The elevator pitch for the iPad Air has been the same since its redesign in 2020: It’s essentially an iPad Pro… lite. It’s the perfect middle-power tablet. While it lacks the Pro’s fancy OLED display, Face ID authentication, and immersive four-speaker system, the Air continues to deliver an impressive balance of high-end hardware, features, and affordability.
Unsurprisingly, Apple’s newest iPad Air with M3 chip (released on March 12) maintains this familiar formula, with starting price at $599 and $799 for the 11-inch and 13-inch, respectively. There’s minimal changes from last year’s model beyond the processor upgrade, which promises a significant performance jump over previous models. According to Apple, the M3-equipped Air is nearly twice as fast as the M1 version, with up to 40 percent faster graphics performance. However, you can expect a smaller performance jump over last year’s M2-powered iPad Air.
The new iPad Air will also feature Apple’s advanced graphics architecture with support for dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and ray tracing for the first time—technologies previously reserved for higher-end devices. These improvements will particularly benefit video editors and gamers who want more power without stepping up to the Pro models.
Apple iPad Air 11-inch With M3 Chip
Now 7% Off
Apple iPad Air 13-inch With M3 Chip
Now 6% Off
It’s worth noting for people who want Pro-level features at a lower price point that the release of the new iPad Air also brings a redesigned magic keyboard, which is compatible with M3- and M2-powered models. It has a larger built-in trackpad and a row of function keys for quick access to screen brightness, volume controls, and media playback. It maintains the “floating” design of previous models, while delivering a typing experience that’s similar to using a laptop.
It’s still a bit pricey—the 11-inch Magic Keyboard starts at $269—but it gets you closer to the Pro and helps transform the iPad Air into a viable laptop alternative to something like the new MacBook Air.
With all of that said, if need something under $600, or if the iPad Air isn’t even advanced enough for you, there are certainly other options. Let’s get into them.
Here Are the Other iPad Options
Apple iPad Air 13-inch With M2 Chip
Now 11% Off
Apple iPad 11-inch With A16 Chip
Now 6% Off
Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch With M4 Chip
Now 9% Off
While the new iPad Air with M3 chip is an excellent option for most people, like I said, the newest model doesn’t offer massive upgrades beyond the processor. So going with last year’s iPad Air 13-inch with M2 chip is a great option if you’re looking to save, since it’s currently $101 off on Amazon.
If you want spend under $500, Apple also introduced a new entry-level iPad 11-inch with A16 chip that starts at $349. It has a starting storage of 128GB, which should be plenty for all your photos, apps, games, and a TV show download for a flight. However, it’s the only iPad in Apple’s current lineup that won’t support Apple Intelligence features.
If you’ve been waiting to splurge on a Pro, there are currently modest discounts on the iPad Pro 11-inch with M4 chip, as well as the 13-inch model. Going with one of Apple’s Pro models will get you the even more powerful M4 chip, an OLED display with a higher refresh rate for smoother animations, a more advanced camera system, and Face ID.
All that said, our advice is this. If you just need an iPad to read, stream TV, and play Candy Crush, stick with the base model. If an iPad is part of your job, be that illustrating or photo editing, or a laptop replacement, get the big-dog iPad Pro with an M4 Chip. If you are somewhere in the middle, and need an iPad for a little bit of work, a little bit of play, and the occasional large file, that’s where you get this new M3 Chip iPad Air. Three tiers for three different buyers.
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