The pace at which Apple iPads have improved over the years has been nothing short of incredible. Apple has taken the iPad’s performance to a level that is so far past what any flagship Android tablet currently offers. In other words, the only tablet that can beat an iPad is another iPad. Apple currently offers a range of iPads that start from Rs 45,000 and go all the way up to 1,28,000. Right now, you can’t go wrong choosing any iPad model. Last year, the iPad Air 2022 with the M1 chip was easily the best iPad for most people. But is it still the best iPad for most people in 2023?
Launched in March 2022, the iPad Air (5th generation) is the perfect middle-ground for those looking for a Pro-grade tablet without having to pay an exorbitant amount of money. I managed to pick up the iPad Air just before it received a price hike in India. While the tablet’s current starting price is around 59,900, you might be able to snag it for around Rs 52,000 during festive season sales. I’ve spent a good five months with the Air and it’s easily the best tech purchase I made in 2022.
What I like about the iPad Air 2022
All iPad models look more or less similar now. You won’t be able to tell the difference between a 10.9-inch entry-level iPad and an 11-inch iPad Pro, at least from the front. This is great because it makes you feel less envious of the more expensive Pro model. So, with the 10.9-inch iPad Air, you get a design that’s not just similar to the 11-inch iPad Pro model but is also a few grams lighter (it is an Air after all).
I really like the 2022 iPad Air’s ergonomic design. Its 10.9-inch display is just the right kind of big and bezel-less which makes watching videos enjoyable. Pair this with clear and loud stereo speakers and you have the perfect entertainment device to travel around with. The tablet’s overall form factor and weight are perfect to hold in your hand without causing any strain. This is a device that is convenient to carry around on the go and a space saver in whichever bag you take it in.
My confidence to take the iPad Air when traveling stems from the fact that it has a solid battery life that manages to last two days on intensive usage. More often than not though, I don’t use the iPad for intensive workloads. I use it to stream movies/shows on the go, reply to emails, edit on WordPress, and so on. None of these tasks majorly drain the battery, which means I can get through 3-5 days on a single charge with ease.
I don’t have to emphasise the fact that the M1 chipset is absolutely stellar when it comes to taking on day-to-day operations. There was never any doubt about that. If it can power Apple’s MacBook laptops, powering the iPad is just a walk in the park for it. Everything runs buttery smooth on the iPad Air, multitasking is a breeze, and it can run the most graphically challenging games available on the App Store without breaking a sweat (though gaming does consume a lot of battery and slightly heats up the back now). There is no slowdown whatsoever even after a year, and I can safely say that the M1 iPad Air has a few more years in it before it even shows signs of aging.
What I don’t like about the iPad Air 2022
The iPad Air M1 holds up extremely well one year later but that’s not to say it is perfect. There are a few things I could nitpick about it that hold it back from being the go-to tablet for all. Firstly, its starting price in India (Rs 59,900) is on the higher side for the average tablet buyer. What makes it worse is that you get only 64GB of internal storage for that base price. This is clearly not enough for professional users who prefer to save a lot of heavy files on their devices.
The 256GB variant costs Rs 74,900, which is just Rs 7,000 less than the 128GB iPad Pro 11-inch with the better M2 processor. You see the dilemma here, don’t you? The cost of owning an iPad Air M1 becomes far higher if you go for accessories like a keyboard and Apple Pencil. You’re talking about spending close to Rs 1 lakh in that case, and so the MacBook Air becomes more attractive.
The other problem with the iPad Air M1 is that iPadOS still limits it to a tablet rather than a computer. While Apple is slowly trying to make the iPad feel like a computer, iPadOS very much reminds you that you won’t be able to have that freedom of resizing windows or smoothly keeping several apps open in the background, or running macOS apps (which it should ideally be able to do because the hardware is practically the same as the MacBook Air M1).
We’re getting into Q2 of 2023 and rumours suggest Apple will launch a couple of new iPad Pro models and possibly even a new iPad mini later this year. Until these new devices come out, it’s safe to say the iPad Air M1 which was launched a year ago continues to be the best iPad for most people.
