Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor

The Verge · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

Summary

After updating its mid-level tablets last year, Apple has announced a new version of the iPad Air today now powered by the company's M4 processor. That's the same processor found in the 7th-generation iPad Pro as well as MacBook Pro and Mac mini models that debuted in 2024. The new iPad Air with M4 is "up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3," according to a press release from the company. It also features the Apple-designed N1 wireless networking chip upgrading the latest iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. The cellular versions of the new iPad Air also feature Apple's C1X modem the company says "offers up to … Read the full story at The Verge.

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Andrew Liszewski is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.After updating its mid-level tablets last year, Apple has announced a new version of the iPad Air today now powered by the company’s M4 processor. That’s the same processor found in the 7th-generation iPad Pro as well as MacBook Pro and Mac mini models that debuted in 2024.The new iPad Air with M4 is “up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3,” according to a press release from the company. It also features the Apple-designed N1 wireless networking chip upgrading the latest iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. The cellular versions of the new iPad Air also feature Apple’s C1X modem the company says “offers up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance” while also using up to 30 percent less energy than last year’s iPad Air with the M3 processor.The new iPad Air with M4 will be available for preorder starting on March 4th through Apple’s online and brick-and-mortar stores, with shipping starting a week later on March 11th. Pricing starts at $599 for the 11-inch Wi-Fi model with 128GB of storage (that can be boosted to up to 1TB of storage), and $749 for the model that adds cellular connectivity. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi option, and $949 for cellular. Color options for both sizes include blue, purple, starlight, and space gray.Image: AppleToday’s iPad Air upgrades follow the minor improvements introduced a year ago to the device that sits in the middle of Apple’s tablet lineup. The 7th-generation iPad Air launched in early 2025 with Apple’s M3 chip, improving its Apple Intelligence capabilities, but it skipped the company’s most modern processor at the time — the M4. It arrived in an 11-inch model starting at $599, and a larger 13-inch model for $799, in four color options including space gray, blue, purple, and starlight.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew Liszewski

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Engadgetabout 2 hours ago

Everything Apple announced today: iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air

Apple has promised a “big week” for the company, which includes an in-person event for press and creators on March 4. But it didn’t exactly wait until Wednesday to get things started. The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air. We’ll be updating this roundup throughout the week as we learn exactly what Apple has in store for everyone (though we have a decent idea of what to expect). For now, though, here’s our recap of everything Apple announced on Monday: iPhone 17e Apple Apple has spruced up this year’s entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e. Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too. That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides “3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare.” The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26. In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of "all-day battery life." It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e open on March 4 and it will be available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11. iPad Air M4 Apple The latest iPad Air boasts Apple’s M4 chip. That me

TechCrunchabout 3 hours ago

Apple speeds up the iPad Air with an M4 upgrade, starting at $599

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What to expect at Apple's product launch event on March 4

Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an "Apple Experience", for March 4 at 9AM ET. The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai. Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. Editor's Note (on March 2 at 9:45AM ET): Apple has officially announced the iPhone 17e and iPad Air (M4). It's expected to continue to unveil new hardware in the following days, per the rest of this article. Budget-friendly MacBook There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry rumors indicate that Apple will be stuffing this laptop with an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, to keep the price down. Worth pointing out the three colors from the invite are light green, blue and yellow -- which just so happen to be the colors Apple has tested the low-cost MacBook with, as I wrote yesterday. Coincidence? We shall see. https://t.co/1FFVkfw9JZ pic.twitter.com/ssKDDzdJsw — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 It's also been suggested that this laptop will only include 8GB of RAM, which kind of flies against the company's recent stance to outfit all Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. However, that would certainly help with the cost. You might have heard about a little thing called AI that chomp chomps on all RAM it can find. TechRadar has reported that this could be Apple's biggest laptop launch in years, with potential initial shipments hitting 8 million units. The price is likely to be somewhere in the $699 to $799 range, which is pretty nifty. However, I'd still go for an Air at $999. They are absolute workhorses. MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips It's likely that Apple will release more powerful MacBook Pro models this ye

Gizmodoabout 3 hours ago

Apple’s iPad Air Gets an M4 Upgrade for the Same Starting Price

New chip, but it's the same $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Wiredabout 4 hours ago

Apple Gives the iPad Air a Small Power Boost

The iPad Air enjoys a relatively modest update with the M4 chip and 12 gigabytes of RAM.

Engadgetabout 4 hours ago

Apple updates the iPad Air with an M4 chip

Apple is kicking off multiple days of product announcements this morning with a new iPad Air. Unsurprisingly, it’s more or less like the iPad Air Apple announced one year ago, except it now has an M4 chip instead of last year’s M3. Apple is also including its in-house networking chips, the N1 and C1X, which will cover Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and cellular connectivity. This means the iPad Air supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard for the first time. The Air also now has 12GB of RAM standard, up from 8GB in the prior model. The rest of the iPad Air appears unchanged at this point. It has the same display that the 2023 and 2024 models sported — either an 11- or 13-inch LCD that tops out at 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. Storage options start at 128GB and go up to 1TB, same as last year. The dual stereo speaker configuration and both front- and rear-facing cameras are unchanged, as well. For those keeping track, it’s been less than two years since Apple redesigned the iPad Air, adding a 13-inch model that had an M2 chip. I remain surprised the company is committed to releasing chip updates for the Air so frequently — even the M2 model is more than powerful enough for the target audience. But, getting a faster chip for the same money is hard to complain about. Naturally, the iPad Air M4 is running iPadOS 26, which was released last fall. It was, without a doubt, the biggest iPadOS update we’ve seen, bringing a far more robust multitasking system than the iPad has ever had before. It’s most noticeable and useful on the larger 13-inch screen, but having greater freedom with window management and more robust background tasks is a huge step forward — even if the Liquid Glass visual redesign is a bit divisive. Pre-orders for the new iPad Air M4 open on Wednesday, March 4, and the tablet will be fully available on March 11. As before, pricing starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for a 13-inch display. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:

Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor

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Engadgetabout 2 hours ago
Everything Apple announced today: iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air
Apple has promised a “big week” for the company, which includes an in-person event for press and creators on March 4. But it didn’t exactly wait until Wednesday to get things started. The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air. We’ll be updating this roundup throughout the week as we learn exactly what Apple has in store for everyone (though we have a decent idea of what to expect). For now, though, here’s our recap of everything Apple announced on Monday: iPhone 17e Apple Apple has spruced up this year’s entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e. Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too. That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides “3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare.” The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26. In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of "all-day battery life." It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e open on March 4 and it will be available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11. iPad Air M4 Apple The latest iPad Air boasts Apple’s M4 chip. That me

TechCrunchabout 3 hours ago
Apple speeds up the iPad Air with an M4 upgrade, starting at $599
Apple refreshes the iPad Air with the M4 chip and more memory to make it better for AI use cases.

Engadgetabout 3 hours ago
What to expect at Apple's product launch event on March 4
Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an "Apple Experience", for March 4 at 9AM ET. The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai. Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. Editor's Note (on March 2 at 9:45AM ET): Apple has officially announced the iPhone 17e and iPad Air (M4). It's expected to continue to unveil new hardware in the following days, per the rest of this article. Budget-friendly MacBook There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry rumors indicate that Apple will be stuffing this laptop with an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, to keep the price down. Worth pointing out the three colors from the invite are light green, blue and yellow -- which just so happen to be the colors Apple has tested the low-cost MacBook with, as I wrote yesterday. Coincidence? We shall see. https://t.co/1FFVkfw9JZ pic.twitter.com/ssKDDzdJsw — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 It's also been suggested that this laptop will only include 8GB of RAM, which kind of flies against the company's recent stance to outfit all Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. However, that would certainly help with the cost. You might have heard about a little thing called AI that chomp chomps on all RAM it can find. TechRadar has reported that this could be Apple's biggest laptop launch in years, with potential initial shipments hitting 8 million units. The price is likely to be somewhere in the $699 to $799 range, which is pretty nifty. However, I'd still go for an Air at $999. They are absolute workhorses. MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips It's likely that Apple will release more powerful MacBook Pro models this ye

Gizmodoabout 3 hours ago
Apple’s iPad Air Gets an M4 Upgrade for the Same Starting Price
New chip, but it's the same $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model.
New chip, but it's the same $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Wiredabout 4 hours ago
Apple Gives the iPad Air a Small Power Boost
The iPad Air enjoys a relatively modest update with the M4 chip and 12 gigabytes of RAM.

Engadgetabout 4 hours ago
Apple updates the iPad Air with an M4 chip
Apple is kicking off multiple days of product announcements this morning with a new iPad Air. Unsurprisingly, it’s more or less like the iPad Air Apple announced one year ago, except it now has an M4 chip instead of last year’s M3. Apple is also including its in-house networking chips, the N1 and C1X, which will cover Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and cellular connectivity. This means the iPad Air supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard for the first time. The Air also now has 12GB of RAM standard, up from 8GB in the prior model. The rest of the iPad Air appears unchanged at this point. It has the same display that the 2023 and 2024 models sported — either an 11- or 13-inch LCD that tops out at 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. Storage options start at 128GB and go up to 1TB, same as last year. The dual stereo speaker configuration and both front- and rear-facing cameras are unchanged, as well. For those keeping track, it’s been less than two years since Apple redesigned the iPad Air, adding a 13-inch model that had an M2 chip. I remain surprised the company is committed to releasing chip updates for the Air so frequently — even the M2 model is more than powerful enough for the target audience. But, getting a faster chip for the same money is hard to complain about. Naturally, the iPad Air M4 is running iPadOS 26, which was released last fall. It was, without a doubt, the biggest iPadOS update we’ve seen, bringing a far more robust multitasking system than the iPad has ever had before. It’s most noticeable and useful on the larger 13-inch screen, but having greater freedom with window management and more robust background tasks is a huge step forward — even if the Liquid Glass visual redesign is a bit divisive. Pre-orders for the new iPad Air M4 open on Wednesday, March 4, and the tablet will be fully available on March 11. As before, pricing starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for a 13-inch display. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https: