Apple upgrades iPad Air with M4 chip, boosting AI performance while keeping $599 price tag

Apple speeds up the iPad Air with an M4 upgrade, starting at $599 | TechCrunch

Apple on Monday unveiled a new iPad Air that's powered by the M4 chip. The company says the device is designed to be faster, thanks to an updated neural engine and more memory, making it better for AI uses. This Air is said to be 30% faster than the M3 iPad Air and 2.3x faster than the M1 version. However, the new device still retails for the same price of $599 for the 11-inch model, and $799 for the 13-inch model. For educational customers, the discount brings the price down to $549 for the 11-inch iPad Air, while the 13-inch model starts at $749. The iPad Air now has an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, which makes it a decent choice for gaming or image and photo editing. Meanwhile, the device's unified memory has increased by 50% to 12GB, and the memory bandwidth is now up to 120GB/s, which Apple says will help users run AI models faster than on older devices. The 16-core Neural Engine is also supposed to be 3x faster than the one in the M1, which helps with running on-device AI models. The refreshed Air brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and is powered by the company's new connectivity chips for wireless and cellular, the N1 and C1X. The devices are still the same size as before, at 9.74 x 7.02 inches for the 11-inch model and 11.04 x 8.46 inches for the 13-inch model. We get a front, 12MP Center Stage camera and a 12MP Wide camera on the back. As always, you can use Apple accessories with the device, like the Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil or Apple Pencil Pro. The updated iPad Air will be available for pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, on Apple.com and via the Apple Store app in 35 countries and regions, including the U.S. Four finishes are available: blue, purple, starlight, and space gray. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The new iPad is one of several announcements planned for this week, alongside the new iPhone 17e and expected upgrades to the MacBook lineup. The launches have been timed to coincide with Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, where Apple's smartphone rivals like Samsung, Xiaomi, Honor and others are showing off their latest innovations and new hardware. Apple doesn't participate in MWC or other trade shows, preferring to show off its products at its own events. This week, it's releasing a series of new products with hands-on events in select cities.

Apple's new M4 iPad Air is here - and it's twice as fast as your old M1 model

The iPad Air is getting faster with the M4 chip.A new iPhone 17e, with double the storage, will cost $599.We'll learn more news from Apple leading up to its March 4 event. After Tim Cook confirmed we'd see new products on March 2, Apple just launched the iPad Air with M4 and the iPhone 17e. The latest iPad Air features upgraded processing power, larger memory bandwidth, an improved Center Stage camera, and faster connectivity with N1 and C1X, the chips in the iPad Pro M5. Apple's N1 wireless networking chip gives the iPad Air support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The C1X chip is included in cellular models and is 30% more efficient than the previous generation's. Also: 5 phones you should seriously consider instead of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra "iPad Air gives users more ways than ever to be creative and productive, offering powerful performance and incredible versatility to help them turn their ideas into reality," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement. "With its blazing performance thanks to M4, incredible AI capabilities, and game-changing iPadOS 26 features, there's never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air." This year's upgraded iPad Air is the same price as last year's model, making it an enticing purchase for those looking to upgrade -- especially those coming from an older device like the iPad Air with M1. If upgrading to an M4 iPad Air, current M1 users would experience performance that is more than twice as fast and 3D Pro rendering that is four times faster. Also: Your iPhone's USB-C port is surprisingly versatile - 14 features beyond charging The M4 features an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine that processes on-device AI three times faster than the M1 chip. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at the same $599 price as the previous model with an M3 processor, while the 13-inch starts at $799. Apple is opening preorders for the iPad Air with M4 and the iPhone 17e on March 4, with general availability on March 11. The new iPad Air with M4 is compatible with the Apple Pencil (USB-C), Apple Pencil Pro, and the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air, all of which can be purchased separately.

iPad Air gets faster M4 chip, more memory, and wireless connectivity without a price hike

Faster chip, more memory, better wireless -- Apple's mid-range tablet gets a serious upgrade without the price increase most people were probably expecting. Apple snuck the M4 chip into its mid-range tablet this week without adding a cent to the bill -- $599 for the 11-inch, $799 for the 13-inch. Want one? Pre-orders go up March 4, it ships March 11. Students get a slightly better deal -- $549 and $749 respectively through Apple's education pricing. Same price, bigger chip Nine GPU cores instead of eight, RAM up from 8GB to 12GB, bandwidth at 120GB/s. Apple puts the performance gain at 30% over the M3, which tracks -- more memory tends to do that. For M1 users the jump is harder to ignore: 2.3x faster across the board, four times quicker on ray-traced 3D graphics, and a Neural Engine that's three times faster. Recommended Videos That last bit matters more than it used to, since iPadOS is leaning heavily on on-device AI through Apple Intelligence -- transcribing notes, rewriting emails, digging through photos. The M4 handles all of it without pinging a server. The Air also gets Apple's N1 wireless chip this time around, which brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular models pick up the C1X modem -- 50% faster than what the M3 Air had, and 30% lighter on battery drain. The 12MP Center Stage camera sits along the landscape edge, which makes a real difference if the iPad lives in a stand or paired with the new Magic Keyboard. New keyboard, same pencil That keyboard now comes with a 14-key function row, handling brightness, volume and the rest without diving into software. Apple Pencil Pro works with it too. Four colors -- blue, purple, starlight, space gray -- and storage from 128GB to 1TB. Then there's iPadOS 26, which is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. The interface has been rebuilt around something Apple calls Liquid Glass -- a translucent material that shifts based on what's behind it. More practically, there's a proper windowing system now, letting users stack and switch between apps in a way that finally feels closer to a desktop. A new menu bar, an overhauled Files app, and a native Preview app round things out. For longtime iPad users, it's the biggest software leap in years. How Apple held the price Keeping the price flat while bumping RAM by 50% is harder than it looks right now. Memory costs have been all over the place, and most device makers have quietly passed those costs on. Apple hasn't, and that comes down to a few things -- the sheer volume it buys gives it leverage most suppliers won't push back on, and its deals tend to be locked in well ahead of when prices spike. The 3nm process M4 runs on is also cheaper per transistor than what came before, which frees up margin elsewhere. Put together, it's enough to eat the memory cost without touching the sticker price.

Apple launches 30% faster iPad Air to rival MWC hardware

The launch introduces performance upgrades intended to enhance on-device artificial intelligence capabilities while maintaining current retail pricing. The device targets consumers and educational customers seeking faster processing speeds for tasks such as gaming and image editing. The new iPad Air is 30% faster than the M3 version and 2.3x faster than the M1 version, according to the company. The device starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model. Educational discounts reduce the price to $549 for the 11-inch model and $749 for the 13-inch model. The iPad Air features an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and 12GB of unified memory. Memory bandwidth is 120GB/s, which Apple stated helps users run AI models faster than on older devices. The 16-core Neural Engine is 3x faster than the M1 version, enhancing on-device AI capabilities. The device supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 and uses new connectivity chips, the N1 and C1X. The device retains the same physical dimensions as previous models. It includes a 12MP Center Stage front camera and a 12MP Wide rear camera. The iPad Air is compatible with Apple accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. Preorders begin on Wednesday, March 4, in 35 countries and regions. The device is available in four color finishes and four storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The launch coincides with Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, alongside announcements for the iPhone 17e and MacBook upgrades. Apple will host hands-on events in select cities instead of participating in trade shows like MWC. Apple does not participate in MWC or other trade shows, preferring to show off its products at its own events.