Apple's latest update to the entry-level iPad doesn't add much, sits in a strange spot in the lineup, and is not powerful to join the company's Apple Intelligence push.

Less than a year after updating it with the M2 chip and introducing a larger-screen option, Apple gave the iPad Air another hardware refresh with a power bump. To boost its already formidable productivity chops, Apple also treated the iPad Air to a new, more affordably priced Magic Keyboard with a dedicated function row.

The familiar flat all-aluminum design with fairly thick bezels (especially when compared to the iPad Pro) is identical on both. Both the iPad Air M3 (2025) and the iPad Air M2 (2024) are available in two sizes, an 11-inch and a 13-inch.