The 2022 iPad has got a massive redesign which adds an edge-to-edge display, USB-C support, new cameras and much more. Express.co.uk has already put the new tablet to the test and you can read our full iPad 2022 review here. It’s a solid upgrade that has a price tag to match, with this latest entry-level device costing a whopping £499 – £130 more than its predecessor. If you’re willing to spend that much on a new iPad – and have a bit of wiggle room in your budget – another option is getting the 2022 iPad Air which is available right now with £100 off at Amazon UK.
The 2022 refresh of the iPad Air came out in March, and usually costs £669 but is available at the moment for £569. That’s £70 more than the new entry-level iPad, but the extras you get could be well worth it.
The biggest difference between the 2022 iPad Air and the 2022 iPad is the chip that powers the tablet, with the Air fitted with Apple’s lightning fast M1 silicon.
This chip offers a whopping 60 percent faster CPU performance than the 2020 iPad Air which is powered by the same chip that features in the new entry-level iPad (the A14 Bionic).
Besides a huge CPU boost, the M1 chip means the 2022 iPad Air provides double the graphics performance of its predecessor, which is ideal if you plan to use your new iPad for plenty of mobile gaming.
It can also use the new Stage Manager tool which lets you plug the tablet into a monitor for a desktop-style experience – that’s not something you can do on the A14-powered iPad 2022.
Elsewhere on the spec sheet the Air easily beats its newer sibling when it comes to RAM, boasting 8GB of memory compared to 4GB.
The iPad Air also has plenty of other big advantages including a laminated anti-glare display, second-generation Apple Pencil support (whereas the 2022 iPad only supports the first-gen Pencil) as well as being compatible with both the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio add-ons (the 2022 iPad only supports Magic Keyboard).
Like the new entry-level iPad, the iPad Air boasts an iPad Pro-style design which was introduced to the Air range in 2020. That means thin bezels, an edge-to-edge 10.9-inch screen, no Home button, a Touch ID sensor on the side and USB-C support.
The 2022 iPad Air is available in five colour schemes – blue, purple, starlight, pink and space grey.
The base model, which is usually priced at £669, also comes with 64GB of onboard storage.