iPad Air 11 (M2): Common Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most about the iPad Air 11 (M2), based on two weeks of testing.
Last revised
The questions we are asked most often about the iPad Air 11 (M2), answered from our own testing rather than the specification sheet.
Is it worth buying?
It scored 4 out of 5 at £599. It is a straightforward recommendation if you are most people — it is the tablet to buy unless you have a specific reason not to, and a poor one otherwise.
What is the catch?
60Hz is obvious the moment you scroll after using a 120Hz panel. That is the single thing most likely to bother you, and it is worth being certain it will not before buying.
How long will it stay usable?
Assume the support window rather than the hardware determines this. Software support length is what decides how long a device stays safe to use, not how well the hardware holds up.
How does it compare with the alternatives?
The strongest alternative we have measured is the iPad Pro 13 (M4) at £1,299, which scored 5 out of 5 against this one's 4. The cheapest we would still recommend is the Fire Max 11 at £249. Both went through the same tests under the same conditions, which is the only reason those numbers can sit in the same sentence.
Should I buy it now or wait?
It launched in 2024, which puts it 2 years into its life. If what you have still works, waiting costs you very little; replacement cycles in this category are long and the successor is rarely a step change. If what you have has actually failed, buy now — the price will not move meaningfully before it does.
Is it good for everyday use?
Yes, with one qualification. For most people — it is the tablet to buy unless you have a specific reason not to it is a straightforward yes. The qualification is that 60Hz is obvious the moment you scroll after using a 120Hz panel, which is a background irritation for most people and a dealbreaker for a few — and only you can say which you are.
Full specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Display | 11in IPS, 60Hz |
| Chip | M2 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Weight | 462g |
| Battery | 28.93Wh |
| Screen-on time | 10h 05m |
What we liked
- The same chip family as the Pro at less than half the price
- The longest battery life of any tablet we measured
- Genuinely repair-friendly compared with the Pro
What we did not
- 60Hz is obvious the moment you scroll after using a 120Hz panel
- The base 128GB fills fast if you shoot video
- Still sold without a charger worth using
Behind this page
This reference page is written from the same testing notes as the reviews it supports, and it is revised whenever the hardware or the software underneath it changes. Where a figure appears here it has been measured rather than quoted from a specification sheet.
If something on this page no longer matches what you are seeing, it is out of date rather than disputed — tell us and it gets checked again.
Related reading
The reviews this page supports go into the measurements behind these figures, and the knowledge base collects every reference page we keep.
Elsewhere in common questions: iPad Pro 13 (M4): Common Questions, iPhone 16 Pro: Common Questions and AOC 24G2SPU: Common Questions.