iPads are the dominant tablet on the market for a reason-they’re simply better than anything else on the market. This particular model is the iPad Air, which is thinner and a bit smaller in size than a full 12.9” iPad Pro, but it’s still a huge upgrade from the basic iPad, as it has Apple’s M2 chip-the same one from their laptops and computers-versus the A14 chip in the regular iPad-which is the chip from the iPhone. So this is essentially a computer in tablet form similar to the iPad Pro, though it’s not quite as fast/powerful. But for the majority of people, this is more than sufficient. I personally wanted one just for basic use, nothing much more than the same things I use my phone for, except I wanted a larger screen and the iPad multitasking features as well as Apple Pencil compatibility (this model is compatible with the newest Pencil, and has the magnetic dock/charger on the side of the iPad itself) but upon use, I was blown away at the things this is capable of. It’s so much more than an iPhone with a larger screen, there’s many iPad specific features. I’ve now used this to replace my laptop for 90% of the things I used it for, and it’s much easier and better and far better for travel and on the go use. The battery actually lasts quite a while, unlike many laptops, and there’s a special case available from Apple that has an integrated keyboard and trackpad to turn this into a full on laptop. I’m honestly surprised at just how thin this Air model is as well, and I love the colors available. I highly recommend the keyboard folio and pencil from Apple if you plan to use this as a laptop/computer in any way. And new iPads will finally be debuting soon, so these are hugely reduced in price at the moment (I bought mine about 3 months ago for about 75% of the full price) and Apple products are never reduced in price until the next newer model is available, but these are currently still the best iPads you can buy and are much reduced. If you do only want an iPad for simple things like watching videos, playing games, using apps, the internet, etc. then I’d suggest getting the regular iPad model and not an Air model, as the regular is cheaper and more than powerful enough for those things; you only need the additional power of higher models if you’re going to be putting stress on it by multitasking or using it as a computer. And if it’s just for your kids to play with and watch videos on, definitely get a regular model instead of a mini. It’ll have longer battery life due to less power consumption from a less powerful chipset compared to Air or Pro models. Also, the camera on non pro models are kinda subpar tbh. They’re by no means bad cameras, but they’re just not as sophisticated or good as what’s on current iPhone pro models, as these have single lens cameras from iPhone 10 models. But most people aren’t using iPads for photography anyway, so the camera on these are more than enough. Def suggest buying one of these while they’re cheap!

I’m a college student and I absolutely love it!

I got the 64gb simple because the other option was way too much for me especially if you pay for iCloud or use one drive. I needed something that would allow me to write my notes as typing doesn’t help me remember or truly take in the information, all while keeping everything in one place without having to carry around a bunch of notebooks or papers every where but I also use it all the time to watch movies, read books, digital planning, and journal. It’s really an everyday type of device rather than just for school. It’ll be great for people that do a lot of digital art and so forth too. It’s sleek, lightweight, easy to grip, and the camera is great too. Also, since I have an iPhone, I was able to set up my iPad in 5mins (no, I’m not exaggerating) after I had connected the iPad to the WiFi. The fingerprint sensor on the power button is so sleek and easy to use, have had no problems whatsoever with it. Also got the Apple Pencil and of course it also works seemlessly with the iPad but I do wish it had more of a grip to it but that’s an easy fix with decorative grips that I can purchase on Amazon or shein. I bought this for myself after saving and I’m so proud of myself and absolutely love my purchase. I guarantee that you’ll love it too.

If you’re wondering if to buy it with Best Buy then I say go for it. Their customer service is top tier so if you have any questions feel free to use the pop-up customer support tool. I got my package the next day and was even notified that it’s on its way when it was like 15-20 mins away so you could bet I was at the door patiently waiting! It didn’t come damaged or opened in anyway, the box was properly packed to ensure that none of that would happen.

This is my FIRST ipad with WiFi + Cellular!!! And I bought it specifically to be able to include a data plan and utilize it as a hotspot when needed.

I bought the iPad Air with the M1 Chip.
I can see that I can easily use this as a laptop too. One of my close friends recently bought the iPad PRO with the M2 Chip. These two devices are about the same size. I'm a bit more tech savvy than my friend but it does seem that the features for both devices are nearly the same.

YOU MUST get the APN number from the cellular data provider to make it work... and if the tech support/providers don't know this information FIND ONE THAT DOES KNOW!

IT IS GREAT. But I had to get over a hurdle with the provider to get it working.

I REALLY LOVE IT but for anyone buying, and needing to connect the WiFi and Cellular -- this info may be of help.

So far I've only used one brand of SIM card, and perhaps experiences with other companies will be different than the experience with Mint. I bought a 3 month SIM to try it... And spent half of that 3 months just trying to make this all work.

I know that an iPad can't be used as a phone... The device isn't built to be a phone.

Because it has its own UNIQUE phone number, unlike my previous iPad, I can't link it to my iPhone and answer calls on it the way I could with my former non cellular iPad.

BUT THIS: I do use VOIP landlines at home. I can actually use the Magic Jack phone on THIS iPad Air just as I can on my laptop and my old iPad.

I specifically wanted an iPad - to allow me more ease when I travel to get on line and to give me access to a hotspot when needed if no public access hotspot is available.

It took a long time to set up, because none of the support technicians at MINT were aware of the fact that THEY as the provider of the SIM card are supposed to provide you with the provider's code (APN) to allow the iPad's cellular and WiFi features a to work. (SEE THE PICTURE).

ONE SHOULD KNOW that even with a SIM CARD an iPad will NOT work as a phone! I did know that, but to make matters more solidly confusing - the MINT company assigns a phone number to the iPad but it can't be used except for BILLING types of issues. With MINT tech support - so many times they would tell me they were going to text information to the nonworking number.

I had to tell them REPEATEDLY that the number for my iPad which they issued - that I was asking for help to set up - does not work - which is something they should know.

I also lost more than a month of service that I paid for because MINT considered my tablet "ACTIVATED" even though they never provided me with the APN number until more than a month after they gave me a phone number that doesn't work -- so I could not use it as a WiFi/Cellular device at ALL until the APN number was given.

The vast majority of their tech support people and their supervisor had no idea about that number - except for ONE person that I finally got lucky enough to be connected to... and the very NEXT person I was on a chat with - a SUPERVISOR for Mint - was the worst of ALL in that this person finally told me that this iPad was too old, incompatible, and that I should buy something NEWER (there is nothing newer) and then disconnected me.

WHAT SAVED THE DAY was for me to go to the Apple Genius Bar/Geek Squad at Plymouth Meeting and - because I NOW did have the APN CODE - it took just a few minutes to correctly set up the WiFI and Cellular service!

Years ago I did telephone sales so I know that most of these tech support people are simply reading the words in front of them when they answer questions. And they are questions written for people who have cell phone connection issues - not iPad connection issues.

What this also means though is that at least for MINT (I have no other experience yet with other providers) you can't access your own account. Their procedure is to allow you access to your SIM card account by sending a text to the assigned phone number... and you can't access it, so you can't access your Mint account.

The iPad Air 5 is a genuine powerhouse. The M1 chipset blows anything and everything out of the water.

It's just too bad that it fails immeasurably as a portable device.

iPads used to be known for their excellent battery life, able to go days without a charge for many users. Whether it's the M1, something about iPadOS or Apple being stingy with battery capacity, something has gone horribly wrong in the longevity department.

I struggled to get more than 5 hours out of this tablet while doing basic tasks like Internet browsing and watching videos off the local storage. My iPhone 12 Pro manages better, and its battery is absolutely cooked.

I've done plenty of troubleshooting and reinstalled iPadOS to try and fix things. But it's no good. The battery life just sucks.

If I wanted to be tethered to an outlet, I would have bought a small laptop.

If the M1 is the culprit, then it's a problem that I absolutely NEED and M-series SoC to access Stage Manager.

A $400 nugget from Lenovo has access to PC mode, which offers multitasking on par with Stage Manager. All running on a mid-tier MediaTek processor with 6 gigabytes of RAM. Whether Stage Manager truly needs that much horsepower, or Apple is just pushing people to buy their more expensive iPads, is beyond the scope of a review, but it's something to think about.

Otherwise this is a pretty standard experience. The speakers are good, if hard to avoid covering while holding the device in landscape.

It's light and comfortable.

The screen is.... Acceptable. Paying this much and not getting an OLED panel isn't ideal but I knew what I was getting going in. Although perhaps the lower power consumption of an OLED screen would have helped the battery life. At the very least the thinner panel would have made room for a larger battery.

If you really want/need iPadOS but don't require Stage Manager, save your pennies and get a standard iPad.