The iPad Air supports Apple Pencil Pro, plus hover support. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge
Most of Apple’s price increases have gone into effect, resulting in iPads and other products costing hundreds more than they did a few days ago. If last week’s Prime Day sale wasn’t a good time to consider buying an iPad, we found a deal worth considering that’s just under $500 right now. The 128GB iPad Air that has the M3 processor, plus both Wi-Fi and 5G cellular support, costs $499 at Best Buy. At just $50 more than the base iPad (now $449, up from $349), it’s a significantly faster and all-around better tablet.
11-inch iPad Air M3
The last-gen 11-inch iPad Air features Apple’s fast M3 chip with GPU upgrades like dynamic caching for smoother performance in demanding apps. It also supports the Apple Pencil Pro and the newest Magic Keyboard, which features a larger build and a 14-key function row. Read our review.
While the last-gen Air matches the base iPad’s 11-inch screen size, the Air has a laminated, antireflective coating, plus a wider color gamut. In other words, it’s the better choice for entertainment or for creating content. In terms of specs, its M3 processor leaps ahead of the A16 with more cores, not to mention Apple Intelligence support (as well as support for iPadOS 27 coming later this year). It also boasts Apple Pencil Pro support.
It stacks up well compared to the newer M4 Air, too, which now starts at $749 for the Wi-Fi model, and a whopping $899 for the cellular. The M3 processor is only slightly slower, it has 8GB of memory instead of 12GB, and its wireless radio is older, but it’s otherwise nearly identical, for much less money. $500 for the M3 Air is a steal.
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