Apple has just introduced the all-new iPad Air M3 — a surprise release packed with impressive upgrades. From a sleek design to the powerful M3 chip and support for updated accessories, this latest iPad Air has plenty to offer. So, what exactly is new with the iPad Air M3? Let’s break it down.
Launched via a press release on March 4, 2025, just weeks after the debut of the iPhone 16e, the iPad Air M3 maintains Apple’s signature premium design. It features a durable aluminum unibody and a landscape-oriented front-facing camera, making video calls more comfortable. It comes in two lightweight options: 460g for the 11-inch model and 616g for the 13-inch model. Users can also choose from four vibrant colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray.
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch variants sport Liquid Retina displays with True Tone technology and an anti-reflective coating. The larger 13-inch model offers slightly higher brightness at 600 nits, compared to 500 nits on the smaller one — delivering crisp, immersive viewing for work or entertainment.
When it comes to cameras, the iPad Air M3 keeps things simple. It features 12MP sensors on both the front and rear. The front-facing camera includes Apple’s Center Stage technology, which uses machine learning to keep users perfectly centered during video calls. The rear 12MP camera can capture sharp photos, shoot 4K video, and even help with document scanning and object recognition using Visual Look Up.
The biggest upgrade lies in its performance. Powered by Apple’s M3 chip, the new iPad Air is up to twice as fast as the iPad Air with M1, and up to 3.5 times faster than the model with the A14 chip. It boasts an 8-core CPU for better multitasking and a 9-core GPU for graphics performance that’s 40% faster than before. This enhanced GPU also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and dynamic caching — making games and graphic-intensive apps look and feel more lifelike than ever.
The iPad Air M3 runs on iPadOS 18, which introduces several new features like a redesigned Control Center and improved Notes app for smoother handwriting support. Thanks to the updated Neural Engine — now 60% faster than the one in the M1 — the iPad Air can handle smarter AI features and workflows with ease.
Apple also launched a refreshed Magic Keyboard alongside the new iPad Air. It magnetically attaches to the iPad without needing Bluetooth and is available in both 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. It features a built-in trackpad and a full function key row for quick access to settings like brightness and volume. Even better, it’s backward-compatible with older iPad Air models.
The iPad Air M3 also supports the latest Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil with USB-C, giving users more flexibility and precision in creative work or note-taking.