Apple has updated a couple of its iPad models with both the iPad Air and the entry-level iPad getting a performance boost.
It was only the end of February that we saw the announcement of the entry-level iPhone in the iPhone 16e, but the Cupertino company has now focused its attention on its tablets. The press released dropped on Apple’s Newsroom in the middle of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where there have been a couple of announcements from Samsung’s Galaxy A56 to the Nothing Phone (3a) and Xiaomi 15 Series.
The entry-level iPad was overdue an update, with the iPad (10th generation) having been announced back in 2022, but the iPad Air (M2) wasn’t even a year old so it’s more of a surprise to see a new version of that. Has anything changed beyond the processors for the iPad Air and standard iPad though? Here’s everything you need to know.
Apple iPad Air (M3): How is it different from the iPad Air (M2)?
The Apple iPad Air (M3) features an identical design to its predecessor – the iPad Air (M2) – and that applies in terms of the colour options too. It’s easy to think of that as a bad thing, but the iPad Air’s design is great and it has been since Apple moved to this build in 2020 with the iPad Air (M1).
It’s not as thin as the iPad Pro (M4), but it’s still a very portable design. The iPad Air (M3) has a single camera in the top left corner of the rear when the tablet is held in portrait mode, while Touch ID sits within the fingerprint sensor in the power button. The front camera is in a landscape orientation – a feature that was initially introduced on the iPad (10th generation).
There are two sizes available, just like the iPad Air (M2), with the iPad Air (M3) also available in 11-inch and 13-inch models. Both have a Liquid Retina display with an anti-reflective coating and they both have landscapes stereo speakers, just like the M2 model.
IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE
Where the iPad Air (M3) differs is under the hood. The new iPad Air runs on Apple’s M3 chip, which can be found in the MacBook Air (M3) that launched in March 2023. It’s claimed to be 35 per cent faster than the Apple M1 chip – which is more likely to be the model you might be considering upgrading from rather than last year’s M2 iPad Air.
The iPad Air (M3) is also compatible with a new Magic Keyboard that’s been designed for this model with a larger trackpad, a row of function keys and a cheaper starting price. When the iPad Pro (M4) launched in May 2024, it arrived with a Magic Keyboard that featured an aluminium base and a row of function keys but the iPad Air (M2) models weren’t compatible with the new Magic Keyboard so it’s good to see the iPad Air get a little keyboard love too this time.
Apple iPad (A16): How is it different from the iPad (10th generation)?
Like the Apple iPad Air (M3), the new entry level iPad features the same design as its predecessor, and it too comes in the same colour options. That’s not all that surprising, the entry-level model was redesigned in 2022 when it switched from offering a home button with Touch ID at the bottom of its display to the iPad Air design with uniform bezels around the screen and Touch ID within the power button.
IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE
What is perhaps more surprising is that the iPad (A16) – which would have been called the iPad (11th generation) under the previous naming structure that Apple used for iPads until May 2024 – doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Apple’s AI offering requires a minimum of the A17 Pro processor, which is what the iPad mini launched with in October 2024, but the new entry-level iPad only has the A16 chip.
It means this new model is more powerful than the iPad (10th generation) and it will run apps and games more smoothly than the 2022 model, whilst also offering double the base storage, but if you want Apple Intelligence, this iPad doesn’t give you that.
Apple iPad Air (M3) and Apple iPad (A16) price and availability
The Apple iPad Air (M3) comes in Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey colour options, like the iPad Air (M2), and in storage options of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. It is available to pre-order from 4 March and it will arrive on 12 March.
In terms of price, it starts at £599 in the UK and $599 in the US, which is the same price as the iPad Air (M2). The 13-inch model costs £799 in the UK or $799 in the US. The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air costs £269 in the UK and $269 in the US for the 11-inch iPad Air, and £299 in the UK or $319 in the US for the 13-inch model.
Meanwhile, the Apple iPad (A16) comes in Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Silver, with storage options of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. It too is available to pre-order from 4 March and it will go on sale on 12 March. The entry-level iPad starts at £329 in the UK and $349 in the US, which is what the iPad (10th generation) used to cost before Apple dropped the price in October after the launch of the iPad mini.
