by Hartley Charlton
Apple's new iPad Air comes nearly a year and a half after previous models, offering nearly 20 changes and updates.
The 2022 iPad Air was a minor update that added features such as M1 chip and 12MP ultra-wide front camera with center camera. The 2024 update will be more significant, with a larger size option for the first time ever, bringing it in line with devices like the iPad Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, which are available in two sizes.
iPad Air 2022 models have already been discontinued by Apple, but can still be found refurbished and from third-party resellers at lower prices. So, some customers may be wondering whether to buy the iPad Air 2022; or new 2024 models.
iPad The 2022 and 2024 Air share most of their key features, so should you consider buying or going with an older model to save money? This breakdown also allows you to clearly see all the differences that the new iPad Air brings to the table.
| iPad Air (2022) | iPad Air (2024) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.9-inch display | 11- or 13-inch display | ||
| &zwnj ;M1 chip (5 nm, N5) | M2 chip (improved 5 nm, N5P) | ||
| CPU 3.2 GHz | CPU 3.49 GHz clock speed | ||
| 8-core GPU | 10-core GPU | ||
| 68.25 GB/s memory bandwidth | 100 GB/s memory bandwidth | ||
| Neural Engine | Neural Engine is 40% faster | ||
| Media engine for H.264 and HEVC with hardware acceleration | Media engine for H.264, HEVC, ProRes and Hardware accelerated ProRes RAW | ||
| Video decoding engine | Higher throughput video decoding engine | ||
| ProRes encoding and decoding engine | |||
| Image Signal Processor (ISP) | “New” Image Signal Processor (ISP) | ||
| Smart HDR 3 | Smart HDR 4 | ||
| 12 MP Ultra Wide Angle Front Camera | 12 MP Ultra Wide Landscape Front Camera | ||
| Wi-Fi 6 Connection | Wi Connection -Fi 6E | ||
| Physical SIM card slot | eSIM only | ||
| Apple Pencil pointing | |||
| Supports Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil (2nd generation) | Supports Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Apple Pencil Pro | ||
| Magic Keyboard support for iPad and Smart Keyboard Folio | Supports Magic Keyboard for iPad | ||
| 64 GB or 256 GB memory | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB storage | ||
| Available in Space Grey, Starlight, Pink, Purple and Blue | Available Available in Space Grey, Starlight, Purple and Blue | Available in Space Grey, Starlight, Purple and Blue | Available in Gray space”, “starlight”, purple and blue |
The most important part of the new iPad Air is a larger display option that allows customers who don't need features like ProMotion and a LiDAR scanner to get a larger screen that's better suited for productivity and content consumption at a lower price. In addition to this larger new model, the M2 chip, Apple Pencil hover over Apple Pencil Pro support and a horizontal front camera are valuable improvements. In this case, it is absolutely not necessary to switch from the previous model to the new iPad Air. If you don't have an iPad entry level; or iPad Air released before 2020, or you clearly want the 13-inch model, it probably isn't worth upgrading to.
Related review: iPad Air Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Buy Now) Related Forum: iPad43 comments
