Apple just refreshed the iPad Air, and if you blink, you’ll miss the changes. On the surface, the new iPad Air M4 looks identical to the M3 version it replaces. There is no OLED screen, no fancy new colors, and infuriatingly, we are still stuck with a 60Hz display in 2026.
But before you write this off as a total snooze-fest, there is a hidden beast under the hood that makes this a quiet monster for power users.
The Hidden Power: More Than Just a Chip
Apple is playing the long game with Apple Intelligence. While the M4 chip is the headliner, the real MVP is the memory and connectivity boost.
- RAM Revolution: The iPad Air M4 jumps from 8GB to 12GB of RAM. This 50% increase is specifically designed to handle the heavy lifting of iPadOS 26 and its aggressive AI features.
- Speed Demon: The M4 chip is roughly 30% faster than the M3. For the average person scrolling social media, you won’t care. For video editors and designers, that 30% is the difference between a smooth workflow and a spinning wheel of death.
- Future-Proofing: It is the first Air to feature the N1 chip, enabling Wi-Fi 7. We are talking potential speeds of 46 Gbps. It is absolute overkill for now, but it means this tablet will still feel fast five years from now.
The “Same Old” (The Bad News)
Apple clearly didn’t want the Air to cannibalize iPad Pro sales, so they intentionally held back on the features users actually wanted:
- Still 60Hz: In a world where even budget phones have 120Hz “ProMotion” smoothness, the Air feels sluggish by comparison.
- No Display Upgrade: You are still getting a standard Liquid Retina LED. No OLED, no Mini-LED, and no improved brightness.
- Stagnant Storage: Despite the “Air” being marketed for creatives, it still starts at a measly 128GB.
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
If you currently own an iPad Air M3, stay away. The gains are too incremental to justify the spend unless you are a developer pushing the limits of AI.
However, if you are still rocking an M1 iPad Air or an older iPad Pro, this is a massive leap. You are getting Pro-level processing power and enough RAM to survive the next several years of AI updates without spending “Pro” money.
Pre-orders open March 4th at 9:15 AM ET, with units hitting shelves a week later.
