The iPad Air has long been in no-man’s land in terms of the iPad lineup: The base iPad is easily powerful enough for most buyers, while the iPad Pro boasts the best performance and features. The 2025 model continues that legacy in many ways.
But, there’s also a little more to it than that. Sure, the 2025 iPad Air may not get much in the way of new features, but what it does get is an M3 processor, which further widens the gap between it and the base iPad. This could well be compelling enough of a performance boost for those who want an iPad for productivity, but don’t need the bells and whistles offered by the iPad Pro.
As a regular user of the current-generation iPad Pro and someone who has tested every iPad model that Apple has released in the past few years, the latest iPad Air feels premium and high-performing. While it’s a little expensive, it certainly makes the case for itself for those who don’t want to spend iPad Pro money, but want a little more oomph than what the base iPad can deliver.
iPad Air (2025)
| Pros | Cons |
| Sleek design. Nice display. Great accessory support. Laptop-level performance. | Price can add up. |
iPad Air (2025) Specs:
- Price: $599+.
- Dimensions: 9.74 inches long x 7.02 inches wide x 0.24 inches deep (11-inch model), 11.04 inches long x 8.46 inches wide x 0.24 inches deep (13-inch model).
- Display: 2360 x 1640 LED, 500-nit (11-inch), 2732 x 2048 LED, 600-nit (13-inch).
- Processor: M3.
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G (optional).
- Rear camera: 12MP, f/1.8.
- Front camera: 12MP ultrawide, f/2.0.
- Colors: Blue, purple, starlight, space gray.
The Same Great Design As Before
The overall design of the iPad Air is pretty much exactly the same as before, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The 2024 iPad Air was sleek and stylish, coming in some fun colors and boasting a modern look thanks to its edge-to-edge screen, and that remains true for the 2025 variant.
Like before, the iPad Air is available in two sizes, an 11-inch model and a 13-inch model. Apple sent me the massive 13-inch model for testing, and it’s a little too large for me. While I use iPads for work on occasion, that work tends to be in situations where I want something ultra-portable, like in a cramped airplane seat. When I have a little more room to breathe, I stick with a standard laptop. That’s not to mention the fact that I like to use an iPad for things like gaming in bed, and I find the 13-inch model to be a bit too unwieldy for things like that.
That’s not to say that the 13-inch model doesn’t have a place, though. For a few years, I used a desktop computer at my desk and an iPad on the go, forgoing the use of a laptop altogether. In a situation like that, the larger model might come in handy, considering the extra screen real estate.
Regardless of size, as mentioned, the design of the iPad Air is very familiar. On the bottom, when used vertically, you’ll get a USB-C port, while on the top edge can be found a power button that supports Touch ID, and on the right edge, the volume buttons. The front-facing camera can be found in the right bezel, but I prefer it there as it means that it’s at the top when used horizontally.
The 2025 iPad Air comes in four color options: Space gray, blue, purple, and starlight. My testing unit is the Blue model, and I quite like the subtle blue tone. As you would expect from Apple, the build quality of the tablet is excellent: It feels strong in the hand, and there’s nothing flimsy or cheap about it. The iPad Air may not be as thin as the iPad Pro, but it looks far from dated. Most will find the design to be modern and premium.
A Bright And Vibrant Screen
One major difference between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro is the display quality. The screen on the iPad Pro is among the best-looking screens you can get in any consumer device, period. While the iPad Air doesn’t reach those heights, it still looks excellent.
The display on the iPad Air is an IPS LCD display. The resolution changes depending on which size you get, though both have a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch. It has a typical brightness of 600 nits (500 nits for the 11-inch model), and I found it to be easily bright enough for any situation, including use outdoors.
So, what are you really missing here? Well, I wouldn’t necessarily expect the iPad Air to get the ultra high-tech tandem OLED screen from the iPad Pro, but even a basic OLED display would have been appreciated, in this price range. Again, the screen on this tablet is excellent and offers vibrant colors and good contrast, but an OLED display would bring that contrast to the next level and deliver on those true black levels that only OLED screens can achieve.
Still, unless you’re a graphic designer or display enthusiast, you certainly don’t need a higher quality display than what’s offered by the iPad Air. The vast majority of people looking for a productivity machine or entertainment device will be very happy with the display that this tablet has to offer.
Laptop-Level Performance (That You Probably Don’t Need)
The biggest upgrade that the iPad Air gets over the previous model is the M3 chip. The M3 chip helps improve its performance, and while the performance on the M2-equipped iPad Air was already stellar, the gap between the base iPad and the iPad Air widens a bit with this model.
Generally speaking, the M3 iPad Air, according to Apple, performs about 20% faster than the M2 model. Indeed, it performs excellently, and its performance is actually closer to a laptop than most other tablets. Even demanding games load quickly, and the tablet can handle heavy multitasking very easily. I never experienced any skips or stutters while using the M3 iPad Air.
Still, it’s important to ask, what does that actually do for you? Well, let’s be honest — not a whole lot, at least not yet. If you have an M2 iPad Air, you don’t even need to think about buying an M3 model. That’s not to say the M3 isn’t better — it is! — but the differences in day-to-day life are very minimal.
That said, if you’re upgrading from a years-old iPad Air, there may be reason to buy a new M3 model over a used M2 model. Sure, that extra performance won’t likely impact how you use the tablet now, but a more recent chip may get you an extra year or two of software support from Apple down the line. If you’re looking for an iPad that can last you as long as possible, it’s always worth buying the newest one you can get for that reason.
Speakers And Cameras Designed For Video Calls
Let’s be honest, you probably don’t care all that much about the camera on the iPad Air, because the camera will probably mostly be used for video chats. Even the rear-facing camera is likely to be used more when you hit the rotate camera button on FaceTime, than to take actual photos and videos. For that purpose, it’s more than good enough: It’s able to take decently crisp and detailed photos with relatively vibrant colors, and in video calls it shows a high-quality image overall.
The front-facing camera is perhaps more important than the rear-facing one, and on the iPad Air it sits at 12 megapixels. It’s an ultrawide camera, which basically means that it supports Apple’s Center Stage feature. In other words, it will crop the image a little and then follow you around if you move within the camera’s view. It’s a neat feature and it works quite well. And, again, it’s more than high-quality enough for video calls, and if you do want to take selfies with it, it’ll do the job just fine.
The iPad Air has stereo speakers, with one speaker on each of the sides when holding the tablet horizontally. They sound quite good, especially for a device this thin and light. Sure, they won’t replace decent headphones, but in a pinch, they deliver good depth and enough detail to actually enjoy listening to your music. Again, I’m going to keep harping on the video call use-case because I think that’s what most people will use the speakers for most of the time, and for this, they’re more than adequate.
The Best Accessories In The Business
The iPad Air has supported Apple’s best accessories for a few years now, and that remains true for the 2025 model. Notably, the tablet supports an upgraded Magic Keyboard, which I’ve always found to be an excellent accessory. If you’re buying an iPad Air for productivity, you could buy a third-party keyboard, and it’s likely to be cheaper than the Magic Keyboard that Apple sells, but it’s unlikely that the typing experience will be as good, and nearly impossible that the trackpad will be even close.
The Magic Keyboard’s keys are clicky and tactile, and the trackpad is responsive and premium feeling. Not only that, I like the fact that the Magic Keyboard has a USB-C port in the hinge to allow for easy charging without needing to have a cable dangling off the side. It’s the small things that matter.
The device supports the Apple Pencil Pro, too, which is also expensive, but still an excellent accessory. I use keyboards a whole lot more than I use styluses — and I’m no graphic designer, so take my opinion with a grain of salt — but the Apple Pencil Pro felt smooth and natural on the iPad Air, despite the 60Hz display refresh rate, instead of the 120Hz refresh rate on the iPad Pro.
Features like squeeze to select and barrel roll gesture for changing tools are quite helpful, and I really like how high quality the haptic feedback in the Apple Pencil feels. When used with the iPad Pro, you can keep the Apple Pencil magnetically attached to the horizontal edge, which doubles as a way to charge it. It’s a great place to store it, and a design choice that has been copied many times over since Apple first introduced it.
iPad Air (2025)
The Verdict
The 2025 iPad Air is still somewhat in no man’s land, but it’s also an excellent product. If you’re looking for an iPad for basic entertainment and things like browsing the web, then the standard iPad is probably enough for your needs, plus you’ll save a fair bit of cash by buying it. If you’re looking for the highest performing iPad you can get, then the iPad Pro is still the way to go, though rumors suggest that an updated version might be coming soon. However, there are a whole lot of users who might be in the middle — users who don’t want to spend the money that the iPad Pro demands, yet need something that’s high-performing enough for productivity tasks and that supports modern accessories.
