So, Apple finally did it. They gave us the big screen without the "Pro" tax that usually makes your wallet weep. The iPad Air 13 inch 2024 is a weird, wonderful, and slightly confusing middle child in the current tablet lineup. Honestly, for years, if you wanted a massive 13-inch canvas, you had to sell a kidney for the iPad Pro. Now? You can just buy the Air. But before you go clicking "Add to Cart," there are some quirks about this machine that the glossy marketing photos don't exactly highlight.
Basically, Apple took the DNA of the older 12.9-inch iPad Pro and rebranded it for the rest of us.
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It’s got the M2 chip. It’s got that expansive Liquid Retina display. But it’s missing the 120Hz ProMotion—that buttery smooth scrolling we’ve all grown to love. Does that actually matter? For some people, it’s a dealbreaker. For others who just want to draw or watch Netflix on a giant screen while lying in bed, it’s a non-issue.
The Screen Situation: Is 60Hz Actually a Problem?
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. The iPad Air 13 inch 2024 runs on a 60Hz refresh rate. In a world where even budget Android phones often hit 90Hz or 120Hz, this feels a bit... old school. If you're coming from a Pro model, you will notice the ghosting when you swipe through home screens. It feels a tiny bit "laggier," even though the processor is screaming fast.
However, there’s a hidden win here. The 13-inch model is actually 20% brighter than its smaller 11-inch sibling. We're looking at 600 nits of SDR brightness versus the 500 nits on the smaller one.
That extra 100 nits makes a massive difference if you're working near a window or in a coffee shop with aggressive lighting. It’s an IPS LCD panel, not OLED, so blacks won't be perfectly inky, but the colors are punchy and accurate. Apple’s P3 wide color gamut is all here, making it a dream for photo editing in Lightroom.
M2 Power: Overkill for Your Couch, Perfect for Your Work
You’ve probably heard people say the M2 is "old" now that the M4 is out.
Don't listen to them.
The M2 inside this iPad Air 13 inch 2024 is still an absolute monster. We’re talking about a chip that was literally powering MacBooks not that long ago. In Geekbench 6 tests, this thing pulls single-core scores around 2,597 and multi-core scores near 9,845.
- Video Editing: It handles 4K timelines in LumaFusion without breaking a sweat.
- Gaming: Genshin Impact or Death Stranding run at high settings with consistent frame rates.
- Multitasking: Stage Manager actually feels useful on a screen this big.
Honestly, unless you are a professional 3D animator or you're exporting 8K video every single day, you will never hit the ceiling of what this chip can do. It's like putting a Ferrari engine in a Honda Civic—you're never going to use all that power on your way to the grocery store, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
The Apple Pencil Pro Factor
This is where it gets interesting. Even though this is the "Air," it supports the brand-new Apple Pencil Pro. This is a big deal for artists. You get the squeeze gesture, haptic feedback, and the barrel roll.
The barrel roll is a game-changer. Being able to rotate the pencil to change the orientation of a shaped brush feels so much more natural. It’s one of those things you didn’t know you needed until you tried it.
The haptics are subtle, too. When you squeeze the Pencil, you feel a tiny "click" that makes the digital tool feel like a physical object. It’s clever engineering that makes the iPad Air 13 inch 2024 feel more premium than its price tag suggests.
Real-World Battery Life and Portability
Apple claims 10 hours. In reality? It depends.
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If you’re just browsing Safari and writing in Google Docs, you might actually get 11 or 12 hours. But start doing some heavy drawing in Procreate with the brightness cranked up? You’re looking at closer to 6 or 7.
Also, keep in mind that the iPad Air 13 inch 2024 weighs about 1.36 pounds. That sounds light, but once you magnets-snap it into a Magic Keyboard, it becomes heavier than a MacBook Air. It’s a bit of a chonk. If you plan on holding this with one hand to read ebooks, your wrist is going to hate you after twenty minutes. This is a "set it on a table" or "prop it on your lap" kind of device.
What Most Reviews Miss
One thing people rarely mention is the speaker upgrade. Because the 13-inch body is bigger, Apple had room to beef up the audio. It has double the bass of the 11-inch model. It’s surprisingly loud and full. You can actually watch a movie without reaching for your AirPods, which is a rare feat for a tablet this thin.
The Comparison Nobody Talks About
Most people compare this to the M4 iPad Pro. But the real rival? A refurbished M2 iPad Pro from 2022.
If you find an old M2 Pro for the same price as the new Air, you get the 120Hz ProMotion display and Face ID. The iPad Air 13 inch 2024 still uses Touch ID in the power button. It works fine, but after using Face ID on an iPhone for years, reaching for the corner of your tablet to unlock it feels a bit clunky.
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That said, the Air gives you that "New Tech Smell" and a longer runway for software updates. Plus, the landscape front-facing camera is finally in the right place. No more looking like you're staring off into space during Zoom calls.
Actionable Steps for Potential Buyers
If you're staring at the Apple Store page right now, here is how you should actually decide:
- Check your current refresh rate. Grab your current phone or tablet. Is it 120Hz? If yes, go to a store and touch the iPad Air first. The jump down to 60Hz can be jarring for some.
- Evaluate your storage needs. The base model now starts at 128GB, which is finally enough for most people. Don't feel pressured to upgrade to 256GB unless you're storing massive 4K video files locally.
- Think about the Pencil. If you aren't a digital artist or a heavy note-taker, you can save money by skipping the Apple Pencil Pro or getting the cheaper USB-C version.
- Consider the MacBook Air. If you find yourself buying the 13-inch iPad Air plus the $349 Magic Keyboard, you’ve just spent over $1,100. At 그 point, a 13-inch MacBook Air might actually be the better tool for your work.
The iPad Air 13 inch 2024 is essentially the "Big Screen for the Rest of Us." It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely not a "Pro" machine, but for a student who needs a massive digital notebook or a creative on a budget, it’s arguably the most sensible iPad Apple has released in years.