Review of iPad Air 5 (2022)

I have owned a iPad Air 3 for three years. I used it for reading and watching videos. Apple announced a new iPad Air 5 equipped with M1 SoC a month ago. 

This is a specs comparison between iPad Air 3, 4 and 5.

I received my order of iPad Air 5 last week. Here is my take on iPad Air 5.

Good

• USB Type-C port with DisplayPort mode. This is the biggest motivation for me to upgrade.
• Touch ID.
• Powerful M1 SoC.
• Larger 8GB RAM. (iPad Air 3 has 3GB)
  
• Speakers on both sides.
• Ultrawide front camera.
• Rear camera capable of 4k60p video recording. Although I never will record video with an iPad.
  
• WiFi 6.
  

Bad

• Lower battery capacity.
• No 3.5mm jack.
• The rear surface is not flat due to the protruding camera lens.
  
• No home button. I find the gesture error prone. So I turned on assistive touch.
  
• The fingerprint sensor is on the edge, which is difficult to access with one hand while the tablet is on a flat surface.
• The fingerprint sensor is placed on the lock button. I often press the button while trying to unlock.
  
• The edge is sharp and uncomfortable to hold. While iPad Air 3 has a smooth edge.
  

I wish Apple could build an iPad which has the best of both:

• USB-C port
• M1 SoC
• 8GB RAM
  
• Home button with fingerprint sensor
• Flat bottom (I don't care about rear camera specs.)
• Smooth edge
  

I also considered the iPad Air 4 which is $100 cheaper than 5. But it does not have M1 SoC or 8GB RAM. So I bought the 5.