Apple has officially unveiled the new iPad Air, and this time it comes powered by the M4 chip. The update brings faster performance, more memory, improved connectivity, and support for iPadOS 26 features. In this article, we’ll cover everything that Apple has confirmed so far, including the price, specs, features, and release date of the new iPad Air M4.

Pre-orders for the iPad Air M4 are going live just a couple of days after Apple formally introduced the new device. The first week of March has proven to be an incredibly busy time for Apple and an exciting one for fans of the tech giant.

iPad Air M4 release date

Apple has confirmed that pre-orders for the new iPad Air will start on Wednesday, March 4, and the tablet will officially release and start arriving at customers on Wednesday, March 11. This is when it will be widely available in stores and across a wider range of retailers, too. The device will be available in 35 countries and regions at launch. The March 4 launch lines up with a bunch of other Apple products launching this week as part of a special event, including the iPhone 17e.

The event is not a traditional product launch with a big keynote at Apple’s headquarters. Instead, it is a more intimate invite-only “special experience” that Apple will be hosting across three locations in New York, London, and Shanghai. Respected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who is known for breaking Apple news, is one example of an invitee. For the rest of us, we can consider March 2 the ‘start’ of the event, since that’s when Apple started announcing all the new tech.

iPad Air specs and features

The new iPad Air comes in two size options: 11-inch and 13-inch. The 11-inch model is designed for portability, while the 13-inch version offers more screen space for multitasking, editing, and productivity tasks.

Memory and storage have been upgraded without affecting price. The new iPad Air now includes 12GB of unified memory, which is a 50% increase over the previous generation. Memory bandwidth has also increased to 120GB/s. As far as storage options are concerned, you can choose between 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Color options include blue, purple, starlight, and space gray.

iPad Air price

Apple has kept the starting price the same as the previous generation. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version. For students and educational buyers, Apple offers discounted pricing. The 11-inch model starts at $549 with education pricing, while the 13-inch model starts at $749. Here’s how all the pricing looks in USD and GBP:

How much better is the new M4 iPad Air?

As you’d expect, the biggest upgrade is the move to Apple’s M4 chip. The new iPad Air features an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, delivering a noticeable jump in performance compared to previous models. Apple says it is up to 30% faster than the M3 version and up to 2.3x faster than the M1 model.

For those who edit photos or videos, create 3D projects, or play games, this upgrade means smoother performance and faster rendering. The GPU also supports hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, which improves lighting and reflections in supported apps and games.

The iPad Air also now includes Apple’s N1 wireless chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular models include Apple’s C1X modem, which offers up to 50% faster cellular performance compared to the previous generation and improved energy efficiency.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.