Yesterday, Apple officially introduced the iPad Air with the M4 chip globally as well as in India. With a faster CPU and GPU, iPad Air boosts tasks like editing and gaming, and is claimed to be a powerful device for AI with a faster Neural Engine, higher memory bandwidth, and 50 per cent more unified system memory than the previous generation.
iPad Air with M4: Features
The tablet is available in two sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. It comes with the M4 chip that features an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU. Users will notice the blazing speed of M4 with Apple Creator Studio, compositing photos in Pixelmator Pro or editing video in Final Cut Pro is quicker than ever.
With the 9-core GPU of M4, iPad Air supports second-generation hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing for incredible graphics performance. M4 delivers over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with tray racing performance compared to iPad Air with M1, offering more accurate lighting, reflections, and shadows for extremely realistic gaming experiences.
iPad Air with M4 is up to 30% faster than iPad Air with M3 and up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1.
With the new iPad Air, unified memory jumps 50%, to 12GB, and memory bandwidth increases to 120GB/s, helping users run AI models faster. The 16-core Neural Engine is 3x faster than that of M1 and is perfect for everyday tasks that use on-device AI, like searching for subjects and texts in photos, or leveraging powerful AI features in apps like Goodnotes and Onform: Video Analysis App. The Neural Engine also powers capabilities in Apple Creator Studio apps, like removing the background of video footage with Scene Removal Mask in Final Cut Pro.
iPad Air features N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular models of iPad Air also feature C1X, a cellular modem designed by Apple that offers up to 50% faster cellular data performance. Users can also enjoy 5G cellular support, helping them stay connected for work or leisure all around the world.6 And with eSIM, users can quickly and securely add a new plan, connect and transfer existing cellular plans digitally, and stay in touch with family and friends regardless of Wi-Fi availability.
With iPadOS 26, users can enjoy features like Liquid Glass, a windowing system, a new Menu bar, the Files app, folders in the Dock, the Preview app, audio input, local capture and Background tasks.
Support for Apple Pencil (USB-C), Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard will unlock new levels of creativity and productivity on the new iPad Air. The iPad Air (2026) is equipped with a front 12MP Center Stage camera, stereo speakers and advanced mics. It boasts Apple Intelligence capabilities, faster connectivity with N1 and C1X.
Keeping the environment in mind, iPad Air is made with 30% recycled content, including 100% recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery. It is manufactured with 40% renewable electricity. The paper packaging is 100% fiber-based and can be easily recycled.
iPad Air with M4: Availability
The tablet arrives in Blue, Purple, Starlight and Space Grey colours, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Customers can pre-order the new iPad Air with M4 starting Wednesday, March 4, at apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 35 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorised Resellers, starting Wednesday, March 11.
The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599 (U.S.)/INR 64,900 for the Wi-Fi model, and $749 (U.S.)/INR 79,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at $799 (U.S.)/INR 84,900 for the Wi-Fi model, and $949 (U.S.)/INR 99,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
With education savings, the 11-inch iPad Air starts at $549 (U.S.)/INR 59,900, and the 13-inch iPad Air starts at $749 (U.S.)/INR 79,900.
Magic Keyboard, available in black and white, is compatible with the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air. The 11-inch Magic Keyboard is available for $269 (U.S.)/INR 26,900, and the 13-inch Magic Keyboard is available for $319 (U.S.)/INR 29,900. With education savings, the 11-inch Magic Keyboard is available for $249 (U.S.)/INR 24,900, and the 13-inch Magic Keyboard is available for $299 (U.S.)/INR 27,900.
Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) are compatible with the new iPad Air. Apple Pencil Pro is available for $129 (U.S.)/INR 11,900, and $119 (U.S.)/INR 10,900 with education savings. Apple Pencil (USB-C) is available for $79 (U.S.)/INR 7,900, and $69 (U.S.)/INR 6,900 with education savings.
In India, the iPad Air with M4 will also be available via Flipkart and Amazon.
