Which one must you get?

• Apple/Pocket-lint

  Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

  The protected wager

  $999 $1099 Save $100

  The 2022 MacBook is solely one of many most interesting laptops cash can purchase. Highly effective, transportable and fairly with little or no to complain about.

  Execs

  • Highly effective
  • Lengthy battery life
  • Constructed for portability

  Cons

  • Lacks Apple Pencil assist

• 

  Apple / Pocket-lint

  Apple iPad Professional 12.9-inch (2022)

  Most versatile

  Apple’s iPad Professional is the corporate’s high-end pill that has the identical M2 chip because the MacBook Air, however in a smaller type issue, with a muti-touch show and a streamlined interface. 

  Execs

  • Efficiency
  • Apple Pencil assist
  • Premium design

  Cons

  • Not all equipment are included
  • Battery life might be a difficulty for some

For some, the thought of changing their MacBook Air with an iPad Pro is tempting for a protracted listing of causes, together with portability and ease. Apple’s iPad Professional can supply a streamlined method of working with out skimping on total efficiency, whereas laptops can grow to be sophisticated and intimidating. On the flip facet of that, nonetheless, is that iPadOS nonetheless cannot fairly do every little thing macOS can, which is a transparent disadvantage for going all-in on working from an iPad.

And that is simply the software program variations. Apple’s tablets supply mobile connectivity and Apple Pencil, however require additional equipment to make it a real laptop-like expertise. The Mac, nonetheless, is able to work out of the field and has stellar battery life. When you’re struggling to determine if the MacBook Air or iPad Professional is healthier for you, allow us to assist. Under we’ll break down the similarities and variations between the 2.

Value, availability, specs

Apple introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air in June 2023, becoming a member of the 13-inch MacBook Air and marking the primary time its thinnest and lightest laptop computer would have two display sizes. You should buy both mannequin proper now, with the 13-inch model beginning at $1,099 within the US or £1149 in the UK for the bottom construct, which incorporates Apple’s M2 processor, 8GB of reminiscence, and a 256GB SSD for storage. The 15-inch MacBook Air begins at $1,299 within the US and £1399 in the UK for a similar M2 processor, 8GB of reminiscence, and 256GB of SSD storage.

The bottom mannequin iPad Professional 11-inch is $799 within the US and £899 in the UK, whereas the 12.9-inch iPad Professional begins at $1,099 within the US and £1249 in the UK, every with 128GB of storage. Each fashions are available in both Silver or House Grey. You possibly can add mobile connectivity to any iPad Professional mannequin for a further $200/£200. Meaning a completely loaded 11-inch iPad Professional with 2TB of storage and mobile connectivity prices $2,099 within the US and £2329 in the UK. The 12.9-inch mannequin absolutely loaded is $2,399 within the US and £2679 in the UK.

These costs are only for the pill – that does not embrace equipment just like the $129 Apple Pencil or the Magic Keyboard that begins at $299 for the 11-inch model or $349 for the 12.9-inch mannequin. The MacBook Air and iPad Professional can be found instantly from Apple or main retailers resembling Amazon and Greatest Purchase. The iPad Professional is extra reasonably priced than the MacBook Air, however that solely consists of the pill itself. When you plan so as to add a keyboard, mouse/trackpad, or an Apple Pencil, the whole worth shortly rises above the MacBook Air’s beginning worth of $1,099/£1149.

Show

Despite the fact that there are two distinct sizes of the MacBook Air in Apple’s lineup now, there are no main variations between the 2 shows outdoors of dimension. The smaller MacBook Air’s show measures 13.6-inches, and has a decision of 2560 x 1664 pixels. The larger MacBook Air is 15.3-inches and has a decision of 2880 x 1864 pixels. Each screens have a notch cutout centered alongside the highest of the display for the FaceTime HD digicam.

The iPad Professional, in fact, is a touch-first machine, so each fashions assist multitouch, in contrast to the MacBook Air. The dimensions of the show is not the one difference between the two iPad Pro models. The 11-inch mannequin has an LED show with ProMotion (as much as a 120Hz refresh charge), True Tone, and SDR brightness of 600nits max. The 12.9-inch show, nonetheless, has extra options graphic designers and photographers are prone to need. The show is a mini-LED panel, helps ProMotion and True Tone, whereas boosting total XDR brightness as much as 1600nits for HDR content material. It additionally boasts a 1,000,000:1 distinction ratio.

Each iPad Professional fashions will work with the second-generation Apple Pencil, together with Apple Pencil hover, a function that was launched late final 12 months. Each the MacBook Air and iPad Professional have shows which are vivid, vibrant, and look nice. When you’re an artist, graphic designer or somebody who needs to take handwritten, digital notes, the iPad Professional’s shows are the clear winner due to the Apple Pencil assist. In any other case, it is a toss-up.

Software program

Apple

The MacBook Air makes use of Apple’s macOS, which is absolutely able to something you’d usually anticipate a pc to do. You possibly can obtain and set up apps from anyplace, not simply Apple’s Mac App Retailer. It has a desktop, on which you’ll be able to place recordsdata and shortcuts to your favorite apps, and it is constructed for multitasking, permitting you to make use of a number of apps on the identical time. In different phrases, it is a conventional laptop expertise.

The iPad Professional is powered by iPadOS, and is much like the expertise you’d get on an iPhone, solely on a bigger show and with a bigger deal with productiveness options. As an example, just like the Mac, iPadOS has a Stage Manager feature that means that you can use a number of apps on the iPad’s display on the identical time. Not like cut up view that places two apps facet by facet on the iPad, Stage Supervisor helps as much as 4 completely different home windows of various sizes on the identical time on the display. Stage Supervisor is elective and not enabled by default.

Some customers will respect the much less is extra method that the iPad Professional and iPadOS can drive you into on the subject of multitasking. As a substitute of getting a bunch of various home windows open and apps begging in your consideration, you may deal with no matter process you are finishing.

That mentioned, if you happen to’re desirous to do greater than edit images, reply to electronic mail and browse the net on an iPad Professional, you may want to take a position vitality into studying which apps and workflows you may must adapt. Relying on what you do for work, or what you anticipate out of the iPad Professional, that may be a frightening process.

Apple continues to slowly improve and enhance the general expertise of iPadOS by bringing extra desktop-class experiences to its tablets, however for some, iPadOS lacks the identical strong software program assist and expertise that you simply get from MacOS.

{Hardware} and efficiency

The MacBook Air is supplied with Apple’s M2 processor, 8GB of reminiscence and begins at 256GB of storage. Apple gives choices to customize the Air, providing both 16GB or 24GB of reminiscence and as much as 2TB of storage for both dimension MacBook Air. A totally kitted 15-inch MacBook Air tops out at $2,499 within the US and £2599 in the UK, or $2,399 within the US and £2449 in the UK for the 13-inch MacBook Air with the identical precise construct.

Each fashions can be found in 4 colour choices: Midnight, Starlight, House Grey and Silver.

Each iPad Professional fashions additionally use the identical precise Apple M2 processor, 8GB of reminiscence and 128GB of storage. It is type of loopy to consider the truth that Apple is utilizing the identical processor in its high-end tablets because it does within the MacBook Air and the entry-level MacBook Professional.

You possibly can add extra reminiscence and storage to each units, with the iPad Professional topping out at 16GB of reminiscence within the 1TB and 2TB fashions. The MacBook Air additionally goes as much as 2TB of storage, however you may independently enhance the reminiscence to 16GB or 24GB.

Neither the Air nor the iPad Professional have any type of lively cooling system, or fan, to maintain temperatures in verify, and after utilizing each units, neither want one.

Evaluating the efficiency of the MacBook Air to an iPad Professional is not actually an equal taking part in discipline. They’re each going to be highly effective units able to dealing with the varied apps and duties they’re designed for. Even with Apple pushing the iPad Professional’s efficiency additional than it ever has with Stage Supervisor and permitting it to run as much as eight apps on the identical time – 4 on the iPad Professional, and one other 4 when linked to an exterior show, the iPad Professional’s efficiency by no means feels such as you’re pushing it to its restrict.

And on the identical time, with the MacBook Air utilizing the identical M2 chip, it is loads performant whether or not you are merely searching the net and replying to emails or doing gentle photograph and video enhancing.

Battery life

The MacBook Air is the clear winner on the subject of battery life when in comparison with the iPad Professional. Each fashions of the MacBook Air – 13-inch and 15-inch – supply as much as 18 hours of video playback or 15 hours of net searching.

Each iPad Professional fashions prime out at 10 hours of battery life for searching the net or watching a video. And in our expertise, that battery life estimate is lowered when you join the Magic Keyboard to the pill, which means the iPad Professional could make it via a full work day of use.

The MacBook Air, nonetheless, will energy via a full day of labor and have sufficient battery left over to entertain you nicely into the evening, or get via a second day of use. When you plan on most frequently utilizing the iPad Professional at dwelling, then battery life is not a difficulty as there’s all the time an outlet close by. Nevertheless, if you happen to’re somebody who’s consistently on the go, engaged on lengthy flights and occasional outlets, the MacBook Air’s lengthy battery life is tough to go up.

Which must you purchase?

So, do you go along with a MacBook Air that gives a full computing expertise, prolonged battery life and consists of every little thing it is advisable begin figuring out of the field? Or do you go along with the iPad Professional that is able to most of what the Mac gives, however brings Apple Pencil and mobile connectivity to the desk? The MacBook Air is the protected wager, and for that purpose we’re choosing it over the iPad Professional.

Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Editor’s Selection

$999 $1099 Save $100

The 2022 MacBook is solely one of many most interesting laptops cash can purchase. Highly effective, transportable and fairly with little or no to complain about.

Nevertheless, the iPad Professional is the best way to go for artists and graphic designers who want a stylus and top-of-the-line touchscreen experiences out there on a pill. Then once more, if you happen to’re the type of one that does not thoughts tinkering and determining new workflows, the iPad Professional is greater than able to changing your laptop computer – you simply need to be prepared to alter the best way you consider getting work carried out.

Apple / Pocket-lint

Apple iPad Professional 12.9-inch (2022)

Good various

The iPad Professional is a transportable workhorse that gives mobile connectivity, Apple Pencil assist and a streamlined interface. Those that spend the time to determine learn how to use it to totally substitute their laptop computer, generaly like it.