Apple iPad Air 10.9" (5th Generation) Purple 2022

The iPad Air with the M1 chip has a 4.9-star rating from 8,298 reviews, putting it in the 99th percentile for social proof. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is the real star, ranking in the 76th percentile for screen quality. But battery life is a weak spot at the 32nd percentile, and the productivity score of 36.1/100 means it won't replace your laptop.

The M1 chip in this iPad Air was a big deal when it launched, and it still holds up reasonably well. In our database, the CPU lands in the 62nd percentile, which puts it solidly in the middle of the pack for modern tablets. The 8-core GPU does a bit better at the 71st percentile, so gaming and graphics work are still smooth. The 8GB of RAM is adequate for multitasking, though it's not going to blow anyone away at the 68th percentile. Where this thing really shines is the display. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina panel with True Tone and P3 wide color sits in the 76th percentile for screen quality. That's a genuinely nice panel for watching movies or reading. The 12MP rear camera and 12MP front camera with Center Stage are also solid, though camera quality on a tablet is rarely a dealbreaker. The stereo landscape speakers are a nice touch for media consumption. But the battery is a weak spot, ranking in the 32nd percentile. For a device people use for hours of drawing or streaming, that's a real limitation.

Against the competition, the iPad Air is a mixed bag. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 has a better screen and more storage options, but it can't match the iPad's app ecosystem or that 99th percentile social proof. The Xiaomi Pad 62779 is cheaper and has better battery life, but the M1 chip in the iPad Air still beats it for GPU performance. The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro TB373FU is a productivity-focused tablet that outclasses the iPad Air for work tasks, but it's heavier and the screen isn't as nice. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is the real threat here. It runs full Windows, has better connectivity, and is a genuine laptop replacement. The iPad Air's productivity score of 36.1/100 is a glaring weakness when you put it next to the Surface Pro 11. If you need a tablet for work, the Surface is the better buy. If you want a tablet for media, drawing, and casual use, the iPad Air holds its own.

Pricing on this iPad Air is all over the place. You'll find it anywhere from $330 to $540 depending on the vendor, which is a $210 spread. That's a huge range for the same tablet. At the low end, around $330, this is a genuinely good deal for a tablet with an M1 chip and a screen this nice. At $540, you're getting into territory where you should seriously consider the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 or even a base iPad Pro. The 64GB of storage is the real value killer here. It ranks in the 45th percentile, and with iPadOS taking up a chunk of that, you're left with maybe 50GB of usable space. If you're planning to load it up with games or Procreate files, you'll feel that constraint fast. For the price, the sweet spot is finding it closer to $330 than $540.

The iPad Air with the M1 chip is a weird product in 2025. It's got a 4.9-star rating from nearly 8,300 buyers, which puts it in the 99th percentile for social proof. People genuinely love this thing. But our benchmark data tells a more complicated story. The M1 is still a capable chip, landing in the 62nd percentile for CPU performance among tablets, and the 8GB of RAM sits at the 68th percentile. That's fine, but it's not the powerhouse Apple's marketing would have you believe. The screen is the real highlight here, ranking in the 76th percentile with that 2360x1640 Liquid Retina panel. For entertainment and reading, it's a genuinely great device. For productivity, well, that's where things get dicey.

If you need a tablet for productivity, skip this one. The productivity score of 36.1/100 is one of the weakest we've seen in this category. The 64GB of storage is also a dealbreaker for anyone who wants to keep a lot of files, games, or media on their device. And if you're someone who uses a tablet away from a charger for long stretches, the battery life ranking in the 32nd percentile will frustrate you. The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 or Lenovo Idea Tab Pro TB373FU are better options for work-focused buyers.

The iPad Air with the M1 chip is a great tablet for entertainment and casual use, but it's not the do-everything device Apple wants you to think it is. The 4.9-star rating from thousands of buyers tells you people love it for what it does well: streaming, reading, drawing, and light gaming. The screen is genuinely good, the M1 chip is still capable, and the build quality is typical Apple. But the battery life is mediocre, the 64GB of storage is limiting, and the productivity score of 36.1/100 means it won't replace your laptop. If you can find it for $330 to $400, it's a solid buy. At $500 or more, you're better off looking at the Surface Pro 11 or saving up for an iPad Pro.