Apple unveils new iPad Air with M4 chip, RAM upgrade, plus C1X and N1

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple has kicked off its big product launch week today, and one of the unveilings is a new iPad Air with M4 chip. Here are the details.

M4 iPad Air update focuses on trio of Apple silicon chips

Today Apple has announced a brand‑new iPad Air powered by the M4 chip.

The M4 is the biggest change in this new iPad Air, which carries many of the same features as the previous‑generation M3 model launched last year.

“iPad Air gives users more ways than ever to be creative and productive, offering powerful performance and incredible versatility to help them turn their ideas into reality,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With its blazing performance thanks to M4, incredible AI capabilities, and game‑changing iPadOS 26 features, there’s never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air.”

The main new features Apple touts with this iPad Air are all related to Apple silicon.

• M4 processor – up to 30 percent faster than the M3‑based iPad Air and up to 2.3× faster than the M1‑based model.
• Unified memory – 12 GB (50 % more than the M3 model) to better power iPadOS 26’s new multitasking features.
• C1X 5G modem – Apple’s in‑house modem, first seen in the iPhone Air and later in the M5 iPad Pro. It offers roughly 30 % less modem energy usage for heavy cellular users.
• N1 wireless chip – powers Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, improving performance on 5 GHz Wi‑Fi, Personal Hotspot, and AirDrop.

The new M4 iPad Air is available in the same 11‑inch and 13‑inch sizes as before, and the same four colors: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight.

• Pricing: starts at $599 for the 11‑inch model and $799 for the 13‑inch, with up‑charges for cellular compatibility.
• Storage: base 128 GB.
• Pre‑orders: begin Wednesday, March 4 at 6:15 a.m. PT.
• Availability: ships starting Wednesday, March 11.

Best iPad accessories

• AirPods Pro 3 (limited‑time $219 price)
• 100 W USB‑C power adapter for fast charging
• tomtoc Tablet sleeve bag for protection and style
• Baseus 10 ft USB‑C cable for extended reach
• Apple Pencil Pro (now only $95, down from $129)

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