The latest tablet from Apple has just launched with a similar look to the previous model, even down to the colourways. So what’s new, and is the latest model worth the investment?
Back in 2013, Apple launched the first iPad Air, memorably revealed in a commercial where it was hidden behind a pencil. It had a 9.7in display and was 7.5mm thick. At the time, the tablet’s slim profile was unheard of and deeply impressive.
Now, the eighth-generation iPad Air, called the iPad Air M4, has just been unveiled, in two sizes. One has an 11in display, the other 13in, but both are just 6.1mm thick.
There have been plenty of other enhancements in the intervening years, including support for the Apple Pencil stylus, a brighter display that now covers the front of the tablet completely, better colour fidelity and, of course, much improved processors.
Sitting between the base iPad and top-flight iPad Pro (which is even thinner at 5.1mm in one size), is it the difficult middle child or the perfect choice? Keep scrolling for my full review and verdict.
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How I tested
I’ve been looking at every detail of the iPad Air. I checked out how easy it was to set up, and transfer content from a previous device. I looked at how rich and detailed the screen is and how well apps worked on it, from games to video to more advanced productivity programs.
I’ve been looking at the 13in model, so I considered how portable it was, comparing it against the last-generation model in an 11in size, while considering the following criteria.
- Design: I noted overall design and ergonomics, as well as general practicality and choice of colourways.
- Performance and display: With the new iPad Air feauturing Apple’s M4 chip, I assessed how well it was able to cope with tasks such as video processing, game play and more.
- Connectivity: I considered how well connectivity worked across features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
- Battery life: Finally, I considered whether battery life was plentiful. Afterall, there’s no point having a fancy new tablet if it doesn’t have enough juice to last you through the day.
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Apple iPad Air M4
Display: 11in: LED, 2,360 x 1,640px, 264ppi; 13 in: LED, 2,732 x 2,048px, 264ppi
CPU: Apple M4
Storage: 128 GB / 256GB / 512GB /1TB
Size: 11in: 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm; 13in: 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm
Weight: 11in: 464g; 13in: 616g
Rear camera: 12MP
Front camera: 12MP
Why we love it
- Outstanding performance
- Closer to iPad Pro than before
- Familiar, elegant design
Take note
- No new colourways
Design
The latest iPad Air looks just like the last version, colourways included, but it adds new features inside, most notably the Apple M4 chip (previously exclusive to several Macs and an earlier iPad Pro).
The lack of design change is not a surprise, as Apple has finessed the look of the Air in recent years. It has a sumptuous edge-to-edge screen with a front-facing camera buried in the long side to make video calls more convenient. Cliff-edge sides provide a place for the Apple Pencil to snap into place, while Touch ID, formerly on the front of the tablet, is now conveniently placed in the power button (when you set it up, you’re encouraged to lock in two fingerprints so that it works whichever way you pick it up).
Thin bezels around the display mean that though the screen size has grown, the overall dimensions of the tablet are more compact than you might expect if you’re coming from a much earlier model.
The colourways are the same as the last iPad Air: blue, starlight (a mix of silver and gold), space grey and purple. I tested the latter, which looks almost silver in some lights but gleams light purple in others.
Performance
Apple has upgraded both the chip and the memory, compared with the previous iPad Air. The main upgrades, then, are internal, with the Apple M4 chip now the device’s quick-thinking brain. The previous model used the earlier M3 chip, which itself was no slouch. Apple says the new chip is up to 30 per cent faster. In most environments, you may not notice much change, because the iPad Air (and indeed pretty much every iPad) has always been nippy and responsive.
But the M4 chip is also designed to suit the most demanding uses, such as processes using Apple Intelligence. Apple has just souped up many of its productivity and creativity apps in a suite it calls Creator Studio. The faster processor seems perfectly matched to these and I found it handled demanding and complex tasks such as video processing, for instance, at great speed.
The M4 chip also has a powerful GPU, so that graphics performance, including ray tracing and mesh shading, are all catered for. Games play fast and smoothly.
Much of this is down to the processor, but it’s also the case that Apple has increased the memory on board by 50 per cent, up from 8GB to 12GB. The company says there’s faster memory bandwidth as well.
Connectivity
Fast wireless and cellular connections are included with the latest Apple modem, the C1X, on models with cellular connectivity. This modem has previously only been seen on two iPhones (iPhone Air and the new iPhone 17e) and the current iPad Pro.
The Apple wireless networking chip N1 means there’s now faster wifi than before (wifi 7 instead of wifi 6e on the last iPad Air, which adds future-proofing), as well as Bluetooth 6. It means that core features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop can perform better and more reliably.
Price
Another thing that looks the same as the previous iPad Air is the price tag. With the 2026 models starting at £599 for the 11in option, and £799 for the 13in version, Apple has managed to keep prices stable which, at a time when memory and chip prices are going up, is an achievement.
The question is not so much whether the iPad Air is fast enough – for most users, it really is – so much as why you would pay the extra £400 to step up to the iPad Pro? Or should you save £270 and settle for the entry-level iPad instead?
Of course, Apple has carefully positioned each product so there’s plenty of differences between them. The base iPad, which is an amazing-value device, doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, which is likely to become much more important in the coming months.
But the addition of the M4 chip and extra memory push the Air much closer to the top-of-the-range iPad Pro than ever before.
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Is the iPad Air M4 worth it?
The iPad Air has sometimes felt like an uncertain choice, a long way from the power of the iPad Pro, but too expensive for basic users. But that’s changed this time. While the iPad Pro has an advanced OLED display and better audio in a thinner and lighter case, the upgrade to the Apple M4 chip, 12GB of memory and the C1X modem all bring the Air much closer to the Pro.
The immaculate design, great light weight and outstanding performance make this the perfect choice for anyone seeking something close to Pro quality, but for a much lower price.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
David Phelan has been testing and writing about tablets, laptops and Apple tech for years. His rigorous, real-world testing process involves using each model as his primary device, enabling him to go beyond specs on a sheet to understand how a piece of tech truly performs day to day. This hands-on approach, combined with extensive industry insight, ensures that his reviews are based on his honest, unbiased and expert opinion.
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