Apple iPad Air M3 review: The ‘pro’ iPad for masses gets even better

The iPad is a phenom. Fifteen years in and counting, it has stood the test of both time and critique and somehow, still managed to awe and inspire like it was just yesterday when the late great Steve Jobs introduced it to the world for the first time. He had called it a “magical and revolutionary” device that would connect users with their apps and content in “a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” It would not only go on to dominate the category, but also become an icon that, when most people think of a tablet, they would automatically think—it’s an iPad.

As is the nature of things, the iPad has seen multiple renditions and branched into multiple segments over the course of time. In 2025, there are four different models to choose from depending on what you want and if you can afford it. The iPad 11 is the entry-level option that starts at USD349/Rs 34,900. It has an 11-inch display and Apple’s A16 chip. The iPad Mini 7 with its 8.3-inch screen and A17 Pro chip comes next in line with a starting price of USD499/Rs 49,900. Next comes, the iPad Air 7 which is available in 11- and 13-inch sizes for USD599/Rs 59,900 and USD799/Rs 79,900 starting. It has Apple’s M3 silicon inside. Finally, the top-of-the line iPad Pro 7 with the M4 chip will set you back by USD999/Rs 99,900 for the 11-inch and USD1299/Rs 1,29,900 for the 13-inch variant at the very least.

You’re paying for more performance—at least in theory—as you go up, with the ‘Pro’ giving you additional perks such as a technically more advanced Tandem OLED panel (with nano-texture optional), Face ID, quad speakers, and up to 16GB of RAM. It’s a behemoth strictly in iPad—or any other tablet—terms and so logic dictates, most people would end up going for the second-best option, iPad Air, which makes it the most important and appealing product in Apple’s current iPad lineup. It is no coincidence that it comes in two sizes, same as the iPad Pro, and getting the same attention when it comes to upgrades lately. The last big one had come in 2024 alongside the M4 iPad Pro. The iPad Pro hasn’t even got an upgrade yet and already we have the M3 iPad Air, blurring the gap even more in a manner of speaking.

The flip side is, everything else about this ‘new’ iPad Air, is a do-over mostly. This comes down to the colour choices. There are—still—four on the shelf, space gray, starlight, purple, and blue. Not punchy, but muted. The build is all flat and solid with metal unibody that is consistent with the rest of the iPad range. The dimensions are identical with the 13-inch model still weighing a handful which is only accentuated by the somewhat questionable power button/Touch ID placement. There are two speakers (even if it ‘looks’ like there are four) that sound excellent and two microphones for your daily grind. The Type-C port is USB 3 (up to 10 Gbps).

The quality of the display—IPS LCD with a peak SDR brightness of 600nits (500nits for 11-inch) and maximum refresh rate of 60Hz—is one aspect that’s left me wanting even though, it works just fine in day to day. The bezels are okay. The front camera is landscape (it has been that way since the M2 upgrade) and supports Centre Stage. It appears to be the same deal as the iPad Pro’s, minus the TrueDepth system obviously. Apple should bring it to the next iPad Air, if not anything else.  

Battery life is good, not great but mostly in line with the M2 iPad Air with the same capacity which is what Apple is also quoting. You get a 20W adapter in the box which takes roughly about two hours and forty-five minutes to full charge the tablet from 0-100 percent.

Last but not the least, connectivity options on the M3 iPad Air include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3. Optional 5G (sub‑6 GHz) with 4×4 MIMO is available.

A do-over is not necessarily a bad thing if the package is this solid. That’s just how yearly upgrades are fashioned these days anyway. Since Apple didn’t increase the price, those eying the ‘Air’ can jump to this more powerful version today and carry on with their life, knowing it was money well spent. Those who want to save can opt for the now discontinued but readily available elsewhere, M2 iPad Air, and still get their money’s worth.

The M3 chip inside the iPad Air 2025 has an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU. Granted, you won’t see a big jump in performance—per the benchmarks—over M2, but compared to M1, Apple quotes up to 35 percent faster multithreaded performance and up to 40 percent faster graphics. For those seeking ‘real-world’ benefits, M3 adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the first time. The 16-core Neural Engine—which facilitates Apple Intelligence—is meanwhile said to be up to 60 percent faster for “AI-based workloads.” It’s all numbers really and chances are most people using it, won’t even care or notice, but hey, who doesn’t like bragging rights?

Apple iPad Air M3: Should you buy it?

The iPad Air M3 offers a performance bump over its predecessor through the new M3 chip, which brings benefits like ray tracing to Apple’s relatively budget iPad. That said, much of the rest of the device is a carry-over from the previous model, including the design, display, and battery life.

While the M3 upgrade provides a noticeable improvement over older models like the one with the M1 chip from 2022, the difference from the M2 might not be as significant for everyday users which, I reckon, is okay.

Ultimately, the M3 iPad Air is a solid tablet, and if you’re looking for a performance-focused iPad without the premium price of the Pro, it’s a viable option. However, if you’re on a budget or already own an M2 iPad Air, the improvements might not justify the upgrade.