iPad Air M3 Review: A Modest Update That’s Still Easy to Recommend

If you’ve picked up an iPad in the last five years, the new iPad Air won’t surprise you. It’s almost identical to the iPad Air that Apple released last spring, with the only difference being the latest iPad Air having the M3 chip inside, instead of the already-capable M2. The 13-inch screen option Apple added last spring is still available, and the iPad Air is barely different from the one released way back in 2020.

This makes the iPad Air exceedingly easy to review, as everything written last May when reviewing the 13-inch iPad Air M2 still applies. The device has a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, a reasonable amount of base storage, and a front-facing camera on the landscape edge. The 13-inch model is still fairly large but thin and light enough to hold without issue. However, if you prefer holding an iPad to using it with a keyboard, the 11-inch model might be a better choice. The Apple Pencil Pro is a nice upgrade for serious visual artists. On the downside, the iPad Air still relies on Touch ID instead of Face ID, and it’s time for a better display.

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The iPad Air remains a great option in Apple’s tablet lineup, offering more features than the basic iPad at a relatively affordable price.

Pros

• Apple’s most affordable large-screen iPad
• Powerful M3 chip
• Better screen, performance, and multitasking capabilities than the base iPad
• Better and cheaper keyboard

Cons

• Screen is starting to show its age
• No Face ID
• Can get expensive quickly, especially with accessories
• The colors could be brighter!

$749 at Amazon

Given that the M3 chip is the main change in the new iPad Air, it’s worth giving it some attention. Geekbench 6 scores show that the iPad Air with the M3 is about 16% more powerful in both single- and multi-core scores. This improvement is impressive, especially considering the M2 iPad Air is less than a year old. However, it’s not something that will radically change how you use the device. The iPad Air handled multitasking, games, video transcoding, and Apple Intelligence features without any hiccups or slowdowns during testing.

Apple has been aggressive about putting powerful chips in the iPad Air and Pro lineups for a few years now, and it’s nice that you basically never have to worry about slowdowns. The newer chip had no ill effects on battery life, with the device easily lasting eight hours during a workday with the Magic Keyboard connected, and close to the 10 hours Apple promises when doing more casual activities or watching video.

Apple also fixed one of the major complaints about the last iPad Air by introducing a new Magic Keyboard modeled after the one introduced alongside the iPad Pro M4. The new keyboard is thinner, lighter, and has a row of useful function keys, as well as a slightly bigger trackpad. While it doesn’t have some niceties found on the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, such as a backlit keyboard or haptic feedback, it’s $30 cheaper than the previous model.

The whole package, including the 13-inch iPad Air with 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity, is pricey at $1,449, not including the keyboard. However, a comparably specced iPad Pro costs $2,099 without its keyboard. The 13-inch Air starts at $799 with 128GB of storage, which seems like a fair price. The 11-inch Air at $599 feels like a great value, with numerous meaningful improvements over the basic iPad.

With the new iPad Air being so similar to last year’s model, it’s worth considering the compromises Apple makes to keep the price approachable. The major advantages the iPad Pro M4 has over the iPad Air M3 include a better OLED display, more storage space, a more powerful chip, better speakers and microphones, Face ID, a thinner and lighter design, a LiDAR sensor, and extra photo and video capture capabilities. The iPad Pro also offers a nano-texture front glass option on the 1TB and 2TB models, which have 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB.

It’s time for Apple to improve the iPad Air’s screen. A possible solution could be to deploy the mini-LED display used in the iPad Pro from 2021 and 2022, which refreshes at up to 120Hz and has a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits for movies and 1,600 nits for HDR content. Although Apple might feel this would be too close to the iPad Pro’s OLED panel, it would be a significant improvement for the iPad Air.

The iPad Air’s screen remains lovely, with vibrant colors, sharpness, and great viewing angles. However, the lower refresh rate is noticeable in day-to-day usage, making it feel less fluid compared to devices with ProMotion. While the iPad Air’s screen is good, it’s not great, and it’s time for an upgrade.

Another major quibble with the iPad Air is the use of Touch ID instead of Face ID. At this point, Face ID doesn’t feel like a “Pro” feature, and it’s time for Apple to make it more widely available. The need to constantly touch the top button to log in to various apps and services can be a hassle, especially when compared to the convenience of Face ID.

Everything else you need to know about the new iPad Air is covered in the review from 10 months ago. The iPad Air remains a clear upgrade over the base iPad, with improved display, performance, multitasking, and accessories. The 13-inch Air is the only way to get a big-screen iPad without breaking the bank. The new keyboard will also work with older iPad Air models.

The new iPad with the A16 chip is also better than its predecessor, with a lower price, doubled storage, and the removal of the Lightning Pencil charging issue. If you don’t care about Apple Intelligence, advanced multitasking, or a better screen, the new iPad might be a good option, especially considering the $250 savings.

However, for those who want more from their iPad, the Air is still easy to recommend. You can get 80% of the iPad Pro experience for a lot less money, and most buyers won’t miss the Pro’s extra features. The main caveat is that this iPad Air feels like a slightly upgraded stopgap ahead of a bigger redesign, much like the iPad Pro was in 2022. If you’re waiting for a big refresh, it might be worth holding off for another year to see if Apple finally brings faster refresh rates to more iPads.