Apple iPad Air 13 (2024) tested - The XXL tablet has grown to iPad Pro size

With its 10.86-inch IPS display, the Apple iPad Air 11 (2024) doesn't bring any surprises in terms of its form factor, since it hasn't grown at all compared to its predecessor. Until now, those who wanted a larger tablet had to choose a model from the iPad Pro series, which also has a significantly higher price tag. The 13-inch iPad Pro 13 (2024) starts from $1299 and can quickly reach $1600 or more with accessories such as the Magic Keyboard.

$500 less than the iPad Pro 13 (2024)

With the iPad Air 13 (2024), Apple for the first time introduces a more affordable 13-inch alternative to the iPad Pro. Although starting from $799, the large iPad Air still isn't really very affordable, it costs $500 less than an iPad Pro model. But this also results in some limitations for the buyers, and equipment characteristics such as an OLED panel, a 120-Hz refresh rate, and Face ID continue to be reserved for the Pro series.

On the other hand, the iPad Air 13 (2024) is able to deliver an abundance of performance. With the Apple M2, the XXL tablet uses the same SoC as its 11-inch iPad Air 11 (2024) sibling model, leaving even high-end tablets from the Android camp with no chance of keeping up. For example, while the iPad Air 13 (2024) reaches 1,966,791 points in our test with AnTuTu v10, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro, which houses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, remains far behind with only 1,516,127 points. At this point, there is no app in the App Store that can challenge the Apple M2 and show its limits.

Better equipment: a larger battery and brighter display

Other than its larger IPS panel, the equipment of the iPad Air 13 (2024) is almost identical to that of the iPad Air 11 (2024). Only the battery stores more power at 36.59 Wh (compared to 28.93 Wh), which results in a slightly longer battery life for the 13-inch tablet. The brightness of its IPS panel is also slightly higher, reaching up to 600 nits, while the iPad Air 11 (2024) only offers 500 nits. This also means that the iPad Air 13 (2024) is slightly better suited for outdoor use than its 11-inch sibling.

You can find the full review of the Apple iPad Air 13 (2024) here.