iPad Air 6 (2024) review

The sixth-generation iPad Air doesn’t seem like a lot of an development at first look, and apart from one fairly sizeable addition (in additional methods than one), it actually isn’t.

That is the primary instance of Apple’s mid-range pill vary to characteristic a bigger dimension possibility, nonetheless, which may make it the perfect Goldilocks selection for a sure kind of pill consumer.

It may not be the perfect or the most cost effective iPad available on the market, nevertheless it borrows numerous key attributes from the sensible iPad Professional with out commanding MacBook cash. Because it seems, there’s appreciable worth in that.

I’m reviewing the bigger 13-inch mannequin right here, however many of the feedback will apply simply as nicely to the ‘common’ 11-inch mannequin too. Dimension apart, the 2 tablets are broadly equivalent, however I’ll level out the place there are variations as we go.

Design & Construct

• It’s very a lot an iPad
• Thicker and heavier than equal Professional fashions
• Help for choose Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard equipment

Apple ought to in all probability rethink its pill naming scheme, as a result of there’s nothing ethereal in regards to the new iPad Air. True, I’m overlaying the bigger 13-inch mannequin, which was at all times going to be greater and heavier than its 11-inch predecessor, the iPad Air 5 (2022).

However at 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1mm and 617g, it’s an actual handful. Extra to the purpose, it’s each significantly thicker (by 1mm) and heavier (by 38g) than the equal iPad Professional 13 (2024).

The 11in mannequin is equally chunky in comparison with the smaller Professional, although it nonetheless is available in thinner and lighter than the iPad tenth gen (2022) at the very least.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

In any other case, all you’ll be able to actually say in regards to the iPad Air 13in (2024) design is that it’s an iPad. It appears so much like these flanking fashions, with a thick however uniform display bezel round entrance, an all-metal physique, and a flat rim. Apple just about set the phrases for modern pill design (with a number of notable exceptions), so complaining about this appears a bit foolish, like griping in regards to the design of a pencil.

It’s a fantastically constructed piece of equipment, as we’ve come to anticipate. There’s a bit flex to the physique, however then it’s an enormous expanse of aluminium. I didn’t really feel like I’d be damaging it in a rush, however then this can be a mortgage unit from Apple and I wasn’t going to push my luck.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

My evaluation mannequin got here within the tried and true Starlight color, which is mainly mild gray, whereas Area Gray gives the usual darker possibility. Blue and Purple present the extra attention-grabbing choices, although they’re each pretty pale metallic shades.

The {hardware} buttons are all located shut to 1 one other, with the amount rocker to the left of the highest edge, and the ability button-cum-Contact ID sensor to the highest of the left edge. Apple seems to have nearly totally dedicated to contemplating panorama orientation the default now – although the rear iPad textual content suggests not fairly – with the front-facing digital camera switching to the highest panorama edge. This makes for far more pure video calls.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Accent assist is a bit complicated right here however may end up in a reasonably complete – if expensive – setup. The iPad Air 13in (2024) is suitable with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the Apple Pencil Professional, however not the second-gen Apple Pencil. In the meantime, it really works with the identical authentic Magic Keyboard case because the earlier mannequin, and never the most recent revision so watch out when shopping for these items.

Each stylus and keyboard case are wonderful equipment, and the latter particularly turns the iPad Air into an nearly MacBook-like typing and navigation expertise. I nonetheless wouldn’t take it over a MacBook Air for really getting issues finished – the general stability doesn’t make it as snug for actually working in your lap, whereas iPadOS nonetheless can’t match MacOS for productiveness. However for phrase processing and different associated mild productiveness duties, it could possibly stand in very nicely.

Display screen

• New 13-inch possibility an enormous boon
• 600 nits and 2048 x 2732 on the 13in
• Nonetheless no 120Hz, which is a bit foolish

The massive information with the iPad Air (2024) is the supply of a brand new 13-inch show possibility, and the influence of that shouldn’t be downplayed.

That is by far the most cost effective 13-inch system on Apple’s prolonged roster – £$500 cheaper than the iPad Professional 13 (2024), £$400 cheaper than the MacBook Air 13in (M3), and £$200 cheaper than the ageing MacBook Air 13in (M2).

It’s nonetheless not low cost at a beginning value of £799/$799, however the 13-inch expertise has main advantages for media consumption, sketching utilizing the Apple Pencil, and extra superior productiveness duties that contain multi-tasking.

It lacks the excellent pop of the most recent iPad Professional and its two-layer AMOLED panel, with this as soon as once more being an IPS LCD. Nevertheless, it stays a wonderful display, with a pointy 2048 x 2732 decision and wonderful color accuracy.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

In the meantime Apple’s acknowledged typical brightness of 600 nits tallies with my very own measurements. That’s robust for a non-Professional pill, and works out to about 100 nits brighter than final yr’s mannequin. It must be famous that that is one space the place the 13-inch mannequin is clearly superior, because the 11-inch display solely hits 500 nits.

By far my largest challenge with the iPad Air 13-inch display is the continued lack of assist for Apple’s 120Hz ProMotion commonplace. It stays rooted to 60Hz, and as somebody who makes use of nothing however 120Hz shows of their day after day life (cellphone, laptop computer, and even TV), I can fairly clearly discover the distinction – particularly when the image is blown as much as full dimension proper in entrance of my face.

There’s a transparent lack of fluidity when flicking between house screens or scrolling via internet textual content, and it’s somewhat jarring from a tool that in any other case appears and performs in to a ‘Professional’ degree.

Specs & Efficiency

• M2 processor
• 8GB RAM
• 128/256/512GB/1TB storage

There is perhaps two years separating the iPad Air 6 and the iPad Air 5, however Apple has solely moved the efficiency on a single technology, from the M1 chip to its M2 chip. That’s about it for any trace of disappointment although, as a result of Apple’s customized silicon flies.

We have been stunned by the earlier Air’s efficiency, and the most recent mannequin follows swimsuit. Apple reckons that the M2 chip featured right here, which packs an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, is round 50% quicker than the earlier M1 mannequin.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s tough to check like for like within the pill world, however I can say that the iPad Air 13in (2024) completely trounces the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely and the OnePlus Pad 2 – two present premium Android tablets – in CPU phrases, and matches its predecessor’s maxed out on-screen GPU outcomes.

As earlier than, that 60Hz show is a limiting issue on the subject of testing what this factor can do graphically. It’s motive sufficient to go Professional if that’s actually what you’re after.

Even so, the iPad Air (2024) is a little bit of a beast, and it’ll have the ability to deal with common pill duties like media consumption, multi-tasking and gaming with contemptuous ease. That is primarily laptop computer ranges of energy we’re speaking about right here, or certainly compact desktop energy – the present Mac Mini additionally runs on a variant of this exact same chip.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

I nonetheless query whether or not that is overkill in a pill, however it can turn out to be useful in the event you’re somebody who likes to edit images or movies on the go. It additionally implies that in the event you pair it with the aforementioned Magic Keyboard, the most recent iPad Air feels much more like a 2-in-1 laptop computer. Along with 8GB of RAM (quite a bit for an iOS-based system), you’ll have the ability to hop out and in of apps with no stutter, and run apps aspect by aspect fluidly.

It can additionally guarantee a good quantity of headroom, that means that it ought to stay feeling quick and fluid for years to come back – particularly with Apple’s wonderful ongoing software program assist.

For storage you’ll be able to select from 128-, 256, 512GB and 1TB capacities so there’s one thing for everybody.

You can too depend on a speedy USB Sort-C 3.1 Gen 2 port with information switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps, which is unchanged from the earlier mannequin. One other shared characteristic is the choice of 5G connectivity, although in fact you’ll must pay further for this. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 additionally come as a part of the bundle.

I’ve talked about it already, however you’ll must make do with Contact ID for biometric authentications. Face ID stays a Professional-only expertise in Apple’s iPad world.

Cameras

• Similar 12Mp f/1.8 primary digital camera
• Similar 12Mp f/2.4 entrance digital camera
• Entrance digital camera repositioned for panorama use

Apple hasn’t made any enhancements to the iPad Air 13in (2024)’s rear digital camera, that means its the very same 12Mp f/1.8 unit as earlier than. Given our dim view on anybody utilizing tablets to take something aside from illustrative or app-related snaps, this isn’t a lot of a criticism in any respect.

For what it’s price, the iPad Air’s primary digital camera takes completely serviceable snaps offered you feed it loads of mild. Apple’s picture processing chops, earned via years of smartphone iteration, guarantee as a lot even with such modest {hardware}.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

There hasn’t been any probability to the standard of the entrance digital camera both, which implies that you get the identical 12Mp f/2.4 sensor with the identical ultra-wide 122-degree area of view. The latter allows the pill to utilize Apple’s Heart Stage characteristic, which retains you in focus once you transfer round in video calls.

The place Apple has made a change for the higher is by relocating this entrance digital camera to the longer fringe of the pill, making these video calls look rather more pure – assuming you do them in panorama view. Which, let’s face it, you actually ought to.

Battery Life & Charging

• 10340mAh battery
• 10 hours of sustained use
• 20W charging assist (not in field)

Battery life hasn’t shifted with the transfer to the brand new generations of iPad Air, regardless of the brand new bigger and brighter display possibility, to not point out the swap to a brand new chip.

Apple continues to be claiming that you simply’ll have the ability to watch 10 hours of video on Wi-Fi out of a single cost, and as at all times that just about tallies with actuality. In my very own testing, an hour of watching a film on Disney Plus, with the show set to 50% brightness, sapped about 9% of a cost.

That is ostensibly considered one of Apple’s extra informal tablets, in fact, and the typical use case situation can be a lot much less intensive. In additional common use, the most recent iPad Air performs admirably, aided by some sometimes wonderful standby stamina.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Anecdotally, I took the iPad Air 6 off cost on the Wednesday morning, and by the Saturday morning it nonetheless had 41% left within the tank. It will definitely ran out at round lunch time on the Sunday. This was with a number of hours of informal sport enjoying and round an hour of Netflix watching, interspersed by some mild internet shopping.

Charging speeds stay considerably underwhelming. You don’t get a charger within the field in fact, however it can go as much as 20W with an applicable USB-C energy adapter. With this new bigger mannequin, a 15 minute cost from empty solely bought it to 16%, whereas a 30 minute cost bought it to 31%. It took simply shy of two hours for a full cost.

That’s fairly gradual in smartphone phrases, however fairly typical for a pill. The OnePlus Pad 2 hits 19% in quarter-hour, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely hits 13% in the identical time.

Software program & Apps

• Initially shipped with iPadOS 17
• Now updating to iPadOS 18
• Nonetheless the perfect pill OS round

The iPad Air (2024) initially shipped with iPadOS 17, however proper on the finish of our evaluation interval iPadOS 18 rolled out. It doesn’t deliver with it Apple’s hotly anticipated Apple Intelligence AI options (they’re set to start out showing in October within the USA), however there are a number of additions and enhancements that maintain this the perfect pill OS within the sport.

In the end we get a local Calculator app (no actually), and in true Apple type, it has made up for arriving mystifyingly late by going the additional mile. Convey an Apple Pencil into play and the Math Notes characteristic will allow you to sketch out advanced maths issues, with Apple’s software program magically fixing them.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Handwritten notes within the Notes app have additionally been buffed with Sensible Script, which might tidy up your scruffy handwriting, add area, and merge in typed textual content, amongst different issues.

Extra typically, you’re now free to put app icons the place you want with out Apple robotically closing up any areas, and you may as well customise the look of stated icons. Management Centre has gotten extra highly effective too, with a brand new tabbed format and deeper customisation potential.

These enhancements are good, however iPadOS stays the identical at coronary heart. That’s, an more and more enhanced and super-sized tackle iOS that’s basically best for consuming media, browsing the net, and operating apps in a extra data-rich and involving style.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Pretty much as good as iPadOS is as a pill OS, nonetheless, it nonetheless isn’t as much as the duty of changing a lavatory commonplace MacBook with MacOS for productiveness duties.

Apple’s customisation enhancements in iPadOS 18 are neat, however they’re simply enjoying across the edges. Positive, you’ll be able to drag and drop recordsdata between a number of open apps, however doing such issues isn’t as elementary or tightly built-in as on MacOS – or Home windows for that matter.

Stage Supervisor helps to shut that hole, producing a extra Mac-like interface with floating resizable app home windows. But it surely’s nonetheless removed from a seamless or intuitive expertise, and Apple nonetheless doesn’t make this the default UI commonplace, reflecting the unsure ‘tweener nature of recent iPadOS.

Personally, I by no means anticipated and even needed iPadOS to emulate MacOS on this method. I’m completely happy to maintain the pill expertise as a extra informal interstitial one, someplace in between smartphones and laptops, however nearer to the previous. Those that dream of a correct Apple 2-in-1, nonetheless, will want a number of extra sleeps earlier than that turns into a actuality.

Worth & Availability

The iPad Air 13in (2024) has the most important vary of pricing we’ve ever seen from the Air vary. It’s all due to this new greater dimension possibility, along with a wholesome unfold of storage and mobile variants.

We’re speaking a few huge unfold from simply £599/$599 for the 128GB 11in Wi-Fi mannequin, proper as much as a whopping £1,449/$1,449 for the 1TB 13-inch Mobile mannequin. That’s from Apple’s web site, however each are going even cheaper on Amazon on the time of writing.

You’ll pay a £200/$200 premium to improve from 11- to 13-inch, with the bigger mannequin pricing ranging from £799/$799. The mannequin Apple despatched me to evaluation is the 13-inch 512GB Wi-Fi mannequin, which prices a nonetheless not inconsiderable £1,099/$1,099.

As such, it pays to interrupt down the brand new iPad Air’s worth proposition. General, proper now in late(ish) 2024, it appears fairly darned good.

That 11-inch beginning value sounds mighty tempting and might be the iPad most informal or mild customers ought to go for on the time of writing. Positive, the common iPad (2022) could be had for round £150/$150 much less, nevertheless it includes a pretty previous non-M-series chip and half the storage, and is due for a substitute.

That beginning value for the 13-incher additionally appears tempting when you think about it as a viable various to the 13-inch iPad Professional, which begins from an eye-watering £1,299/$12,99. The primary perceptible benefit in going Professional is its frankly beautiful OLED show, however is that price £500/$500 to you? It is perhaps.

I’d take the most recent iPad Air, in no matter iteration, over any equally priced and even barely cheaper Android pill, no questions requested. Apple’s pill ecosystem is just a lot better fleshed out and cohesive than Google’s, and its M-series chip efficiency slays the opposition.

You should purchase the iPad Air from Apple, Amazon, Currys, John Lewis, Argos and different retailers within the UK.

Within the US, look to Apple, Amazon and BestBuy.

Try our rankings of the perfect tablets you should buy for extra choices.

Must you purchase the iPad Air 13in (2024)?

The iPad Air 13in (2024) covers extra floor than any earlier Air pill, and might be the iPad household most individuals must be wanting to select from. It delivers a brand new Professional-like 13in show possibility, near-Professional efficiency from Apple’s M2 chip, a timelessly strong design, and respectable accent compatibility.

Pricing varies massively, that means you actually do want to contemplate what you need out of your pill when it comes to show dimension, storage capability, and connectivity. The place the Air begins overlapping with the Professional’s pricing, you must think about whether or not the step up mannequin’s phenomenal show, superior energy, and superior accent choices make it a greater purchase.

On the entry level of the brand new iPad Air vary, nonetheless, it’s troublesome to argue with it being the perfect all-round super-sized pill for most individuals. It’s a slick, highly effective software for informal media consumption and light-weight productiveness duties, and very similar to the outgoing mannequin, nothing else actually comes shut until you’re prepared to pay much more to go Professional.

Specs

• iPadOS 18
• 13in, 2048 x 2732, IPS LCD, 60Hz show
• Facet-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Apple M2
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB storage
• 12Mp, f/1.8 primary digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• 12Mp front-facing digital camera
• Stereo audio system
• 5G (non-compulsory)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6E
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 10340mAh battery
• 20W charging (not provided)
• 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1mm
• 617g
• Launch colors: Area Grey, Starlight, Purple, Blue