They could replace laptops and make graphics professionals happy: Apple’s new, large iPad show many strengths in practical tests. But comparable fun can also be had cheaper.
The new iPads are here: There have been no new models since 2022, now the company has made three important announcements.
- New iPad Pro models in 11 and 13 inches come with professional features such as a special OLED display and very fast M4 processors. But they cost at least 1199 euros.
- New iPad Air models come with moderate updates, such as the still fast M2 processor. The new, large 13-inch format is causing a stir – we were able to test this model in more detail. Prices for the iPad Air start at 699 euros.
- The simple 10.9-inch iPads from 2022 have become more interesting thanks to a price reduction. They now start at 429 euros.
The iPad Air shines big
Screens are getting bigger. We’ve seen this with televisions, with cell phones, and also with tablets like the iPad. But 13 inches doesn’t seem excessive. The 11-inch iPads Air looks just a bit smaller in direct comparison. The 13-inch form factor is reminiscent of laptops; Conveniently, the size is close to A4 format, making the larger screen ideal for digital magazines and comics.
We tend to hold a 13-inch iPads in two hands, whereas the 11-inch iPads sits comfortably in one. There is a clear difference in appeal: children love the big, bright screen from the first moment they encounter it. The 13-inch iPad wins the household popularity test not only against smaller tablets, but also against a 50-inch television.
The iPad Air may be too fast
Apple is promising a performance jump of almost 50 percent compared to the last iPad Air with the new device. What this means for everyday life is difficult to say. Many apps also run on older iPads without waiting times. The new iPad Air launches apps lightning fast and switches seamlessly between them without getting warm. If we have to wait, slow-loading streams and websites are usually to blame; Every tablet is powerless against it.
Aside from special cases like video editing, we only get the iPad Air to sweat with games. The graphically modern “Diablo Immortal” runs smoothly, but not at the highest level of detail. But a game this dark feels out of place on the reflective touchscreen. If you want to play on the iPad, you should definitely budget the 7 euros per month for Apple Arcade. The range is much more entertaining and original than the majority of free-to-play games with advertising. There are also many good titles for children.
Most Apple Arcade games also run well on older iPads. And so the strong performance of the iPad Air, while impressive, seems more like insurance for the future. We would have been more impressed by a battery upgrade. We can’t give exact values after the short test period, but the brand new iPad doesn’t last much longer than a full day for us. After four hours of intensive use, the battery is approximately half empty.
The iPad Air is also available as a laptop or graphics tablet
With the right accessories, the iPad Air becomes significantly more versatile, but also more expensive. We were able to use the new Pencil Pro, which costs 149 euros, and the Magic Keyboard – a combination of protective case and keyboard for 349 euros.
Painting and working with the Pencil Pro is particularly impressive straight away. 13 inches of screen real estate is a significant upgrade, as is the Pencil Pro’s ability to detect rotation while painting. The precise stylus is also very useful in image and video editing apps. You can write reasonably well with the pen, but for us any pen feels more ergonomic on paper than on this smooth pane of glass.
The iPad Air can be worth it – but not always
The 13-inch iPad Air impresses us – except for the price. It costs at least 949 euros in this size. With more memory, mobile communications and accessories it becomes significantly more expensive.
Nobody should spend this blindly. No problem – the regular iPad is available from 429 euros and is a good deal for people who use a tablet for diversion and entertainment on long journeys.
The iPad Air costs a little more and offers a little more. It works significantly faster in certain apps and should be able to keep up for much longer before it becomes obsolete. It’s best for people to try it out in the store first to see if 13 inches are worth the extra charge. If you are looking for a combination device for drawing or an easy-to-use laptop, you can consider the Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. The version with Pencil in particular makes the iPad Air an interesting model for multimedia and graphic design.
And the iPad Pro? Given the high prices, this only makes sense for people who need maximum performance or a slightly more brilliant display for applications such as video editing.
These tablet alternatives exist
The iPad has good arguments on its side: It is user-friendly, beautiful and robustly designed. It has many popular apps that are not available for Android tablets. But that can also be a disadvantage: If you feel comfortable on an Android phone, you may not want to switch to Apple at all.
Samsung A9 and S9 – budget and luxury
Samsung plays second fiddle in the tablet market, but it does so convincingly. The Galaxy Tab A9 is a price-performance tip, at least in the version with 8 GB of RAM for just over 200 euros. The S9 series offers a lot of performance for a lot of money. The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra in particular is a massive eye-catcher with a 14.6-inch screen diagonal, and sometimes for less than a thousand euros. Matching keyboard covers are also available.
OnePlus Pad – The replacement pad
The OnePlus Pad took inspiration from the iPad in terms of name, form factor and design. Cell phone manufacturer OnePlus combines powerful hardware with competitive prices. It costs around 400 euros at the time of the article.
Google Pixel Tablet – Android from the manufacturer
A good tablet needs good software. And because Google makes both this tablet and the Android operating system, some apps and updates work more reliably and beautifully here than elsewhere. The Pixel Tablet offers robust performance, has a fairly fair price at 500 euros and, with an optional dock, even becomes a hub for the smart home.
Amazon Fire – Simply cheap
Probably the cheapest tablet solution, which is still recommended, comes with a catch: we can only recommend Fire tablets to people who are Prime customers and use Amazon offers. Otherwise the devices are annoying with their fixation on Amazon services and the missing Android Play Store. But they are particularly suitable for reading and watching. The 7-inch entry-level model is available for a paltry 75 euros, and the more powerful Fire Max 11 with the corresponding screen diagonal starts at 270 euros.