iPad Air

The iPad That Actually Works for Real Life

Let's be honest. Most families don't need the iPad Pro. What you need is something that survives sticky fingers, lasts through a school day, handles video calls without looking weird, and doesn't cost as much as a laptop.

The iPad Air is exactly that.

Reviewers consistently praise the M3 chip for making this thing fast enough for actual work. Web browsing is snappy, apps launch instantly, and if your kid wants to edit a video or use Procreate for art class, it handles it without breaking a sweat. You can have three apps running at once and everything stays responsive. That matters when you're juggling email, video calls, and trying to keep the tablet from becoming a expensive toy.

The display is genuinely nice. It's bright enough to use outside without glare, colors pop, and text is crisp for reading or schoolwork. Yes, it's 60Hz instead of the Pro's 120Hz, but honestly, you won't feel the difference in daily life. Your kid won't care. You won't care. It's a non-issue.

Battery life is where this thing shines for families. You get over 10 hours of actual use, which means it survives a full school day, a road trip, or a weekend of streaming without needing a charge. That's real peace of mind.

The design is where the Air earns its reputation. It's light enough to hold comfortably while reading in bed or watching shows with the kids, but it doesn't feel cheap. It's slim, it looks good, and it feels like it'll last. The front-facing camera is positioned so video calls don't look like you're filming from your armpit, which is a small thing that makes a huge difference for Zoom school or family FaceTime.

One real drawback: there's no water resistance. If you've got young kids, spills happen. A case is essential, not optional. Also, the Magic Keyboard is sold separately and it's expensive, so if you want real productivity, budget for that.

Compared to alternatives, this is the smart middle ground. The base iPad is cheaper but feels noticeably slower and the screen is smaller. The Pro is faster and fancier, but you're paying an extra $400 for features most families never use. The Air splits the difference perfectly.

For students, creators on a budget, parents who need something that actually works, and anyone who wants a tablet that feels premium without the premium price, this is the one.

The Middle Child Problem

Apple's iPad Air occupies one of tech's most uncomfortable positions: the middle child nobody asked for. At $799, it's caught between the base iPad's aggressive value proposition and the iPad Pro's feature completeness.

Let's talk performance first, because this is where the Air actually earns its seat at the table. The M1 chip (or M3 in newer variants) delivers genuinely fast performance for everyday tasks. Benchmarks show strong single and multi-core scores, and real-world usage confirms smooth app switching, video editing, and web browsing. For students tackling essays and spreadsheets, or creators doing light photo work, this is more than sufficient. The 10-hour battery life for web browsing is legitimately impressive and covers a full academic day.

But then you hit the display. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina screen is bright and colorful, but it's stuck at 60Hz in 2025. That's not a technical limitation; it's a pricing strategy. The iPad Pro gets 120Hz. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 FE, which costs significantly less, offers 90Hz. For a tablet marketed toward creators, that 60Hz refresh rate feels like Apple deliberately hobbling the experience to push you upmarket. Scrolling through design apps or video timelines, you'll feel it.

The build quality reveals the same pattern. At 1.4 pounds without a keyboard, this tablet is noticeably heavier than competitors. More frustratingly, there's no IP rating for water or dust resistance. In 2025, that's inexcusable at $799. A device marketed for students and creators should survive accidental coffee spills or dusty coffee shop use.

Here's where the value argument collapses: the base iPad costs $329. It has the same processor class (A14 vs M1, but still very fast), handles the same tasks, and runs the same software. You lose a larger screen and Apple Pencil support, but those features alone don't justify a $470 premium. For most users, that's a terrible deal.

The Air makes sense only for specific buyers: students who genuinely need the larger screen for note-taking with Apple Pencil, or creators who've outgrown the base iPad but can't justify Pro pricing. For casual users, iPad shoppers, or anyone watching their budget, the base iPad is the smarter purchase. Apple knows this, which is why they keep the Air's specs intentionally crippled relative to its price. It's not a product failure; it's a deliberate margin strategy.