold thanks to its even weight distribution. That said, at 1.36 pounds, it’s slightly heavier than the 13-inch iPad Pro, which weighs 1.28 pounds. It's a difference I noticed when checking out both devices. But with that being said, the larger Air doesn’t feel very heavy to hold.
Of the four available colors, I like blue the best — though purple, starlight and space gray are really nice too.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The new iPad Air has the same Liquid Retina display as the previous model. In a vacuum, that's fine since that panel delivers bright and colorful images. However, when compared to the new iPad Pro 2024's vivid OLED panel, the iPad Air's display isn't as impressive. Even if it would have cost more, an OLED option would have been appreciated.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Performance
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Like the iPad Pro M2, this new slab packs Apple’s M2 chip. The Cupertino crew claims this makes the new iPad Air 50% faster than the M1 predecessor and has up to 3x faster overall performance than the old iPad Air with an A12 Bionic chip.
Back when I reviewed it in 2022, the iPad Pro M2 was the most powerful iPad (and tablet) I had tested. It had no problems handling multiple open apps or a game like Genshin Impact. Since the new iPad Air also packs an M2 chip, I expect similar results — though our lab test will determine what this tablet can truly do.
The iPad Air M2 can also handle AI tasks like Visual Lookup and Subject Lift in iPadOS. You can automatically enhance your photos in less time using apps like Photomator. This chip always had a Neural Engine, but it’s cool that Apple (and developers) are giving the processor’s AI capabilities more attention.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Outlook
The iPad Air is one of (if not the) most popular tablet in Apple’s lineup — bringing impressive performance and power efficiency into a premium, sleek package. Because of that, the company likely didn’t want to make any major changes.
It’s hard to update on what’s arguably a near-perfectly designed tablet. That said, introducing a 13-inch model and a landscape-oriented front camera — not to mention adding the powerful M2 chip — could make this the best iPad Air yet.
Stay tuned for our full review of the iPad Air 2024!
Tony Polanco
The new iPad Air might not be as exciting as the M4 iPad Pro. It hasn’t been radically redesigned, nor does it sport an OLED display. Aside from being upgraded with an M2 chip, this could be confused for the iPad Air M1. Well, almost, as the iPad Air now comes in two sizes and has a landscape-oriented front camera.
But after getting some brief hands-on time with the Air, I'm confident this will be the better seller of the two tablets — delivering an excellent balance of features and price. The new purple and blue color options are quite nice, and the 13-inch model is a great alternative if you want a larger display. Faster Wi-Fi 6E is also a nice bonus.
We’ll have a full review of the iPad Air 2024 soon. For now, check out my initial thoughts.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Specs
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Price & availability
The new iPad Air is now available for pre-order on Apple’s website and goes on sale next week for $599. This starting configuration features an 11-inch display, 128GB of storage, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Upgrading to 1TB of storage and Wi-Fi + Cellular bumps the price to $1,299.
Starting at $799, you can get the 13-inch iPad Air with 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity. That price goes up to $1,499 if you include 1TB of storage and Wi-Fi + Cellular. Like the 11-inch model, the larger tablet also comes in blue, purple, space gray, and starlight.
Lastly, we have accessories. For $129, you can include the brand-new Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple Magic Keyboard costs $299 or $349 for the 11- and 13-inch models (respectively).
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Design & display
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The iPad Air hasn’t received a radical new design but the few additions make using the slate more pleasant.
The biggest difference is Apple's decision to move the front camera to the landscape edge. This will make it easier to make video calls when using the iPad Air in laptop mode.
There are also landscape stereo speakers and a Touch ID button for logging in. For the money you'll drop on this, I (and many other face authentication lovers) would have loved to see Face ID make the transition to the Air.
I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the 13-inch iPad Air. While it’s heavier than the 11-inch model, it doesn’t feel cumbersome to hold thanks to its even weight distribution. That said, at 1.36 pounds, it’s slightly heavier than the 13-inch iPad Pro, which weighs 1.28 pounds. It's a difference I noticed when checking out both devices. But with that being said, the larger Air doesn’t feel very heavy to hold.
Of the four available colors, I like blue the best — though purple, starlight and space gray are really nice too.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
The new iPad Air has the same Liquid Retina display as the previous model. In a vacuum, that's fine since that panel delivers bright and colorful images. However, when compared to the new iPad Pro 2024's vivid OLED panel, the iPad Air's display isn't as impressive. Even if it would have cost more, an OLED option would have been appreciated.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Performance
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Like the iPad Pro M2, this new slab packs Apple’s M2 chip. The Cupertino crew claims this makes the new iPad Air 50% faster than the M1 predecessor and has up to 3x faster overall performance than the old iPad Air with an A12 Bionic chip.
Back when I reviewed it in 2022, the iPad Pro M2 was the most powerful iPad (and tablet) I had tested. It had no problems handling multiple open apps or a game like Genshin Impact. Since the new iPad Air also packs an M2 chip, I expect similar results — though our lab test will determine what this tablet can truly do.
The iPad Air M2 can also handle AI tasks like Visual Lookup and Subject Lift in iPadOS. You can automatically enhance your photos in less time using apps like Photomator. This chip always had a Neural Engine, but it’s cool that Apple (and developers) are giving the processor’s AI capabilities more attention.
iPad Air 2024 hands-on review: Outlook
The iPad Air is one of (if not the) most popular tablet in Apple’s lineup — bringing impressive performance and power efficiency into a premium, sleek package. Because of that, the company likely didn’t want to make any major changes.
It’s hard to update on what’s arguably a near-perfectly designed tablet. That said, introducing a 13-inch model and a landscape-oriented front camera — not to mention adding the powerful M2 chip — could make this the best iPad Air yet.
Stay tuned for our full review of the iPad Air 2024!
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Summary
2024 iPad Air Review: A Balanced Tablet Offering - The new iPad Air, featuring an M2 chip and two sizes (11-inch and 13-inch), delivers a balance of features at competitive prices. Key improvements include faster Wi-Fi 6E and a landscape-oriented front camera. Available for pre-order on Apple's