Before Apple’s homegrown processors made their way into tech, you usually had to forgo the extra cash for an iPad Pro if you wanted something more versatile and portable than your average laptop. But now, Apple’s new iPad Air runs the same M1 chip in the company’s latest MacBook Air, changing that by bringing a laptop-grade chip into the tablet form factor. With all these features, and a significantly lower starting price than the M1 iPad Pro, making the iPad Air your console seems like a promising endeavor that won’t overwhelm your wallet.
Still, the M1 MacBooks are just as powerful, if not more so, with chips like the M1 Ultra and M1 Max. The power of bringing a laptop-grade chip to a tablet form factor is the promise of delivering the best of both worlds: a bright, vibrant tablet perfect for browsing the web and playing games on the go, and a laptop-like device with plenty to help you without spending a fortune. The ability to accomplish tasks with a single blow.
Thanks to its lower price and impressive specs, the M1 iPad Air is the closest thing to an affordable 2-in-1 that can completely replace a laptop. That said, it still has the same shortcomings that plague every iPad.
iPadOS has limitations
Credit: Apple
While split-view multitasking does help on the iPad, it’s nowhere near as flexible as the window management systems on macOS or Windows.
Despite a giant leap forward in adding desktop-like multitasking to iPadOS, it’s still a limited platform compared to more mature desktop operating systems like macOS and Windows 11.
For starters, windowed multitasking on iPadOS is limited to two side-by-side apps, with the option of a third floating app with an aspect ratio comparable to a modern iPhone. It works great, but it’s nowhere near as flexible as being able to place windows anywhere you want, in whatever size and shape you want.
You also can’t use a second monitor with the iPad in any meaningful way. Due to software limitations, plugging your iPad Air into a second monitor will simply mirror your iPad’s display, not expand your screen real estate and give you more room to work. This may change in the future, but for now, the screen you get is all you can use.
Finally, file management is also limited on iPadOS. While, yes, there is a file manager, not every app uses it the same way. Some apps, like iA Writer and Procreate, let you read and write to folders on your iPad or cloud drives. Meanwhile, other apps like Google Docs either don’t support the Files app at all or just use it to back up things like in-app settings, not the actual files you create.
The app ecosystem is strong and vibrant, but it’s your only option
Unlike macOS and Windows 11, iPadOS doesn’t let you install apps from outside of Apple’s App Store, while macOS lets you run any installable program you want (as long as you accept the security risks). While there’s no shortage of useful or fancy apps, you can pick them up on iPadOS.
This can be especially frustrating if you’re not a fan of the increasingly popular subscription-model apps. You’ll find plenty of apps to solve your life’s problems, but unlocking all the features can cost you a few bucks a month.
If you’re only subscribing to a few apps, that probably won’t cause too many problems, but it can add up quickly. So if you rely on dedicated text editors, time trackers, calendar managers, and password managers, and they all charge a dollar or two a month for all the features you need, it’s going to get expensive. Subscriptions are also making their way to Mac apps, but at least you still have options outside of the App Store.
evil fast
Just like the M1 iPad Pro before it, the new M1 iPad Air is snappy and doesn’t use much power. It easily handles everything from everyday tasks like spreadsheet management and email to resource-heavy tasks like video editing and gaming.
Thankfully, all of this performance doesn’t detract from battery life on a single charge. In our tests, the iPad Air lasted between 8 and 10 hours per charge, depending on how we used it. That’s about the same as the M1 MacBook Air, and stands out from more power-hungry laptops, lasting 6 to 8 hours on a charge.
However, given how powerful the M1 chip is on the MacBook Pro, that speed might feel like an overkill. You won’t be able to use the chip on iPadOS like you can on macOS, but it should still give you plenty of power to get your work done, and it should be powerful enough to handle several major software releases.
It uses the same accessories as the 11-inch iPad Pro
Credit: Review/Jordan McMahon
The M1 iPad Air, paired with a keyboard case like Apple’s Magic Keyboard, is very close to the feel of a traditional laptop.
Although it’s less expensive than the 11-inch iPad Pro, the Air has more in common with the Pro than there are differences. They’re roughly the same size, have the same chips, and use the same accessory kit.
So if you want to use a keyboard and mouse with your iPad, you can still use Apple’s Magic Keyboard or Logitech’s Combo Touch without shelling out extra cash for the Pro. The same Apple Pencil can also be used with the Air if you need it for your artistic needs.
However, this can add up quickly. Starting at $600, the M1 iPad Air isn’t too expensive, but that’s before key work accessories like a keyboard case are included. Apple’s Magic Keyboard will add $300 to your cart, while Logitech’s Combo Touch will add about $200 to your cart. That still puts you under $1,000, but you’re only saving a few hundred dollars more than the MacBook Air at best.
Should you ditch your laptop?
Credit: Review / Matthew S. Smith
Paired with a keyboard and trackpad, the iPad Air could greatly replace your workstation, but it’s not quite there yet.
The M1 iPad Air is a huge leap forward for the mid-range iPad. It has the same processor as the best iPad Pros, has access to the same apps and accessories, and is less expensive without missing key features. You might miss things like FaceID and a quad-speaker system, but that’s all confetti on what’s already a great tablet.
The question, though, isn’t whether the iPad Air is a great tablet, but whether it has the software features to support all hardware. In many cases, the Air shines as a work tool for things like knocking out a few emails or taking notes for class. But it still can’t do everything a laptop can, and you probably won’t realize it until you’ve made the jump. For example, some web apps may not work on your iPad, so you’ll need to have a desktop or laptop nearby when these cracks start appearing. (For this reason, filling out the form my doctor uses is a horrible process.)
That said, the M1 iPad Air is still very capable for most tasks. It might not be capable of serious development work, but thanks to that snappy M1 chip, it’s capable of doing most tasks with ease. That might be enough to get you there most of the time, but that last bit still makes the Air a better secondary device than a primary device.
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Prices are accurate at the time of publication, but may change over time.