M4 iPad Air reviews: Apple’s powerful, best-value model just gets better

Apple’s new M4 iPad Air arrives in the hands of users this Wednesday, and today the first review of the improved iPad has arrived. Here’s a summary of what reviewers had to say.

Performance of the M4 iPad Air compared to the M5 iPad Pro

Many reviews compare the performance of the M4 iPad Air not only to the M3 model—which is better than modest—but also to the more expensive M5 iPad Pro.

Kyle Barr writes at Gizmodo:

There’s still a gap between the performance of the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, but that gap has narrowed considerably with this latest iteration. The M4 iPad Air uses just a few hundred points of the M5 iPad Pro in the CPU benchmarks. In graphics tests, the M5 iPad Pro with a full 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU still manages to hold the edge with 3,984 points in the “Steel Nomad Light” benchmark compared to the M4 iPad Air’s 3,166. Performance is still the main reason to get the M5 iPad Pro, but if you want to spend a lot less money, the M4 iPad Air is a great choice for many creators out there.

Maria Diaz writes in ZDNET:

As a writer who also does photography, video, and some drawing on the side, I’ve found the iPad Air to be a very affordable tablet that can handle my work well without a single stutter. It starts at $599, $400 less than the iPad Pro, yet its M4 processor, fast connectivity, and 12GB of built-in memory seem too good to be true for the price.

Apple C1X mobile chip

Switching to the C1X modem on the M4 iPad Air could prove a significant upgrade for heavy mobile users.

David Pierce writes in The Verge:

The Apple C1X in particular seems to be a revelation. I’ve long been a big believer in cell-powered iPads, because there’s something about that constant connection that makes an iPad instantly usable as a way to do email, reading, or web browsing, the things the iPad is meant for. And they make great hot spots, thanks to their big batteries. In my tests so far, the M4 Air remains the fastest mobile device I own, and in bad service areas it sometimes delivers speeds several times faster than the latest iPhones, Pixels, and other iPads.

An attractive alternative to the MacBook Neo

Surprisingly, one review compared the new iPad Air to another notable $599 product from Apple: the MacBook Neo.

Mike Prospero writes at Tom’s guide:

The question I suspect many will have is whether to buy the iPad Air or the Macbook Neo spring, which is $250 less when you factor in the cost of the Air’s keyboard. While the Air has a touchscreen and is portable, its value proposition compared to Apple laptops is now very questionable if you’re looking for an inexpensive productivity machine.

Yes, the iPad Air is Apple’s best tablet for most people, but it may have just been replaced by the Neo as Apple’s cheapest productivity product.

M4 iPad Air: video review and wrap-up

TechRadar sums up the new iPad perfectly: “The iPad Air has long been the ‘professional model for the masses,’ and the 2026 refresh keeps that reputation intact.”

This isn’t a revolutionary update, but it helps keep the iPad Air as a middle ground between the base iPad and iPad Pro.

Here are some video reviews you should also check out:

Best iPad accessories