The iPad Air 2022 is the best all-round tablet we’ve reviewed and the option we recommend to most people.

When we reviewed the device, we had difficulty finding any serious problems with the tablet. Out of the box, the tablet offered the premium, well-designed feel that has consistently earned iPad Air tablets top scores on Trusted Reviews. The metal coating feels pleasant to the touch and has no elasticity issues when pressed; After two weeks with the device and an accidental drop, our review unit remained undamaged.

It’s also excellent as a piece of hardware. In tests, we found that the iPad Air 2022 is more than powerful for daily use. Powered by Apple’s M1 chip, the same silicon seen in the MacBook Air M1 and the last-generation Apple iPad Pro series, the tablet has succeeded in every process it has thrown its way. Every game we launched ran smoothly, and the device never heated up once, even when dealing with large-scale vector graphics in Affinity Designer. Trust us; Despite being part of Apple’s Air tablet range and not the Pro, this is a very strong performer.

Apple’s iPadOS software is also significantly more advanced than Android’s. During testing, we had no difficulty finding an application for the process we wanted to run. This makes it extremely flexible and suitable for use as a backup when paired with the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard option.

The only minor problem is that, like all Apple peripherals, the keyboard and stylus are expensive add-ons. We’re also not the biggest fans of the keyboard cover’s switches, which still seem a bit soft compared to most dedicated laptops we’ve tested. As a result, we recommend it only for taking notes during lectures rather than writing a thesis.

The 11-inch display is perfect for watching video content and delivers suitably bright and accurate colors for an immersive viewing experience. Our reviewer was also impressed by the tablet’s speakers, which deliver surprisingly powerful and detailed sound that makes watching TV in bed fun.

If that wasn’t enough, our testing showed that the iPad Air 4 can give users all-day battery life. Our reviewer regularly managed 10 hours of heavy use before the tablet needed charging. Playing a downloaded iTunes video for 10 hours, there was still 3% battery left during our tests.

Our only minor flaw is that, unlike many Microsoft and Google rivals, the screen is a simple LCD panel with a locked 60Hz refresh rate. This means the device falls slightly short of delivering the deep blacks seen on its Pro Mini-LED siblings and Android rivals like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which has an OLED display.

We would also like Apple’s Promotion to appear. The promotion is a display technology that allows the tablet to render twice as many images per second by increasing its refresh rate to 120Hz. This feature works great and, in our experience, makes Pro displays much smoother to use than Air models.

Normally we’d forgive it considering the Air’s price; but recently we’ve seen competing devices at the same price, such as the Xiaomi Pad 5 with a 120Hz display, pass through our labs. So the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a great alternative for those looking for a great all-round 11-inch tablet but aren’t into Apple’s software ecosystem.

Reviewed by: Maximum Parker
Full review: iPad Air 2022 Review