Apple iPad Air 13" M3 Blue 2025
The M3 chip with its 9-core GPU delivers hardware-accelerated ray tracing to a tablet for the first time, driving a 13-inch 2732x2048 Liquid Retina display at 600 nits. Weighing 617 grams and with 5G connectivity, this device pairs a slim aluminum build with Apple Pencil Pro support for a genuinely mobile creative station. It’s best for digital illustrators and 3D designers who need a precise, color-accurate canvas and the power to handle layered graphics workflows.
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong battery (97th percentile) 97th
- Strong connectivity (96th percentile) 96th
- Strong screen (95th percentile) 95th
- Strong feature (91th percentile) 91th
Cons
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews — so you can see whether early praise held up.
Based on 8 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | Apple M3 |
| Cores | 8 |
| GPU | Apple (9-Core) |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 8 GB |
| RAM Generation | LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD |
| Expandable | No |
Display
| Size | 13" |
| Resolution | 2732 |
| Panel | IPS |
| Brightness | 600 nits |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| USB-C | 1 |
| Cellular | Yes |
Features
| Stylus Support | Yes |
| Stylus Model | Apple Pencil Pro |
| Fingerprint Reader | Yes |
Physical
| Weight | 0.6 kg / 1.4 lbs |
| Battery | 37 Wh |
| OS | iPadOS |
vs Competition
| Spec | Apple iPad Air 13" M3 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra SM-X930NZAAXAR | Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro 24091RPADG | Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition | Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Idea Tab Pro | HOTWAV R9 Ultra 5G R9 Ultra 5G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M3 | MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ | 3 GHz | Intel Core Ultra 7 268V | MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Octa-core (A715 3.35Ghz + 3 x A715 3.2Ghz + 4 x A510 2.2Ghz) | 2.3 GHz |
| RAM (GB) | 8 | 12 | 12 | 32 | 8 | 24 |
| Storage (GB) | 256 | 256 | 512 | 512 | 128 | 512 |
| Screen | 13" 2732x2048 | 14.6" 2960x1848 | 11.2" 3200x2136 | 13" 2880x1920 | 12.7" 2944x1840 | 11" |
| OS | iPadOS | Android 16 | HyperOS 2 | Windows 11 Pro | Android 14 | Android 15 |
| Stylus | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Cellular | true | false | false | false | true | true |
| Battery (Wh) | 37 | - | - | 47 | - | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Cpu | Gpu | Ram | Screen | Battery | Feature | Storage | Connectivity | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Air 13" M3 | 73.4 | 73.1 | 77.4 | 94.5 | 97.4 | 90.9 | 83.4 | 96.3 | 46.9 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra SM-X930NZAAXAR Compare | 97.2 | 96.4 | 81.2 | 95.8 | 93.3 | 86 | 73.6 | 62.8 | 99.1 |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro 24091RPADG Compare | 97.2 | 96.4 | 81.2 | 98.7 | 85.7 | 64.5 | 89.4 | 78 | 82.7 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Compare | 74.3 | 93 | 98.7 | 98.4 | 99 | 83.6 | 92.9 | 93.3 | 42.2 |
| Lenovo Idea Tab Pro Idea Tab Pro Compare | 83.2 | 82.2 | 77.4 | 91.6 | 91.2 | 99.6 | 64.6 | 96.3 | 90.6 |
| HOTWAV R9 Ultra 5G R9 Ultra 5G Compare | 94.2 | 93.6 | 96.2 | 41.9 | 30.5 | 93.6 | 89.4 | 71.4 | 51.3 |
Price
Value & Pricing
B&H Photo 1 offers From $999
Best Buy 1 offers From $1,050
Price History
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
