The iPad Air is ripe this year

I have an 11 inch 2018 iPad Pro and I genuinely can’t see myself upgrading for at least 2 more years. I don’t run into performance issues, especially on well optimised apps like procreate, and I get promotion + 2nd gen Apple Pencil support. Right now they are $350 or less used on eBay and I would honestly say for most people that’s a much better deal than the M1 iPad Air, despite the M1 chip - especially for digital artists.

None of the top tech reviewers mentioned that in addition to the M1 chip we also get double the amount of RAM with the new IPad Air 2022 vs the 2020 model, for the same price. That is why we love Dave2d ❤️

Hopefully the build and specs are an indicator for the MacBook airs later this year - I think they could become the ultimate hyper portable laptop for a lot of use cases that don’t require tons of power (ie just emails, KZfaq, spreadsheets, etc)

Great review, thanks Dave. Presently using an original 9.7-in iPad Pro, this M1 Air will be my next upgrade.

Great review as always. Simple, focused on the user experience as opposed to a bunch of specs.

Never missed a DAVE2D review. It's so straightforward, detailed, precise and time saving. I come here first before visiting any other tech reviewer.

I was waiting for the M1 iPad Air for a long time. Now that they have it I know I'm getting one. excellent review as always!

im definitely gonna buy this ipad air asap for editing video

Great review. For me, the best case for the iPad Pro is the 12.9" version because it's just so big. I just got my wife a 1st Gen 12.9" iPad Pro (along with a 1st Gen Apple Pencil) for exactly that reason. The 12.9" screen, regardless of how much power the device has, is so useful because it ends up being about the same size as a sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper. This is ideal for other applications like digital sheet music, which I intend to borrow her device to use. Honestly, that old iPad Pro from 2015 still has plenty of power.

Bought my 2 daughters an iPad Air each for Christmas just gone by. With the same iteration out since 2020 and knowing the new iPad airs were going to be out now I was sceptical about my decision. After listening to this review and knowing my kids really wouldn't be making the extra use of the M1 chip, you've put my mind at rest and im happy with my purchase. Their iPads are insane pieces of tech im glad they get to have, just, nothing worse than buying tech at these kind of price points for it to be old and obsolete models mere months later. Thanks Dave!

This is the best review I’ve have seen on the new Air loved the way explained everything I am planning on getting the new Air so seeing this review was very helpful

just bought it last month, amazing and fun to use, superb! incredible specs w/ lot of features for the future

I still have the 2017 10.5" iPad Pro and I'm still quite satisfied with it. I tried out the 2020 11"iPad Pro but ended up selling it because I liked the home button and touch iD on the older one. good thing I didn't sell or trade in my 2017 iPad. lol I'll have to see what the 2022 Pros would bring to the table. 🧐 5 years for an upgrade ain't too bad at all.

Love your subtle reference with the wallpaper and its colors! Thanks!

Thank you Dave your reviews are really helpful I feel like you don’t just review things with bias. You are just apple Samsung Microsoft etc. You look at product who it is best for and guide the consumer. You also call out short comings or when something is bad value for the money.

Actually here is a fix for your problem with orientation. Enable Guided access mode, and the power button will be useless unless you pressed 3 times in row in quick pace (which what you will do when exit the game) I had to use it but for different reason. Some games I play need to swipe from bottom to up, and iOS think I want to close the app and either close it, or bring the home bar (and the game do not receive this swipe).

I think the iPads with M1 Chips are just severely held back by iPadOS. I just don't think Apple wants to compromise their MacBook sales due to making iPadOS too functional, which is unfortunate.

This looks great I love the corner designs

Honestly, I usually watch your videos after Marques and I am becoming more and more inclined toward you since I feel his videos are becoming too concise and brief but the details in your videos are precisely sufficient. Keep going!

Dave2d is flexing his blastoise drawing skill n I love it

Glad you mentioned the ram, that's the biggest reason this iPad will last forever. 8gigs is going to allow for a lot of updates to come to this machine.

The subtle "yellow-blue" screen background is genius!

Thanks for another great review video!

I have the ipad air 4 and I mainly use it for drawing. it handled 2gb clip studio paint file smoothly. M1 is a great jump, but I'm satisfied with what ipad air 4 can do

I had a 10th gen iPad kzfaq.infoUgkxUGaHtKW8MwCql2fPyIm9-ftTqSMzKFFA . Felt it getting pretty slow at times even after doing a reset. So I am using that as a tablet for my 5 year old son and got this 9th gen version. MUCH faster, a little slimmer, smaller bezels, all around a leap forward. Plus, for the price that’s about $130-$150 cheaper than a current new model this is a nice deal. I look forward to the M-series CPUs coming into iPads which will really help future proof these tablets better but these latest CPUs are pretty strong and should do better to last several years with no compromises.

You made it so simple in a short quick video. Going with the air. Thanks.

It's always very relaxing hearing you talking Dave

I went with a $450 refurbished 2018 11" iPad Pro. It is still a great performer, the battery health on my particular device is above 95%, the 120Hz looks and feels amazing, and the quad speakers are bonus.

I always get confused when youtubers describe something famously good as “infamous” Infamous means “well known for some bad quality” which is not true about the M1 chip.

always on point..thanks dave

Awesome review. One of the best for sure! Came away with a lot of the same opinions.

I still use my iPad Air 4 daily and it still runs smoothly... never had problems with it and I use it a lot with procreate, streaming content and also Pokémon Unite. if you are on budget even that is a great device to pick. iPads are weird cause they are all pretty good tablets. my wife has a 2018 pro model and has no problem at all. pro motion still looks miles better than what my screen looks like even if it's older. get what you need for the time you need it. future proofing with tech is imposible. every year new stuff comes out with way better features. probably next year we will get m1 pro and pro motion on an air and so on...

I thought the iPad Air 4 already made the 11” Pro pretty much redundant but this just takes it a step further. $150 less (Going by the 256GB Wi-Fi only models’ pricing here) for most of the experience is a total no-brainer, especially with the M1 inside. I can live without ProMotion and prefer Touch ID to Face ID so the Air is the way to go for me personally.

Helpful review, thanks!

I love tech reviewers like you

I recently upgraded my 2020 iPad Air to get a 12.9" M1 iPad Pro. I have no regrets (though I admit for a split second i was mildly bothered) - I have the beautiful gigantic screen and I love it. Still - for people considering the 11" Pro, this might be a more than worthy option. Who doesn't like saving money??

Infamous means famous for something bad.

The good thing about iPads is that you will generally get to keep it for years (assuming you arent a power user). Its a very high value for money. It also might be the only electronic gadget where I start at the most expensive and work down. Most of the time I start from the bottom.

Another beautiful review. Best tech channel for a reason.

What’s really strange is (at least here in Japan) that the price for a 256GB model is very very close. Much close than for the base model.

I recently bought a HP Spectre x360 14 assuming I would be doing all my main work on that device as it has desktop apps and runs windows. But recently I bought the magic keyboard for my iPad Air 4th gen and it really has made the iPad into a full on computer and i can do about 90% of stuff I would usually do on my windows laptop now on my iPad due to having this keyboard and mouse. Now my laptop sits on my desk plugged into an external monitor for stuff like heavy multitasking and office apps but whenever I leave the house e.g. school, i love taking my iPad for its battery life. Size and portability as well as apple ecosystem features such as airdropping photos from my phone and personal hotspot instant on. Only few complains of this iPad is, the speakers don’t sound as good, they are very respectable but would love quad speakers. Black levels aren’t any where as good as laptop. And my laptop is also LCD. I think this is an iPad Air issue as iPad Pro doesnt suffer as much. A flashlight for scanning documents on the rear camera. I use goodnotes a lot and use my iPad for school work so just a convenience feature. 128gb storage would have been the sweet spot but i got 64gb and paid for icloud+ as it integrates better with my laptop. I do wish the screen was promotion but i dont really miss it on an iPad for what i use it for and considering the iPad itself costs only $600 its a pretty good deal. Ofc once you add the keyboard and Apple Pencil it gets to £1000 quickly but totally worth it for my use case

I just got this device yesterday as a gift for my daughter. Our first plan is the iPad Mini 6 but they're out of stock everywhere and we cannot wait anymore since it is a Christmas gift/Reward for her being an amazing student! Glad we made the right decision.

Love the wallpaper (yellow and blue - subtle)!

This iPad Air (like the one before it) is great, as long as you stick to the base model. If you need more than 64GB of storage, the iPad Pro is the only sensible option. Assuming the 256GB iPad Air vs the base model iPad Pro: for $50 you get pro motion, face ID, quad speakers, thunderbolt and a better screen.

I had an iPad 7th gen that was enough for me. Had it for a couple of years , got a free iPad Pro 12.9 and I think I might not ever upgrade. I really just use it for media. The sound is great on the iPad Pro m1

You know what Dave we really love you! The way you are just not selling this ipad we love it how you said real life facts like an artist can use like any screen to create his work...

I might have to grab one…, great review as always

I’ve the 2017 Pro. Loving that thing for note taking w pencil. No performance issues at all. Id advise students to look at it, it’s half price compared to 2018. The old pencil really isn’t a big deal, it’s battery lasts a week

I really wanted to upgrade my iPad, but man, even after 3 years, my iPad Air 3 is still running so good without noticeable drop in performance. This M1 ipad air really tempted me.

Thank u for this dave

This is a perfect review of the 5th gen Air, well done!

iPads never underperformed even when they use to Have A series silicone, now with M1 I can bet it will keep on performing for like next 10 years cause there is no app that can take full potential of M1 and I doubt there will be any in the future, or else the differentiators between a MacBook and iPad will be lost.

The speaker issue is very similar to the webcam issue that has plagued iPads for years; the device just shouldn’t be portrait orientation by default anymore. Yes, I use my iPad in portrait for reading. But a solid 80% of the time I’m grabbing the thing in landscape, covering the faceID camera with my hand, and blocking the speakers. Landscape iPads are far overdue.

I've been waiting for this

Nice choice of colors for the background image!

Watching this on a 2018 12.9” iPad Pro. No complaints love this device highly recommend. The only thing that has ever tempted me to want to upgrade was the mini-led on the newer iPad Pro. I am jealous of the colors of the Air, but a skin works too.

Great video! Pretty sure I want to go for the Air, but I'm concerned about the storage. How big is the OS? And how much usable storage would there be on a 64gb? Majority of things I plan to use it for are cloud based thankfully, although I would probably keep a few movies or episodes of something available for journeys without an internet connection. Would the 64gb have enough space for apps, the odd game and media? Or am I better off bumping up to the the 11inch iPad pro 128gb over the air 256gb? Thank you to anyone who can help 😊

Great stuff! Always the best😎

I also noticed the "iPad" wording on the back now reads "iPad Air", I didn’t even notice this small detail until I saw an article that mentioned it, otherwise, it looks ever so similar to its predecessor

My biggest issue with the Air 5 are the storage options, relative to the pricing. 64GB for $600 is a nonstarter for most. If Apple wants these things to be considered potential laptop replacements, the storage options should align with the Macbook and PC market. How many laptops can we find on the market, where the base configuration is 64 GB? Regarding expected support length, I'd expect Apple to support this tablet, and specifically the M1 for a decade, at least. I don't dispute Dave, when he asserts that Apples IOS updates are heavily tied to available RAM,. However, there already exists some anecdotal evidence which challenges this notion, as seen in the Ipad Air 2. The Air 2 was released in 2014 and comes with 2GB of memory. It is still receiving updates to this day, which will continue throughout Ipad OS 15. Although the air 2 will not receive Ipad OS 16, Apple will nonetheless provide at least two to three years os security patch, which amounts to a decade of end to end support, on a very old Ipad. Great review, as always!

The Air 5 is the best value iPad for me. I only use it to browse the web, read magazines, and watch movies. Maybe editing the occasional word document as well. I have no use for Pro Motion or any of the other Pro features. I have tons of cloud space so I have no need for lots of internal storage. The Air 5 will serve my needs for years to come.

Sorry sir, but this is one of the best, on point, review I've seen on KZfaq. Well written and excellent pace 👏👏👏

I skipped 4 m1 iPad air videos before this but Dave thumbnails are enticing and makes anyone click the video even if they actually are not interested in the video

2:59 put a case on the device, problem solved. I've never seen someone walking around with an iPad without a case anyway

Love it when Dave showing off his art skill. Even though not really good, but love the confidence 👍

Dang everyone in the east coast has started their day and everyone in the west coast is still sleeping not knowing their notifications are all of the same videos ahhaa. Can't wait to see these vids

Great video as always, I really hope Android tablet can catch up to iPad some day performance wise

I really hope iPad OS 16 brings some major improvements to make use of these insane SoCs

I think its because the M2 in ipad Pro will have significant improvement compared to the M1 so Apple doesn't need to make it complicated by optimize ipad OS for both A and M series.

Such a nice review

That art-work startled me and then I read the caption.. almost had me....lol

The iPad Pro would still be the choice for me. The 120hz display is more important to me than the added storage at around $100 less for the 256 gb iPad Air.

Aww man…. When it comes to tablets I‘ve always been the Windows/Surface guy. I’ve had a couple of Surface devices and never had any real issues with them. But nowadays I actually don’t need a Windows Tablet with a Laptop Intel CPU. I just need a Tablet that is snappy in the OS and has great Pen Support. And the iPad Air with M1 really makes me consider doing the switch… I’m already somewhat in the Apple ecosystem with an iPhone, Watch and AirPods and having my Tablet be in that ecosystem really would be beneficial.. Dang it Apple…

Just bought the Pro 11" instead - at 265gb I only paid 50€ more for the 2021 iPad Pro on Amazon. I was waiting for the Air 5 to come out to buy that one originally, but I'm very happy with 120 Hz and face unlock

I sneezed while watching your video on my phone and totally tried to wipe off those holes in your wall…. Great video as always man! 👍🏼

I know you mentioned that 60hz is fine but that would a deal breaker for me as my last few phones are high refresh as well as my gaming monitors so I have gotten really sensitive to display lag as a result and any new device would have to be at least 90hz. Otherwise, this is pretty slick.

Create pain point… “Man, this sound is so muted when I play handheld. I might need some Bluetooth headphones!” AirPods 📈

Thanks, good content

That Blastoise sketch was a blast in-between the videos✨❤️

Now that the iPad Air has an M1 chip, i want to know how long the battery lasts for a full day? Is it similar to the iPad Pro battery life or not?

I just have one question is 64gb enough? With genshin impact being around 16gb, throw some other heavy games and a few apps, I think it will be filled up in no time, considering the size of ipad apps are generally more than their mobile counterparts

Nice work!

Interesting! Thank you for sharing it. ✌️

I bought the air 2 weeks before the M1 version was announced. The shop didn't accept the return as I didn't purchase it from Apple directly. Unfortunate first Apple product experience.

Really makes me wonder what apple has in store for iPad OS 16 this year...

great review

Loving this hoodie

Honestly i prefer the Galaxy S8 Ultra. There is just something more appealing about the look of that tablet compared to this. Plus the quality and utility its comes with. Really competitive tbh

one of the best thing about dude is that whenever achieves something he never gives the credit to himself he always respect us the audience to most and team too. He is always polite in every of his videos. we congratulate ourselves for this achievement. more to come and everything to come. we're always with u.

Loving the colors of your iPad's wallpaper.

I love the wallpapers for your devices in these videos! Please share a link

The new iPad Air wins on the chip, front camera & 5G The old iPad Pro (3rd gen) wins on resolution, ProMotion & face ID The power & the rest of it relatively the same

Glad he mentioned about double RAM size in ipad air 5 which is also important when others are stuck at M1 chip 👍

4:33 nice sketch would like to see a completed version of that

Even a blue connector on the inside is dope!!👀

Was literally waiting for this review. Thanks Dave 🙏☺️

Wow thats the studio display there! Neat

loved the altered carbon feature!

Nice wallpaper choice ;]