New iPad Air 2025: What Most People Get Wrong

You’ve seen the headlines. Apple just dropped the new iPad Air 2025, and the internet is doing that thing it always does—half the people are screaming "boring incremental update" while the other half are ready to sell their soul for the new blue color. Honestly? They’re both kind of wrong.

This isn't just a spec bump. Well, it is, but it’s a specific kind of spec bump that changes who this tablet is actually for. If you’re rocking an M2 model from last year, you can probably stop reading and go get a coffee. But if you’re still clutching an old iPad Air 4 or an ancient Pro with the home button, things just got interesting.

The M3 Jump: More Than Just Numbers

Basically, the heart of the beast is now the Apple M3 chip. Apple didn't go for the M4 here—they’re saving that for the Pro models to keep that "prestige" gap wide enough to drive a truck through.

The M3 brings a 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU to the party. On paper, it’s about 35% faster than the M1 version and significantly snappier than the A14. But let’s talk real world. You won’t notice this while scrolling TikTok. You will notice it when you’re trying to run Apple Intelligence features or exporting a 4K timeline in LumaFusion. The M3’s 3nm architecture makes it way more efficient at handling the background AI tasks that iPadOS 18 and the upcoming iPadOS 19 are leaning into.

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What about the screen?

There was a lot of noise about a 90Hz display. People wanted "buttery smooth" scrolling without paying $1,000 for a Pro.

Bad news: It didn't happen.

The new iPad Air 2025 still uses a 60Hz Liquid Retina display. It’s a great LCD, don’t get me wrong. The 11-inch hits 500 nits and the 13-inch gets a bit brighter at 600 nits. But if you were hoping for ProMotion or OLED, you’ll have to wait until at least 2027 based on current supply chain leaks from folks like Ross Young. Apple is keeping OLED as a "Pro-only" carrot for now.

The Subtle Design Shifts

Size-wise, nothing changed. It still comes in the 11-inch and 13-inch flavors we saw debut in 2024. But Apple did a weird thing with the colors. We’ve got:

• Starlight (the classic "not quite gold, not quite silver")
• Space Gray (for the professionals who hate fun)
• Purple (very subtle, almost lavender)
• Blue (a new, deeper shade that looks great in person)

One thing that’s actually a huge win is the accessory support. The 2025 Air works with the Apple Pencil Pro. That means you get the squeeze gestures and the "find my" support. If you’re a digital artist, that’s a bigger deal than the M3 chip. Also, the front-facing camera is still on the landscape edge. Finally, Apple realized nobody uses an iPad vertically for Zoom calls anymore.

Why the Price Matters

Apple kept the starting price at $599 for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch.

In this economy? That’s actually a decent move. Especially since the base storage is now 128GB. Gone are the days of the 64GB iPad that fills up after three Netflix downloads and a system update.

However, there’s a catch. Depending on where you live (looking at you, Europe and parts of Asia), the box might be a little light. Apple has started removing the charging brick in more regions to "reduce waste." You still get the braided USB-C cable, but you might need to scavenge a wall plug from your junk drawer or drop another thirty bucks on a 30W adapter.

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Is It a "Pro" Killer?

Not really. The iPad Pro M4 still has that Tandem OLED screen that makes the Air look a bit dull by comparison. And the Pro is thinner. Much thinner.

But for 90% of people—students, office workers, casual sketchers—the new iPad Air 2025 is the "Goldilocks" tablet. It’s got enough power to last five or six years, supports the best pencil, and doesn't cost as much as a used Honda Civic.

Actionable Advice for Buyers

1. Check your current chip. If you have an M1 or M2 Air, stay put. The performance gains in daily use are negligible.
2. Go for the 13-inch if you multitask. The extra screen real estate for Stage Manager is worth the extra $200 if this is your primary "computer."
3. Education discounts are real. If you're a student or teacher, you can usually snag the 11-inch for $549, which makes it the best value in the lineup.
4. Don't buy the 1TB model. If you need that much storage, you're likely a power user who should probably just buy the iPad Pro for the better screen and Thunderbolt speeds.

The new iPad Air 2025 is now available for order, with units hitting shelves as of March 12, 2025. If you're looking to upgrade, trade-in values for the iPad Air 5 (M1) are currently hovering around $250-$300 at major retailers, which can take a big bite out of that sticker price. Just make sure to grab a 30W charger if your region is one of the ones Apple "slimmed down."