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The new iPad Air finally made its grand entrance during the much-awaited "Let Loose" Apple livestream on May 7. And let's be real — the upgrade was long overdue.

March 2022 was the last time the iPad Air got a refresh. That's over two years ago. So, yeah, the iPad Air has been a lonely neglected corner of the Apple product lineup for while, and it's good to see it finally getting some attention again.

You're probably here to find out the core value proposition — how is this thing different from the old one? We've got you covered with a roundup of all the fresh bells and whistles so you can weigh whether or not it's time to make the leap.

iPad Air 2024: 2 new features

The iPad Air 2022 has a pretty old processor: the M1 processor. For the uninitiated, the M1 chip came out about four years ago, so we're glad Apple blew the dust off the iPad Air and gave it an update.

Check out three new features that have landed on the iPad Air.

1. New sizes

The iPad Air is now more similar to the iPad Pro more than ever. Like the iPad Pro, which comes two flavors (i.e., 12.9-inch and 11-inch models), the iPad Air now comes in two variants, too: 11-inch and 13-inch.

This means that you can now have a larger screen experience with the mid-tier iPad to match its more premium sibling.

2. New M2 chip

The iPad Air upgraded from the obsolete M1 chip to a, er, less obsolete M2 chip. The M1 chip is so 2020, but the M2 chip is a little more modern as a two-year-old processor.

You can already find the M2 chip in laptops such as the 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air and the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air.

The M2 chip should provide zippier gen-over-gen performance over the M1 chip, giving users a better user experience while navigating iPadOS.

3. New webcam location

Hold the previous-generation iPad Air upright and you'll find the webcam perched on the top bezel. However, with the new iPad Air, you'll find the webcam on the right side bezel instead.

This new location will nudge users to have video calls in a horizontal orientation instead of the portrait posture. We didn't see this one coming. Gotta hand it to Apple to keep us on our toes —or should I say on our sides?

This story is developing ...

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