You're standing in the Apple Store, or more likely, scrolling through a dozen tabs on your browser, and you're staring at the price gap between the base iPad and the Pro models. It's frustrating. You want something fast, but you don't want to pay "laptop money" for a slab of glass. Honestly, the iPad Air fifth gen is basically the "Goldilocks" of the lineup, even years after its initial 2022 release. It's the point where the hardware finally caught up to the dreams of the marketing department.
Apple did something kinda weird with this one. They took the M1 chip—the same silicon that revitalized the MacBook Air—and just shoved it inside. No watering it down. No "mobile-first" compromises. Just raw, desktop-class power in a chassis that weighs about a pound.
It changed the math for everyone from college students to freelance illustrators.
The M1 Chip is the Real Story Here
Let's talk about that processor. Before the iPad Air fifth gen, the Air line always felt like a slightly better version of the entry-level iPad. It was nice, sure. But the M1 changed the trajectory of the device. We are talking about an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU that, frankly, most iPadOS apps still can't fully stress out.
Performance is absurd.
If you're editing 4K video in LumaFusion or running complex layers in Procreate, you’ve probably noticed that older tablets start to chug or get uncomfortably hot. The Air 5 doesn't. It just eats the task. According to Apple's internal benchmarking at launch, the M1 provided a 60% jump in CPU performance over the A14-equipped fourth-generation model. That isn't just a "numbers on a chart" improvement; it’s the difference between an app crashing when you export a file and it finishing in thirty seconds.
But there's a catch.
Storage. Apple starts this thing at 64GB. In 2026, that feels... stingy? Kinda. If you’re mostly streaming movies and taking notes in Notability, you'll be fine. But the second you start downloading Genshin Impact or storing high-res RAW photos, that 64GB disappears like a paycheck on rent day. You’ve gotta be smart about iCloud or just bite the bullet and look at the 256GB tier, though that pushes the price dangerously close to the Pro territory.
The Display and That 60Hz Limit
The screen is a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display. It’s beautiful. It’s laminated, which means there’s no air gap between the glass and the pixels—something the base iPad still struggles with. Colors pop thanks to the P3 wide color gamut, and the 500 nits of brightness is plenty for a coffee shop, though you'll struggle if you're sitting in direct sunlight at a park.
Here is what people get wrong, though.
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They see "Liquid Retina" and assume it's the same as the Pro. It's not. The iPad Air fifth gen lacks ProMotion. That means you're locked at a 60Hz refresh rate. If you've spent the last year staring at an iPhone 15 Pro or a high-end gaming monitor, you will notice a slight "ghosting" or lack of fluidity when scrolling through Twitter or sketching with the Apple Pencil.
Does it matter? For 90% of people, no. But for the 10% who crave that buttery-smooth 120Hz motion, it's a dealbreaker.
Center Stage and the Camera Weirdness
Apple finally upgraded the front-facing camera to a 12MP Ultra Wide sensor on this model. This brought "Center Stage" to the Air. If you haven't used it, it’s basically a digital pan-and-zoom trick. You’re on a FaceTime call, you move to the kitchen to grab a coffee, and the camera "follows" you. It’s clever software engineering.
Interestingly, the camera is still on the "short" side of the bezel. This is a bit of a legacy design choice. When you're in a Zoom call with the iPad in landscape mode (which is how most people use it with a keyboard), it looks like you're looking off to the side. Apple eventually fixed this on the base iPad 10th gen, but the Air 5 keeps that portrait-first orientation. It’s a minor annoyance, but one that sticks out if you spend four hours a day in meetings.
Why the Pro Might Be a Trap
Most buyers think they need the iPad Pro. They see the "Pro" name and think it’s a necessity for work. Honestly? Unless you absolutely need a Thunderbolt port (the Air 5 has a very fast 10Gbps USB-C port, but not Thunderbolt), the LiDAR scanner for 3D modeling, or the 12.9-inch XDR display, the Pro is overkill.
The iPad Air fifth gen supports the second-generation Apple Pencil. It snaps to the side, it charges wirelessly, it works perfectly. It supports the Magic Keyboard—the one that "floats" and has a built-in trackpad. When you dock the Air into a Magic Keyboard, it functionally becomes a modular laptop.
One real-world limitation to consider: The Air 5 lacks the "Reference Mode" found on the M1/M2 Pro models. If you are a professional colorist for Netflix, you aren't buying an Air anyway. For everyone else, the color accuracy is more than enough for Instagram edits or hobbyist photography.
Battery Life: The Reality Check
Apple always quotes "10 hours of web surfing or video." In the real world? It depends.
If you’re using the M1 chip for what it’s actually capable of—say, rendering a 3D scene in Octane or playing a heavy game—you’re going to see that battery percentage drop much faster. You might get 5 or 6 hours of "heavy" work. If you’re just typing in Google Docs with the screen at 50% brightness, you’ll easily hit that 10-hour mark. It's consistent, but it hasn't made a massive leap forward in longevity compared to the previous generation. The chip is more efficient, but the battery physical size stayed roughly the same.
The Accessory Ecosystem
The sheer amount of stuff you can plug into this thing is wild. Because it uses USB-C, you can hook up:
- External SSDs for extra storage (crucial for the 64GB model).
- SD card readers for photographers.
- Mechanical keyboards.
- External 6K displays (thanks to Stage Manager in iPadOS).
Stage Manager was a mess when it first launched. It was buggy and felt half-baked. But through various software updates, it has become a legitimate way to multitask. You can have overlapping windows, resize them, and actually feel like you're "computing" rather than just using a giant phone. The iPad Air fifth gen handles this effortlessly because of the 8GB of RAM that comes paired with the M1 chip. The older iPads with 4GB of RAM struggle with Stage Manager; the Air 5 cruises.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Value"
There’s a temptation to buy the cheapest iPad available. The 10th gen "standard" iPad is cheaper, sure. But it uses the A14 chip and lacks the laminated display. When you draw on the base iPad, there is a visible gap between the tip of your pencil and the digital ink. On the Air 5, the ink feels like it's coming directly out of the nib.
That experience is worth the extra $100-$150.
Then there’s the longevity factor. Apple supports their silicon for a long time. The M1 is such a powerful baseline that this tablet will likely receive iPadOS updates until 2028 or 2029. Buying a "cheaper" tablet with an older A-series chip is actually more expensive in the long run because you'll have to replace it two years sooner.
Real-World Use Cases
- The Student: You're using Notability to record lectures while handwriting notes. The Air 5 is light enough to carry in a backpack all day without feeling it. Use the split-screen mode to keep a PDF open on one side and your notes on the other.
- The Artist: Procreate runs like a dream. You might hit a layer limit sooner than you would on a Pro with 16GB of RAM, but for 95% of digital art, the 8GB in the Air is plenty.
- The Office Worker: Pair it with a Logitech Combo Touch. It’s cheaper than the Magic Keyboard and gives you a detachable keyboard and a kickstand. It's the perfect "third device" for emails during a commute or taking notes in a meeting where a laptop feels like a barrier between you and your colleagues.
Is it still worth it in 2026?
Actually, yeah. Even as newer models have surfaced, the iPad Air fifth gen remains the benchmark. It’s the floor for "serious" iPad use. Anything less feels like a compromise; anything more often feels like a luxury. It sits in that sweet spot where you aren't paying for features you'll never use, like a 2TB storage option or a 120Hz screen that eats battery life.
One thing to watch out for is the build quality. The Air 5 has a very thin aluminum shell. There were some early reports of "creaking" if you gripped it too hard. It’s not fragile, but it’s not a tank either. Throw a decent case on it. Not a bulky one—just something to give it some structural rigidity and protect that gorgeous back finish.
Moving Forward With Your Purchase
If you've decided the Air 5 is the right move, don't just pay full retail. Because this model has been out for a bit, the refurbished market is a goldmine. Check Apple’s Official Refurbished store or reputable retailers. You can often snag a 256GB model for the price of a new 64GB one.
Next Steps for New Owners:
- Check your storage needs immediately. If you plan on gaming or video editing, do not buy the 64GB version. You will regret it within a month.
- Invest in a paper-feel screen protector if you plan on doing a lot of writing or drawing. The glass is a bit slippery for long-form note-taking.
- Explore Stage Manager. Go into Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and turn it on. It takes about three days to get used to, but it changes how you use the device for productivity.
- Skip the Apple-branded keyboard if you're on a budget. Brands like ESR and Logitech make stellar alternatives for half the price.
The Air 5 isn't just a tablet; it's the first time the Air line stopped being a "junior" device and started being a legitimate powerhouse. It’s reliable, it’s fast, and it honestly makes the Pro look a bit overpriced for the average person.