iPad Air 2024 review: The largest iPad is finally affordable

The iPad Air 2024 does what you expect, but it also has a major advantage. You can read what that is in this iPad Air 2024 review!

iPad Air 2024 review

About two years ago, Apple presented the iPad Air 2022 with M1, and now it is time for the successor. We can be brief about it: the iPad Air has become a bit better and has largely remained the same. But what exactly has changed and who should upgrade? Read all about it in this iPad Air 2024 review!

iPad Air 2024 in short:

• 11-inch and 13-inch display
• M2 chip
• Moved front camera
• Touch ID
• WiFi 6E
• Battery life: 10 hours
• 128 GB storage (or more)
• Support for Apple Pencil Pro
• Recommended retail price: from €719 (current best price: €687)

Screen size: two sizes

When you see the two new tablets (yes, this time there are two versions) next to each other, you immediately notice something. The iPad Air 6 looks extremely similar to the previous version. But… it’s a lot bigger. At least, if you choose the largest iPad Air 2024.

The Air is available in 11 inches and 13 inches. These are exactly the same dimensions as the new iPad Pro 2024, but it is a bit thinner. So do you want a large iPad, but don’t want to pay a Pro price? Then the sixth generation of the iPad Air is the right choice for you!

Admittedly, the previous iPad Air already had a 10.9-inch screen and this year the ‘small’ Air version is a bit larger. You hardly see that difference in practice, even if you have them next to each other. But it’s nice that Apple now also has an affordable large iPad in its range. In previous years, if you wanted to buy the largest iPad, you were forced to take the more expensive iPad Pro.

As far as the screen is concerned, much has remained the same: it is still a Liquid Retina LCD display and unfortunately no OLED screen. For that you really have to go to the iPad Pro 2024.

The screens of the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air 2024 are otherwise the same, with a small difference. The brightness of the iPad Air 2024 13-inch can be slightly higher than the iPad Air 2024 11-inch (600 nits vs. 500 nits).

Camera: minor change (which is quite useful)

The camera has also remained virtually the same, but there is something new with the front camera. This has now been moved to the long side of the tablet. This makes video calls with the tablet a lot more logical when it is placed horizontally on the table. This placement is not completely new, because the ‘regular’ iPad 2022 already had that.

The rear camera has remained unchanged. That in itself is not a problem, but we secretly hoped that there would be a flash this year. After all, the iPad mini and Pro have them, so why not the Air?

M2 chip: overly fast

Another change that you won’t immediately see (and won’t really notice for a while) is the new chip. The iPad Air 2022 had an M1 chip and it was fast. But Apple didn’t think that was enough and has now equipped the iPad Air 2024 with an even faster M2 chip. According to Apple, this makes the new tablet 50 percent faster than the iPad Air 2022.

Of course, that all remains in theory, because let’s be honest: such a fast chip in the iPad feels like putting a V8 in a Volkswagen Polo. You can run really demanding programs and games on it, but if you want that, it is wiser to go for a MacBook Pro straight away.

During this iPad Air 2024 review, we noticed little difference in speed with the iPad Air 2022 for all standard tasks. In fact, we took an older iPad Pro from 2018 out of the closet with an A12X chip. This is an improved version of the chip in the iPhone XS. And it performed almost as smoothly.

Only when we wanted to start a tough game did the M2 show its power. The really heavy games on iPad (think Resident Evil Village) need at least an M1 chip or better. So if you want to play it on a tablet, an iPad Air 2022 or this iPad Air 2024 is really a requirement. Otherwise, you’ll have to move to an iPad Pro or MacBook.

To be fair, a new chip also means that you will probably get an extra year (or longer) of support from Apple for a new version of iPadOS. But according to the latest rumors, the 2019 iPad Air will even receive iOS 18. So with a slightly older generation iPad Air you will still be fine for the time being.

Storage: gone with 64 GB

The cheapest version of the iPad Air 2022 had 64 GB of storage. That was already on the tight side two years ago and fortunately this has now been adjusted with the iPad Air 2024.

The iPad Air 2024 now comes standard with 128 GB of storage. This is completely fine for the average iPad user, but if you often work with large files, it is smart to buy a version with more storage. You can then choose from 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. Keep in mind that the price will quickly increase.

Of course, you can always connect external storage to your iPad if you really don’t have enough space left. But that remains cumbersome with a tablet that you actually want to quickly grab and take with you.

And then there’s support for Apple Pencil Pro

The iPad Air 2024 (and the iPad Pro 2024) are currently the only Apple tablets that support the Apple Pencil Pro. The Apple Pencil 2 does not work on these tablets. By the way, the variant with USB-C does work on the new Air and Pro.

That’s nice, but all that fiddling with the different pens doesn’t make it any clearer. It is probably because Apple has moved the camera and therefore the magnets of the click system for the Pencil 2 also had to be adjusted.

The Apple Pencil Pro does have a few useful new features. For example, there is now support for ‘Find My’ (useful if your cat runs away with your Pencil again). It also has haptic feedback, so you feel a vibration when you press the pen.

This ‘impression’ is new, by the way. You will then see a new palette on the iPad screen for apps that support the function, so that you can quickly change tools, line thickness or color.

In addition, the Apple Pencil Pro has a function called ‘Barrel roll’. This is useful, among other things, when drawing. You can then turn the Pencil and adjust the position of your pen or brush – just as if you were working with a real pen or marker on paper.

Please note: during the review of the iPad Air 2024, the popular drawing program Procreate did not yet support the new impression function. In fact, the Apple Pencil Pro showed an annoying delay while drawing. Procreate said on X (Twitter) that they are working on an update.

Buy iPad Air 2024

Are you planning to immediately buy an iPad Air 2024 after reading this review? Then you have to choose a color. The iPad Air 2024 is available in space gray, blue, purple and starlight.

The iPad 2024 has a suggested retail price from 719 euros. But it can sometimes be found cheaper online. Therefore, always check our iPad Air 2024 price comparator. The lowest price there at the moment is €687.

Conclusion: iPad Air 2024 review

We are very satisfied with the iPad Air 2024. Are you looking for a large, affordable Apple tablet? Then the iPad Air 2024 is the best choice at the moment. The 2024 version is also a great time to upgrade for owners of an iPad Air 2019 or older.

Do you still have an iPad Air from 2022 or 2020 and do you think it is too big? Then you can continue to use the tablet for another year (or more). The iPad Air 2024 remains for the most part a better (and larger) version of the iPad Air 2022, with a few minor changes.

We understand that Apple has moved the camera on the iPad Air 2024, but it is a shame that owners of an Apple Pencil 2 will have to buy an Apple Pencil Pro (or version with USB-C) if they want to use one. We therefore advise those people to first look at a (second-hand) iPad Pro 2022 if they want an upgrade from a previous iPad Air.

Finally, the lack of ProMotion and Face ID is still a loss. Touch ID is available, but it works a little less well on the iPad Air than logging in with facial recognition.

On iPhoned we test the latest iPhones and other Apple products. The editorial team (just like all other content on the website) compiles the reviews with a lot of time, care and attention.

This way you as a reader know exactly what to expect from the tested smartphone (and other products). In the reviews we go into depth, but in an understandable way. After all, we want everyone to understand the story and ultimately know how good (or bad) the tested device is.