Device hub · Tablets · Desk research
iPad Air (M2)
Air (M2) is the May 2024 $599 / $799 Liquid Retina iPad: M2, 8GB, landscape stereo, USB 3, Touch ID.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensediPad Air (M2)
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
Placeholder — OEM press not licensediPad Air (M2)
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
Air (M2) is the May 2024 $599 / $799 Liquid Retina iPad: M2, 8GB, landscape stereo, USB 3, Touch ID. Buy leftover/refurb if you want the first 13-inch Air. Skip it if you want current 12GB / N1 Air (M4) or tandem OLED Pro.
Who it is for
- Leftover / refurb shoppers who want the first 11- and 13-inch Air with Pencil Pro hover and 8GB RAM.
- Note-takers comparing M2 vs M3 vs M4 Air on silicon and radios, not on case size — dimensions stay 6.1 mm.
- Color-sensitive shoppers: Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants current Air silicon and radios. That is iPad Air (M4): 12GB, N1 Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 / Thread, optional C1X.
- Buyers who want tandem OLED, four speakers, Face ID, LiDAR, or Thunderbolt.
- People who need a compact 8.3-inch tablet.
Key differentiators
- First two-size iPad Air (11 / 13) at the $599 / $799 US Wi-Fi starts later reused by M3 and M4 Air.
- M2 (8-core CPU, 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 8GB RAM) with USB 3 (10Gb/s) and one external display up to 6K/60 Hz.
- Pencil Pro + USB-C + hover on landscape stereo speakers.
- Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3 — not N1.
Caveats
- This is two Air generations behind the March 2026 M4 Air. Street and refurb prices change.
- Brightness (500 / 600 nits) and 10-hour battery lines are Apple claims.
- RAM is 8GB on Support — do not copy M4 Air’s 12GB onto this page.
- Apple product photography is not hosted here.
Tablet-category specs
Same rows on every tablet page (iPad Pro / Air / mini, Galaxy Tab S, Pixel Tablet).
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 11-inch model 10.86-inch rectangle diagonal; 13-inch model uses Apple’s 13-inch Liquid Retina naming (rounded-corner footnote) | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Display type | Liquid Retina; LED-backlit IPS Multi-Touch | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Display resolution | 11-inch: 2360 × 1640 at 264 ppi; 13-inch: 2732 × 2048 at 264 ppi | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Peak brightness (OEM) | 11-inch 500 nits; 13-inch 600 nits | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Refresh rate | Not published | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Display features | Wide color (P3); True Tone; oleophobic coating; fully laminated; antireflective coating; Apple Pencil hover | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Sold size(s) | 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air (M2) | Apple Newsroom, 2024-05-07 |
| Dimensions | 11-inch: 247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1 mm; 13-inch: 280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1 mm | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Weight | 11-inch Wi-Fi and cellular 462 g; 13-inch Wi-Fi 617 g; 13-inch cellular 618 g | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Finishes | Blue; Purple; Starlight; Space Gray | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Chassis / enclosure | Aluminum iPad Air enclosure (Apple Environment block on Support) | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Chip / processor | Apple M2: 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency), 9-core GPU, 16-core. | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Memory (RAM) | 8GB RAM on all published storage SKUs | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| On-device storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (no microSD) | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Operating system | iPadOS (Apple Support names the OS family) | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Pencil / stylus | Supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), including hover. Neither Pencil is in the box. | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Keyboard / cover (OEM) | Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (sold separately). Smart Connector on the chassis. | Apple Support 119894 (Buttons and Connectors) |
| Biometrics | Touch ID in the top button | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Speakers | Landscape stereo speakers | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Microphones | Dual microphones for calls, video recording, and audio recording | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Cellular | Wi-Fi models: none. Wi-Fi + Cellular: 5G sub-6 with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; eSIM only. Models A2899 and A2903 band list on the 11-inch sheet. | Apple Support 119894 |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) 2x2 MIMO; simultaneous dual band; Bluetooth 5.3 | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Ports / expansion | USB-C with charging, DisplayPort, and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); magnetic Pencil connector; Smart Connector | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Rear camera | 12MP Wide, ƒ/1.8; 4K video up to 60 fps | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Front camera | Landscape 12MP Ultra Wide / Center Stage, ƒ/2.0; 1080p video | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Battery (OEM) | 11-inch 28.93Wh; 13-inch 36.59Wh. Up to 10 hours Wi-Fi web or video; cellular models up to 9 hours web on cellular | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Charging (OEM) | USB-C Charge Cable (1m) and 20W USB-C Power Adapter in the box. Charging via adapter or USB-C to computer. | Apple Support 119894 |
| Durability / ingress | Not published | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| Location / GNSS | All models: digital compass, Wi-Fi, iBeacon. Cellular models add GPS/GNSS | Apple Support 119894 / 119893 |
| US MSRP (launch) | Not published | Apple Newsroom availability post, 2024-05-15 |
| Price band | Previous mid-flagship tablet ($599–$799+ US launch before Pencil/Keyboard) | Derived from Apple launch prices |
| Announced | 7 May 2024 | Apple Newsroom |
| Availability | Pre-order from 7 May 2024; stores from 15 May 2024. Superseded by Air (M3) on 4 March 2025 and Air (M4) on 2 March 2026. | Apple Newsroom 2024-05-07 / 2024-05-15; later Air Newsroom posts |
iPad Air (M2) extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other tablets keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| First 13-inch iPad Air | May 2024 introduced the 13-inch Air size later kept by M3 and M4 | Apple Newsroom, 2024-05-07 |
| In the box | iPad Air; USB-C Charge Cable (1m); 20W USB-C Power Adapter | Apple Support 119894 |
| Apple Intelligence | Support lists Apple Intelligence as built in on the current sheet, with region/language limits | Apple Support 119894 |
Overview
iPad Air with M2 is the May 2024 Air — the first 11- and 13-inch Air pair, announced the same day as iPad Pro (M4). Current Air sell-in is M4. This hub stays so leftover shoppers and the vs mesh have an OEM first table instead of mixing M2 8GB / Wi-Fi 6E with M4 12GB / N1.
We have not used this iPad. 500/600-nit and 10-hour battery lines stay Apple claims.
Display, chip, speakers
IPS Liquid Retina. 11-inch 2360 × 1640 / 500 nits; 13-inch 2732 × 2048 / 600 nits. Both 264 ppi. No ProMotion row on Support 119894 / 119893.
M2 is 8-core CPU / 9-core GPU / 16-core Neural Engine / 8GB on every published storage SKU. Storage is 128GB–1TB. Speakers are landscape stereo with dual mics — keep those keys; Pro writes four speakers / four (or five) mics in the same slots.
Pencil, keyboard, radios
- Pencil: Pro + USB-C + hover. Not in the box.
- Keyboard: Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, sold separately. Smart Connector on the chassis.
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3. Do not copy N1 / Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 / Thread from Air (M4).
- Cellular: optional 5G sub-6 eSIM (models A2899 / A2903 on the 11-inch sheet). Not C1X.
- Port: USB 3 at 10Gb/s; one external display up to 6K/60 Hz.
Battery
| Mode (Apple) | Air (M2) |
|---|---|
| Pack | 28.93Wh (11-inch) / 36.59Wh (13-inch) |
| Wi-Fi web or video | Up to 10 hours |
| Cellular web | Up to 9 hours |
| In-box charge | 20W USB-C adapter + 1m cable |
How this page compares on a desk (not a vs-page)
| Desk fact (OEM) | Air (M2) | Air (M3) | Air (M4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizes | 11 and 13 | 11 and 13 | 11 and 13 |
| Chip / RAM | M2 / 8GB | M3 / 8GB | M4 / 12GB |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E / BT 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E / BT 5.3 | N1 Wi-Fi 7 / BT 6 / Thread |
| Cellular modem | 5G eSIM (not C1X) | 5G eSIM (not C1X) | C1X on cellular SKUs |
| US Wi-Fi start | $599 / $799 (May 2024) | $599 / $799 (Mar 2025) | $599 / $799 (Mar 2026) |
Leftover single-size M1 Air is /tablets/ipad-air-5th-generation/.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom — Apple unveils the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-inch iPad Air with M2 — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — The redesigned iPad Air and new iPad Pro are available today — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Support — iPad Air 11-inch (M2) tech specs — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Support — iPad Air 13-inch (M2) tech specs — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is M2 still the current Air?
No. Current Air on 19 September 2026 is iPad Air (M4). Keep this slug as the first two-size Air.
M2 vs M3 vs M4 Air — what changed?
Case sizes stay 6.1 mm. M2 and M3 Support list 8GB and Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3. M4 Support lists 12GB, N1 Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 6 / Thread, and C1X on cellular. Do not flatten those radio rows.
Official product page: iPad Air (M2). Tech specs: iPad Air (M2) specs.