Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor

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.

Today’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.