Wireless iPad as a second monitor works, but it's not perfect.

Yes. If you have a recent-ish iPad and MacBook Air, Apple’s built-in Sidecar does this wirelessly. It’s decent for reading email or keeping a reference doc open, but don’t expect a seamless experience.

The biggest tradeoff is latency. Even on a strong Wi-Fi connection, there’s a noticeable delay when moving windows or scrolling. Fine for static content, frustrating if you’re dragging files between screens or doing anything with video. The resolution also drops sometimes to keep the connection stable—text can look a bit soft.

Third-party apps like Duet Display or Luna Display offer better performance, especially over USB, but that defeats the “wireless” part. Over Wi-Fi, they’re about on par with Sidecar. Your MacBook’s battery will also drain faster driving a second screen wirelessly.

If you’re just adding a sidekick monitor for chats and notes, go for it. If you need real responsiveness—like for design work or video editing—plug in a cable.