If you don’t want to splurge for the iPad Pro but want the benefits of Apple’s M1 chipset, then you’re in luck because Apple has since announced a refresh of the iPad Air where they have given the tablet the M1 chipset as well. This pretty much confirms the earlier rumors that Apple could be giving the fifth-gen iPad Air an upgrade in performance.
In terms of design, Apple didn’t really change much on that front because for the most part, the fifth-gen iPad Air still looks a lot like its predecessor. Whether or not that is a good or bad thing depends on your personal preference, although given that it has been about two years since the last refresh, we were hoping for a bit of a change.
Some other changes Apple has made is to the front-facing 12MP camera where the company has equipped it with Center Stage. For those unfamiliar, this is a feature which allows the camera to track the subject to keep them in the center of the frame, useful if you move around quite a bit.
The display of the tablet also remains the same as the previous model that measures 10.9-inches in size and uses Apple’s Liquid Retina display tech. It boasts up to 500 nits of brightness which is pretty decent, and it also has Touch ID built into the top button. The fifth-gen iPad Air will also be compatible with the second-gen Apple Pencil for those who love to draw and take notes by hand.
The new iPad Air is priced starting at $599 for the WiFi-only model, but the model with 5G support will be priced slightly higher at $799.