iPad Air M3 Review: A modest update that is still easy to recommend

iPad Air M3 Review: A modest update that is still easy to recommend


If you have picked up an iPad in the past five years, or something, The new iPad Air Will not surprise you. In every respect it is only identical to the iPad air that Apple published last spring. The only difference is that the latest iPad Air has the M3 chip instead of the already capable M2. Even the (extremely subdued) colors appear identical this year. In addition to the 13-inch screen option that Apple added last spring, the iPad air hardly differs from the one it was Published in 2020.

This makes this iPad extremely easy to check – everything I wrote last May When I checked the 13-inch IPAD Air M2 applies here. I like it that it has a long -lasting battery, lots of electricity, an appropriate amount of basic storage and a camera at the front on the landscape edge. The 13-inch model is still quite large, but it is thin and light enough to keep it without any problems. However, if you prefer to use an iPad with a keyboard, you are probably better with the 11-inch model. The Apple Pencil Pro published last year is a nice upgrade for serious visual artists. I don’t like it that it is still based on TouchID instead of Face ID, and I think it’s time that the iPad Air has a better advertisement.

In view of the fact that the M3 chip is the main change here, it is worth paying a little more attention to him. The Geekbench 6 results show that the iPad Air with the M3 is about 16 percent more powerful in both individual and multi-core results. This is quite impressive because the M2 iPad Air is less than a year old, but it is not something that radically changes the use of the device. However, it means that it is a little more future -proof and I’m always happy about it. In real use, the iPad Air Multitasking has on my working day, playing games, transcoding videos and trying out various Apple Intelligence functions without hiccups and slowing down.

Apple has been aggressive for a few years to put extremely powerful chips into the iPad Air and Pro lineups, and it is nice that they never have to worry about slowing down. And the newer chip had no negative effects on the battery life – I had a slight eight hours during a working day, with the magical keyboard being connected all the time, and near the 10 hours that Apple promises if you perform more causal activities or watch video.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Apple also set one of my two major complaints about the last iPad air. It has a new magical keyboard that was modeled after the much improved introduced next to the iPad Pro M4 introduced. It is thinner and lighter than the old iPad air keyboard, has a number of useful function keys and the trackpad is somewhat larger. These are not significant changes, but they are enough to make me much happier with the keyboard experience this year. However, there are not a few subtleties that you will find on the iPad Pro Magic keyboard: The top housing is rather smooth plastic than aluminum, the keys are not backlit and the trackpad has a physical click than haptic feedback. However, this keyboard also costs 30 US dollars cheaper than the one that replaces it. It is still wildly expensive $ 269 for the 11-inch air and $ 319 for the 13-inch model.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

The iPad Pro M4 on the left and the iPad Air M3 on the right. The keyboard of the iPad Pro has a slightly larger trackpad.

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Actually this Entire package I try it is wildly expensive. The 13-inch IPAD air with 1 TB memory and 5G connectivity costs $ 1,449, and this does not include the keyboard. However, A comparable specific iPad Pro Cost, wait for 2,099 US dollars without a keyboard. The 13-inch air begins at $ 799 with 128 GB of memory, a price that appears to me fairly. Similarly, the 11-inch air feels a great value at $ 599 and has numerous sensible improvements compared to the basic iPad.

Since the new iPad air like the model of last year was similar, I thought about the compromises that Apple makes to keep the price of air at a more accessible level and whether they are reasonable in 2025. The main advantage of the iPad Pro M4 has the iPad Air M3: a much better OLED display with a higher refresher rate, a loose, a loose speaker, a looser, a looser, a lover, a looser. Design, a lidar sensor and a few additional photo and video recordings functions. The iPad Pro also offers a nano-texture front glass option (to reduce the gluing screen) on the models 1TB and 2 TB, and these models with more memory also have 16 GB RAM instead of 8 GB.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

In almost all cases, I have no problems with the features that remain exclusively for the iPad Pro. After using the iPad air for a little, I think that Apple finds a way to improve on the screen. In fact, I think that a solid solution is waiting in the wings: provision of the Mini-managed display that Apple used in the iPad Pro From 2021 and 2022. This screen refreshes up to 120 Hz, just like others, the Apple as advertising and maximum brightness when watching films and could jump up to 1,600 nITs for HDR content. Brightness, if the video is not equipped with 600 nits like the iPad Air, but given the popular iPads for viewing videos, this would be a major improvement.

The chances are good that Apple between the higher update rate and an improved brightness believes that the mini-LED screen is still too close to the OLED panel of the iPad Pro (which remains shockingly beautiful, probably the best portable screen that I have ever seen). And Apple has never done a mini-LED display for the 11-inch IPAD Pro, so it would have to develop something new for the smaller iPad air.

There are many reasons not To do it, but I think the iPad Air deserves a better screen. In fact, I would be happy if Apple would only give me the same screen with a higher update rate. The company continues to reserve, which are imagined for its most expensive “Pro” devices, but the landscape is very different in 2025 than in 2020. Many Midrange phones have 90 Hz or 120 Hz screens. Of course, Apple never really took care of what other manufacturers do. It has fairly consistent rules about which devices for technology get. The screen of the iPad Air is essentially the same as that on the MacBook Air, while the more expensive iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and iPhone receive higher update rates per lines. We’re right here, but I am ready to change.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Of course, I also have to admit that the screen of the iPad Air remains very nice. Apple has finely coordinated its LCD technology in an inch of his life, and it shows itself in the lively colors, the general sharpness and the great viewing angles. Sure, I realize that black people are not as “really black” as they could be with an OLED or mini-LED, but I don’t sit around and think about it when I watch films or play games. I just enjoy what I do without worrying about screens.

The lower update rate is constantly touching, wiping and scrolling in an iPad in everyday use, and it simply does not feel like it. My main devices are a MacBook Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro that use all promotion. Passing the iPad Air is just a bit crap. And while Apple clearly believes that it does not always have to react to larger industry trends, it is difficult to imagine that it sticks to 60 Hz screens for most of their products.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

My other main dispute with the iPad Air is Touch ID. At this point, Face ID really doesn’t feel like a “Pro” function. With the exception of the iPhone SE series, every new iPhone has had Face ID since 2018, but you still have to spend $ 1,000 or more to get it on an iPad. That feels a little extreme! Touch ID is okay, but there are many websites and services that I often have to register for work and have to grab it and touch the top button is a bit tedious. Particularly compared to easy to ensure that my face is in the frame with the front camera. This felt more like pain during my evaluation, since the iPad Air is brand new and setting up a lot of registration for different apps. Nevertheless, Face ID definitely does not feel like a function that has to be blocked on Pro devices at this point.

Apple iPad Air (M3)

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Everything else you need to know about them New iPad Air dealt in my rating from 10 months ago, but I will summarize it. I think the air remains a clear upgrade of the base -ipad -I appreciate its improved display, a stronger performance, a more robust multitasking experience and better accessories. Not to mention the 13-inch air is the only way to get a large iPad without breaking the bank. I am glad that Apple also built a better keyboard, and if you have an older iPad air, the new keyboard works with it.

But the New iPad with the A16 chip Is also better than its predecessor, since Apple has resolved a number of problems since 2022. The price is lower, the storage is doubled and the chargeable charging situation of the flowering lightning stick has now disappeared. If you are not interested in Apple Intelligence, more advanced multitasking and a better or larger screen, many people who are looking for “just a good iPad” will not miss the Air upgrades, especially if they save 250 US dollars.

For people who want more of their iPad, the air is just as easy for me to be recommended as last year. You can gain 80 percent of the iPad Pro experience for much less money, and the vast majority of buyers will not miss the additional functions of the professional.

My main container is that this iPad air feels like a slightly clogged stop hap before a larger redesign. Just like the iPad Pro 2022 was. This iPad went from an M1 to an M2 and received some nice software updates, but was largely with its predecessor – and then Apple gave a massive update a year and a half. The iPad Air M3 feels like it is in a similar place and is only waiting for a big update. I don’t think it will take too long for Apple to update some of its older parts, especially the display. If you are the kind of person who really loves a good screen, it could be worth waiting for another year to see whether Apple will finally bring faster update rates to more iPads.

This article was originally released on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/table/ipad-air-m3-me-modest-update-till-still-eSy-to–toMend-130045196.html?src=rsss



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