Apple’s new iPad Air keeps last year’s starting price of USD 599 while moving to the M4 chip and 12GB of memory, 50% more than before. The first measured results show a clear speed jump, but the display and battery life have barely moved, so this is a better tablet rather than a new one.
This is a documented review: I brought together Apple’s official specs and the measured results published by Tom’s Guide and Engadget, then added my own verdict.
At a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | USD 599 (11-inch Wi-Fi, 128GB), USD 799 (13-inch Wi-Fi); cellular USD 749 and USD 949 |
| Arab market availability | Apple sells the iPad Air line on its UAE online store; a Gulf launch date and AED price for the M4 model were not confirmed at publication |
| TechKahwa rating | 8.4/10 |
| Best for | Students and home users who want near-Pro speed at a mid-range price |
| Skip if | You own an M3 iPad Air, or you need a 120Hz screen or Face ID |
Apple announced the tablet on March 2, pre-orders opened on March 4, and it goes on sale on Wednesday, March 11. Reviews went live today, March 9.
Design and display
Physically, little has changed. The 11-inch Wi-Fi model weighs 464 g and the 13-inch model 616 g, and both keep the thin, flat-edged aluminum design. Apple still uses a Liquid Retina LCD at 264 ppi: 2360 x 1640 on the 11-inch model with 500 nits, and 2732 x 2048 on the 13-inch model with 600 nits.
The panel is good. Tom’s Guide measured 489 nits, 116.2% of the sRGB color space, 82.3% of DCI-P3 and a Delta-E of 0.28, which means colors land very close to accurate. The problem is what it lacks. It still runs at 60Hz, and Engadget points out that the display has not really changed since 2020. There is still no Face ID either, so you unlock with Touch ID in the top button.
What caught my attention is the quiet connectivity upgrade: Apple’s own N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7, and cellular models get the C1X 5G modem. The single USB-C port supports USB 3 speeds and DisplayPort output. The rear camera is a 12MP f/1.8 wide lens, and the 12MP Center Stage front camera sits on the long edge, where it belongs for video calls.
Performance and battery
The M4 here has an 8-core CPU (3 performance and 5 efficiency cores), a 9-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Tom’s Guide recorded 3,745 single-core and 13,342 multi-core in Geekbench 6. Engadget compared it with the M3 model and reported gains of 23% in single-core, 12% in multi-core and 39% in GPU performance in Geekbench 6. Those are percentages over last year’s tablet, not scores.
Battery life is where the story flattens. Apple still claims up to 10 hours, from a 28.93Wh battery in the 11-inch model and 36.59Wh in the 13-inch. In Tom’s Guide’s web-surfing test, the 11-inch model lasted 9 hours and 44 minutes. Engadget, using it as an all-day work machine, reported “between seven and eight hours” of heavy use. Neither result is bad, but neither is an improvement.
| Test | Result | Reviewer |
|---|---|---|
| Web surfing battery (11-inch) | 9 h 44 min | Tom’s Guide |
| Heavy all-day use | 7 to 8 hours | Engadget |
| Geekbench 6 single / multi | 3,745 / 13,342 | Tom’s Guide |
| Screen brightness | 489 nits | Tom’s Guide |
| Color accuracy (Delta-E) | 0.28 | Tom’s Guide |
| Gains over M3 (single / multi / GPU) | 23% / 12% / 39% | Engadget |
The extra memory matters more than it sounds. Twelve gigabytes gives iPadOS 26 room for its windowed multitasking and for on-device AI features, and in my view it should keep the tablet useful for longer.
What reviewers agree on
Strengths:
- Strong M4 performance for a mid-range tablet
- More memory at the same starting price
- Bright, color-accurate screen
- Thin, well-built design
- iPadOS 26 multitasking works well on it
Weaknesses:
- Still 60Hz, with a panel Engadget says is unchanged since 2020
- No Face ID
- Battery life has not improved
- Keyboard and Pencil accessories are expensive
- A small, iterative update overall
Who should buy it
If you are coming from an older iPad or a base model, this is an easy recommendation. You get a chip that sits close to Apple’s laptops, enough memory for the next few years of iPadOS updates, and Wi-Fi 7, all for USD 599. For a university student who takes notes, writes reports and watches lectures, the 11-inch model is probably the sweet spot.
If you already own the M3 iPad Air, I would keep it. The gains are real on paper, but the screen, the design and the battery experience are the same.
For readers in the Gulf: Apple sells the iPad Air line through its UAE online store, but at the time of writing I could not confirm when the M4 model lands in the region or its AED price. Check Apple’s local store before you budget, and remember that the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil will add a noticeable amount to the total.
Verdict
The iPad Air M4 is a sensible refresh. Apple kept the price, added 50% more memory and a faster chip, and brought Wi-Fi 7 along. Tom’s Guide’s measurements show a sharp, accurate screen and solid battery life, while Engadget’s numbers confirm a meaningful jump over the M3. For me, the 60Hz display is now the one thing that really dates this tablet.
My rating is 8.4/10: still the iPad I would point most people to, as long as they know they are buying a faster version of a familiar tablet.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom, “Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4”, March 2, 2026, https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-introduces-the-new-ipad-air-powered-by-m4/
- Apple, iPad Air technical specifications, product page (undated), https://www.apple.com/ipad-air/specs/
- Tom’s Guide, Mike Prospero, “Apple iPad Air M4 review: small tweaks to the gold standard”, March 9, 2026, https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/ipads/apple-ipad-air-m4-review-small-tweaks-to-the-gold-standard
- Engadget, Nathan Ingraham, “iPad Air M4 review: still Apple’s best overall tablet, with a few caveats”, March 9, 2026, https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-air-m4-review-still-apples-best-overall-tablet-with-a-few-caveats-130000409.html
- Apple UAE, iPad Air store page (undated), https://www.apple.com/ae/shop/buy-ipad/ipad-air