Apple is giving the iPad Air a serious power boost.
The company on March 2 unveiled a new iPad Air powered by its M4 chip, pairing faster graphics and expanded memory with iPadOS 26 while keeping the same starting price.
In a press release, Apple said the updated model delivers stronger performance across creative, gaming, and everyday workflows, with software upgrades designed to push multitasking and productivity further on its midrange tablet.
A bigger jump than a routine chip refresh
Apple’s update is driven by the M4 chip, bringing an 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU to the iPad Air. Apple says the new model is up to 30 percent faster than the M3 version and up to 2.3 times faster than the M1 generation, billing it as a noticeable leap.
Graphics is where Apple leans in hardest. The M4 adds hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, enabling more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows in supported games and 3D workflows. According to Apple, ray-tracing rendering is more than four times faster than on the M1-based iPad Air, aimed at users who spend their time in video, design, and visually demanding apps.
Faster on-device features, fewer waits
Apple is giving the iPad Air more room to handle on-device tasks.
Memory jumps 50 percent to 12GB, and bandwidth rises to 120GB/s, meant to keep heavier apps and local processing moving faster. The M4’s 16-core Neural Engine is also upgraded, described as three times faster than the M1-era iPad Air.
Connectivity gets new Apple silicon, too. The N1 chip adds Wi-Fi 7, plus Bluetooth 6 and Thread, with improvements aimed at steadier connections and better Hotspot and AirDrop performance. Cellular models switch to the C1X modem, built for faster 5G data with lower power use.
Multitasking finally gets a cleaner system
iPadOS 26 refreshes the look with Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design, a translucent interface that shifts as you move through apps. The bigger update is multitasking: a new windowing system meant to make it easier to open, arrange, and switch between apps without the usual hassle.
A new menu bar surfaces app commands with a swipe from the top or by moving the cursor upward. Files also gets an updated List view and more folder customization, including folders in the Dock. Preview arrives on iPad for viewing and marking up PDFs and images, alongside upgrades like better audio input control, higher-quality local recording, and Background Tasks.
Pencil, keyboard, and a setup that scales with you
Apple is keeping the iPad Air’s accessory lineup familiar. Buyers can choose between Apple Pencil (USB-C) for everyday note-taking and sketching, or step up to Apple Pencil Pro, which adds squeeze and barrel roll gestures and supports Find My.
Magic Keyboard returns for both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air. It snaps on magnetically, uses the Smart Connector instead of Bluetooth pairing, and includes a trackpad plus a 14-key function row for quick controls like brightness and volume.
When it ships and where to buy
The new iPad Air will be available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, with storage options starting at 128GB and scaling up to 1TB. Pricing stays the same: $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model, with higher prices for Wi-Fi + Cellular versions. Education pricing starts at $549 for the 11-inch and $749 for the 13-inch.
Preorders open Wednesday, March 4, through Apple’s website and the Apple Store app, with the new iPad Air set to arrive and hit stores Wednesday, March 11.
The iPhone 17e has landed with 256GB standard storage, MagSafe support, and Apple’s A19 processor.