Is the M2 iPad Air worth the price?

The M2 iPad Air has been announced with an M2 chip, a bigger display, and more. The iPad Air finally got the new M2 SoC, which will surely bring some exciting performance improvements in the CPU and GPU departments. It also has a redesigned 11-inch model and a new 13-inch that could surely attract more customers. So, is the M2 iPad Air worth the price?

Yes, it is, thanks to all the new improvements it has. Let's delve into the nitty-gritty details and find out just how great the new M2 iPad Air will be.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

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How does the M2 iPad Air improve upon the last gen?

The new M2 iPad Air brings several improvements, including display, chipset, cameras, and more. Let's begin with the specs.

Specs comparison

Apple M2 iPad Air specs (Image via Apple)

Here's how the new M2 iPad Air compares to the last gen M1 iPad Air:

	M2 iPad Air	M1 iPad Air
Display	10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD with 500 nits brightness 12.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD with 500 nits brightness	10.9-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD with 500 nits brightness
CPU	Apple M2	Apple M1
GPU	Apple M2 GPU	Apple M1 GPU
Memory	8GB	8GB
Storage	64GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	64GB, 256GB
Battery	28.6Wh	28.6Wh
Price	$599	$599

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Display and design comparison

The display of the M2 iPad Air got two big upgrades, one in the form of a redesigned 11-inch display and the other with the introduction of a new 13-inch display variant. Apple users generally love larger displays and Apple certainly listened to them this year, which is a huge change compared to the previous M1 iPad Air.

With the redesigned display bezel, the front camera orientation is moved from the portrait to the landscape, so FaceTime calls will be even better. Besides the orientation, the front camera also received Center Stage, which uses machine learning algorithms to track your position and keep you at the center of the video.

Both the 11-inch and the 13-inch M2 iPad Air come in new Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey color options.

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Performance comparison

The new M2 inside the new iPad Air has 15% faster CPU performance, 25% faster GPU performance, and 40% faster Neural Engine performance. When you combine these performance improvements with an even faster memory bandwidth, you get a 50% faster total system performance, which is a huge win over the M1 iPad Air.

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Sound improvements

The new M2 iPad Air has stereo speakers in landscape orientation with spatial audio. The 13-inch M2 iPad Air has an even better audio stage with double the base than the previous iPad.

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Is the new M2 iPad Air worth the price?

M2 iPad Air prices (Image via Apple)

Since the new M2 iPad Air has launched at the same $599, it is certainly worth the price you pay for. With the new M2 iPad Air, you get a 13-inch display variant with a redesigned 11-inch variant, up to 50% faster performance, landscape camera orientation, better sound capabilities, and more.

A look at the competitors

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 is a great alternative tab and comes with an AMOLED display, better cameras, and more. However, it also starts at a much higher $799 price tag.