Apple launches iPad Air with powerful M3 chip, new Magic Keyboard
According to the company, iPad Air with M3 brings Apple's advanced graphics architecture to iPad Air for the first time taking its incredible combination of power-efficient performance and portability to a new level
Cupertino (California): Apple on Tuesday introduced the faster, more powerful iPad Air with the M3 chip and built for Apple Intelligence.
According to the company, iPad Air with M3 brings Apple’s advanced graphics architecture to iPad Air for the first time taking its incredible combination of power-efficient performance and portability to a new level.
“With iPadOS 18, support for Apple Intelligence, advanced cameras, fast wireless 5G connectivity, and compatibility with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), the new iPad Air offers an unrivaled experience,” said the company.
“iPad Air is so popular because of its unmatched combination of powerful performance, portability, and support for advanced accessories, all at an affordable price,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
“For everyone from college students taking notes with Apple Pencil Pro, to travelers and content creators who need powerful productivity on the go, iPad Air with M3, Apple Intelligence, and the new Magic Keyboard take versatility and value to the next level,” he added.
Featuring a more powerful 8-core CPU, M3 is up to 35 per cent faster for multithreaded CPU workflows than iPad Air with M1. M3 features a 9-core GPU with up to 40 per cent faster graphics performance over M1.
M3 also brings Apple’s advanced graphics architecture to iPad Air for the first time with support for dynamic caching, along with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.
For graphics-intensive rendering workflows, iPad Air with M3 offers up to 4x faster performance than iPad Air with M1, enabling more accurate lighting, reflections, shadows, and extremely realistic gaming experiences. The faster Neural Engine in M3 means iPad Air users can enjoy even more AI capabilities in iPadOS.
Compared to M1, the Neural Engine in M3 is up to 60 percent faster for AI-based workloads. Other improvements over iPad models with A-series chips include support for Apple Intelligence, the choice of 11- and 13-inch sizes, and support for advanced accessories, including the new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, said the tech giant.
Customers can pre-order the new iPad Air with M3 in 29 countries and regions, including the US. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations, starting March 12. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air with M3 will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations.
