Ever since the iPad Air 5 was announced, there has been an uproar among techies and consumers about whether it’s really the next must-have tablet or if it’s just a glorified piece of technology with mediocre features and performance.
Is it really worth purchasing or not as compared to other iPad and android tablets? What are the improvements in the new Apple iPad air? Is this iPad computer tablet having the potential to replace your previously owned tablet?
We will see everything, the strong and weak points of the iPad Air 5 in our in-depth review. Keep reading iPad Air 5 Review for College Students.
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iPad Air 5 Review for College Students
The Good About new iPad air 5th generation
The iPad Air 5’s price is the same as the last generation iPad air. It has got some new features and upgrades which we will see later in this review article.
The New M1 chip
The first good thing about the new iPad Air 2022 is that its A14 bionic chip has been upgraded to the M1 chip. iPad Air 5 is the first iPad air with an m1 Chip.
Its single-core CPU performance has improved a little but its multicore CPU performance has improved by up to 70 percent. It means that running high productivity apps on iPad air 5th gen is a lot easier now.
So, what about GPU Performance? To be honest the M1 chip has taken the iPad air performance to the next level. With the M1 chip, its GPU performance has increased by up to 75%. This is insane. Right?
So, whether you are playing a big game or exporting videos, the iPad air m1 will not disappoint you. With the m1 chip, all of your apps are going to load faster now.
Change in Camera
The second good thing about the iPad air m1 chip tablet is the cameras. The iPad air 5 m1 has a single camera 12Mp f/1.8 at the back with no flash, which is the same as the previous generation iPad air. (Even the iPad mini comes with flash)
But its front-facing camera is improved. The iPad air m1 front-facing camera is now upgraded to 12 MP which was previously 7MP. This selfie camera is now ultrawide with center stage.
The Centre stage feature means the camera will follow you around the room. There is no need to move the tablet while video calling. Just place the iPad Air 5 on the table and the front-facing selfie camera will do the rest.
USB-C Port
The third good thing about iPad Air 5 is that now it has a faster USB-C port. Now its speed is 10 GB per second, which was previously 5 GB per second. So, this means its USB-C port is twice as fast as an iPad air 4 USB-C port.
5G support
The next good thing is that the iPad Air 5 supports 5G connectivity. Now it is possible on iPad air to stream and download high-quality videos and more with the blazing-fast 5G connection.
Design & More
The iPad Air 5th gen design is almost similar to the previous generation. It is slim, lightweight, and has an aluminum body. It has an inbuilt touch ID power button and is available in five different colors i.e Blue, pink, purple, space grey, and starlight.
Its screen is 10.9-inch LED-backlit and has a pixel resolution of 2360 x 1640. Like any other apple iPad, it supports a magic keyboard and 2nd generation apple pencil. But you have to purchase them by paying extra money.
On the other hand, you will get USB-C Charge Cable (1 meter) and 20W USB-C Power Adapter right out of the box along with the Apple iPad Air 5th.
SSD Speed
The SSD speed of the iPad air with an m1 chip is definitely improved. Both reading and writing speeds of the storage are faster than before. The writing speed is improved by a little percentage whereas the reading speed is improved by more than 80%.
The Bad About the new iPad Air 5 Gen M1
To be honest, the new iPad has weak points also. The things that should be improved or upgraded. Let’s have a look at some of the bad things about the iPad air M1.
No 128 GB Storage
Apple did it again. The iPad Air 5 is launched in 2 storages, one is 64GB and the other is 256GB. And again, the 128GB storage is not there. Why apple?
64GB is not enough storage to handle more apps these days. So instead of 64 GB, there should be a 128GB variant. So, you will get the maximum storage of 256 GB which is not expandable.
60 Hz Display
Scrolling through apps and websites is not that smooth with the 60 Hz refresh rate display of iPad air 5 gen. The lower refresh rate on this new apple iPad air 2022 is very much noticeable.
Battery Life
Though the latest generation iPad air performance is improved by the M1 chip, the battery life is not. For heavy users, the battery will not last long. But for normal users, the battery lasts for some more hours.
But still, the battery life varies on many factors. Some users complain that the cellular model drains battery fast as compared to the wifi model.
Dual Stereo Speakers/Microphones
Yeah, the iPad air m1 chip 5th gen has dual stereo speakers. But on listening to a song on these dual speakers, we noticed that it has average volume, bass, highs, and vocals.
Is It Worth Purchasing iPad Air 5?
The iPad air m1 chip is a magnificent update to one of my favorite tablet series and I am certain it will be just as popular as its predecessors.
iPad Air 5 comes with some decent improvement over its predecessors. This iPad air is thinner, has a powerful processor, and awesome design. If you want to buy an iPad Air 5 then it is a good choice but not a great one.
It will work great not only for students but for anyone. The display is good but not great as the iPad pro. But performance-wise, it is definitely worth purchasing.
The 64 Gb model is priced at $599 and the 256 GB model is available at $749 which is exactly the same price as the iPad Pro 11.
Read – iPad Air 5 vs iPad Pro 11