Apple has surprised us all and announced the brand new iPad Air M3 alongside a new Magic Keyboard and updates to the iPad 10th Gen.
We’ve detailed everything you need to know about the new iPad Air M3 release date, including its all-important price, its specs and whether it looks like it’ll take a spot on our best tablets or best iPad guides.
Not sure which iPad to go for? Visit our iPad vs iPad Air or iPad Air vs iPad Pro pages to help you decide.
iPad Air M3 release date
Just weeks after the launch of the new iPhone 16e, Apple surprisingly announced the newest iteration of its iPad Air. The iPad Air with M3 (2025) can be pre-ordered from 4th March 2025 and will be readily available in stores and online from the 12th March 2025.
Pre-orders are currently available via the Apple website and Apple Store app in 29 countries and regions, including the UK and US.
iPad Air M3 Price
The iPad Air M3 is available in a choice of two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. Naturally, the 11-inch model is cheaper with a starting RRP of £599/$599, while the 13-inch starts at £799/$799.
Regardless of the size you opt for and much like its predecessor, the iPad Air M3 is available in four storage sizes, ranging from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and a whopping 1TB. What’s also noteworthy is Apple has finally updated the storage of its entry-level iPad 10th Gen. While previously the iPad was only available in a measly 64GB or 256GB, you now have a choice between 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
iPad Air M3 design
Much like its predecessor, the iPad Air M3 retains the repositioned landscape front camera, which makes video calling feel much more comfortable. Plus, at just 460g for the 11-inch and 616g for the 13-inch model, both iPad Air tablets are light and should be easy to use on the move.
Otherwise, the iPad Air M3 comes with a choice of four pastel colours: Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Grey.
iPad Air M3 screen
Regardless of the size, both the 11 and 13-inch iPad Air M3 models will sport a Liquid Retina display, anti-reflective coating and True Tone technology.
The larger 13-inch iPad Air M3, however, does benefit from a slightly higher brightness level of 600 nits, while the 11-inch has a peak of 500 nits instead.
iPad Air M3 cameras
Arguably the cameras of any tablet isn’t necessarily a deciding factor, as most tend to reach for their phone when a photo opportunity arises. Having said that, the iPad Air M3 still sports a solid pair of lenses. Its front 12MP lens, which will likely be used the most for video calls and taking selfies, is fitted with Apple’s Center Stage technology which uses Machine Learning to ensure you stay within the frame at all times.
Flip the iPad Air over and you’ll find its 12MP rear lens, which Apple explains can capture vivid photos and shoot 4K videos too. Not only that, but the lens should make scanning documents easier than ever, plus with Visual Look Up you can identify objects, including checking your laundry symbols, with ease too.
iPad Air M3 performance
Although it’s not quite the M4 processor found in the iPad Pro or latest MacBook Pro and iMac, Apple promises the new iPad Air with M3 will see tons of improvements over previous iPad Air iterations.
Before we dive in, it’s worth pointing out that most of Apple’s comparisons use the iPad Air M1 and not the more recent iPad Air M2, which suggests there might not be a huge reason to upgrade if you’re sporting last year’s tablet.
Apple claims the iPad Air M3 is nearly “2x faster” than the iPad Air M1 and up to a whopping 3.5x faster than the iPad Air with A14 chip. Not only that, but the M3 processor features a “more powerful eight-core CPU” which Apple explains makes the new iPad “up to 35% faster for multithreaded CPU workflows than the iPad Air with M1”.
In addition, thanks to a nine-core GPU, the iPad Air M3 should see up to 40% faster graphics performance over the M1 too, while enabling more accurate lighting, reflections, shadows and “extremely realistic gaming experiences”.
The iPad Air M3 is also the first to sport Apple’s advanced graphics architecture, which provides support for dynamic caching and ray tracing, which should contribute to the realistic gaming.
iPad Air M3 software
Much like the iPhone 16 series, the new iPad Air has been hailed as “built for Apple Intelligence”, Apple’s AI toolkit. Thanks to the Neural Engine in its M3 chip, which is supposedly up to 60% faster than M1, Apple explains that iPad Air users can enjoy “even more AI capabilities in iPadOS”.
Apple Intelligence includes a range of features, from the Clean Up tool in the Photos which allows you to remove distractions from your snaps, a more conversational Siri and ChatGPT integration.
Otherwise, the iPad Air comes shipped with iPadOS 18 which has a redesigned Control Centre and allows users to customise widgets and apps. Plus the Notes app has been updated to better support handwritten text, making handwriting feel more fluid than ever.
iPad Air M3 accessories
Launched alongside the iPad Air M3 is its supporting Magic Keyboard which attaches magnetically without requiring Bluetooth. Available in either 11 or 13-inches, the Magic Keyboard has a built-in trackpad and a 14-key function row which allows access to screen brightness and volume controls.
The Magic Keyboard also has backwards compatibility, which means it works with iPad Air M2, iPad Air 5th Gen and iPad Air 4th Gen too, with an RRP of £269/$269 for the 11-inch or £299/$299 for the 13-inch.
Otherwise, the iPad Air M3 supports the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C.
