Hands-On With the New M1 iPad Air

[MacRumors]

Apple last week introduced an updated iPad Air with an M1 chip, and now the new tablet is available for purchase. We picked one up to see how it compares to the iPad Pro, which also has an M1 chip, to give you an idea of which of Apple's iPads is right for you.

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Design wise, the fifth-generation iPad Air looks just like the fourth-generation iPad Air, with the exception of the colors. You can get the new model in purple and a new shade of blue, along with pink, starlight, and space gray.

There are no other visual updates, and the iPad Air features the same all-display design with 10.9-inch screen and Touch ID Power Button. Unlike the iPad Pro, it does not have 120Hz ProMotion support, which is now one of the main differences between the Pro and Air iPad lines. If you're used to ProMotion, the lack of it on the iPad Air can be jarring, but if you've never had ProMotion, you won't know the difference.

Though Apple didn't change the look of the iPad Air, there are internal changes. Most notably, the iPad Air is using the same M1 chip as the iPad Pro, so in terms of performance, they're identical. You won't see any speed differences between the two lines until the iPad Pro gets an update with a faster chip, which is expected to happen later this year.

Apple added a new 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front-facing camera to bring the iPad Air in line with the iPad Pro, and it supports Center Stage, the feature that keeps you in frame as you move about the room.

The iPad Air has also been upgraded with 5G connectivity, but it is sub-6GHz 5G and it doesn't work with the fastest mmWave 5G networks. The iPad Pro does work with the faster 5G network, so that's worth keeping in mind.

If you have the prior-generation iPad Air or the last two iPad Pro models, it's not going to be worth upgrading to this new fifth-generation iPad Air, but if you're coming from anything else, it's worth choosing the iPad Air over the iPad Pro because it has almost the same feature set and it's $200 cheaper.

You're only going to be missing out on the faster 5G mmWave connectivity, the ProMotion display, and Face ID, and if these are important to you, you should hold out for the next-generation iPad Pro before upgrading.

Did you pick up a new iPad Air? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New M1 iPad Air

 

[CallMeTheArrow]

I've ordered a 256 GB blue one. This will be the first iPad I own.

 

[nwcs]

Honestly, I had ProMotion on my old iPad Pro. Went to something else that doesn't have it. Not jarring and not missed, really. It's a minor nice to have for me.

 

[adamw]

Nice to see the iPad Air get an M1 chip. Pricing looks pretty good. Wish it had 128GB RAM included in the base model though.

 

[MacBookUser16]

Nice to see the iPad Air get an M1 chip. Pricing looks pretty good. Wish it had 128GB RAM included in the base model though.

128 GB RAM would indeed be something

 

[oneMadRssn]

I wish it had the bolder colors from the new iMac. Not a fan of these muted pastels; the purple and blue are dreary and sad.

 

[44267547]

Honestly, I had ProMotion on my old iPad Pro. Went to something else that doesn't have it. Not jarring and not missed, really. It's a minor nice to have for me.

Totally opposite here.

ProMotion is one of those features that you don’t understand why you need it at first, but once you use it and you see the fluidity, you can’t go back to anything else with the choppiness and that ‘slow lag’.

If that doesn’t make sense to someone, compare both iPads with a model that has ProMotion and one that doesn’t extensively, and you’ll see exactly what I’m referring to.

 

[zorinlynx]

Seeing as the newer iPads now have Macbook level of CPU power and memory, has there been any change to how iPadOS handles background applications?

For example, I have an SSH app that allows you to do port-forwarding, but if I want it to work in the background I have to enable GPS location tracking in the app, which is the developer's workaround to making sure the app doesn't get suspended. Otherise the app only gets 30 seconds.

It's a total hack and shouldn't be necessary on an iPad with an M1 chip.

These restrictions and limitations make sense on a phone, and on iPads from five years ago, but it's absurd that we still have to deal with them today. I'm hoping Apple eventually eases up on this and stops making developers use stupid hacks like using GPS to keep apps running in the background. If they do, I might see it fit to finally buy a new iPad; I'm still using a 2016 era iPad Pro (and using it less and less lately).

 

[kjvmartin2]

Switched from Air 4 to Air 5. FaceTimed a bit today, the Center Stage alone was worth the $200 out of pocket and I'll probably use this device for 2 years. Better processor and faster transfer times are just icing on the cake. It's a great tablet.

 

[Lakersfan74]

For $50 more you get Face ID, promotion, quad speakers and a better camera with flash going with the 128 GB Pro 11 inch over the 256 GB Air

 

[44267547]

For $50 more you get Face ID, promotion, quad speakers and a better camera with flash going with the 128 GB Pro 11 inch over the 256 GB Air

Face ID or touch ID really isn’t something that would be a major selling point to the consumer on an iPad. They’re both secure and convenient in their own respects.

Now, the ‘quad speakers’ for watching movies and other media, is an absolute game changer compared to the standard dual-speaker system. What the ‘quad speaker’ also does, is eliminates the vibration that the dual speaker also would pose when holding, because the sound is evenly distributed throughout the chassis with all four speakers, as opposed to two speakers with vibration with how it travels.

 

[dabi]

God, if they sold a device like this but with macOS on it, that'd be such a perfect device for me. Basically an answer to the Surface Pro. M1 feels like such an overkill for iOS, idk.

 

[dannyyankou]

Honestly, I had ProMotion on my old iPad Pro. Went to something else that doesn't have it. Not jarring and not missed, really. It's a minor nice to have for me.

Yep. Most videos max out at 60fps anyway. I only ever noticed it scrolling, but that's not a dealbreaker.

 

[macacam]

Totally opposite here.

ProMotion is one of those features that you don’t understand why you need it at first, but once you use it and you see the fluidity, you can’t go back to anything else with the choppiness and that ‘slow lag’.

If that doesn’t make sense to someone, compare both iPads with a model that has ProMotion and one that doesn’t extensively, and you’ll see exactly what I’m referring to.

I'm in the middle. Smaller displays and things with touch inputs i'm okay at 60hz but when it comes to watching a mouse cross the screen, I'm right there in your camp.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I saw the new Air in store today, side by side with an 11” Pro. I tried scrolling the same webpage on both at the same time, and the lack of ProMotion was clearly evident on the Air.

Considering the difference is only $50 after upgrading the Air to a reasonable amount of storage I opted to cancel my order and wait for the next generation Pro.

 

[HiVolt]

No offense, but what's to review here? Same design, just with performance upgrade to the M1.

 

[Mr. Dee]

The appropriate pricing should be $499. The pricing is creeping up too close to an iPad Pro. The MBA's are running too these road blocks when it comes to sanely pricing the products.

- basic iPad - $299
- iPad Mini - $399
- iPad Air - $499
- iPad Pro 11 inch - $699
- iPad Pro 12 inch - $799

None of these devices should be in the price bracket with a MacBook Air. MacBook Air starts at $899

MacBook Air with 8 cores $999, MacBook Pro entry level $1,299, MacBook Pro 14 inch M1 Pro $1,799
MacBook Pro M1 Mac $1999, MacBook Pro 16 M1 Pro $2,299, MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max $2,599

No more than $30 extra for cellular. Do you get that Cindy and Todd in marketing?

 

[44267547]

No offense, but what's to review here?

This isn’t even close to being a ‘review’. It’s a brief ‘hands on’/overview that’s like six paragraphs long.

 

[kinless]

Just set up my M1 iPad Air (64GB Wi-Fi blue). This will be secondary to the current 12.9" M1 iPad Pro mainly used for business/work. I wanted something smaller/lighter for more casual use and a primary "reading" device, so being used as such, I don't think I'll miss the features from the Pro too much.

 

[SFjohn]

The appropriate pricing should be $499. The pricing is creeping up too close to an iPad Pro. The MBA's are running too these road blocks when it comes to sanely pricing the products.

- basic iPad - $299
- iPad Mini - $399
- iPad Air - $499
- iPad Pro 11 inch - $699
- iPad Pro 12 inch - $799

None of these devices should be in the price bracket with a MacBook Air. MacBook Air starts at $899

MacBook Air with 8 cores $999, MacBook Pro entry level $1,299, MacBook Pro 14 inch M1 Pro $1,799
MacBook Pro M1 Mac $1999, MacBook Pro 16 M1 Pro $2,299, MacBook Pro 16 M1 Max $2,599

No more than $30 extra for cellular. Do you get that Cindy and Todd in marketing?

Because Apple sells so few of them and the company is failing it’s shareholders?

 

[HiVolt]

This isn’t even close to being a ‘review’. It’s a brief ‘hands on’/overview that’s like six paragraphs long.

I meant in general, for anyone that will review it. Same everything, just a cpu bump.

 

[JosephAW]

It is a shame that you can’t dock these new M1 iPads on your desk and plug in a keyboard and mouse and monitor and use it as an M1 computer running macOS.
I’d like to get a new M1 Mac and iPad but why can’t they be the same hardware?
I’m sure they are doing this in the labs in the basement.

 

[nwcs]

Totally opposite here.

ProMotion is one of those features that you don’t understand why you need it at first, but once you use it and you see the fluidity, you can’t go back to anything else with the choppiness and that ‘slow lag’.

If that doesn’t make sense to someone, compare both iPads with a model that has ProMotion and one that doesn’t extensively, and you’ll see exactly what I’m referring to.

As I mentioned, I did have it. I used it for three years. Went to something else that doesn’t have it. Didn’t miss it.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

128 GB RAM would indeed be something

128GB RAM and 64GB base storage ?

 

[winxmac]

How does M1 compare to A14 since they are released in the same year? Or regarding the iPad Air 5, how does the M1 compare to A15?