On the first day of its ongoing product launch window in the run-up to Wednesday's hands-on 'Apple Experience' event, the Cupertino giant has unveiled its all-new M4 iPad Air along with the iPhone 17e, bringing substantially more unified system memory, the N1 wireless networking chip, and the C1X modem to the proverbial table, all for a starting price of $599.
Behold the substantially more powerful M4 iPad Air
Upgraded silicon
Apple's new M4 iPad Air, both the 11-inch and 13-inch variants, sport the M4 chip that renders the new devices up to 30 percent faster than their M3 chip counterparts.
Apple's M4 chip within the new iPad Air features an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, replete with "second-generation hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing for incredible graphics performance," while delivering "over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with ray tracing performance compared to iPad Air with M1." The chip's 16-core Neural Engine is also 3x faster than that of the M1. Do note that Apple had announced the M4 with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
The new M4 iPad Air now sports 12GB of unified system memory, constituting a 50 percent increase relative to the last-gen model, while memory bandwidth has increased to 120GB/s.
The new N1 wireless networking chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The cellular models of the M4 iPad Air now come equipped with the C1X modem, which offers up to 50 percent faster data performance and up to a 30 percent gain in energy efficiency relative to the M3 iPad Air. Cellular models also come equipped with GPS and eSIM support.
Software features & AI
- The M4 chip's 16-core Neural Engine powers capabilities within the Apple Creator Studio suite of apps, such as removing the background of video footage with Scene Removal Mask in Final Cut Pro.
- The iPadOS 26's new windowing system helps users control, organize, and switch between apps with ease.
- Users can manage, access, and organize files with the revamped Files app that features an updated List view and new folder customization options.
- With folders in the Dock, users can conveniently access downloads, documents, and more from anywhere.
- The Preview app gives users a dedicated platform for creating a quick sketch, as well as viewing, editing, and marking up PDFs and images with the Apple Pencil or by touch.
- Support for Apple Intelligence.
Accessories & miscellaneous features
- A front 12MP Center Stage camera located along the landscape edge.
- Landscape stereo speakers.
- Available in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.
- Apple Pencil (USB-C).
- Apple Pencil Pro comes equipped with capabilities such as squeeze and barrel roll, allowing users to bring their ideas to life in entirely new ways. The accessory also supports Find My, helping users locate it if misplaced.
- The Magic Keyboard for the M4 iPad Air comes with the same floating design, a built-in trackpad, and a 14-key function row that allows easy access to features like screen brightness and volume controls. The accessory comes with magnetic tethering, and the Smart Connector immediately connects power and data without the need for Bluetooth.
Price
The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. With education savings, the 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $549, and the 13-inch iPad Air starts at $749. Pre-orders begin on March 04, with in-store availability currently scheduled for March 11.
The 11-inch Magic Keyboard is available for $269, while its 13-inch variant is available for $319. Elsewhere, the Apple Pencil Pro is available for $129 ($119 with education savings), while the Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for $79 ($69 with education savings).
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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