The new iPad Air M3 is here.
Sporting the Apple M3 processor, the latest model is also compatible with an all-new Magic Keyboard. This, along with Apple Intelligence features could make this device one of the best iPads yet.
The latest iPad Air should be an impressive slate, but what makes it different from its predecessor, the iPad Air M2? Below, I’ll detail all the major changes coming to the iPad Air M3.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPad Air M3 | iPad Air M2 |
Starting price | $599 (11-inch), $799 (13-inch) | $599 (11-inch), $799 (13-inch) |
Display | 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) | 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2372 x 2048) | 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) | 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2372 x 2048) |
Rear camera | 12MP main (ƒ/1.8) | 12MP main (ƒ/1.8) |
Front camera | 12MP (f/2.0) | 12MP (f/2.0) |
Chipset | Apple M3 chip | Apple M2 chip |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Battery | 28.93 wH (11-inch) | 36.59 wH (13-inch) | 28.93 wH (11-inch) | 36.59 wH (13-inch) |
Size | 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches (11-inch) | 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches (13-inch) | 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches (11-inch) | 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches (13-inch) |
Weight | 1.01 pounds (11-inch) | 1.35 pounds (13-inch) | 1.01 pounds (11-inch) | 1.35 pounds (13-inch) |
Colors | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray | Blue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray |
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Price
The 11-inch iPad Air M3 starts at $599, and the 13-inch model starts at $799.
You can pre-order the iPad Air M3 now and can expect the tablet to ship starting on March 12. For those keeping track, this is the same pricing as the 11- and 13-inch iPad Air M2 models.
The Apple M2-powered iPad Air is no longer available on Apple’s online store, which means the company has effectively discontinued it. However, vendors like Amazon and Best Buy will likely begin selling the iPad Air M2 at a discounted price (if they haven’t already).
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Design and display
Design-wise, the iPad Air M3 is identical to its predecessor.
It retains the previous model’s repositioned front-facing camera, which makes it easier to keep yourself centered during video calls. The tablet is also available in the same four colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Gray.
The display is also the same as before. Both 11- and 13-inch iPad Airs sport Liquid Retina XDR Displays, with the former featuring a resolution of 2360 x 1640 pixels and the latter sporting a 2732 x 2048 pixels.
Unfortunately, neither iPad Air supports HDR content. For that, you’ll need the iPad Pro M4.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Performance
The new iPad Air packs an M3 chip, which promises to deliver better performance and battery life than M2.
According to Apple, the new iPad Air is two times faster than the iPad Air M1 and up to 3.5x faster than the older iPad Air with A14 Bionic. In our testing, we found that the M3 chip is roughly 15-20% faster than M2, so we expect similar results between the iPad Air M3 and iPad Air M2.
The iPad Air’s M3 chip packs an 8-core CPU, which makes it up to 35% faster for multithreaded CPU workflows than the iPad Air M1. There's also a 9-core GPU on board with 40% faster graphics performance than Apple M1.
The M3 chip has an enhanced Neural Engine meant to accelerate machine learning (ML) models. This Neural Engine is up to 60% faster than in the M1 series, says Apple.
M3 processors also have an advanced media engine that provides hardware acceleration for video codecs like H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW. The media engine also supports AV1 decoding.
The M3 chip also brings advanced graphics technologies, including dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Apple Intelligence
As expected, the new iPad Air M3 has a slew of Apple Intelligence features available via iPadOS 18.
This includes tools like Clean Up in Photos and Image Wand in the Notes app. Image Playground is great for creating images on the fly, and you can create your own emoji with Genmoji.
You can expect the new Siri, which is a more conversational (and intelligent) assistant. ChatGPT is integrated into Writing Tools and Siri if you want to go beyond what Apple’s AI has to offer.
All of these features are available on the iPad Air M2.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Accessories
An updated Magic Keyboard for iPad Air should help make it easier to use the tablet as a laptop in a pinch.
The new Magic Keyboard has a larger trackpad, which makes it more MacBook-like. It also sports a 14-key function row to let you access features like volume and screen brightness.
It attaches magnetically to the iPad Air M3 and has pass-through charging like the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.
This peripheral starts at $269 for the 11-inch version and $319 for the 13-inch model.
iPad Air M3 vs iPad Air M2: Outlook
The iPad Air M3 doesn’t offer a ton of upgrades over its predecessor. However, the promise of better performance and an improved keyboard should help make it the best iteration of Apple’s popular tablet yet.
If you’re still using an older tablet, such as the iPad Air M1, then upgrading to the latest model is worth considering. However, unless you're really craving a performance boost, the iPad Air M2 is still an excellent tablet.
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