Review of the iPad Air M2 (2024): larger, faster chipset, increased storage, and more

Overview of iPad Air M2 (2024). Since it is the first iPad series to feature a bigger 13-inch variant, Apple's sixth generation iPad Air is likely to make an impression on iPad history—not because it differs much from the preceding generation.

Apple has made some housekeeping in this regard, giving the 2024 iPad Air a general spec boost in the form of a new CPU along with increased base and maximum storage options. A few other design adjustments have also been made, including as the front-facing camera's ultimate placement where it belongs on a tablet.

Briefly, the iPad Air M2 (2024) has been upgraded.

M1 is replaced by the Apple M2 chip.
128GB of storage comes with the base model.
1TB of storage at most
A fresh 13-inch version
The front-facing camera shifts orientation
fresh hue
Support for Apple Pencil Pro
Support for the Hover function on the Apple Pencil
A few AI attributes

Contents Table:

Specifications
Style and Tone
Present
Snapshot
Achievement
Applications
Rechargeable batteries
Sound Quality
In brief

specs for the iPad Air M2 (2024)

This may seem remarkably similar to the 2022 iPad Air if you are familiar with it. The M2 chip, which takes the place of the M1 from the previous version, is really the only hardware improvement worth mentioning.

iPad Air M2 (2024): Colors & Design

At last, the selfie camera finds its rightful place. Apple's design of the iPad Air isn't particularly novel. The company has typically used the same design language for at least three generations, thus the absence of changes in this instance is expected. Perhaps when the next version of iPad Air arrives, a new design will be introduced.

But one significant modification is where the front-facing camera is located. It was previously always positioned on the vertical side of the screen by Apple, but it has since shifted to the right horizontal side, which is considerably more useful for group Facetime calls. In the end, this is how the majority of users typically hold their tablets.

The dimensions of the 13-inch iPad Air are 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.0 mm, which is nearly identical to the dimensions of the 13-inch iPad Pro from 2022, which are 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm.

The available colors for the iPad Air M2 (2024) are as follows:

Starry night
Space Gray
New blue in color
New shade of purple

The new purple and blue seem paler and more pastel than the ones from the previous generation. We have the blue model in the workplace, and we've observed that in some lighting situations, it might appear a little more pale than blue—almost off-white.

Display of iPad Air M2 (2024)

LCD and 60Hz remain unchanged. The primary improvement to the display is that, because of the new larger iPad Air, you may select between an 11-inch and a noticeably larger 13-inch version.

Regretfully, Apple handles iPad Airs in the same manner as non-Pro iPhones. Stated otherwise, this system does not support a 120Hz high screen refresh rate; instead, you are limited to a somewhat milder 60Hz. The 2024 iPad Air still sports an LCD panel with less contrast and color saturation, which makes it much worse than the iPhones, which at least get an OLED display.

It's not a terrible LCD display, either. Pictures seem sufficiently sharp, and the clarity of the images is more than acceptable. However, it doesn't get very bright, so you might want to think about getting one of the Pro models instead if you plan to use it outside or in bright settings as they can go considerably brighter.

Display Dimensions:

While the M2 iPad Air's color accuracy is fairly acceptable, our display lab testing revealed that the same cannot be said for its greyscale accuracy. However, this is something that frequently varies throughout units, so it's possible that yours won't have this problem.

Camera for iPad Air M2 (2024)

Given that tablets' back cameras are typically the ones that are utilized the least, it should come as no surprise that the 2024 iPad Airs' 12MP primary camera will not be changing.

The only thing that has changed is that the iPad Air's 12MP ultra-wide selfie camera is now located inside one of the taller bezels, which makes using the tablet considerably more pleasant when held horizontally, as was previously reported.

iPad Air M2(2024): Features

The performance of the new iPad Air, which switches from the M1 to the M2 chipset, is the one area where there has been a more visible improvement. What does that actually mean in real life? According to Apple, the M2 boasts a 15% speedier CPU and a 25% more potent GPU than the original model. According to Apple, the new iPad Air is about 50% faster than its predecessor because to its higher memory bandwidth.

A 40% quicker neural engine, or the portion of silicon used for artificial intelligence-based operations like Siri, is another feature of the M2.

There was very little to no real-world change in the user experience, despite all of the performance rhetoric and the benchmark results we got in our performance tests. To be honest, we had a hard time finding something that could push even the prior M1 generation to its limits.

Benchmarks for Performance:

The 64GB base storage has been increased to 128GB. Additionally, the maximum storage capacity has increased from 256GB to 1TB, but only if you purchase the larger 13-inch iPad Air.

Furthermore, Bluetooth 5.3, which offers a more reliable and power-efficient connection with Bluetooth devices, is supported by both of the 2024 iPad Airs. In addition, Apple updated its mid-range tablet, the Wi-Fi 6E, to support the speedier 6GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Software for iPad Air M2 (2024)
When the new iPhone 15 series was launched back in September, Apple released iPadOS 17, which is what the iPad Air M2 (2024) ships with out of the box.

Many of the features available on iPhones are also accessible on iPadOS 17, including customizable lock screens, interactive home screen widgets, and the ability to check your fitness and health data on your iPad thanks to the Health app.

However, the new iPad Air also has AI capabilities like Subject Lift, Visual Look Up, and Live Text capture because of the M2 chipset. All three functions operate in the same way as they do on iPhones.

The ability to use the new Apple Pencil Pro, which has haptic feedback, squeezing capabilities, and a new Barrel Roll feature that lets you adjust the brush's angle, is one of the largest upgrades to these new iPad Air models.

Similar to iPhones, iPads are typically supported for five to seven years in terms of software upgrades. Usually, it lasts for six years, so you don't need to worry about future-proofing.

Battery for iPad Air M2 (2024)
Similar to other devices, Apple does not provide information about the charging speeds or battery life of their iPads, including the recently released iPad Air. However, based on our estimates, we've calculated that the 13" model has a capacity of roughly 10,758 mAh, while the 11" model has a capacity of roughly 7,607 mAh. Our computations were conducted using Apple's watt-hours (28.65Wh and 40.88Wh) and voltage assumptions from earlier iPad models.

Apple guarantees the same 10 hours of browsing or video over Wi-Fi and 9 hours over cellular for both iPad Airs, so we assume that the two have the same amount of battery life—even if the 13-inch device likely has a larger capacity.

These are the outcomes of our test of the 13-inch iPad Air's web surfing battery life conducted here at the workplace.

Results of the PhoneArena Battery Test:

The 13-inch iPad Air charges at the same rate as other iPad models. This is the amount of time we needed to charge the larger 13-inch M2 iPad Air.

Results of the PhoneArena Charging Test:
We found that the M2 iPad Air charges considerably faster with a more powerful adapter, so you might want to choose one that is more powerful than Apple's suggested 20W charger. For instance, ours was a 65W one. However, keep in mind that using a charger that Apple does not recommend frequently could have a detrimental long-term impact on the health of the battery.

iPad Air M2 (2024): Haptics and Audio Quality
One of the primary ways Apple sets the Air apart from the Pro iPads, in addition to the display, is through the speakers. This year's M2 iPad Air series is consistent with the latter's four speakers against the Air's two.

Having said that, Apple stated that the larger 13" iPad Air had superior audio, and we are pleased to confirm this. There is undoubtedly a difference in the overall sound quality emanating from the two speakers, even though we don't think it is "double the bass" as the company promises. For you, that's physics!

iPad Air M2 (2024) Synopsis and Conclusion
In actuality, whereas it appears to be the most significant advance with the 2024 iPad Air, the M2 chipset is actually one of the less obvious ones. The M2 iPad Air feels new because of its larger 13.3-inch display, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and repositioned selfie camera.

However, since none of the previous Apple Pencil models are compatible with the 2024 iPads, we are not exactly lovers of how Apple has rendered them obsolete. Therefore, the Apple Pencil Pro benefit is actually a bit of an exaggerated improvement over the prior model. The support for this new and enhanced pencil is actually probably the strongest incentive to upgrade to the 2024 iPad Air, even before the larger display and better sound.

Sure, acquire the latest model if you consider yourself to be creative enough to gain sufficiently from having access to the Apple Pencil Pro. However, the M2 iPad Air does not offer enough to justify an upgrade from the previous generation for those users who do not use their iPads for creative work. On the other hand, you will probably be pleased with your purchase if this is your first iPad. (*)