The top tablets tested and rated

The iPad Air 2022 is the best all-round tablet we’ve reviewed and the option we’d recommend to most people.

Reviewing the device, we struggled to find any serious issues with the tablet. Straight out of the box, the tablet presented the premium, well-built feeling that has assured iPad Air tablets have been consistent high scorers at Trusted Reviews. The metal finish feels nice to the touch and suffers no flex when pressed; following a fortnight with the device, and an accidental drop, our review unit remained free of any damage free.

As a piece of hardware, it’s also excellent. In tests we found the iPad Air 2022 more than powerful enough for everyday use. Powered by Apple’s M1 chip, the same silicon seen in its MacBook Air M1 and the last gen Apple iPad Pro line, the tablet blasted through every process thrown its way. Every game we opened ran hassle-free, and the device never once heated up, even when tackling large-scale vector graphics work in Affinity Designer. Trust us when we say – despite being part of Apple’s Air, not Pro, line of tablets, this is a powerhouse performer.

Apple’s iPadOS software is also significantly more developed than that of Android. During testing, we never struggled to find an app for the process we wanted to run. This makes it wonderfully flexible and suitable for use as a backup when paired with the option Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.

The only minor issue is that, like all Apple peripherals, the keyboard and stylus are expensive additions. We also aren’t the biggest fans of the keyboard cover’s switches, which still feel a little squishy compared to most of the dedicated laptops we test. We’d only recommend it for taking notes during lectures, rather than for writing dissertations, as a result.

The 11-inch screen is great for watching video content, offering suitably bright and accurate colours for an immersive viewing experience. Our reviewer was also impressed with the tablet’s speakers, which offered surprisingly powerful and detailed audio, to make watching TV in bed a blast.

If that wasn’t enough, our tests showed that the iPad Air 4 is capable of offering users all-day battery life. Our reviewer regularly managed 10 hours of heavy use before the tablet required charging. Streaming 10 hours of a downloaded iTunes video, the battery still had 3% remaining during our tests.

Our only slight quibble is that, unlike many of its Microsoft and Google rivals, the screen is a basic LCD panel with a locked 60Hz refresh rate. This means the device fell slightly short of delivering the deep blacks seen from its Pro Mini-LED siblings and Android rivals such as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which has an OLED screen.

We’d also have liked Apple’s Promotion to make an appearance. Promotion is a screen technology that boosts the tablet’s refresh rate to 120Hz, enabling it to render twice as many images per second. The feature works great and, based on our experience, ensures the Pro screens feel much smoother to use than those of the Air models.

Ordinarily, we’d have forgiven the Air considering its price; but, recently, we’ve seen rival devices at the same price, such as the Xiaomi Pad 5 with its 120Hz screen, pass through our labs. As such, the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a great alternative for those looking for an all-round awesome 11-inch tablet, but who aren’t embedded in Apple’s software ecosystem.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: iPad Air 2022 Review