Apple has supercharged the iPad Air with some rather compelling boosts – here’s what’s changed
The middle child has been given a new lease of life with a more powerful chip, faster connectivity and more memory for your money
Apple has given the iPad Air a new lease of life. While it has been a very powerful tablet for some time now, it has felt like the Air has been the subject of a pincer movement in recent times – from other iPads in the range.
Supercharged Pro-level iPads with M4 and M5 have also been complemented by entry-level models that defy their price point.
In response, Apple has made the iPad Air a bit more distinctive again, firstly by giving it M3 chips and now M4, the same chip as in the current MacBook Air (which itself could get M5 this week).
Once again, it’s available in two sizes – 11 and 13in – and retains its $599 starting price point. You get more memory for your buck this time around as well, starting from 128GB.
Apple says iPad Air is up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3, and up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1. It seems that Apple is on a real drive at the moment to get people to upgrade from M1 gear that is now around five years old and it made similar comparisons for Macs of that age last year.
Apple has also given the iPad Air its self-designed cellular chip – C1X – from the iPhone Air and new iPhone 17e, as well as its N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread connectivity.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
