iPad Air 5 buyers complain about subpar build quality and creaking noises

At its "Peek Performance" keynote two weeks ago, Apple introduced a bunch of new products like the Mac Studio, a corresponding Studio Display as well as the new and improved iPad Air 5, which now comes with the blazing-fast Apple M1 SoC. However, after Apple's new external monitor has already received numerous rather poor reviews, the new tablet has now also garnered some harsh criticism.

These complaints are mostly caused by the unexpectedly weak build quality of the iPad Air 5. According to a report by MacRumors, which concisely summarizes numerous user experiences posted on a well-known social platform, the iPad Air 5 supposedly feels considerably less sturdy than the iPad Air 4. This may be caused by a much thinner aluminum backplate, which some buyers even describe as "very cheap".

As a result, the sturdiness of the iPad Air 5 suffers as pressing on the 10.9-inch screen can purportedly cause creaking noises, which could also hint at an inferior torsional rigidity. Furthermore, some buyers complain that they can outright feel the integrated battery underneath the thin aluminum case of the iPad Air 5. As the sheer amount of bad user reviews certainly hints at a more widespread issue, we will thoroughly examine the build quality of Apple's new mid-range tablet in our upcoming review.

Buy the 2022 Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, 5th generation) on Amazon