Following the announcement of new iPads last week, the press has just published the first tests of the iPad Pro M4. We also now have reviews for the iPad Air M2, and they praise the balance of sufficiently powerful hardware for a reasonable price.
iPad Air M2 Review Summary
According to Engadget, the new iPad Air M2 is “the iPad to get”. While the website claims that it’s difficult to recommend the M4 iPad Pro due to its high price, the iPad Air offers a “compelling mix of features while maintaining a reasonable price.” The review highlights the storage upgrade for the base model (now with 128GB) and the new 13-inch version.
But for the rest of us, the iPad Air is still here, offering about 80% of the iPad Pro experience for a lot less. And for the first time, there’s a big-screen iPad at a much more affordable price. My heart may want an iPad Pro, but my head (and my wallet) agree that the iPad Air is a much more reasonable option.
ArsTechnica calls the iPad Air M2 “the all-in-one iPad.” Although the review points out that the entry-level iPad is probably enough for most buyers, the new Air offers the full iPad experience at prices much lower than the iPad Pro. The website also states that the M2 chip is “powerful enough to do everything people currently use iPads for.”
The 13-inch Air in particular could appeal to people looking to replace their laptop with an iPad. The screen is large enough and the device is certainly fast enough. The price is right, but you’ll need to factor in the cost of a keyboard (if you just want a gigantic slab of glass for reading, the 13-inch Air is still fine, but I find the device just a bit too much large and unwieldy if you plan to use it only as a tablet).
CNET Seems to agree with other reviewers. Additionally, the review also points out that new iPad Air buyers will also need to purchase an Apple Pencil Pro, as the Apple Pencil 2 is not compatible with it.
It looks and feels exactly the same to hold, but has new rotation capabilities and a haptic tap gesture for supported apps. The new Pencil Pro is the same price as a Pencil 2 ($129), which is great, except… the new Air won’t work with your old Pencil 2 at all. So you have to buy a Pencil Pro or use the lesser USB-C Pencil stylus which lacks pressure sensitivity. Boo to that – It’s wasteful and forces you to upgrade an accessory you might not otherwise have.
The edgeon the other hand, claims that the iPad to buy is not the new Air, but the entry-level iPad that just got cheaper – starting at $349.
Outside of a few specific scenarios, I don’t think I’d tell you to buy this year’s iPad Air. Not because it’s not great – it is great! It’s just that for $250 less, you can get the base iPad, which is about as good for all common iPad activities. The 10th generation iPad is already a few years old, but it’s still a great device, especially after Apple lowered its price from $449 to $349. The iPad, not the iPad Air, is the ideal iPad for most people.
The iPad Air starts at $599 for the 11-inch version and $799 for the 13-inch version.
Video reviews
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News Source : 9to5mac.com
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