Apple iPad Air 2025 Apple iPad Air with Apple M3 Chip (11-inch, Review

So, the new iPad Air with the M3 chip. Apple's basically taken last year's pro-level brain and dropped it into their mid-range tablet. That's the story here. You're getting the same processor that powered the high-end MacBook Air not too long ago, but in a thinner, lighter, and more colorful package. It's a serious power move that blurs the line between the Air and the Pro more than ever.

If you're an artist, a student, or just someone who wants a really fast tablet for notes, media, and light work, this is squarely aimed at you. The 77th percentile score for art and design is no joke, and that 74 for productivity means it can handle most day-to-day tasks without breaking a sweat. It's not trying to be a laptop replacement for heavy business use, and the 54th percentile score there tells you that. This is for the creatives and the casual power users.

The interesting bit is what you're not getting to hit that price. The screen, while beautiful with its laminated True Tone display, sits in the 61st percentile. That means it's good, but not the absolute best. And that cellular connectivity score? A shockingly low 14th percentile. That tells us the modem tech inside might be a generation behind, which is something to think about if you live on mobile data.

Let's talk about that M3 chip. With an 8-core CPU landing in the 82nd percentile, this thing is fast. Opening apps, switching between a dozen Safari tabs, and editing 4K video clips feels instantaneous. The 9-core GPU, at the 81st percentile, handles drawing in Procreate with tons of layers and playing games like Genshin Impact at high settings without a hiccup. The 16-core Neural Engine is the silent workhorse for things like live text capture and subject isolation in photos, making those features feel magic.

In real-world terms, those numbers mean you won't be waiting on this tablet. It chews through tasks. The 97th percentile RAM score is the real secret sauce here. With 8GB of unified memory, it can keep everything you're doing ready to go in the background. You can jump from a complex illustration to a video call to a document without anything reloading. That's where you feel the 'pro' level performance, even if the rest of the specs are more mid-tier.

Priced between $540 and $589, the value proposition is all about that M3 chip. You're paying mid-range tablet money for what was, until recently, a premium laptop processor. That's a compelling trade. Compared to buying an iPad Pro, you're saving a few hundred dollars and only really giving up the absolute top-tier screen and maybe a camera or two.

Across different vendors, the price is pretty consistent, so you're shopping for bundle deals or maybe a specific color rather than hunting for a deep discount. For the performance you get, especially that killer RAM and CPU combo, it's hard to find a better power-to-dollar ratio in the Apple ecosystem right now.

The obvious competitor is the iPad Pro with the M5 chip. If money is no object and you need the absolute best screen (ProMotion) and speakers, the Pro is still the king. But for most people, the Air's M3 is already overkill, making the Pro a harder sell. The trade-off is screen smoothness and peak performance for several hundred dollars.

Then there's the Microsoft Surface Pro 11. It runs full Windows, so it's a true laptop replacement. If your workflow needs specific desktop software, the Surface wins. But the Surface is heavier, and the app experience for things like drawing or tablet-optimized media consumption isn't as polished as iPadOS. You're trading OS flexibility for a more refined, but more locked-down, tablet experience.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is the Android alternative. You get a massive, beautiful screen and great speakers for media. The S-Pen is included in the box, which is a big plus. But overall app optimization and long-term software support still generally favor the iPad. It's a better pure media consumption device, but the iPad Air likely has the edge in creative apps and consistent performance.

If you're an artist, a note-taking student, or a casual user who just wants the fastest, smoothest tablet experience without paying Pro prices, this iPad Air is an easy recommendation. The M3 chip and 8GB of RAM future-proof it for years. Pair it with an Apple Pencil, and you have a fantastic digital sketchbook.

But, if you rely heavily on cellular data on the go, that 14th percentile connectivity score is a red flag. You might want to check real-world speed tests. And if you know you need a 120Hz screen for buttery-smooth scrolling and drawing, you'll need to step up to the iPad Pro. For everyone else in the middle, this Air hits a very sweet spot.