- Super speedy
- Selfie cam on the horizontal axis
- Much better standby battery life
- Doesn't work with older Apple Pencils
- New Apple Pencil Pro features are sparse for now
Announcing the new iPad line up, Apple finally seemed to answer the question “what is an iPad for?” For generations, Apple itself has seemingly been confused by this question. For a while it was an entertainment device, then it began inching closer to a laptop replacement, but now the company has cracked it. iPads are for artists.
Of course, many artists could have already told you that, but now that Apple is on board the changes to the iPad Air make a lot of sense. Based primarily around the M2 processing power, the iPad Air (M2) is faster, has better standby battery life, and can handle larger files smoother than its A-series chipset predecessors. Coupled with the Apple Pencil Pro, the whole setup is designed to optimise the artistic workflow. It truly is a joy to use.
The problems with the iPad Air (M2) aren’t about its technology, they’re about its economics. Starting at $999 this is the most expensive iPad Air to date, and the costs don’t stop there. To actually harness the creative power of the Air, users are roped into a forced upgrade to an Apple Pencil Pro, or downgrade to an Apple Pencil USB-C. This lack of backwards compatibility feels unnecessary, and somewhat malignant when you consider the difference between the two Apple Pencil options.
The iPad Air (M2) has boundless creative potential, but the progress comes with a caveat. If you want to take a step forward, you can’t take any steps back.
iPad Air (M2) performance: Mach 2
No one is updating their iPad every cycle, so I’ll save the M1 versus M2 chipset comparisons and instead focus on the improvements since the iPad Air 4th generation. Back in 2020, the 4th gen iPad was released with what we now know to be the last A chip in an iPad, the A14 chipset. Performance across the board was perfectly fine with this chipset, the only issue I ever faced was exporting large Procreate files which admittedly took a while to accomplish. Or at least I thought that was the only issue, because since I picked up the M2 iPad Air I fear there is no turning back.
As is to be expected, everything is faster. Opening and closing apps, exporting files, and even the animations are zippier compared to the 4th gen. Practically, this has saved me a good chunk of time when it comes to transferring large files from my iPad to my Mac. A chunky PSD file with 24 layers took around five seconds to export on the M2, as opposed to nine seconds with the A14 chip. While those numbers are small, the difference is staggering. Extrapolated over years of use, the M2 iPad will undeniably save time and frustration whether you work with big creative files, or want a snappier gaming experience.
Although Apple doesn’t advertise it, another upshot of the M2 chip is that the standby battery life has improved. Perhaps my biggest pet peeve about iPads is just how poor this standby life has been. Almost every time I go to pick up my iPad, the battery is dead. Meanwhile, I have cheap Android phones on my shelf still buzzing with every notification. With the new iPad Air, this problem seems to have solved itself. Over the last 10 days the battery slowly trudged down to 25% on standby, while for comparison the 4th Gen iPad Air dies in two days if I don’t top it up. Even with the small battery degradation on the 4th Gen, the difference is once again enormous.
Unsurprisingly the M2 chip has made drastic improvements to the operation of the iPad Air. Compared to it, the A14 chip is physically painful to use. The additional power allows you to accomplish more on the device without sacrificing battery life, or your time. It is a big win for the creative community, but those wins always have their price.
iPad Air (M2) Apple Pencil: Apple Pencil Pro or Con?
The hero accessory attached to the iPad has long been the Apple Pencil. For the iPad Air (M2), the new Apple Pencil Pro holds a handful of the device’s updates in its grip, and yet you’re not guaranteed said upgrades.
Both the Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil USB-C are compatible with the new iPad Air, but without opting for the Pro you’ll miss out on the creative workflow optimisations that come with Squeeze. Squeeze lets you press in on the Pencil to quickly access functions across apps. On Apple’s native app Freeform, it opens a quick selection arc with pen choices, and colours. On Procreate you can use it to toggle through layers, and there will be more functionality rolling out to other apps once developers have had a chance to catch up.
As is custom with Apple technology, Squeeze is a well-executed feature. Even though I would never squeeze my pencil, except out of frustration, the motion is intuitive. It takes hardly any getting used and does speed up your workflow across the apps that support it. The Pro also comes with Barrel roll, haptic feedback, and Find My support.
Conversely, the Apple Pencil USB-C is bareboned. It is a precise stylus that doesn’t even have wireless charging. When it came out, seemingly randomly last year, many people wondered why. Although it was inevitably tied to Apple's switch to USB-C, the compatibility with the new iPads points to a different end. Maybe this is just Apple's way of ticking a "cheaper option" box.
Regardless, those are your two choices for Apple Pencil with the iPad Air (M2). If you’re looking to buy the new, creatively inspired iPad, then it is pretty obvious which one you’re going to choose, but it is annoying that you have to choose at all. The 2nd generation Apple Pencil - which is supported by the last two iPad Air generations - has almost the same functionality as the Pro. It is missing the new features, obviously, but if you’re looking to upgrade your iPad, chances are you already own this Apple Pencil. Two new creative features isn’t usually enough to justify spending an extra $219 on the Pencil Pro, but unfortunately, users don’t have a choice in the matter.
Even with the cheaper $135 Apple Pencil with USB-C, the lack of backward compatibility ostensibly inflates the price of the iPad. Apple Pencils are accessories, so they obviously cost you extra. That is fair, but the forced upgrade cycle isn’t. Especially now, while the new technology is in its infancy and support is limited, obliging users to spend extra on a new Pencil is harsh.
iPad Air (M2) - Final Thoughts
There is a lot to love about the new iPad Air, but although the M2 processor is working faster, you don’t have to. None of the upgrades should compel you to run out and buy a new iPad, and a new Apple Pencil right away. The extra speeds are immediate improvements, but we still have to wait for app developers to roll out greater Apple Pencil Pro support.
If you didn’t have to upgrade your Apple Pencil, it would be a different story. For now the extra $219 you need to spend doesn’t come with the promised improvements. It is just a forced additional expense. In a few months, or even a year when there are more ways to use Barrel Roll and Squeeze, the value proposition will change, but right now there is no harm in standing still for a little bit longer.
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