Apple upgrades iPad Air with powerful M4 chip, starting price set at $599

Apple introduced an updated iPad Air on Monday, equipped with the M4 chip.

According to the company, the new tablet is built to deliver better performance, thanks to an upgraded Neural Engine and additional memory, making it more capable for AI-related tasks. Apple says this version of the Air is 30% faster than the M3 iPad Air and 2.3 times faster than the M1 iPad Air.

Even with those improvements, pricing remains unchanged. The 11-inch model still starts at $599, while the 13-inch version begins at $799. For education customers, Apple is offering lower pricing, with the 11-inch iPad Air starting at $549 and the 13-inch model beginning at $749.

The refreshed iPad Air now includes an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, making it a solid option for gaming, photo editing, and image work. The device’s unified memory has also increased by 50% to 12GB, while memory bandwidth now reaches 120GB/s. Apple says those upgrades should help users run AI models faster compared with older versions.

Apple also says the 16-core Neural Engine is three times faster than the one in the M1 model, which should improve performance for on-device AI workloads.

The updated Air also adds support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and it uses Apple’s latest connectivity chips for wireless and cellular performance, the N1 and C1X. In terms of physical dimensions, the devices remain the same as the previous generation, measuring 9.74 x 7.02 inches for the 11-inch model and 11.04 x 8.46 inches for the 13-inch version.

The tablet features a front-facing 12MP Centre Stage camera and a rear-facing 12MP Wide camera. As with earlier models, it works with Apple accessories, including the Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil, and Apple Pencil Pro.

The updated iPad Air will be available for preorder starting Wednesday, March 4, through Apple.com and the Apple Store app in 35 countries and regions, including the United States. Buyers can choose from four finishes: blue, purple, starlight, and space grey. Storage configurations include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

The new iPad is one of several product announcements expected from Apple this week, alongside the new iPhone 17e and anticipated updates to the MacBook lineup. The launches coincide with Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Apple’s smartphone competitors, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Honour, and others, are presenting their latest devices and innovations.

Apple does not participate in MWC or similar trade shows and prefers to showcase its products through its own announcements and events. This week, the company is rolling out a series of new products supported by hands-on events in selected cities.