For the past year, I have been using the iPad Air with M2 and iPad mini interchangeably based on my daily needs. Admittedly, I have been relying a lot more on the iPad mini as I have my MacBook Air handy most times. After about a week of using the iPad Air with M3, here are a couple of observations.
Overall Look & Feel
The iPad Air with M3 comes in two sizes – 11-inch and 13-inch. It looks rather similar to the iPad Air with M2, and comes in the same four colorways as the predecessor – Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray.
Display
The iPad Air with M3 retains its Liquid Retina XDR Display as the M2, and thankfully, Apple kept the repositioned front-facing camera as well. Since iPad Air with M2, the front-facing camera on the landscape side has made it so much easier to take calls. Comfort and convenience is key, especially when taking calls on the go, and the Centre Stage camera has made it so much easier to do so. Do note that similarly to iPad Air with M2, the M3 does not support HDR content. You can consider getting the iPad Pro with M4 if that bothers you.
Performance with M3 Chip
In comparison with the iPad Air with M1, the M3 chip is two times faster and up to 3.5 times faster than the older iPad Air with A14 Bionic. In direct comparison with iPad Air with M2, the M3 is slightly faster in terms of performance, and this can be felt by running the same apps at the same time on both iPads. With the new iPad Air with M3, it features more advanced graphics with Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. These would be a tad more noticeable when gaming on the new iPad Air. Watching shows on the new iPad Air with M3 also felt a bit more vibrant in terms of the graphics and color accuracy. I must say though, the difference is quite minute as compared to the iPad Air with M2. As with the previous generation, the iPad Air with M3 delivers up to 10 hours of usage – of course, nothing too crazy like running a bunch of complex apps.
iPadOS 18
With iPadOS 18, you can literally customize your Home Screen to your comfort level. For me, I chose to take advantage of the Widgets and threw a bunch of commonly used widgets right on to my Home Screen, while not obstructing my kids’ faces. Of course, iPadOS 18 comes with so much more features such as Calculator with Math Notes, Smart Script, and Audio Transcription.
Apple Intelligence
The new iPad Air with M3 comes with a suite of Apple Intelligence features that are available via iPadOS 18. Nifty tools such as Writing Tools are excellent, especially when working on emails, note-taking, writing, and more. Note that while reviewing the iPad Air, I was using English (U.S.) to access the Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence will be available in English (Singapore) later in April.
Image before using Clean Up in Photos
Image after using Clean Up in Photos
Apple Intelligence is most prominent in Photos as well, where you can use Clean Up to magically and almost instantly remove unwanted distractions in photos. Other Apple Intelligence features include Image Wand in the Notes app, where you can easily illustrate something you have in mind to accompany your notes, create your own emoji with Genmoji, and create images from scratch in Image Playground.
Magic Keyboard for iPad Air
This is perfect for days I just feel like bringing the iPad Air out without having to bring along my MacBook Air too. With the new Magic Keyboard, the additional row of 14 bless-up keys adds functionality to the clean white aesthetic. It basically feels like I’m using a miniature version of the MacBook Air – though the features of course, are limited on the iPad Air. The floating design that we all know and love is here to stay – and I love how I can easily adjust the iPad to different angles to suit my usage.
The USB-C connector allows for pass-through charging (just like the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro), and the larger trackpad works like a dream. The Magic Keyboard is both function and form, and I’m here for it.
Apple Pencil Pro
The iPad Air works seamlessly with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C). You should definitely consider getting the Apple Pencil Pro if you don’t already own one. It magnetically attaches to your iPad Air, charges while being attached, and automatically pairs with your iPad Air. If you happen to accidentally misplace your Apple Pencil Pro, it also supports Find My.
Yay or Nay?
Honestly, the iPad Air M3 is just a wee bit better than the M2. If you are coming from using the iPad Air M1, then an upgrade to the M3 is definitely worth your consideration. Especially if you use your iPad Air for daily tasks, gaming, and simple editing – the M2 would definitely be sufficient for your usage. The improved Magic Keyboard would be a good accessory to own if you are upgrading, as it is compatible with iPad Air 13-inch (M2 and M3), iPad Air 11-inch (M2 and M3), and iPad Air (4th and 5th generation). This would be a nay for me only because the iPad Air with M2 works like a dream for my lifestyle.
Pricing & Availability
The 11″ and 13″ iPad Air with M3 will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space grey, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.
The 11″ iPad Air starts at S$899 for the Wi-Fi model, and S$1,129 for the Wi-Fi & Cellular model. The 13″ iPad Air starts at S$1,199 for the Wi-Fi model, and S$1,249 for the Wi-Fi & Cellular model.
The new Magic Keyboard is available in white, and is compatible with both the 11″ and 13″ iPad Air. The 11″ Magic Keyboard is available for S$399, and the 13″ Magic Keyboard is available for S$449.
You can order the new iPad Air with M3 today.
