The iPad Air in 2022

iPadAir

 

For the past few years, the iPad family has had a stable lineup of five versions. There are three that stand out:

1. The low-cost iPad ($330 starting price) has no adjectives.
2. The iPad Mini ($500) is a smaller version of the iPad.
3. The iPad Pro 13-inch ($1100) is the largest and most powerful model.

It's simple to decide if you want the cheapest, smallest, or largest iPad. However, deciding between the 11-inch iPad Pro and 10.9-inch iPad Air in the center — where most people's wants, desires, and finances reside — is not that simple. For starters, they're practically identical in size. What I'm referring to as the "13-inch" iPad Pro is actually 12.9 inches. I've never understood why Apple insists on calling it "13 inches." Examine a ruler: a tenth of an inch (2.5mm) is nothing.

However, I see why Apple chose to label the iPad Air's display size 10.9 inches rather than rounding it up to an even 11: when compared to the iPad Pro, the iPad Air has a slightly thicker border surrounding its so slightly smaller display. However, while their display sizes varied somewhat, their casing dimensions are nearly identical. The only difference is that the Air is 0.2mm thicker — close enough to accommodate the same Magic Keyboard but distinct enough that Apple offers separate Smart Folio coverings for each. However, in terms of size, they're the same.

Apple's online "Compare" feature, as usual, is excellent for comparing the two. The new 5th-generation iPad Air (which I've been testing since last week), the 3rd generation 11-inch iPad Pro (which launched in May last year), and the now-discontinued 4th-generation iPad Air are all included on the Compare page (which debuted in October 2020). For posterity's sake, I've also preserved a PDF of this three-way comparison.

The majority of the changes between the new iPad Air and the iPad Pro from last year — as well as the differences between the new iPad Air and the 2020 iPad Air — can be seen on that page. Highlights, in my opinion: the iPad Pro has Face ID, while the new iPad Air still has Touch ID on the power button; only the iPad Pro display supports ProMotion; both support 5G cellular networking, but only the iPad Pro supports mmWave; both support 5G cellular networking, but only the iPad Pro supports mmWave; both support 5G cellular networking, but only the iPad Pro supports mmWave; both support 5G cellular networking, but only the iPad Pro supports (a.k.a. ultra-wideband). The iPad Air, on the other hand, comes in a variety of colors - my review unit is blue, and everyone at DF HQ thinks it's pretty.

The price discrepancies, on the other hand, are less obvious. The iPad Air's base model costs $600, while the iPad Pro costs $800, but this isn't a gigabyte-by-gigabyte comparison. The complete pricing table can be found here:

2021 IPAD PRO 11′′ 64 GB 2022 IPAD AIR $600 for 128 GB

 and $800 for 256 GB $750 512 GB for $900 — $1100

1 TB $1500 2 TB $1900 Cellular +150 +200

* These versions have 16 GB of memory, while the others all have 8 GB.

The iPad Air and iPad Pro only have one storage tier in common: 256 GB, yet the difference in pricing is only $150. (mmWave compatibility is included in the $50 payment for cellular networking on the iPad Pro.) Qualcomm modems aren't free, and Apple isn't picking up the tab.)

If you absolutely need or want 1–2 TB of storage and/or double the RAM, the 256 GB iPad Air is the way to go, but you'll pay at least twice as much. If not, and the great majority of iPad users, including serious ones, should be good with 256 GB of storage and the default 8 GB of RAM, the question becomes whether the iPad Pro is worth the extra $150.