Design and Build

The iPad Air 5 (M1 2022) which is also mentioned as iPad Air M1, comes in an aluminum body that has flat edges and happens to be 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches big (247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm) and its weight lies at 1.02 pounds (461g Wi-Fi, 462g Cellular). It is manufactured in Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue and features the power button on top with Touch ID, no Home button, and compatibility with Apple Pencil (2nd generation) (via magnets) and Magic Keyboard. There is no IP rating, so forget about it being water- or dust-resistant. The USB-C port is the difference as it is a much faster one giving out 10 Gbps compared to the 5 Gbps speed of the iPad Air 4 for data transfer. The consensus is that this Air 5 device is liked for its stylish impression and mobility while it’s mentioned that Face ID is the one missing feature and there are recorded cases of accidental touches due to the thin outdated bezels.

• Aluminum chassis, flat edges
• Top-mounted Touch ID, no Home button
• USB-C port (10 Gbps)
• Supports 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard
• No water/dust resistance

Display

The iPad Air 5 comes with a Liquid Retina IPS LCD 10.9-inch display that supports a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels (264 PPI), True Tone, P3 wide color, and provides up to 500 nits brightness. The zippy 60Hz refresh rate that you have on this iPad, which makes scrolling and normal things appear to be smooth, is fine, yet it’s nothing comparing to the 120Hz ProMotion in iPad Pro. Finally, it is fully laminated, thus parallax is greatly reduced in comparison to the iPad of the 10th generation, though the reading of the screen in direct sunlight is fairly limited. Consumers are very happy with the saturated colors provided for consumption or simply creating and drawing on the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil, but those who want something that has OLED are not fully content.

• 10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD
• 2360 x 1640 resolution, 264 PPI
• 500 nits brightness
• True Tone, P3 wide color
• 60Hz refresh rate
• Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating

Performance and Software

This iPad Air 5 has the M1 chip from Apple (8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine), 8GB of RAM, and storage. Customers have the option to choose between 64GB ($599) or 256GB ($749), but it’s not done through an expandable system. Along with iPadOS 15 (which can later be upgraded to iPadOS 18), it states Apple Intelligence is mostly used through the Writing Tools feature, and it’s good till ~2028. With a speed of up to 60% from the Air 4 powered by the A14 and achieving seamless gaming, the Air 5 is pushing its way in video editing, but actual pro workflow is hindered by iPadOS. As per user feedback, the device is top-mended for casual activities, yet it is felt that the M2 would indeed have been a good bet just because of the extra GPU core.

• Apple M1 chip, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU
• 8GB RAM
• Storage: 64GB, 256GB
• iPadOS 15 (up to iPadOS 18)
• Apple Intelligence support

The M1 chip makes the Air 5 a powerhouse, but the 64GB base storage is limiting for professionals, and iPadOS constraints frustrate some users needing laptop-like functionality.

Camera System

The iPad Air 5 has a 12MP, 1.8-f-stop rear camera that provides 5x digital zoom, without the flash, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera (f/2.4, 122° FOV) with Center Stage. It also enables 60fps 4K video (rear) and 60fps 1080p video (front). Virtual meetings and virtual social calls will get the work done or get in touch with the people you care about without any difficulty. Only if it is good to see friends in general, but moreover, your performance in low-light conditions, like recording your YouTube channel videos, is just on average. Center Stage makes the viewing experience more interactive as it’s capable of moving the subject to be in the center during video calls, which is significantly better than the front camera of the Air 4 device. While certainly a small market, taking photos using a tablet is not impossible; in fact, the layout makes it quite doable.

• Rear: 12MP (f/1.8, 5x digital zoom)
• Front: 12MP Ultra-wide (f/2.4, 122° FOV)
• Video: 4K 60fps (rear), 1080p 60fps (front)
• Features: Center Stage, Smart HDR 3

Battery and Charging

The 7606mAh heavy-duty battery of the iPad Air 5 is capable of providing close to 12 hours of movie viewing on airplane mode or approximately 10-12 hours of web browsing and editing without recharging. When charging from a 20W USB-C power source, it can only charge at a 50% level for around 45 minutes. A charger with a 20W power output is in the package. The Radio Frequency Energy that will be transmitted via the technology used in fast charging assurance is not wireless charging and for this reason, there will be no wireless charging. The battery is an efficient and robust emphasis of power essence present on both the Air 5 and Pro M2, but the latter's battery gets drained faster on occasions of heavy and demanding tasks like gaming. The users give commendable comments and feedback to the battery since it is enduring and indeed a perfect match for everyday use.

• 7606mAh battery
• ~12 hours video playback, 10–12 hours real-world
• 20W wired charging (50% in ~45 min)
• No wireless charging
• 20W USB-C charger included

Connectivity

As to wireless networking, the iPad Air 5 follows the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard, has Bluetooth 5.0, and offers 5G as an option for cellular models (from $749 and above). The iPad Air 5 is provided with the possibility to choose nano-SIM, eSIM, and GPS (A-GPS, and GLONASS support in the case of the cellular version). On the flip side, there are no satellite or mmWave bands here. Among these standards, the users get fairly consistent and satisfying results, however, some users do face with the issue that 5G signal is not stable in certain locations, which will likely lead to a 5G connection being disconnected, similarly to the problems observed in the iPad Mini 6.

• Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 5G (sub-6GHz, cellular models)
• Nano-SIM, eSIM
• GPS: A-GPS, GLONASS (cellular)
• No mmWave or satellite connectivity

Pricing and Availability

In the first sale, the iPad Air 5 was sold as the $599 (64GB Wi-Fi) and $749 (256GB Wi-Fi) models beginning on March 11th this year. Subsequently, on March 18, 2022, one could already buy it from Apple, then through the cell network providers, and later at such marketplaces as Amazon. The LTE models need to be ordered within the base price. The product has not been on sale since May 7, 2024, but at the same time, there are offers; you can get the product at a very low price of $400 to $500. With the iPad Air 6 boasting enough storage for $599 for 128GB and a larger 13-inch display, it's hard to argue that it's not a better value than the other device. Given all of four, the 5th Air model is still a very good, power-packed, and compact tech choice.