Every year, Apple launches a new iPad. And almost every year, tech enthusiasts and Apple fans ponder over the same question – should they get the new toy in town? And now that Apple has launched a brand new iPad Air M4, the same conversation is being held once again. The all-new iPad looks exactly similar to its predecessor at a glance. But when you take a look at the specs, the differences are right in front of you. And since the iPad Air M3 was also a solid device with impressive specs, the question of whether you should upgrade or not becomes even harder to answer. Let us take a detailed look at the newly launched iPad and attempt to find some answers.

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Apple launches iPad Air M4: What’s new and what remains the same

The new iPad Air with M4 arrives at the same starting price as last year’s M3 model. As mentioned already, there aren’t a lot of changes in terms of design. You also have the same four colour options as last year, which are Blue, Purple, Space Grey and Starlight. In addition to this, the display is also kind of the same. We again have two screen sizes: 11 and 13 inches, and both come with Liquid Retina LCD panels with a 60Hz refresh rate and similar brightness levels. So if you have been thinking of upgrading only because of the display, it might not be a great idea. Storage options, camera specifications, and battery life claims also remain the same as before.

Now, coming to what’s different this time. And there is a lot. The most obvious and biggest difference is the chipset. The new iPad Air is powered by the M4 chip, which, as per Apple, results in 30% faster performance when compared to the M3 model. But there’s more. Apple has also said that the new iPad Air boasts 2.3 times faster speeds over the older M1 generation.

‘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,’ Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Bob Borchers said in a press release.

RAM has also been upgraded. The M3 iPad Air comes with 8 GB RAM, while the latest iPad Air M4 comes with 12 GB RAM. Memory bandwidth has also increased to 120 GB per second, which can help in tasks like 4K video editing, large photo exports, and AI-powered tasks. The 16-core Neural Engine on M4 is also said to be faster, enabling better on-device AI features inside apps and across iPadOS 26.

There are upgrades in terms of graphics as well. The iPad Air M4 comes with second-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading. Apple claims up to four times faster 3D rendering with ray tracing when compared to the M1 model. This means more realistic lighting and reflections in games and creative apps.

Changes can be seen in terms of connectivity, too. The M3 model comes with Wi Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. However, the new iPad Air M4 adds Apple’s N1 wireless chip with Wi Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, along with the C1X modem on cellular models. Apple also says that cellular data can be up to 50% faster, while also being more power efficient.

Top specs and pricing of the new iPad Air M4

As mentioned already, the new iPad Air with M4 will be available in two sizes. The 11-inch model offers a 1640 x 2360 resolution display, while the 13-inch variant sports a 2048 x 2732 resolution. Both use Liquid Retina LCD technology and retain a 60Hz refresh rate.

Coming to storage options, you can choose from 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options.

Talking about the camera, there is a 12MP single rear camera that also boasts 4K video recording capabilities at 60fps. In the front, there is a 12MP snapper. Apple also claims an all-day battery life, similar to last year.

Now, let’s talk about the price. In India, the 11-inch iPad Air with M4 starts at Rs 64,900, while the 13-inch model starts at Rs 84,900. This is similar to the price at which the M3 iPad Air launched in 2025. Both variants will be available for pre-ordering via Apple’s website on March 4.

Is upgrading a good idea?

Now, coming to the million-dollar question: should you upgrade to the new iPad Air M4? If you are currently using the M3 model, upgrading would mean switching to a newer chipset, getting better RAM and connectivity options. However, there isn’t much difference in terms of design, camera, display and battery.

But, if you are coming from older iPad generations, the upgrades are much more. Moreover, considering that the price is the same as the launch price of the M3 model, this is a convincing enough deal.

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