The new M4-powered Apple iPad Air boasts vastly improved performance and more memory, but costs the same as its predecessor

When Jon Bray reviewed last year’s Apple iPad Air, which houses an M3 processor, he questioned whether all that power was necessary for a tablet. Well, he’s going to be asking the same question again when he gets his hands on its M4-powered successor.

Not to be overshadowed by all the news coming out of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, including a slew of new Lenovo laptops and tablets, Apple has today announced the 2026 model of the iPad Air, alongside the new iPhone 17e.

Apple iPad Air (M4, 2026): What’s new?

The most obvious change is the upgraded silicon powering the iPad Air. The 2026 model gets the M4 chip previously found on the iPad Pro in 2024, which has an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU. Apple says it’s 30% quicker than its M3-powered forbear, and that the improved GPU renders 3D graphics with ray tracing four times faster than the M1 iPad Air.

That extra grunt is also being put to use to improve the device’s AI capabilities. Memory bandwidth is nippier at 120GB/s, which speeds up the running of AI models, while on-device AI functionality is up to three times as quick thanks to a 50% increase in unified memory (12GB up from 8GB) and a more advanced neural engine.

The new iPad Air also gets its connectivity expanded, with the addition of Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and support for Thread. These are all facilitated by Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, which the brand says delivers better, more stable performance when using popular features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

Running on iPad OS 26, the Air gains access to a new windowing system and menu bar that should improve navigation between and within apps, while also benefiting from greater control over audio input and the ability to bypass local recording compression via Local Capture.

Apple iPad Air (M4, 2026): What’s the same?

Despite those upgrades, the iPad Air (2026) will start at the same price as last year. That’s £599 for the 11in model with 128GB storage or £799 for the 13in option, which also comes with 128GB storage. Those prices are for the Wi-Fi variants and don’t include a stylus or keyboard. As ever with Apple tablets, if you want the full package, things add up very quickly. You can find a breakdown of exactly what you’ll be paying for the various tablet configurations and the handy peripherals at the bottom of this article.

The cameras capturing footage also remain unchanged. You’ve still got a landscape 12MP Centre Stage camera located on the display side of the tablet, paired with a 12MP Wide camera that can shoot 4K video in the top corner of the rear of the device.

The 11in and 13in Liquid Retina displays are the same as last year, too. That means you’re still limited to 60Hz, but it should also mean brightness is ample for most viewing conditions and colours within the DCI-P3 colour gamut are reproduced very accurately.

And, of course, the selection of accessories required to transform the iPad Air into a laptop replacement carries over from last time around. You’ve got a choice of two styluses – the Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro – and the Magic Keyboard. The cost of these – and how integral they are to a fully optimised iPad Air experience – were Jon Bray’s biggest issues with the M3 iPad Air, and I imagine he’ll have very similar thoughts this time around.

Apple iPad Air (M4, 2026): How much does it cost and when will it be available?

Preorders for the M4 iPad Air go live at 2.15pm on Wednesday, 4 March. There will be four finishes available – Space Grey, Blue, Purple and Starlight – and several storage and connectivity options: 

11in iPad Air (M4, 2026)

• 128GB (Wi-Fi): £599
• 256GB (Wi-Fi): £699
• 512GB (Wi-Fi): £899
• 1TB (Wi-Fi): £1,099

• 128GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £749
• 256GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £849
• 512GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £1,049
• 1TB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £1,249

13in iPad Air (M4, 2026)

• 128GB (Wi-Fi): £799
• 256GB (Wi-Fi): £899
• 512GB (Wi-Fi): £1,099
• 1TB (Wi-Fi): £1,299

• 128GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £749
• 256GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £849
• 512GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £1,249
• 1TB (Wi-Fi + Cellular): £1,449

Apple Pencil

• Apple Pencil (USB-C): £79
• Apple Pencil Pro: £129

Apple Magic Keyboard

• Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Air: £269

Written By

Andy White

Andy was appointed Tech Editor in 2024 following four years spent putting a huge range of products through their paces. Formerly a sports journalist at Greenways Publishing, he cut his tech teeth testing laptops before taking over as the site’s TV and audio expert. He’s cast his eye over more headphones and televisions than you can shake a stick at but has also reviewed football boots, handheld game consoles and just about everything in between. As well as testing, writing and editing, Andy covers product launches and key industry events in the UK and overseas.

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