Apple has quietly dropped the iPad Air 2026 and while it is not the most dramatic upgrade the lineup has ever seen, there is enough here to get people talking. This is the third iPad Air update in three years, and this time around Apple has bumped it up to the M4 chip, added more RAM, and thrown in a couple of new wireless chips that are making their iPad debut for the first time.
The headline upgrade is the move to the M4 processor. Compared to last year’s M3 model it is about 30 percent faster, and if you are coming from the 2022 M1 iPad Air the difference is even more noticeable, around 2.3 times faster according to Apple. The RAM has also gone up from 8GB to 12GB, with memory bandwidth hitting 120GB per second. The M4 chip comes with an 8 core CPU, a 9 core GPU, and a 16 core Neural Engine that is three times faster than what was in the M1. For anyone using the iPad Air for creative work or anything AI related, that extra headroom is going to make a real difference in day to day performance.
On the connectivity side, Apple has included the new N1 chip which brings Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support for smart home integration. The 5G models get the new C1X modem which Apple says is 50 percent faster than the previous modem while using 30 percent less power. That is a pretty solid improvement for anyone who relies on mobile data.
One thing that will disappoint some people is the display. Earlier there was speculation that Apple might finally move to a higher refresh rate panel on the Air, but that did not happen. It is still a Liquid Retina LCD with a 60Hz refresh rate. Not bad by any means, but if you were hoping for ProMotion you are still going to have to go for the Pro models. The iPad Air 2026 comes in 11 inch and 13 inch sizes and is available in Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight.
Now for the pricing. The 11 inch model starts at $600 for 128GB, goes up to $700 for 256GB, $900 for 512GB, and $1,100 for 1TB. The 13 inch starts at $800 for 128GB, $900 for 256GB, $1,100 for 512GB, and $1,300 for 1TB. Adding 5G to either size will cost you an extra $250. Teachers and students get a $50 education discount which also applies to accessories.
Speaking of accessories, the iPad Air 2026 works with the Magic Keyboard which is priced at $270 for the 11 inch and $320 for the 13 inch. The Apple Pencil goes for $80 and the Apple Pencil Pro is $130. The box itself comes with a 20W charger and a USB-C cable which is fine but nothing exciting. Overall this is a solid update for anyone sitting on an older iPad Air or a base model iPad who has been waiting for a good reason to upgrade.
