These are the changes from the iPad Air with M1 chip to the new ones, with M2

Two years after the last update, Apple released a new iPad Air — no one, two!

To make the wait worth it, the company not only updated the processor of its mid-range tablet, but also added a new size option — in addition to 11 inches, we now have a 13-inch option.

Still, how do the old and new generations compare? That’s what we’ll see next!

Design and colors

The 5th and 6th generation models — now referred to simply as the 11″ (M2) or 13″ (M2) iPad Air — are very similar in terms of design. The differentiation, therefore, is due to size.

The new models consist of 11″ and 13″ versions, while the previous generation had a single model, with a 10.9″ screen.

Model	Height	Width	Thickness	Weight
iPad Air (5th generation)	247.6mm	178.5mm	6.1mm	461g (Wi-Fi) 462g (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
11″ iPad Air (M2)	247.6mm	178.5mm	6.1mm	462g (Wi-Fi) 462g (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
13″ iPad Air (M2)	280.6mm	214.9mm	6.1mm	617g (Wi-Fi) 618g (Wi-Fi + Cellular)

Regarding colors, Apple reduced the range of options from five on the 5th generation iPad Air (space gray, stellar, pink, purple, blue) to four with the new models (space gray, stellar, purple, blue).

Display

In terms of the screen, the news is specific. Both the 5th generation iPad Air and the new 11″ and 13″ models feature an LED-backlit Liquid Retina display with IPS technology with the following features:

• Coating resistant to fingerprints and oil;
• Fully laminated;
• Anti-reflective coating;
• Wide color tone (P3);
• True Tone.

Even the resolution of the 5th generation iPad Air and the 11″ iPad Air (M2) is identical: 2360×1640 pixels (264 pixels per inch). The 13″ iPad Air (M2), in turn, has a resolution of 2732×2048 pixels (264dpp).

The differences, therefore, are limited to two points: models with M2 chip offer SDR brightness maximum of 600 nitswhile the model with the M1 chip reached “just” 500 nits.

Additionally, the latest versions also include support for the Apple Pencil Cursor feature — which shows where the pencil is located on the screen without actually making contact with it, also allowing for some extra actions.

Chip and storage

Here we have one of the main differences between generations. While the 5th generation iPad Air is powered by the M1 chip, the first Apple Silicon (introduced in 2020), the new iPads Air feature the M2, originally launched in 2022 — which is almost 50% faster than the first generation for many creative and productivity tasks.

chip	CPU	GPU	Neural Engine	RAM
M1	8 cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency)	8 cores	16 cores	8GB
M2	8 cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency)	10 cores	16 cores	8GB

All also offer media engines including hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding for H.264 and HEVC video images.

In terms of storage, the 5th generation iPad Air was only available in two options: 64GB and 256GB. However, now both new models with the M2 chip are available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB versions.

Cameras and sound

On the back of the 5th generation iPad Air there is a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture and up to 5x digital zoom — and these are the same specifications as the models with the M2 chip, except for Smart HDR support. 4 for photos, instead of Smart HDR 3.

The front camera has a bigger change. While the 5th generation iPad Air placed the front camera on the smaller top edge, in the new models it has been moved to the longer edge, making it better for FaceTime calls in landscape (horizontal) orientation.

In terms of specifications, however, in both generations the front camera has 12MP with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 2x zoom out capability — in addition to features such as Center Stage (Center Stage), Retina flash with True Tone and kinematic video stabilization.

For audio, the 5th generation iPad Air and 11″ iPad Air (M2) share horizontal stereo speakers, while the 13″ iPad Air (M2) offers horizontal stereo speakers with twice the bass. All models have two microphones.

Connectivity

The 5th generation iPad Air already has a USB-C port, which takes care of recharging tasks, as well as connecting accessories and external monitors.

All of this is also available in the latest models, including the presence of the Smart Connector on the back to connect with accessories such as the Magic Keyboard.

For stylus use, Apple includes support for the 2nd generation Apple Pencil in the 5th generation iPad Air, as well as Apple Pencil with USB-C. Newer models support the new Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).

As for wireless connectivity, the cellular connection (on Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is the same, supporting sub-6GHz and Gigabit LTE. One thing the new models lack is a slot for SIM card, which is only available on the 5th generation model.

Bluetooth differs between the two, with Apple opting for Bluetooth 5.3 in the latest models compared to version 5.0 of the 5th generation iPad Air. Wi-Fi has also been improved, going from Wi-Fi 6 on models with an M1 chip to Wi-Fi 6E on models with M2.

Battery

The 28.6 watt-hour lithium-polymer battery in the 5th generation iPad Air has been swapped out for a similar 28.93Wh version in the new 11″ model, while the 13″ has a 36.59Wh component.

Still, regardless of the model, Apple still claims that all versions can last up to ten hours of web browsing or video viewing over Wi-Fi, or nine hours of internet browsing using cellular data.

Pricing

The 5th generation iPad Air was available from R$7,000 (US$600) and could reach R$10,200 (US$900), depending on the configuration. Because the 11″ iPad Air (M2) also costs from R$7 thousand (US$600), which can reach R$14,600 ($1,100) depending on configuration.

Finally, the 13″ iPad Air (M2) costs from R$9,500 ($800) and goes up to R$17,100 ($1,300) depending on configuration.

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Having said all that, if the new larger size is an important detail, it may be that, together with the other updates mentioned above, this will be enough to upgrade the 5th generation iPad Air. Or, support for the Apple Pencil Pro.

However, anyone who really cares about performance will be looking at the new iPad Pros, not the Air family.

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