New iPad Air 7 Gives Apple’s Affordable Tablet A Graphics Boost

The addition of the M3 chip is, of course, the star of the show with the newest iPad Air. The updated hardware brings an 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU with up to 35% and 40% performance boosts compared to the M1, according to Apple, which emphasizes the model’s ability to handle “graphics-intensive rendering workflows.” That is thanks in part to the support for ray-tracing, dynamic caching, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading.

As expected, the new model likewise features an updated Neural Engine, facilitating the somewhat controversial Apple Intelligence suite of tools and capabilities. The company says the M3’s Neural Engine in the 2025 iPad Air is up to 60% faster when it comes to handling these AI tasks versus the outgoing model. Users get access to Apple Intelligence tools like the company’s Image Playground AI image generator (which is also available on the iPhone), as well as features like Clean Up, Image Wand, Writing Tools, and the other Apple Intelligence features you need to try.

The 11-inch 2025 iPad Air with the M3 chip starts at $599 for the Wi-Fi model and $749 for the cellular variant, while the larger 13-inch model starts at $799 and $949, respectively. The model is available to preorder from Apple now, with the first round of shipments hitting on March 12.