M4 iPad Air vs M3 iPad Air: Here’s everything new

Apple introduced the new iPad Air today with the M4 chip. Much the same as its predecessor, but some key improvements too. Here’s everything new about the M4 iPad Air compared to last year’s M3 iPad Air.

#1: M4 chip

This is a major new feature. Apple’s latest iPad Air bumps the main processor from the M3 chip to the M4.

How much of a difference can the M4 chip make? Apple says the new model is “30 percent faster than the iPad Air with M3.”

Small chip bump updates can sometimes be difficult to measure. iPadOS 26 certainly makes having a more powerful chip worthwhile, as its new capabilities are more in demand than iPadOS 18.

That said, this M4 model is not intended for M3 developers, but rather for users of older iPads. Apple says the new model is “up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1” and its Neural Engine is 3x faster than M1.

#2: 12GB of RAM

The main feature of the M4 chip is a 50% increase in integrated memory over the M3.

Apple’s new M4 iPad Air has 12GB of RAM vs 8GB in the previous generation M3 model.

In addition, the memory bandwidth has increased to 120GB/s, which can help local AI models run faster.

Before iPadOS 26 and AI, the iPad worked very fast with 8GB of RAM. But 12GB is a nice improvement that should better match today’s computing needs.

#3: The C1X modem has the best battery life on cell phones

If you buy the cellular model, the M4 iPad Air includes Apple’s latest in-house modem: the C1X.

The C1X was first released on the iPhone Air, then it came to the M5 iPad Pro as well. By replacing the third-party modem found in the M3, Apple offers users several important benefits. From Apple’s press release:

iPad Air cellular models also include C1X, an Apple-designed cellular modem that offers up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance — and for active cellular users, C1X offers up to 30 percent less modem power consumption than iPad Air with M3.

Faster performance and better battery life is a winning combination. Apple still quotes the same official battery life between the M4 and M3 iPad Airs, but as someone who upgraded from the M4 to the M5 iPad Pro, I can say for myself that the C1X tightens up the battery if you use mobiles regularly.

#4: N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and more

Finally, another addition to Apple silicon is the new N1 wireless chip.

The N1 was introduced last fall in the iPhone 17 line, replacing the existing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread solutions.

By adding the N1 to the new iPad Air, Apple not only provides an internal chip, but also improves the capabilities of important wireless functions.

N1 enables:

• Wi-Fi 7 support on the M4 iPad Air vs Wi-Fi 6E on the M3 model
• Bluetooth 6 on the M4 iPad Air vs Bluetooth 5.3 on the M3

Apple also says the N1 “delivers better performance when connected to 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.”

M4 iPad Air vs M3 iPad Air: the wrap

Apart from the above four improvements, the M4 iPad Air is very similar to its predecessor. It has the same design, sizes, color options, and prices.

The new M4 iPad Air isn’t made for M3 developers, but by replacing more components in Apple silicon, it’s a great future-proof model for users with older iPads.

Thinking of upgrading to the M4 iPad Air? What model do you have now? Let us know in the comments.

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