March 6, 2025, 8:56 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Apple is currently refreshing part of its device line-up. The iPad Air is also getting a few upgrades to make the tablet ready for 2025. TECHBOOK finds out what’s new and for whom it’s worth buying.
Apple only presented the iPad Air with the M2 chip in May 2024. Less than a year later, it has now been replaced by an even more powerful chip. Apart from that, however, absolutely nothing has changed — zero, nada.
Overview
iPad Air Gets M3 Upgrade
The iPad Air does not get the latest M-series chip, as the M4 is reserved for the iPad Pro. With the M3, the iPad Air still delivers performance that outshines the entire tablet competition. In its press release, Apple promises twice as much performance as in the iPad Air (2022) with M1.
Massive Performance, Especially for Gaming
Specifically, the tablet is said to work 35 percent faster in certain processor tasks. In addition to 40 percent more performance than the M1, the graphics unit in the M3 also offers a newer graphics architecture with dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and even ray tracing.
If you want to use your tablet for gaming, the new iPad Air provides sufficient performance — even for the most demanding titles. Unfortunately, the built-in display still only supports a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz. A smoother picture is still only available with the iPad Pro.
Better Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence
The Neural Engine in the M3 is also considerably more powerful than in the M1. Apple promises up to 60 percent more performance for AI tasks. This is a major advantage of the new iPad Air. In contrast to older iPad Air models with A-series chips, the devices with M chips support Apple’s AI suite, Apple Intelligence. Users can experiment with AI-generated images, texts, and photo slideshows, as well as summarize messages and emails.
Comparison with iPad Air with M1 is Somewhat Flawed
But why is Apple only comparing the new iPad Air with the M3 with its three-year-old predecessor with the M1? The answer is simple: the difference between it and the iPad Air with M2 is so small that it would hardly be worth issuing a press release for it. Although the performance is slightly higher, the difference is far less dramatic than in comparison to M1. In addition, the M3 should be somewhat more economical thanks to its 3-nanometer architecture, but Apple claims exactly the same runtimes (ten hours of video and nine hours of surfing) as the iPad Air with M2 and M1.
For Whom is the iPad Air with M3 Worthwhile?
Apple is the untouchable market leader in the tablet segment, with almost a third of global sales (source: Statista). The company, therefore, has little to worry about when it comes to competition. It has, therefore, switched to only providing its tablets with incremental upgrades year after year. This is practical for buyers who start from scratch, as they always get the latest hardware.
However, the days when users needed the latest device to keep up are over. Instead, the smaller innovations mean that upgrading to a new model is only worthwhile after a few years. Anyone who still owns an iPad Air with an M chip (M1 or M2) does not have to switch to the new model.
At least the price remains the same despite inflation and the threat of import duties on goods from the USA. The base model with 128 gigabytes of storage and an 11-inch display starts at 699 euros. The variant with a 13-inch display starts at 949 euros. The iPad Air with M3 will be available starting March 12 and is available for pre-order now.
New Magic Keyboard
If you want to use your iPad Air as a laptop, you can do so with the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air. The Magic Keyboard not only protects the front and back of the iPad Air but also adds a keyboard and a touchpad with finger gestures. The connection is made via pogo pins on the back of the tablet — no Bluetooth is required.
The updated Magic Keyboard for iPad Air introduces an additional row of 14 function keys to the keyboard, addressing a feature users missed in the previous version. In addition, the touchpad is slightly larger than before, and the hinge is now made of aluminum.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad Air is priced starting at 329 euros for the 11-inch tablet version and 349 euros for the larger 13-inch version.
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Mini Update for the Standard iPad
Apple has also made some model updates to the entry-level iPad — but this was not worth a separate press release from the company. The most affordable iPad now finally offers 128 GB of storage starting at 399 euros, doubling the previous capacity. In addition, the A16 Bionic is a more up-to-date chip, which was previously found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15.
Unlike the iPad Air and iPad Pro, the entry-level model does not support Apple Intelligence. For those interested in AI-supported features like photo editing, Genmoji, the Image Playground app, or writing tools and summaries, the starting price is 699 euros for the new iPad Air and 599 euros for the new iPhone 16e.
The iPad featuring the A16 Bionic chip will go on sale starting March 12 and is priced at 399 euros, the same as its predecessor.