M4 iPad Air Reviews: Faster Chip, Familiar Design

Source: MacRumors

The first reviews of the iPad Air with the M4 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels ahead of the device’s launch this Wednesday.

The new iPad Air features:

• M4 chip
• 12 GB of memory
• N1 wireless chip for Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread
• C1X modem on cellular models for 5G connectivity
• All other aspects remain unchanged compared to last year’s M3 model.

Design

“I wouldn’t go so far to say that the Air’s design has calcified, but if you go back several generations, you’ll see little has changed from year to year. The M4 Air has the same design as the Air Apple released back in 2020. To be sure, it’s a great look — thin, light, and a nice slim bezel all the way around.” – Tom’s Guide

The Touch ID button remains unchanged since 2020.

Performance

The primary upgrade is the move to the M4 chip, which reviewers agree is noticeably faster than the M3 model, even if it doesn’t dramatically change what can be achieved with the device.

• Benchmark tests show appreciable gains in both single‑ and multi‑core performance, as well as higher frame rates.
• Compared to the M1‑based iPad Air, the M4 version scored nearly twice as high on Geekbench.

AI Capabilities

“I tried to test its AI capabilities using apps like Final Cut Pro’s auto‑captions, Voice Memo’s transcription features, and CollaNote’s AI image generation. Even with Wi‑Fi and cellular data turned off, these processes happened almost instantly, and without any big mistakes.” – Mashable

• In CollaNote, the Magic Pen can turn a doodle into a graphic instantly.
• Voice Memos provides accurate transcriptions at the push of a button.
• Pixelmator can upscale images and remove backgrounds practically instantly.

Chip Configuration

“The iPad Air isn’t powered by the same M4 chip in the M4 MacBook Air. The tablet chip is a binned version, meaning it contains fewer cores than the maxed‑out 10‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU. Apple configured the M4 iPad Air version with an 8‑core CPU and a 9‑core GPU. In practice, you won’t see quite the same performance as you would on the M4 MacBook Air. It’s also slower for more graphically demanding tasks, like 3D modeling.” – Gizmodo

Networking

“The other main change is Apple’s in‑house networking chips are on board here. The N1 covers Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while the C1X handles cellular connectivity if you buy a 5G‑capable model. Again, this doesn’t change the experience of using the iPad Air in any major way, but having the newest Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth protocols on board is good for future usage, regardless of who built the chip. In my testing, the C1X on Verizon’s 5G network was extremely fast around the suburbs of Boston and didn’t seem any slower (or any faster) than other devices I have running on the same carrier. That’s fine, as other Apple devices I’ve tried with the C1X (like the iPad Pro) are solid and reliable, which is the most important thing.” – Engadget