Apple iPad Air 2019 Apple iPad Air 3rd Gen (10.5 Inch, Wi-Fi, Review

The iPad Air 3rd Gen is a bit of a paradox. On one hand, its build quality and screen land it in the 94th and 67th percentiles for features and display, respectively. That means it feels premium and looks sharp. But on the other hand, its core specs tell a different story. With just 1GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, it's sitting in the 1st and 29th percentiles, which is frankly ancient by today's standards. At $169, you're paying for a well-built shell with internals that have been left far behind.

Let's be clear about the performance. That 1GB of RAM puts it dead last in our database. You'll feel that in everyday use. Apps will reload constantly, and multitasking is basically a non-starter. The A12 chip's CPU and GPU performance land in the 39th and 41st percentiles, which means it's slower than most modern tablets. For basic tasks like reading or light web browsing, it's fine. But our scores show it's weakest for business (36.4/100) and only okay for art, reading, and productivity, hovering around the mid-40s. It's not a powerhouse; it's a basic runner.

At $169, the value proposition is simple: you're buying an iPad, not a powerful tablet. You get the Apple build, the Pencil support, and iPadOS 14 (though it's old). The price per performance ratio is poor because the performance is so low. But if your entire goal is to have an iPad for very, very light duties and you're on a tight budget, this is the entry ticket. Just know you're getting 2019 specs in a 2024 world.

Compared to a modern base iPad or even an Android tablet like the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, this iPad Air 3 gets left in the dust. The Lenovo has 8GB of RAM and a 3K screen for not much more money. Even the cheapest Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE has vastly better specs. Against the iPad Pro or Surface Pro, it's not even a contest; those are full computers. This iPad Air's only advantage is its rock-bottom price and Apple Pencil support, but that's a trade-off for severely limited performance.

I can only recommend the iPad Air 3rd Gen if your needs are incredibly minimal and your budget is absolutely fixed at under $200. Its 1GB of RAM and aging processor make it a chore to use for anything beyond reading a single article or watching a video. The build is nice, but that doesn't matter if the thing can't run properly. For most people, spending a bit more on a newer base model iPad or a modern Android tablet is a far better use of money.