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Tech · Apple · 2022

Apple iPad Air (5th generation, M1)

An M1 tablet that costs far less used than new, and the floor for Apple Intelligence on iPad.

Used iPads on eBay: where M1 pays off and where it doesn't — #1

Overall

8.6

out of 10

Axis scores

No axis sits more than 0.2 from another, from Value at 8.6 to Performance at 8.8. The 8.6 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPad Air (5th generation, M1): Performance 8.8, Value 8.6, Durability 8.6, Ease of use 8.6, Design 8.6.PerformanceApple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8ValueApple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — Value 8.6 out of 108.6DurabilityApple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — Durability 8.6 out of 108.6Ease of useApple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — Ease of use 8.6 out of 108.6DesignApple iPad Air (5th generation, M1) — Design 8.6 out of 108.6Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
10.9-inch Liquid Retina (LCD, 60Hz)
Chip
Apple M1
Memory
8GB
Unlock
Touch ID (top button)
Port
USB-C
Pencil
Apple Pencil (2nd generation)
Storage
64GB, 256GB

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You want Apple Intelligence and Stage Manager without paying for a Pro
  • Notes and sketching with the magnetically charging Pencil are the main job
  • A tablet you expect to keep updated for years

Skip it if

  • You'd fill 64GB; the 256GB model is the one worth hunting for
  • Smooth 120Hz scrolling matters to you; this panel runs at 60Hz

The M1 Air is the newest iPad that turns up on eBay in large numbers, and the chip is the reason it leads. Apple’s own list of Apple Intelligence devices starts at M1 on the iPad side, and the same chip runs the external-display and windowing features that A-series iPads either lack or run in a cut-down form. It’s the newest iPad here, so it should stay on the supported list at least as long as anything else in this ranking.

Storage is the trap. Apple sold it in 64GB and 256GB only, and the 64GB units are the ones flooding the cheap end of the listings. With iPadOS itself and a couple of games, 64GB fills fast. The jump to 256GB is the one upgrade worth paying for.

Ask the seller to confirm Touch ID still enrolls a finger. The sensor in the top button is paired to the logic board, so a button replaced outside Apple’s repair process typically stops working as a fingerprint reader, and that rarely makes it into a listing title.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.