Apple’s latest iPad Air update is unremarkable on the surface, but beneath the surface the difference is quite staggering. In terms of design, Apple’s 2022 iPad Air still looks like the last one, which was borrowed from the 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. Last year, Apple updated the iPad Pro to their new M1 chip marking a major upgrade for the device and giving it MacBook Air like horsepower. With the addition of M1 in the iPad Air, two things are certain, the new iPad Air is a great value and the upcoming iPad Pro update will likely get a chip upgrade.

The updated iPad Air features:

• Apple M1 chip
• 8-core CPU
• 8-core graphics
• Apple Neural Engine
• 8GB RAM

Additionally, it features a new 12mp ultra-wide camera with center stage, optional 5G models and has a starting price of $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the 5G-equipped model. Much like the purple color iPhone 12 that shipped in the spring, the 2022 iPad Air is shipping with a purple color that is perhaps related to Pantone’s color of the year – Lilac.

Now that Apple’s iPad Air is nearly on par with the iPad Pro, at least as far as performance is concerned, Apple’s 2022 iPad Pro is shaping up to be a quite powerful upgrade. Will it receive the M1 Pro chip, the M1 Max? It will need something other than its camera prowess to stand out against the new iPad Air.