About this replacement
Apple iPad Air 5th Gen 2022 — 3.78V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (A2288)
This is a 7500mAh, 3.78V lithium-polymer battery for the Apple iPad Air 5th Generation 2022 (A2288) and compatible models including iPad Air 11 2024, A2072, and A2316. It replaces an original cell that has degraded, stopped holding charge, or triggers low-battery shutdowns under normal load. Capacity is rated at 28.35Wh.
- iPad Air 5th Gen and Air 11 2024 compatibility: These models share the same cell dimensions (166.84 × 129.60 × 2.70mm), voltage rail, and connector pinout. The BMS handshake protocol is consistent across A2288, A2072, and A2316 variants, so one cell covers the full group.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge acceptance and load cycles on iPad Air 5th Gen hardware. The BMS negotiated charge correctly from the first cycle, and the protection circuit tripped as expected at the low-voltage cutoff threshold under display-plus-WiFi combined load.
- Fuel gauge recalibration after swap: After installation, run one full discharge to automatic shutoff, then charge uninterrupted to 100%. The iPad's fuel gauge IC is calibrated to the old cell's characteristics — this single cycle resets it against the new cell and eliminates the inaccurate percentage readings that appear immediately after a replacement.
iPad Air shutting down at 15–25% remaining after battery replacement
This happens because the fuel gauge IC still holds voltage-curve data from the old, degraded cell. When the new cell's actual voltage at 20% doesn't match the stored curve, the iPad interprets a sudden voltage drop as a critical low and forces shutdown. It's not a fault with the replacement cell — it's a calibration mismatch. Run one full discharge to auto-shutoff and one uninterrupted charge to 100% to remap the curve. After that cycle, shutdowns at 15–25% stop.
Fast charging unavailable on iPad Air after battery swap
The iPad's USB-PD negotiation circuit requires at least one completed charge cycle before it will accept higher-wattage input from a USB-PD adapter. On a freshly installed cell, the charge controller defaults to standard 5V charging until it has a full charge profile on record. Plug in a USB-PD charger and let the first charge run to 100% without interruption. On the next connection, USB-PD handshake resumes at the correct voltage step.