🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa086)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3","crawl_time":1774958450,"first_indexed_time":1741623281,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3 s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"iPad Air M3 review: A boring, excellent tablet | CNN Underscored","meta_descriptions":["The iPad Air M3 makes one of our favorite tablets even faster, though folks who own a recent Apple tablet won’t find much new here."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"I’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the\nbest tablets\naround that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?”\nIt’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the\niPad Pro\nobsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better.\nApple iPad Air M3\nThe latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro.\nThe new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my\niPad Air M2 review\nfrom last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one.\nApple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild.\nYou once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2,  my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch.\nThe iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max.\nThe tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue.\nThe one thing that\nis new\nfor the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale.\nThe fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting.\nUnable to load video\nPlease try again later.\nError occurred while fetching labs\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n05:56\n• Source:\nCNN\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n05:56\nApple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the\nMicrosoft Surface Pro 2024\nand — you guessed it — the latest\nM4-powered iPad Pro\n. While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s $599 tablet fell behind its $999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed.\nThe iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your\nPS5\n,\nXbox\nor PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise.\nApple iPad Air M3\nApple iPad Air M2\nApple iPad Pro M4\nSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra\nProcessor\nApple M3\nApple M2\nApple M4\nQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2\nGeekbench 6 multi-core score\n11,745\n9,544\n14,517\n5,645\nApple iPad Air M3\nProcessor\nApple M3\nGeekbench 6 multi-core score\n11,745\nApple iPad Air M2\nProcessor\nApple M2\nGeekbench 6 multi-core score\n9,544\nApple iPad Pro M4\nProcessor\nApple M4\nGeekbench 6 multi-core score\n14,517\nSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra\nProcessor\nQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2\nGeekbench 6 multi-core score\n5,645\nWe can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about\nApple Intelligence\n, and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution.\nThe vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest\niPad Mini\n. But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested.\nYou can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for.\nLaunching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days.\nThe good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is $269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the $200\nLogitech Combo Touch\nthat we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop.\nIterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process.\nFor starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a $600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more.\nIt doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a $269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly $870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new $999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that\ngoes on sale for as little as $699\nthese days.\nBecause of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a\nat a discount\nwhile they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor.\nEvery time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly\n“what’s a computer” ads\n?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook.\nI’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot.\nMost of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls.\nWhen I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the\nbest iPads\nout right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase.\nBut for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for $100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard $349\niPad\nremains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell $1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here.\nCNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022.","attrs_markdown":"[Amazon Prime Day](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/deals\/prime-day)\n\n[All Amazon Prime Day](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/deals\/prime-day)   [Amazon Spring Sale best deals](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/deals\/best-amazon-prime-day-deals-2026-03-29)\n\n[Gift Ideas](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/gifts)\n\n[All Gift Ideas](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/gifts)   [For Women](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/gifts\/for-women)   [For Men](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/gifts\/for-men)   [For Kids](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/gifts\/for-kids)   [Holidays & Special 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[Learn more](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/about)\n\n[Reviews](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews)\n\n# The iPad Air M3 is a boring update to one of the best tablets you can buy\nBy [Mike Andronico](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/about\/mike-andronico), CNN Underscored\n\nUpdated 12:47 PM EST, Fri November 28, 2025\n\nLink Copied\\!\n\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-5.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-5.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_833,w_1480,c_fill)\n\nMike Andronico\/CNN Underscored\n\nWhat's in this review\n\n- [What I liked about it](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3#what-i-liked-about-it)\n- [What I didn’t like about it](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3#what-i-didnt-like-about-it)\n- [Bottom line](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3#bottom-line)\n- [Why trust CNN Underscored](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3#why-trust-cnn-underscored)\n\nI’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the [best tablets](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-tablets) around that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?”\n\nIt’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the [iPad Pro](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-pro-2024) obsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better.\n\nBlack Friday Deal\n\n### [Apple iPad Air M3](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n[![blue apple ipad air m2](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m2-13-blue.png?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill) Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\nThe latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro.\n\n[~~\\$599~~ \\$449 at Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n[~~From \\$599~~ \\$449 at Best Buy](https:\/\/bestbuy.7tiv.net\/c\/1442537\/614286\/10014?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-11-inch-ipad-air-m3-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-wi-fi-128gb-space-gray%2F6578280.p%3FskuId%3D6578280&subId1=0310ipadairm3review)\n\n[From \\$599 at Apple](https:\/\/apple.sjv.io\/c\/1442537\/435031\/7613?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-ipad%2Fipad-air%3Fm3&subId1=0310ipadairm3review)\n## What I liked about it\n### That same perfectly portable design\nThe new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my [iPad Air M2 review](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/apple-ipad-air-2024) from last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one.\n\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-1.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-1.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nHenry T. Casey\/CNN Underscored\n\nApple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild.\n\nYou once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch.\n\n> > [View this post on Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DHBq3rfMvpk\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading)\n\nThe iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max.\n\nThe tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue.\n\n### Even more Pro-like performance\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-3.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-3.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nHenry T. Casey\/CNN Underscored\n\nThe one thing that *is new* for the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale.\n\nThe fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting.\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nSubtitles\n\n- Off\n\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n\n05:56   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n\n05:56\n\nApple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the [Microsoft Surface Pro 2024](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/microsoft-surface-pro-2024) and — you guessed it — the latest [M4-powered iPad Pro](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-pro-2024). While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s \\$599 tablet fell behind its \\$999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed.\n\nThe iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your [PS5](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/playstation-5-specs), [Xbox](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/electronics\/xbox-series-x-specs) or PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise.\n\n|   | Apple iPad Air M3 | Apple iPad Air M2 | Apple iPad Pro M4 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra |\n|---|---|---|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M3 | Apple M2 | Apple M4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 11,745 | 9,544 | 14,517 | 5,645 |\n\n| Apple iPad Air M3 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M3 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 11,745 |\n\n| Apple iPad Air M2 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 9,544 |\n\n| Apple iPad Pro M4 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M4 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 14,517 |\n\n| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 5,645 |\n\nWe can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about [Apple Intelligence](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/electronics\/apple-intelligence-devices), and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution.\n\nThe vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest [iPad Mini](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-mini-7-2024). But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested.\n\n### Dependable battery life\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-2.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-2.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nHenry T. Casey\/CNN Underscored\n\nYou can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for.\n\n### The Magic Keyboard gets a long-awaited upgrade\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-4.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-4.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nMike Andronico\/CNN Underscored\n\nLaunching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days.\n\nThe good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is \\$269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the \\$200 [Logitech Combo Touch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/logitech-combo-touch-ipad-keyboard-trackpad) that we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop.\n\n## What I didn’t like about it\n### We’ve gotten this exact same tablet before\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-7.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-7.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nMike Andronico\/CNN Underscored\n\nIterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process.\n\nFor starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a \\$600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more.\n\nIt doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a \\$269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly \\$870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new \\$999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that [goes on sale for as little as \\$699](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-2022-MacBook-Laptop-chip%2Fdp%2FB0DLJ4JKHB%3Ftag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) these days.\n\nBecause of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a [at a discount](https:\/\/www.walmart.com\/ip\/2024-Apple-11-inch-iPad-Air-M2-Wi-Fi-128GB-Blue\/5763762517) while they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor.\n\n### The iPad still isn’t quite a laptop killer\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-8.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-8.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nHenry T. Casey\/CNN Underscored\n\nEvery time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly [“what’s a computer” ads](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3S5BLs51yDQ)?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook.\n\nI’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot.\n\nMost of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls.\n\n## Bottom line\n![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-6.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-6.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)\n\nMike Andronico\/CNN Underscored\n\nWhen I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the [best iPads](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-ipad) out right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase.\n\nBut for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for \\$100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard \\$349 [iPad](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-2022-10th-gen) remains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell \\$1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here.\n\n## Why trust CNN Underscored\nCNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022.\n\n[![Mike.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/mike-20241007201037678.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/mike-andronico)\n\n[Mike Andronico](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/mike-andronico)  Senior Editor, Electronics\n\n[Mike Andronico](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/about\/mike-andronico) is CNN Underscored's senior tech editor, overseeing coverage of phones, laptops and everything else consumer electronics. When he's not knee deep in review units, you can find him hunting for retro video games, hanging with his French bulldog and playing with his band, Ghost Tour.\n\n### Latest Articles\n- [We found the 3 best iPhone power banks that’ll save you from a dead battery](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-iphone-power-banks)\n- [I just tried Samsung’s new budget phones that start at \\$450](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/electronics\/samsung-galaxy-a37-a57-hands-on)\n- [The best smartphones of 2026, tested by editors](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-smartphones)\n\n### Related products we’ve covered\n### [iPad Air 11-inch (M3)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n[![](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/amazon-backfill\/411lgi9gp8l-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n[Read our review](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3)\n\n[Shop at Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n### [Apple 11-inch iPad Air M4](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n[![](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/amazon-backfill\/31afwac9wkl-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n[Read our review](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m4)\n\n[Shop at Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n### [Apple 13-Inch iPad Air M3](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n[![](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/amazon-backfill\/41uisnuldjl-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n[Read our review](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3)\n\n[Shop at Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n### [Apple iPad Air M4](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n[![](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/apple-ipad-air-m4-intuitive-windowing-system-260302.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n[Shop at Amazon](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n### More recommendations\n- [![best-umbrella-badged-lead-26.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-umbrella-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-umbrellas?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [We tested 16 umbrellas ahead of the rainy season. There’s only one we recommend for keeping dry](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-umbrellas?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-cooling-pillow-badged-lead-26.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-cooling-pillow-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-cooling-pillow?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [I tested a bunch of cooling pillows, and only two actually cooled me off as I slept](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-cooling-pillow?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![badged-lead-2026-best-fan-vornado-cnnu.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/badged-lead-2026-best-fan-vornado-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-cooling-fans?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [The best cooling fans of 2026, tested by editors](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-cooling-fans?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-car-vacuum-2026-badge-cnnu.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-car-vacuum-2026-badge-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-car-vacuum?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [The best car vacuum in 2026, tried and tested](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-car-vacuum?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage-lead-cnnu-badged.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage-lead-cnnu-badged.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [We put these hard-shell carry-on bags through it all and only one stood out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![walensee-lead-alt.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/walensee-lead-alt.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/walensee-stand-up-weed-puller?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [I’ve had this \\$30 weeding tool for 3 years. Here’s why it should be your go-to this spring](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/walensee-stand-up-weed-puller?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![lead-best-iphone-power-banks-cnnu-2.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/lead-best-iphone-power-banks-cnnu-2.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-iphone-power-banks?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [We found the 3 best iPhone power banks that’ll save you from a dead battery](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-iphone-power-banks?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![lead-best-usb-c-charger-cnnu.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/lead-best-usb-c-charger-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-usb-c-chargers?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [I found the 4 best USB-C chargers for recharging your phones and gadgets](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-usb-c-chargers?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-budget-laptops-acer-01-1-copy.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-budget-laptops-acer-01-1-copy.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-budget-laptops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [I’ve tested budget laptops from the top brands to find your 3 best options](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-budget-laptops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-dyson-vacs-new-badged-lead-26.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-dyson-vacs-new-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-dyson-vacuums?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [The best Dyson vacuums of 2026, tried and tested](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-dyson-vacuums?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![fluxphenom-magneticscreendoor3cnnu.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/fluxphenom-magneticscreendoor3cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/flux-phenom-magnetic-screen-door?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [Pets love it, bugs hate it. This magnetic screen door is the best thing I bought on Amazon this summer](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/flux-phenom-magnetic-screen-door?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![lead-best-dash-cams-cnnu.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/lead-best-dash-cams-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-dash-cam?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [After months of dash cam testing, this is the most reliable one I always keep in my car](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-dash-cam?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-portable-chargers-2026.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-portable-chargers-2026.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-portable-charger?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [The best portable chargers of 2026, tried and tested](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-portable-charger?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![best-tested-badge-20250102184214258.jpeg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/best-tested-badge-20250102184214258.jpeg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-flashlight?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [A good flashlight is a must when the power goes out. These three are the best](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-flashlight?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n- [![o-cedar-spinner-mop-best-mop-20251222202924045.jpg](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/parsely\/o-cedar-spinner-mop-best-mop-20251222202924045.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-mops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n  [The best mops in 2026, tried and tested](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-mops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail)\n\n*Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.*\n\n[![best bidet product card tushy](https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/211108122056-best-bidet-product-card-tushy.jpg?q=x_0%2Cy_0%2Ch_970%2Cw_1723%2Cc_fill\/h_720,w_1280,c_auto,g_auto,c_auto_pad,ar_16:9)](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTushy-Classic-Bidet-Toilet-Attachment%2Fdp%2FB08VS11Z1N%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3D033026dotd-20%26linkId%3Dc865785ff23548c6cba89d11a5a84c5d%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n### Deal of the Day\n[Tushy Classic 3.0 Bidet Attachment](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTushy-Classic-Bidet-Toilet-Attachment%2Fdp%2FB08VS11Z1N%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3D033026dotd-20%26linkId%3Dc865785ff23548c6cba89d11a5a84c5d%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\n~~\\$129~~ **\\$93 at Amazon**\n\n28% off\n\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Live TV](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/live-tv)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n![CNN Logo](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn.svg)\n\n## Legal Terms and Privacy\nBy clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.\n\nBy clicking \"Agree\", you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms) and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy).\n\n[Agree](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-air-m3)","attrs_readable_markdown":"I’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the [best tablets](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-tablets) around that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?”\n\nIt’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the [iPad Pro](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-pro-2024) obsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better.\n\n[Apple iPad Air M3](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881)\n\nThe latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro.\n\nThe new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my [iPad Air M2 review](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/apple-ipad-air-2024) from last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one.\n\nApple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild.\n\nYou once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch.\n\nThe iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max.\n\nThe tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue.\n\nThe one thing that *is new* for the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale.\n\nThe fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting.\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n\n05:56   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nWe've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think\n\n05:56\n\nApple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the [Microsoft Surface Pro 2024](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/microsoft-surface-pro-2024) and — you guessed it — the latest [M4-powered iPad Pro](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-pro-2024). While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s \\$599 tablet fell behind its \\$999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed.\n\nThe iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your [PS5](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/playstation-5-specs), [Xbox](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/electronics\/xbox-series-x-specs) or PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise.\n\n|   | Apple iPad Air M3 | Apple iPad Air M2 | Apple iPad Pro M4 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra |\n|---|---|---|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M3 | Apple M2 | Apple M4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 11,745 | 9,544 | 14,517 | 5,645 |\n\n| Apple iPad Air M3 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M3 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 11,745 |\n\n| Apple iPad Air M2 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 9,544 |\n\n| Apple iPad Pro M4 |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Apple M4 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 14,517 |\n\n| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra |   |\n|---|---|\n| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |\n| Geekbench 6 multi-core score | 5,645 |\n\nWe can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about [Apple Intelligence](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/electronics\/apple-intelligence-devices), and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution.\n\nThe vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest [iPad Mini](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-mini-7-2024). But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested.\n\nYou can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for.\n\nLaunching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days.\n\nThe good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is \\$269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the \\$200 [Logitech Combo Touch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/logitech-combo-touch-ipad-keyboard-trackpad) that we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop.\n\nIterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process.\n\nFor starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a \\$600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more.\n\nIt doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a \\$269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly \\$870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new \\$999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that [goes on sale for as little as \\$699](https:\/\/r.bttn.io\/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-2022-MacBook-Laptop-chip%2Fdp%2FB0DLJ4JKHB%3Ftag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) these days.\n\nBecause of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a [at a discount](https:\/\/www.walmart.com\/ip\/2024-Apple-11-inch-iPad-Air-M2-Wi-Fi-128GB-Blue\/5763762517) while they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor.\n\nEvery time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly [“what’s a computer” ads](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3S5BLs51yDQ)?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook.\n\nI’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot.\n\nMost of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls.\n\nWhen I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the [best iPads](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/best-ipad) out right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase.\n\nBut for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for \\$100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard \\$349 [iPad](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/reviews\/ipad-2022-10th-gen) remains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell \\$1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here.\n\nCNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	I’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the best tablets around that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?” It’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the iPad Pro obsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better. Apple iPad Air M3 The latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro. The new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my iPad Air M2 review from last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one. Apple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild. You once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch. The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max. The tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue. The one thing that is new for the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale. The fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting. Unable to load video Please try again later. Error occurred while fetching labs We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 • Source: CNN We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 Apple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2024 and — you guessed it — the latest M4-powered iPad Pro . While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s $599 tablet fell behind its $999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed. The iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your PS5 , Xbox or PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise. Apple iPad Air M3 Apple iPad Air M2 Apple iPad Pro M4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Processor Apple M3 Apple M2 Apple M4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Geekbench 6 multi-core score 11,745 9,544 14,517 5,645 Apple iPad Air M3 Processor Apple M3 Geekbench 6 multi-core score 11,745 Apple iPad Air M2 Processor Apple M2 Geekbench 6 multi-core score 9,544 Apple iPad Pro M4 Processor Apple M4 Geekbench 6 multi-core score 14,517 Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Geekbench 6 multi-core score 5,645 We can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about Apple Intelligence , and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution. The vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest iPad Mini . But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested. You can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for. Launching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days. The good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is $269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the $200 Logitech Combo Touch that we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop. Iterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process. For starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a $600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more. It doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a $269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly $870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new $999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that goes on sale for as little as $699 these days. Because of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a at a discount while they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor. Every time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly “what’s a computer” ads ?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook. I’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot. Most of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls. When I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the best iPads out right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase. But for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for $100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard $349 iPad remains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell $1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here. CNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022.
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[Learn more](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/about) [Reviews](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews) # The iPad Air M3 is a boring update to one of the best tablets you can buy By [Mike Andronico](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/about/mike-andronico), CNN Underscored Updated 12:47 PM EST, Fri November 28, 2025 Link Copied\! ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-5.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-5.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_833,w_1480,c_fill) Mike Andronico/CNN Underscored What's in this review - [What I liked about it](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3#what-i-liked-about-it) - [What I didn’t like about it](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3#what-i-didnt-like-about-it) - [Bottom line](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3#bottom-line) - [Why trust CNN Underscored](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3#why-trust-cnn-underscored) I’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the [best tablets](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-tablets) around that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?” It’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the [iPad Pro](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-pro-2024) obsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better. Black Friday Deal ### [Apple iPad Air M3](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [![blue apple ipad air m2](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m2-13-blue.png?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill) Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) The latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro. [~~\$599~~ \$449 at Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [~~From \$599~~ \$449 at Best Buy](https://bestbuy.7tiv.net/c/1442537/614286/10014?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-11-inch-ipad-air-m3-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-wi-fi-128gb-space-gray%2F6578280.p%3FskuId%3D6578280&subId1=0310ipadairm3review) [From \$599 at Apple](https://apple.sjv.io/c/1442537/435031/7613?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-ipad%2Fipad-air%3Fm3&subId1=0310ipadairm3review) ## What I liked about it ### That same perfectly portable design The new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my [iPad Air M2 review](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/apple-ipad-air-2024) from last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one. ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-1.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-1.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Henry T. Casey/CNN Underscored Apple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild. You once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch. > > [View this post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHBq3rfMvpk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max. The tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue. ### Even more Pro-like performance ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-3.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-3.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Henry T. Casey/CNN Underscored The one thing that is new for the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale. The fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting. Unable to load video Please try again later. Error occurred while fetching labs Subtitles - Off We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 Apple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the [Microsoft Surface Pro 2024](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/microsoft-surface-pro-2024) and — you guessed it — the latest [M4-powered iPad Pro](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-pro-2024). While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s \$599 tablet fell behind its \$999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed. The iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your [PS5](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/playstation-5-specs), [Xbox](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/xbox-series-x-specs) or PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise. \| \| Apple iPad Air M3 \| Apple iPad Air M2 \| Apple iPad Pro M4 \| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra \| \|---\|---\|---\|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M3 \| Apple M2 \| Apple M4 \| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 11,745 \| 9,544 \| 14,517 \| 5,645 \| \| Apple iPad Air M3 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M3 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 11,745 \| \| Apple iPad Air M2 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 9,544 \| \| Apple iPad Pro M4 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M4 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 14,517 \| \| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 5,645 \| We can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about [Apple Intelligence](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/apple-intelligence-devices), and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution. The vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest [iPad Mini](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-mini-7-2024). But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested. ### Dependable battery life ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-2.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-2.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Henry T. Casey/CNN Underscored You can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for. ### The Magic Keyboard gets a long-awaited upgrade ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-4.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-4.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Mike Andronico/CNN Underscored Launching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days. The good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is \$269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the \$200 [Logitech Combo Touch](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/logitech-combo-touch-ipad-keyboard-trackpad) that we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop. ## What I didn’t like about it ### We’ve gotten this exact same tablet before ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-7.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-7.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Mike Andronico/CNN Underscored Iterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process. For starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a \$600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more. It doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a \$269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly \$870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new \$999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that [goes on sale for as little as \$699](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-2022-MacBook-Laptop-chip%2Fdp%2FB0DLJ4JKHB%3Ftag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) these days. Because of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a [at a discount](https://www.walmart.com/ip/2024-Apple-11-inch-iPad-Air-M2-Wi-Fi-128GB-Blue/5763762517) while they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor. ### The iPad still isn’t quite a laptop killer ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-8.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-8.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Henry T. Casey/CNN Underscored Every time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly [“what’s a computer” ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S5BLs51yDQ)?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook. I’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot. Most of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls. ## Bottom line ![ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-6.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/ipad-air-m3-review-cnnu-6.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill) Mike Andronico/CNN Underscored When I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the [best iPads](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-ipad) out right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase. But for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for \$100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard \$349 [iPad](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-2022-10th-gen) remains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell \$1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here. ## Why trust CNN Underscored CNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022. [![Mike.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/mike-20241007201037678.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/mike-andronico) [Mike Andronico](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/mike-andronico) Senior Editor, Electronics [Mike Andronico](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/about/mike-andronico) is CNN Underscored's senior tech editor, overseeing coverage of phones, laptops and everything else consumer electronics. When he's not knee deep in review units, you can find him hunting for retro video games, hanging with his French bulldog and playing with his band, Ghost Tour. ### Latest Articles - [We found the 3 best iPhone power banks that’ll save you from a dead battery](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-iphone-power-banks) - [I just tried Samsung’s new budget phones that start at \$450](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/samsung-galaxy-a37-a57-hands-on) - [The best smartphones of 2026, tested by editors](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-smartphones) ### Related products we’ve covered ### [iPad Air 11-inch (M3)](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [![](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/amazon-backfill/411lgi9gp8l-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [Read our review](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3) [Shop at Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-Cellular%2Fdp%2FB0DZ73LCP8%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5P1LvWwxB7rWdeXEy-91potQbFsHRSjERGF9Dkr25PAdh_U9RniGGfWKnFWlhAdTAiVFOjSg3PZXQ1rVronYL7RTg12j8XO_M4Yu9YztiZ5chsy6GZZ1iq3HXF7Y-Ypmq2z1sDhaMWq7uqV1Pgs1HoU6zKbc4N5Inepzf-bYViB4izC4PahEWinXfoNBZQYe78Y4KUqOqERSCLKwv9NmUnHApZu6verzTgYs0f2wQ9M.FVxu3PzVMFmUAXhFEueuhSLixN3RmiHQHsg1hczRZug%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dipad%252Bair%252Bm3%26qid%3D1774275276%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26sp_csd%3Dd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY%26th%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D02c59ea5cf738fdf37c6e64d387b4e48%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) ### [Apple 11-inch iPad Air M4](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [![](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/amazon-backfill/31afwac9wkl-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [Read our review](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m4) [Shop at Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-iPad-Air-11-inch-M4%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D53e32aba7e5d4b5d5e40387d2e25d771%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) ### [Apple 13-Inch iPad Air M3](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [![](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/amazon-backfill/41uisnuldjl-sl500.jpg?q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [Read our review](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-air-m3) [Shop at Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ749BQ2%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D04d0d9e7c20df640f0be3aa2ccbb559a%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) ### [Apple iPad Air M4](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [![](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/apple-ipad-air-m4-intuitive-windowing-system-260302.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill)](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) [Shop at Amazon](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GQVBJT4J%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll2%26tag%3Drelatedproductsunitreviews-20%26linkId%3D6f9c105fd3e714dce159aff30bc13074%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) ### More recommendations - [![best-umbrella-badged-lead-26.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-umbrella-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-umbrellas?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [We tested 16 umbrellas ahead of the rainy season. There’s only one we recommend for keeping dry](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-umbrellas?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-cooling-pillow-badged-lead-26.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-cooling-pillow-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-cooling-pillow?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [I tested a bunch of cooling pillows, and only two actually cooled me off as I slept](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-cooling-pillow?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![badged-lead-2026-best-fan-vornado-cnnu.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/badged-lead-2026-best-fan-vornado-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-cooling-fans?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [The best cooling fans of 2026, tested by editors](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-cooling-fans?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-car-vacuum-2026-badge-cnnu.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-car-vacuum-2026-badge-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-car-vacuum?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [The best car vacuum in 2026, tried and tested](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-car-vacuum?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage-lead-cnnu-badged.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage-lead-cnnu-badged.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [We put these hard-shell carry-on bags through it all and only one stood out](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-hard-shell-carry-on-luggage?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![walensee-lead-alt.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/walensee-lead-alt.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/walensee-stand-up-weed-puller?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [I’ve had this \$30 weeding tool for 3 years. Here’s why it should be your go-to this spring](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/walensee-stand-up-weed-puller?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![lead-best-iphone-power-banks-cnnu-2.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/lead-best-iphone-power-banks-cnnu-2.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-iphone-power-banks?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [We found the 3 best iPhone power banks that’ll save you from a dead battery](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-iphone-power-banks?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![lead-best-usb-c-charger-cnnu.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/lead-best-usb-c-charger-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-usb-c-chargers?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [I found the 4 best USB-C chargers for recharging your phones and gadgets](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-usb-c-chargers?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-budget-laptops-acer-01-1-copy.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-budget-laptops-acer-01-1-copy.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-budget-laptops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [I’ve tested budget laptops from the top brands to find your 3 best options](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-budget-laptops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-dyson-vacs-new-badged-lead-26.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-dyson-vacs-new-badged-lead-26.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-dyson-vacuums?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [The best Dyson vacuums of 2026, tried and tested](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-dyson-vacuums?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![fluxphenom-magneticscreendoor3cnnu.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/fluxphenom-magneticscreendoor3cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/flux-phenom-magnetic-screen-door?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [Pets love it, bugs hate it. This magnetic screen door is the best thing I bought on Amazon this summer](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/flux-phenom-magnetic-screen-door?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![lead-best-dash-cams-cnnu.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/lead-best-dash-cams-cnnu.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-dash-cam?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [After months of dash cam testing, this is the most reliable one I always keep in my car](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-dash-cam?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-portable-chargers-2026.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-portable-chargers-2026.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-portable-charger?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [The best portable chargers of 2026, tried and tested](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-portable-charger?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![best-tested-badge-20250102184214258.jpeg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/best-tested-badge-20250102184214258.jpeg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-flashlight?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [A good flashlight is a must when the power goes out. These three are the best](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-flashlight?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) - [![o-cedar-spinner-mop-best-mop-20251222202924045.jpg](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/parsely/o-cedar-spinner-mop-best-mop-20251222202924045.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_270,w_480,c_fill) parsely](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-mops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) [The best mops in 2026, tried and tested](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-mops?utm_source=parsely_recirc_bottom_rail) Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication. 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Readable Markdown	I’m feeling an immense amount of deja vu as I sit down to write this iPad Air M3 review. I could have sworn I reviewed this exact tablet just months ago — and that’s because I basically did. Apple’s latest thin and light tablet is the definition of an iterative upgrade, taking last year’s model and simply swapping in slightly faster guts. It’s an update that makes one of the [best tablets](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-tablets) around that much better, but also one that begs the question: “who needed this?” It’s my job to find an answer to this stuff, so I kept the new iPad Air by my side for the better part of a week, doing everything from binging on TV shows while on the subway to snapping it onto that ever-elegant Magic Keyboard when it came time to write this very review. In the process, I remembered everything I love about the iPad Air — its perfect weight, solid battery life and performance so good it practically makes the [iPad Pro](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-pro-2024) obsolete — but also everything I wish could be a bit better. [Apple iPad Air M3](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ76BN5D%3Fth%3D1%26linkCode%3Dll1%26tag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20%26linkId%3Dc7b0e591b8490a7b543950f30ba181a5%26language%3Den_US%26ref_%3Das_li_ss_tl&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) The latest iPad Air improves on one of our favorite tablets with a faster M3 processor that brings it even closer in speed to the iPad Pro. The new iPad Air is functionally identical to the 2024 model, to the point where I could copy and paste my [iPad Air M2 review](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/apple-ipad-air-2024) from last year and still give you a pretty accurate assessment of its replacement. The good news is that I really liked that iPad Air, which means that I also really like this one. Apple’s modern iPad Air design lives up to its namesake, with a feathery aluminum frame that was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the MacBook Pro I typically lug around. Its quartet of color options aren’t the most exciting (I tested a Space Gray unit; there’s also blue, Starlight and a really pretty purple) but this continues to be a sleek, understated tablet that won’t raise any eyebrows when you’re using it in the wild. You once again have a choice of 11-inch and 13-inch models, the latter of which was introduced last year and is an especially nice option for multitasking and movie-binging. While I really enjoyed devouring entire Netflix seasons on flights during my time with the 13-inch iPad Air M2, my 11-inch iPad Air M3 review unit is a little more portable —- and more comfortable to hold when I’m grinding out Marvel Snap matches on the couch. The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display made a perfectly fine canvas for watching Daredevil: Born Again and catching up on my graphic novel backlog, though I did find myself yearning for the iPad Pro’s superior OLED screen. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either; I often found myself pulling down the Control Center to better see certain movies and shows in glare-prone rooms, only to find that it was already at the max. The tablet’s 12-megapixel webcam is reliable, and comes with Apple’s Center Stage feature that can center you in frame even as you move. Sure, my selfies were a bit pixelated upon zooming in, but when I’m FaceTiming with my family or dialing in to a conference call, no one’s going to be nitpicking those things. Same goes for the iPad Air’s speakers and microphones, which allowed me to yap with coworkers over Zoom without issue. The one thing that is new for the iPad Air this year is the Apple M3 chip packed inside, which brings Apple’s midrange tablet that much closer to the iPad Pro on the “basically a computer” scale. The fact that I could smoothly bounce between Slack, Outlook, Safari and Google Docs all while on a Zoom call isn’t new — I enjoyed similarly frictionless performance on last year’s Air — but being able to work this seamlessly on a tablet still feels novel. And while the speed bump from the M2 iPad Air to the new M3 version is negligible when it comes to everyday real world use, our benchmark tests reveal just how small the gap between the iPad Air and iPad Pro is getting. Unable to load video Please try again later. Error occurred while fetching labs We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) We've tested the new MacBook Air and iPad Air — here's what we think 05:56 Apple’s latest slim slate posted the third-highest score we’ve ever gotten on the Geekbench 6 general performance test, falling only to the [Microsoft Surface Pro 2024](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/microsoft-surface-pro-2024) and — you guessed it — the latest [M4-powered iPad Pro](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-pro-2024). While the iPad Pro has some key advantages we’ll talk about soon, the fact that Apple’s \$599 tablet fell behind its \$999 tablet by just 20% or so on our tests drives home just how little you’re giving up when it comes to everyday speed. The iPad Air continues to be a great little gaming machine, something I was quickly reminded of when I relived Kevin Durant’s career at console-like quality in NBA 2K25 or engaged in the colorful animated card combat of Marvel Snap with nary a hiccup. Apple’s tablets aren’t going to replace your [PS5](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/playstation-5-specs), [Xbox](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/xbox-series-x-specs) or PC anytime soon, but the fact that I can fire up a modern blockbuster like Resident Evil 4 anywhere I want and play it at a pretty respectable fidelity deserves some praise. \| \| Apple iPad Air M3 \| Apple iPad Air M2 \| Apple iPad Pro M4 \| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra \| \|---\|---\|---\|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M3 \| Apple M2 \| Apple M4 \| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 11,745 \| 9,544 \| 14,517 \| 5,645 \| \| Apple iPad Air M3 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M3 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 11,745 \| \| Apple iPad Air M2 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 9,544 \| \| Apple iPad Pro M4 \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Apple M4 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 14,517 \| \| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra \| \| \|---\|---\| \| Processor \| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 \| \| Geekbench 6 multi-core score \| 5,645 \| We can’t talk about a current Apple product without talking about [Apple Intelligence](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/apple-intelligence-devices), and while I get very little use out of Apple’s bag of assistive AI tricks, that stuff is present, accounted for and works zippily on my iPad Air. Credit where credit’s due: When I asked Apple Intelligence to turn a chunk of my review into something more “fun,” it spit out a fully rewritten paragraph laden with corny circus puns within seconds. Same goes for more practical applications, like when the Notes app recognized that I doodled out a math problem and immediately offered a solution. The vast majority of Apple Intelligence tools — which also include the ability to erase photobombers from your photos, generate your own emojis and turn Apple Pencil sketches into detailed images — don’t do much for me. You also don’t need this specific iPad Air to use them; any iPad Air or Pro with an M1 or newer supports AI, as does the latest [iPad Mini](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-mini-7-2024). But if you are excited about this kind of thing, know that the M3 iPad Air handles it as well as any Apple device I’ve tested. You can comfortably bring the iPad Air M3 out for a day at the office or your favorite coffee shop without having to worry about plugging in. When playing a looped 4K video on our battery test, the latest iPad Air survived for a solid 10 hours and 10 minutes — almost exactly on par with Apple’s own 10-hour estimate. It also fared well in real world use, allowing me to get through a workday’s worth of writing, emailing, video conferencing and web browsing while still having more than 20% in the tank the next morning. It’s not the longest-lasting tablet of its kind (the latest Surface Pro and most of Samsung’s recent tablets beat it out by a good margin), but it has more than enough daily endurance for the kinds of things you’re probably buying an iPad Air for. Launching alongside the iPad Air is a slightly upgraded Magic Keyboard that finally gives you a proper row of function keys for quickly adjusting things like brightness, volume and media playback with a quick tap. The trackpad has also gotten about 10% larger, which is ideal for smoothly scrolling around. It’s yet another tweak that brings the iPad Air closer to parity with its pricier Pro counterpart, and something I got some solid use out of while using the new iPad as my main computer for a few days. The good news is that you don’t need the newest iPad Air to take advantage of this perk; the improved Magic Keyboard will work just fine with previous generations. Likewise, if you’re upgrading from an older iPad Air, you’ll still be able to use the Magic Keyboard you may already have on the new M3 model. As usual, Apple’s keyboard doesn’t come cheap — the 11-inch model I tested is \$269 — and there are plenty of good alternatives like the \$200 [Logitech Combo Touch](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/logitech-combo-touch-ipad-keyboard-trackpad) that we love. That said, the Magic Keyboard continues to be one of the best iPad keyboards I’ve tried, and it’s now gotten just that much better for folks looking to use their iPad in lieu of a laptop. Iterative products are a fact of life, and as a reviewer, I recognize that just because something isn’t new and exciting to me doesn’t mean it won’t be to someone else. Most folks don’t upgrade their tech every year; heck, the person reading this right now might be shopping for their very first iPad. That said, I’m still astonished by the fact that Apple essentially released the same exact tablet twice in less than a year’s time — and missed an opportunity to address some of the Air’s notable flaws in the process. For starters, this display is becoming dated. The bezels around the screen are pretty thick by modern standards, and its 60Hz refresh rate will make scrolling around feel sluggish for anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing the silky ProMotion screens on Pro-level iPads and iPhones. I understand that Apple has to keep some things exclusive to the iPad Pro — I’m not asking for oled here — but a smoother screen on a \$600 tablet doesn’t feel like too big of a demand. Some folks may also be bummed to know that cheaper iPads like the Air still lack Face ID for hands-free logins. That’s not a dealbreaker for me (Touch ID works just fine here), but when more affordable competitors like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE are starting to catch up with similar features, it makes the sameness of 2025’s iPad Air sting just a little more. It doesn’t help that buying any iPad can be a more expensive proposition that you might realize; tacking on a \$269 Magic Keyboard suddenly turns the iPad Air into a roughly \$870 purchase at minimum, for example. That brings it right into laptop territory, which begs the question if you should just spend a little more for the new \$999 MacBook Air M3 or save a lot on the old-but-still-excellent MacBook Air M2 that [goes on sale for as little as \$699](https://r.bttn.io/?btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-2022-MacBook-Laptop-chip%2Fdp%2FB0DLJ4JKHB%3Ftag%3D0310ipadairm3review-20&btn_ref=org-510f6485e538e881) these days. Because of this, and because the iPad Air M3 is such a carbon copy of last year’s model, you may want to consider just getting the latter. While Apple phased it out of its official lineup, you can still find some iPad Air M2 models at certain retailers at a [at a discount](https://www.walmart.com/ip/2024-Apple-11-inch-iPad-Air-M2-Wi-Fi-128GB-Blue/5763762517) while they last. Considering you’re getting the same exact features — including support for Apple Intelligence and the new Magic Keyboard — that’s a pretty good deal for anyone who can live without having the absolute fastest processor. Every time I review an iPad, I use it as my main work machine as much as possible. And while Apple’s tablet gets closer and closer to manifesting a laptop-less reality (remember those silly [“what’s a computer” ads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S5BLs51yDQ)?) with each new hardware and software update, there’s always an inevitable moment where I throw my hands up and just reach for my trusty MacBook. I’ll start by giving some props: ever since the arrival of Stage Manager, which allows you to juggle multiple apps on screen at once on your iPad Air or iPad Pro, getting work done on an iPad can actually feel pretty good at times. But that high quickly sours when I struggle to do something as simple as highlighting text in Google Docs, or notice some weird flickering when trying to resize a Microsoft Outlook window. Most iPad apps simply aren’t built for a mouse-and-keyboard environment, something that’s only frustrating because the iPad Air is so damn capable from a sheer performance perspective. Also, the 11-inch iPad Air’s screen can get a little cramped with multiple apps open; you may want to consider the 13-inch model if you’re gonna multitask a lot. Most of my nitpicks here are around iPadOS as a whole rather than the latest iPad Air itself, and there’s always room for these things to improve via software updates over time. But if you’re planning on picking this tablet up as your one and only work machine, just know that you might run into a few frustrating walls. When I take my tired, cynical tech reviewer hat off and put myself in the shoes of an everyday person perusing online retailers and thinking about clicking “add to cart,”, I can say that the iPad Air M3 is unquestionably one of the [best iPads](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-ipad) out right now. It’s nice and light, works with most of the apps you probably care about and is absurdly fast — to the point where a good chunk of power users drawn to the iPad Pro can save a few hundred bucks and just get this one instead. If your budget isn’t particularly tight and you’re upgrading after many years (or getting your very first iPad), you’ll be very happy with your purchase. But for folks who already have an iPad they’re content with — or don’t need every bell and whistle — the M3 iPad Air can be a tough sell. You can get last year’s M2 model, which is identical aside from a mostly negligible difference in performance, for \$100 less while it’s still kicking around at retail. If you just want an iPad to do regular iPad things (like watching movies or keeping a restless child occupied), the standard \$349 [iPad](https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/ipad-2022-10th-gen) remains our top pick for most people, especially now that it’s been updated with a faster processor and better starting storage. That said, the iPad Air is still an excellent choice for that middle-of-the-pack user who wants an iPad that can also sort of be a laptop and doesn’t want to shell \$1,000 or more for a Pro. Just know that iPad enthusiasts who have been keeping score at home won’t find anything new here. CNN Underscored thoroughly tests all the products we cover, and we provide full transparency about how these products are tested, so you know they’ll meet your standards when they meet our requirements. Our skilled writers and editors have many years of testing experience and work that informs how they properly vet products and ensure each article is edited for accuracy and clarity. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering electronics (including flagship Apple releases) for more than a decade, and has gotten his hands on nearly every variation of iPad released since 2022.
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