iPad Air M3 Review: A modest update is still easy to recommend

If you've picked up your iPad in the last five years or so, the new iPad Air won't surprise you. Except for the iPad Air released by Apple last spring, the same iPad Air is the same. The only difference is that the latest iPad Air has an M3 chip inside, rather than an M2 that already has capabilities. Even the (extremely soft) colors are the same this year. Apart from the 13-inch screen option added last spring, the iPad Air is almost no different from the air released in 2020.

This makes this iPad very easy to review – everything I wrote last May has reviewed the 13-inch iPad Air M2 here. I love that it has a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, reasonable basic storage and a front-facing camera at the edge of the landscape. The 13-inch model is still quite large, but it's thin and lightweight and can be fine, and while you want to use the 11-inch model with your iPad to use with your keyboard, it's probably better to use it. The Apple Pencil Pol Pro released last year is a good upgrade for serious visual artists. I don't like it still relies on the touch ID instead of the Face ID, and I think it's time for the iPad Air to display better.

Given that the M3 chip is the main change here, it is worth giving it more attention. Geekbench 6 scores show that iPad Air with M3 is about 16% more capable in single-core and multi-core scores. Given that the M2 iPad Air is less than a year old, but that's not fundamentally changing the way you use the device, it's really impressive. However, this does mean it is more future-proof and I'm always happy about it. When actually using iPad Air handled multitasking, playing games, transcoding videos and trying various Apple smart features during my workdays, absolutely no ic and slowdown.

Apple has been actively putting extremely powerful chips into the iPad Air and Pro lineup for several years, and it's great that you basically don't have to worry about slowing down. And, the newer chips have no adverse effects on battery life – I easily get eight hours on weekdays, while the magic keyboard is always connected, and Apple is close to 10 hours when doing more causal activities or watching videos.

Apple also fixed one of my two major complaints about the last iPad Air. It has a new Magic keyboard to model with the numerous improved keyboards introduced along with the iPad Pro M4. It's thinner and lighter than the older iPad Air keyboard, with a row of useful function keys and a larger trackpad. These are not the main changes, but they are enough to make me feel more satisfied with this year’s keyboard experience. However, it doesn't have some details on the iPad Pro Magic keyboard: the best case scenario is sleek plastic instead of aluminum, the key is not backlight, and the trackpad has physical clicks instead of haptic feedback. However, this keyboard is also $30 cheaper than the replaced keyboard. It's still very expensive – $269 for 11-inch air and $319 for the 13-inch model.

Nathan Ingraham

Actually, this The whole package I'm trying very expensive. The 13-inch iPad Air has 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity for $1,449, which doesn't include the keyboard. However, the iPad Pro is quite specs, wait for it, without its keyboard for $2,099. The 13-inch air starts at $799 and stores 128GB, which seems fair to me. Again, the 11-inch air priced at $599 feels like a great value and has many meaningful improvements to the basic iPad.

With the new iPad Air so similar to last year's model, I started thinking about the compromises that Apple makes to keep the price of the Air at a more approachable level, and whether those are reasonable in 2025. The major advantages the iPad Pro M4 has over the iPad Air M3 are: a much better OLED display with a higher refresh rate, more storage space on the base model, a more powerful chip, better speakers and microphones, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a thinner and lighter design, radar sensors and some additional photo and video capture capabilities. The iPad Pro also offers nanotextured front glass options on 1TB and 2TB models (to reduce screen glare), and those with more storage also have 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB.

Nathan Ingraham

In almost all cases, I have no problem with these features unique to the iPad Pro. However, after spending some time with the iPad Air, I think it's time for Apple to find ways to improve on the screen. Actually, I think there is a reliable solution waiting on the wings: the mini-player monitor Apple uses in the 2021 and 2022 iPad Pro. The screen refresh is refreshed at up to 120Hz, the same Apple brand as other Apple brands (promotional capabilities), and maximum brightness when watching movies, and can jump to 1,000 nit- and can jump to 1,600 nit for Hdr for Hdr for Hdr nit for Hdr nit for Hdr nit. When not watching videos, brightness is maximized at 600 nits (such as iPad Air), but given the popularity of iPads in viewing videos, this will be a significant improvement.

Most likely between higher refresh rates and increased brightness, Apple believes the Mini Leader's screen is still too close to the iPad Pro's OLED panel (which is still shocking, which is probably the best portable screen I've ever seen). Apple has never made a mini-dominated display for the 11-inch iPad Pro, so some new displays have to be developed for the smaller iPad Air.

There are many reasons no To do this, but I think the iPad Air deserves a better screen. Actually, I would be happy if Apple just gave me a refresh rate on the same screen. The company still retains the capabilities of its most expensive “Pro” devices, but the landscape in 2025 is very different from 2020. A large number of mid-range phones have 90Hz or 120Hz screens. Of course, Apple never really cared about the work of other manufacturers. It has quite consistent rules regarding which devices get what technologies. The iPad Air's screen is basically the same as the one on the MacBook Air, while the more expensive iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and iPhone Pro all get higher refresh rates. That's where we are, but I'm ready to change.

Nathan Ingraham

Of course, I also need to admit that the iPad Air's screen is still cute. Apple fine-tuned its LCD technology to within an inch of its lifespan and displays it in bright colors, overall clarity and a good viewing angle. Of course, I noticed that black people are not as “real black” as black people with OLED or mini-leading, but when I watch movies or play games, I don’t sit around thinking. I just like what I do without fussing about the screen specifications.

The lower refresh rate is more noticeable in daily use – you keep touching, swiping and scrolling content on your iPad, and it feels less fluid. My main devices are MacBook Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro, all of which use promotions. Stepping onto the iPad Air is just an annoying thing. While Apple obviously feels it doesn't always have to respond to bigger industry trends, it's hard to imagine it sticking to a 60Hz screen in most products.

Nathan Ingraham

Another major question I have about iPad Air is touch ID. At this point, Face ID really doesn't look like a “professional” feature. In addition to the iPhone SE lineup, every new iPhone since 2018 has a facial ID, but you still need to spend $1,000 or more to use it for your iPad. It feels a bit extreme! Touch ID is great, but I often need to log in to many sites and services for work, and having to keep reaching out to touch the top button is a little cumbersome. Especially compared to just making sure my face stays in the frame with the front camera. In my comments, this may be more of a pain, as the iPad Air is brand new and the setup requires a lot of logging into various apps. Still, Face ID certainly doesn't feel like it doesn't need to lock in the features of professional devices at this point.

Nathan Ingraham

Everything else I need to know about the new iPad Air is covered in my comments 10 months ago, but I'll summarize it. I think the Air still makes a clear upgrade to the basic iPad – I appreciate its improved display, stronger performance, a stronger multitasking experience and better accessories. Not to mention 13-inch air is the only way to get a big-screen iPad without bankruptcy. I'm also glad Apple has made a better keyboard, and if you have an older iPad Air, the new keyboard will work with it.

However, the new iPad with the A16 chip is also better than its predecessor, as Apple has solved many problems since 2022. The price is lower, the storage is doubled, and the stupid lightning pencil charging situation is now gone. If you don't care about Apple Intelligence, more advanced multitasking, and better or larger screens, many people looking for “Just A Bood Ipad” won't miss the over-the-air upgrade, especially if they save $250.

But for those who want more from their iPad, my air is as easy to recommend as last year. You can get 80% of the iPad Pro experience for less money, and the vast majority of buyers won't miss out on the extra features of the Pro.

My main warning is that this iPad Air feels like a slightly upgraded parking device before a larger redesign, just like the iPad Pro will do in 2022. The iPad went from M1 to M1 and got some nice software updates, but largely the same as its predecessor – and then Apple gave it a lot of updates a year later and a year later. The iPad Air M3 feels like it's in a similar place, just waiting for a lot of refreshes. I think Apple has to update some of its older bits, especially the display. If you're the type of person who really likes a good screen, it might be worth a year to wait to see if Apple eventually brings faster refresh rates to more iPads.

This article originally appeared on Engadget