This year’s iPad Air was a surprise for me. Apple Last Air launched Less than a year ago, and It was a very good tool This can already support Apple Intelligence – and most of the recent gadget upgrade of Apple About supporting apple intelligenceI felt that Apple could launch a better magic keyboard for air (which she did), and perhaps we would see some big new software ideas in WWDC this year. But a new model? Did not see that it is coming.
In fairness, the new model is actually only one new thing: it runs on the M3 chip instead of last year’s M2. So perhaps instead of a whole new iPad wind, it is more like a middle-cycle refreshing. Apple’s chip production changes, and so its equipment also changes. Like the old, the new, starts at $ 599 for 11 -inch model and $ 799 for a 13 -inch screen. It comes in the same very light colors. You got this.
I have a 13 -inch M2 air for several months and my 11 -inch M3 air at my desk for the last several days. The story is as usual: this is an excellent tablet, and I want Apple to use iPados to make it more versatile. But we do not need to prosecute the cause of the existence of the tablet – you want to know if this is the tablet you should buy.
By that end, I have six ideas that have come in my test that I think add something like a answer.
There is no meaningful performance upgrade here. In the last year’s model, M3 chip inside the new air benchmark above 12-15 percent from M2. This is actually a decent size collision, although it is not a promise of 2x jump apple on M1 from 2022. (I have not one of those tasks, unfortunately, so I cannot test that number.) However, I do not notice the difference. at all. Apps open at the same speed, appear games and play the same, even apps such as procrate and logic are equally responsible.
None of this is a problem with M3, in fact, just a statement about how good M2 was already. In general, I would say that M3 seems close to M2 in performance M4 iPad ProWhich is still a half-C-beat about everything.
Graphics performance can be difficult to test on an iPad because there are not there He Many games designed to carry forward the boundaries of the device. If i play Duty call: mobile And crank everything for maximum settings, I think I am looking at a slight difference in details, especially in the shade. But it is best and possibly just a placebo.
But the keyboard is better. Adding a line of function keys – to control volume and playback, opening the app switcher, and locking the device quickly – immediately makes the air more reliable laptop replacement. (So far, the only airboard of air was the dock Was not Functions are keys, which were just strange.) Apple says that the charging charging charging iPad with the new magic keyboard directly charge the tablet directly as plugging the tablet, which makes it a really useful dock. It is very expensive, there is a secondary, which starts at $ 269, but it is very good. Pro keyboard Still the best, although: it is made of aluminum, the trackpad has a more reaction to the backlit, and just looks good to tap.
Another good thing: The new keyboard is compatible at the back, so if you have M2 air it will work fine with the new keyboard. In fact, if you can find one on sale, 2024 Air Plus 2025 Magic Keyboard can be the air combo that I recommend the most.
This thing in fact, should actually support face ID. Touch ID always makes more understanding for me on the phone, which you usually hold in the same way all the time, compared to a tablet where the perceptions of “below” and “top” are sometimes changing. On face ID iPad Pro, you rarely need a power button; Just tap on the screen, and it gets up and unlocks. On this air, like other touch ID iPads, it is annoying to sweep your thumb around the edges just in search of the power button, where the sensor is there.
In the context of “Design how you use it”, the face ID Pro upgrade that I want to see the most.
size matters. It may seem foolish to say that the 13 -inch iPad is very different from the 11 -inch iPad, but those two inches of screen size actually change everything. When I use a 13 -inch iPad, which is mostly testing recently, I rarely pick it up; It is a desk-bound, keyboard-listened thing. On the other hand, it is so easy to hold an 11-inch model, two hands (or even in one) that I am taking myself too much.
If you want a big model, I will encourage you to consider a 13 -inch supporter. If you are thinking about iPad as a productivity machine instead of a portable consumption tool, you will actually benefit from the improvement of Pro better magic keyboard, its 120Hz screen and its performance. If you want something that is essentially your main computer, then iPad Pro is the way to go that way if you can bear it. But if the versatility of the small screen appeals to you, the 11 -inch air is actually a good option. You sacrifice some space, obviously, and the keyboard attachment is a bit more tight, but I recommend small models to people alone. I believe that practically each iPad user is best served by plain ol ‘iPad or 11 inch air.
Apple Intelligence is an open question here. I have not yet been able to try the new base-model iPad, but I suspect its story is quite straight: A16 Bionic Chip is a good upgrade, and it will be great for everyone watching, web browsing and other things that everyone does on their iPad.
I can’t think of one reason that Apple Intelligence will cause you to buy one device on another
But there are some things that cannot be base models, such as stage managers (not problems) and pencil pro (perhaps a problem!). It is also the only current iPad that does not support Apple Intelligence. Now, he Not a small thingSeriously: I can’t think of a reason that Apple Intelligence will cause you to buy a device in the near future. But if you are passing fast on the future of AI and you feel that Apple Intellation is likely to be good, then before you want to upgrade your iPad again, you want air. I don’t know how AI is likely to be good before your iPad dies – although it is not a great sign that Apple is just Siri reforms once again delayed This can actually make Apple Intelligence a compelling. Either way, this is now the largest and most consequent difference between devices.
The air is still a tenner, but it is a good. Talking of longevity: Most studies and surveys suggest that iPad buyers keep their equipment for at least three years – and in many cases, it is more like five or seven. If you are planning to keep your next iPad up to 2030 or more, I am confident that the M3 will last long. Apple’s M-Series Chips are terrible and hold well over time, this air supports a good magic keyboard and the best apple pencil that you can buy, and in addition to the face ID and 120Hz screen, there are no features you are not missing. (Pro is just better on everything.) I still feel that the base iPad is a lot of iPad for everyone, but if you want a good screen, a little more processor, and a little more confidence that this thing will run you in the next decade, the wind is a great option.
