iPad Air M2 + Apple Pencil Pro: Your Mobile Editing Dream Team
Let’s talk about the iPad Air M2 — specifically as a photography sidekick. You want a review full of benchmarks and geeky graphs? That’s adorable. But you’re in the wrong neighborhood. This is the practical, real-world, photographer-who's-chasing-kids-and-sunsets kind of review.
So here we go.
The iPad Air M2 is stupid good.
It’s sleek. It’s powerful. It’s light enough to toss in your bag without a second thought. And if you pair it with the Apple Pencil Pro? Chef’s kiss.
I’ve got my main photo library stored on my MacBook Air (M4, 16GB — shoutout to the champ), and I still back things up on an external drive like a responsible adult. But when I’m on the go? Editing in the car during baseball practice, on the couch during a Bluey marathon, or while sitting in church behind the sound board?
The iPad Air is where it’s at.
Let’s talk workflow.
Lightroom Mobile is buttery smooth on this thing. And the Apple Pencil Pro makes photo editing feel way less like "editing" and way more like "painting with light.” Precision brushing, cropping, local adjustments — it’s so tactile, you almost feel like you’re sculpting pixels.
You can zoom in, hit those small details, and actually enjoy the process — without the frustration of fat-fingering your way through sliders. Plus, if you’re already a Lightroom subscriber, the whole ecosystem syncs beautifully. Start on the iPad. Finish on the MacBook. Live your best life.
What it’s not…
This isn’t your archive machine. It’s not built for massive bulk imports of raw files straight from three weddings and a family reunion. You still want your MacBook (or your desktop setup, if you’re into that kind of stability) for the heavy lifting and long-term storage.
But for culling, flagging, pre-edits, and even full sessions? Especially if you're shooting JPEG or smart previews? The iPad Air M2 is a beast.
The verdict:
If you’re a photographer who’s always on the move (or, more accurately, always chasing small humans and dodging client emails from the dentist’s waiting room), the iPad Air M2 is an incredible tool. Pair it with an Apple Pencil Pro, and you’ve got a mobile editing rig that feels like cheating — in the best way.
Fast. Fun. Flexible.
Just like a good photo session.