Apple held its 'Let Loose' event this month to reveal a new iPad Pro, the M4 chip, and a new Apple Pencil. It also revealed a new iPad Air, but that was decidedly less exciting.
That's because it's essentially the same as the M1 version that we've had for a while, except it's getting a larger version and the M2 chip that's been around for two years.
Perhaps the best thing about the arrival of an underwhelming new model is that the iPad Air with M1, which we called "the ultimate student tablet" in our glowing iPad Air M1 review, is now seeing significant price cuts.
In fact, you can now save $200 off of the tablet at both Amazon and Walmart, bringing it down to just $399.
The iPad Air has a big, bright 10.9-inch display that makes it big enough for just about anything while also being just the right size to hold with one hand — ideal for reading books.
While the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard add an extra cost, even without them iPadOS is really coming into its own, with improved multitasking features and gestures. And, there's Bluetooth mouse and keyboard support anyway.
Battery life is good, too, and the M1 chip inside is the same that's found on some Apple laptops, plus the USB-C connection means you can hook up a variety of peripherals.
We dubbed the iPad Air M1 the best iPad for students, and we still stand by it — especially at this price.
Key features: Portable, big display, 64GB of storage and USB-C connectivity.
Price history: We've seen around $100 off this iPad before, but this discount is a new low for the M1 model.
Price comparison: While Walmart and Amazon duke it out, Target still offers the M1 iPad Air at full price - despite stocking the M2 for 99 cents less.
Reviews consensus: Despite the M1 chip being a few years old now, it's still powerful, and energy-efficient enough, to power just about anything you can do on an iPad. Whether it's for watching TV and movies, working on projects, or taking to work with you, the iPad Air is certainly versatile.
Live Science: ★★★★½ TechRadar: ★★★★ Tom's Guide: ★★★★½
Buy it if: You don't want to carry a laptop but want laptop-level performance.
Don't buy it if: You want to use it exclusively with a keyboard - a MacBook will be a better use of your money in that case.
