TL; DR
- The M3 iPad Air follows the same design language as its predecessor: symmetrical bezels all around the corner (slightly thinner on the larger version).
- Both the iPad models feature a fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating, support for Wide color (P3) gamut, Apple’s True Tone technology, and support for Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).
- The M3 iPad Air gets the same cameras as its predecessor. We’re talking about the 12MP (f/1.8) wide camera on the back (up to 5x digital zoom) and the 12MP (f/2.0) Center Stage camera on the front (with 2x zoom out).
- The baseline iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi) costs Rs. 59,900, while the iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular) costs Rs. 74,900.
- The baseline A16 iPad (128GB, Wi-Fi) starts at Rs. 34,900, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts from Rs. 49,900.
While we were expecting the Cupertino giant to reveal the M4 MacBook Air, it surprised us by revealing two new iPads. On March 4, 2025, the company refreshed the iPad Air lineup with the M3 chipset and the regular iPad with the A16 Bionic chipset. Although the updates aren’t dramatic, the new iPads will be available to purchase from March 12, 2025.
M3 iPad Air Specifications And Features
Dimensions & Weight
- 11-inch M3 iPad Air: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm; 462 grams
- 13-inch M3 iPad Air: 280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1 mm; 618 grams
Design
The M3 iPad Air follows the same design language as its predecessor: symmetrical bezels all around the display (slightly thinner on the larger version) and a single-camera cutout on the otherwise plain back panel (made of aluminum).
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The placement of the front camera on the longer side, the power button/Touch ID, volume buttons, the magnetic connector, and the USB-C port remains the same as the predecessor.
Regarding colors, the new iPad Air models are available in Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray finishes.
Display
The 11-inch iPad Air features a Liquid Retina IPS display (LED-backlit) with a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels (264 ppi) and a peak brightness of 500 nits.
For Those who want a bigger screen, there’s an M3 iPad Air variant with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels (264 ppi) and a peak brightness of 600 nits.
Both the iPad models feature a fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating, support for Wide color (P3) gamut, Apple’s True Tone technology, and support for Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C).
Both models get landscape stereo speakers and two microphones.
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Processor
Under the hood, the new iPad Air models run on Apple’s M3 chip comprising of an eight-core CPU (four performance cores and four efficient cores), a nine-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a 16-core Neural Engine.
The chipset features 8GB of RAM that supports 100 GB/s memory bandwidth and up to 1TB of storage. The baseline version, however, still ships with 128GB of storage in 2025.
Thanks to the M3 chip, the new iPad Air can easily handle all the Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, Image Playground, ChatGPT-integrated Siri, Image Wand, and many more.
Software
Both iPads have the latest iPadOS 18 operating system, which brings improved lock/home screen customization options, improvements to apps like Notes, Photos, Messages, a dedicated Game Mode, and a better password manager. As mentioned earlier, the new iPad Air models support Apple Intelligence.
Camera
The M3 iPad Air gets the same cameras as its predecessor. We’re talking about the 12MP (f/1.8) wide camera on the back (up to 5x digital zoom) and the 12MP (f/2.0) Center Stage camera on the front (with 2x zoom out).
Some photography-related features include Smart HDR 4, extended dynamic range, cinematic video stabilization, and 4K video recording at up to 60 fps (limited to 1080p HD video at 60 fps from the front camera).
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Battery
Both the 11-inch and 13-inch M3 iPad Air models can provide up to 10 hours of web surfing over a Wi-Fi connection and up to nine hours using a cellular data network.
Connectivity
Connectivity options on the new iPad Air include 5G (sub-6 GHz on the cellular models), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, and a USB-C port.
M3 iPad Air Price And Availability
The baseline iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi) costs Rs. 59,900, while the iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular) costs Rs. 74,900.
The 13-inch iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi) costs Rs. 79,900, while the iPad Air (128GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular) costs Rs. 94,900.
Students can avail themselves of a Rs. 5,000 discount on the M3 iPad Air models.
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New Magic Keyboard For iPad Air Gets A 14-Key Function Row
Apple has released a new Magic Keyboard with a larger trackpad for enhanced precision for detail-oriented tasks, a new 14-key function row for accessing features like screen brightness, and the Smart Connector for syncing power and data without using Bluetooth.
The new Magic Keyboard has a machined aluminum hinge and includes a USB-C connector for charging. It costs Rs. 26,900 for the 11-inch iPad Air and Rs. 29,900 for the 13-inch iPad Air.
Regular iPad Gets A Spec Bump With Apple’s A16 Bionic Chip
Apple has also upgraded the basic iPad with its A16 Bionic chip for faster performance, 128GB of storage (on the base variant) for storing more files, and support for iPadOS 18, which brings features like a new Calculator, handwriting recognition in Notes, audio recording with transcription, and improved customization options for the Home Screen.
The baseline A16 iPad (128GB, Wi-Fi) starts at Rs. 34,900, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts from Rs. 49,900. Students with a valid ID proof can get Rs. 2,000 off on the basic iPad.
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