Great news students and teachers! If you've been researching the best Apple back-to-school deals in 2025, the Apple Education Store special offers are now live through September 30.

Whether you are in the market for a new MacBook, iPad, or iMac, you can select a free pair of AirPods or select accessories with the MacBook or iPad. If you just need the MacBook or iPad, you can find a deeper discount amoung our best MacBook deals or best iPad deals, but the free AirPods or accessory changes that math during the back-to-school season.

Prices start from $899 for the MacBook Air M4 — the best-value MacBook you can get and a rare 5-star Editor's Choice laptop. Eligible free items are:

• AirPods 4 with ANC
• AirPods Pro 2
• Magic Mouse
• Magic Trackpad
• Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

Apple offers a similar back-to-school deal on the iPad Air and iPad Pro, but free options only include the Apple Pencil Pro or AirPods 4. The following AirPods and accessories are available at a discount of $119-$129, so you just pay the listed shown here:

• AirPods 4 with ANC ($50)
• AirPods Pro 2 ($120)
• Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 11-inch ($130)
• Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 13-inch ($180)
• Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch ($160)
• Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 13-inch ($210)

Of course other retailers also have great Apple deals for back-to-school season, so if you're looking for the best Apple back-to-school deals, there are plenty of ways to save.

Browse our favorite Apple back-to-school deals below.

Apple back-to-school deals — Quick links

• Apple Edu Store: up to $100 off MacBooks, iPads, + free AirPods or accessory
• Amazon: up to $400 off MacBook, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch, more
• B&H: up to $300 off MacBook Air, up to $400 off MacBook Pro
• Best Buy: up to $200 off MacBook Air, up to $700 off MacBook Pro
• Walmart: Save on MacBooks, iPads, and Apple accessories

Apple back-to-school Apple deals

MacBooks

iPads

Apple Watch

AirPods

Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicked off on June 9, 2025, and featured huge updates across all its platforms.

If you missed the keynote live stream, we've got you covered with our live posts from the event, a recap summarizing all the biggest updates, and follow-up coverage delving into the details.

As we get more information from Apple leading up to the release of its latest operating systems this fall, we'll have even more information and analysis to share. So, take a look at all of the exciting news from WWDC 2025 below, and stay tuned for more on iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS 26, and all things Apple!

See also: Best Apple deals in June 2025

Apple WWDC 2025: Highlights

New names and Liquid Glass: If there's one takeaway from WWDC 2025, it's the all-new look and naming scheme for Apple's operating systems. Starting this year, all of Apple's operating systems will be numbered by the release year, meaning the upcoming updates will be iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26.

When you download the latest OS versions, you'll also notice a fresh new look, which Apple is calling "Liquid Glass." The overall look isn't too different from the current flat design aesthetic, but it revamps it in a new "glassy" style with more transparent UI elements.

Liquid Glass will also make all of Apple's operating systems look more alike, so menus and app icons will look familiar whether you're using a MacBook or an iPhone.

iOS 26: Of course, the star of the show at WWDC 2025 was the latest version of iOS, which got a slew of updates in addition to the new Liquid Glass look. With iOS 26, you'll have more customization options for your lock screen, including larger fonts that adapt as your lock screen fills with notifications. The camera app is also getting an update, which will streamline it and make it easier to access the basic photo and video functions.

The most exciting iOS 26 features are in the Phone and Messages apps. Apple is introducing AI-powered call screening, which will automatically silence scam calls. Similarly, Apple Intelligence will now generate voicemail summaries for you. There will also be a new Hold Assist feature that will keep you on hold and notify you when the call gets picked up, so you don't have to sit by the phone while you wait.

Potentially even more exciting, iOS 26 is getting Live Translation for messages, phone calls, and FaceTime calls. This feature can automatically translate text messages and create live, translated captions during calls. Hopefully, it can translate with consistent accuracy because it looks pretty helpful.

macOS 26 Tahoe: The new Liquid Glass look is coming to macOS, too, although it still overall looks the same. macOS 26, nicknamed "Tahoe," includes new quality-of-life features. For instance, you can customize the control center to include whichever controls you want. You can also customize how macOS looks with the same dark and tinted color modes currently on iOS/iPadOS. Plus, you can customize how your folders look with different colors and emojis.

The big addition to macOS is the Phone app. You can now answer and send calls directly from your Mac and access all the same call and voicemail info you can access on your iPhone. The macOS Phone app will even include all the new AI features coming to the iOS Phone app (mentioned above).

iPadOS 26: This year's iPadOS update is one of the most significant in recent years. It will bring several key features over from macOS, making the iPad a better device for using with a Magic Keyboard like a laptop.

For instance, the mouse cursor on iPadOS will now be an arrow rather than a circle, and windows will have Mac-like control buttons. More importantly, you can move around freely and resize windows on iPadOS 26 like on macOS. If you prefer tiling your windows rather than stacking them, you can also access more window tiling options.

iPadOS 26 also supports background tasks, meaning you can have something running in another app without actively keeping that app open. For example, you could let a video you're editing export while you check your email in another app.

watchOS 26: The next version of watchOS includes new customization options, more Apple Intelligence features, and some handy quality-of-life updates. For example, the Workout app will now have an AI Workout Buddy feature that can analyze your workout routine history and patterns to generate pep talks during your workouts, such as cheering you on by telling you how far you've run or recapping your progress from previous sessions.

The Notes app is also coming to watchOS, which could be helpful for quickly leaving voice reminders for yourself. The Apple Watch is also getting the call screening, hold assist, and live translation features coming to iOS, along with new watch faces similar to the updated lock screen in iOS 26.

visionOS 26: Apple's mixed reality operating system inspired the new Liquid Glass look, so it's no surprise it's getting an update, too. VisionOS 26 will not look much different from the current version, but it will include a few new features.

For starters, you will be able to create customizable widgets you can geographically place anywhere you want, like making a digital clock widget on your living room wall. The Vision Pro will also be compatible with some new accessories, including a Logitech pen and Sony's PSVR controllers, hopefully improving gaming on the Vision Pro.

Apple WWDC 2025: Follow-up coverage

• Apple is finally giving iPadOS one of the updates it desperately needs — here are the highlights from WWDC 2025
• Did WWDC 2025 just prove that Apple is kneecapping the iPad?
• MacOS 26 Tahoe: The big reasons to update — or to not update
• With on-device AI, is Apple making a move no one saw coming?

Apple WWDC 2025: Live blog recap

WWDC 2025 is now just hours away

We're now just a handful of hours away from today's keynote to kickstart WWDC 2025, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is already shining a spotlight on the next generation of "Wozniaks" by celebrating the winners of this year's Swift Student Challenge which awards 350 young developers for the creativity, innovation, and social impact of their apps.

The all-class "Liquid Glass"

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the biggest reveals of today's keynote will be an all-new UI design set to feature across the board for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26 ("Tahoe"), and visionOS 26, named "Liquid Glass."

The new interface is set to replace the current "Flat Design" Apple users have been familiar with since 2013, offering more contemporary design that focuses on transparency and shine effects — likely as a prelude to a new look for 2027's "Glasswing" iPhone, which is rumored to ditch the metal frame for entirely curved glass sides.

A visionOS of the future?

Apple's new "Liquid Glass" aesthetics are said to be inspired by the look of visionOS, the operating system exclusive to the Apple Vision Pro headset.

While the Vision Pro may be relinquishing its frosted glass-like visuals to other devices in the Apple ecosystem, it too is expected to receive several minor design changes in visionOS 26 — alongside several other rumored features including "eye-scrolling" and support for third-party VR controllers (finally).

Looking ahead with Liquid Glass

It's something of an open secret that Apple is hard at work developing a pair of futuristic frames following the success of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, but it's unlikely that we'll catch sight of them during this year's keynote.

However, should early reports surrounding the transparency-focused "Liquid Glass" redesign of Apple's interfaces prove accurate, a more "see through" smart glasses-friendly UI will be on-hand for Apple to make use of when it's ready to reveal its glasses — which, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, are expected to arrive by the end of 2026.

iOS 26: Charged with Intelligence

Battery life is one of the most important specs people look for when purchasing a new smartphone, and it's something that Apple has excelled at providing with its recent iPhones.

And, while Apple Intelligence is said to play a smaller role at this year's WWDC, it could power a new iOS 26 feature to make adjustments on the fly to limit power consumption and push your battery life further than ever before.

Battery Intelligence: Something borrowed, something new

Another handy iOS 26 feature tipped to be unveiled today is something new to iPhone, but borrowed from Android smartphones.

Alongside iOS 26's claimed AI power management feature, iPhone users will reportedly now receive an estimate on how long it will take for their device to reach full charge from the lock screen.

This feature was first spotted in code for the iOS 18.2 beta, where it was referred to as "BatteryIntelligence," but was suspiciously missing from the public release.

However, many signs point to the feature finally making its iPhone debut with iOS 26.

More for Mac?

The battery life-boosting features and charging transparency heading to iPhone is great, but can we expect similar features to arrive on Macs?

The Apple MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are some of the longest lasting laptops on the market already, with the recent M4 MacBook Air 13 pushing past the 15-hour mark on our Laptop Mag battery test in March.

If a little of that rumored Apple Intelligence-powered battery magic for iPhone makes it way to Macs, could Apple push the envelope even further when it comes to all-day power for the portable computer? We hope so.

Siri to join the iOS rebranding?

We're already expecting to see a bold rebrand of Apple's operating systems this year.

The new "Liquid Glass" design aside, Apple will be trading the usual version names of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and others to highlight the software's year of service — trading what would be iOS 19 for iOS 26.

However, a last-minute post by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo may suggest another major rebrand isn't far off. This time, for Siri.

In a post shared to X earlier today, Kuo shares his belief that part of Apple's AI strategy for WWDC 2025 will involve "Rebranding Apple Intelligence/Siri."

We've long heard that the LLM (Large Language Model) overhaul of Siri has run into trouble, and that it's a project labored with multiple delays.

However, if Kuo, whose insights have previously played out accurately, is right, Apple's big AI announcement could be an all-new virtual assistant — not Siri, but whatever comes next.

macOS 26 "Tahoe" is more than a feature drop

MacBook users are more than familiar with the annual update cycle, with new features dropping alongside a new OS version and several new wallpapers. But with macOS 26, or "Tahoe," things are a little bit more special.

The "Liquid Glass" design that looks set to charm iPhone users also appears set for MacBooks, Apple Watches, iPads, and more, promising this update to feel all the more special.

While it's claimed that Apple won't have much to show on the AI front in terms of ramping up its own models, Tahoe could be a fantastic opportunity for Apple to put the tech they've already developed into action, and start playing catch-up to Microsoft's lead in the race to the AI operating system.

A return to gaming?

Another key rumor heading into WWDC is that Apple is ready to unveil a Game Center replacement during today's keynote.

Compared to other game platforms, Apple's is very much a bare-bones experience. Could that be something set to change over the next few hours?

We've already seen Microsoft amend its Windows operating system to better accommodate gaming with its new "Xbox full screen experience," and Apple should be taking notes, especially for macOS.

As macOS Sonoma released in 2023, Apple's Game Porting Toolkit caused a stir as it was shown to impressively bring previously Windows and Linux only titles to the platform. With macOS Sequoia, Apple announced the Game Porting Toolkit 2, and while similarly impressive, hype around the porting of games to macOS has somewhat tamed.

Far from another Apple Arcade-like portal, I'm hoping that Apple can regain some momentum on this front, and hopefully surprise us with a new outlook on gaming, beyond a simple launcher.

Say "so long!" to the flat design aesthetic on Apple's operating systems because today Apple is expected to announce a huge visual overhaul like we haven't seen since iOS 7 back in 2013.

Rumors so far suggest Apple took inspiration from visionOS, which might seem ironic since the Vision Pro has struggled to catch on. Even if the headset itself hasn't been a hit, its unique operating system could bring a fresh look to the rest of Apple's operating systems, with more transparent UI elements and a glass-like aesthetic.

Apple's WWDC 2025 is starting now! You can tune in on YouTube to watch live or follow along here where we'll be covering everything Apple announces!

Apple is kicking things off with its usual cinematic intro video, this one featuring an F1 race car pilot by Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi.

Yes, the race car has Apple Car Play. And Tim Cook is running Federighi's pit team.

Tim Cook is passing things over to Craig Federighi to get our first round of announcements started.

Apple Intelligence is up first.

Federighi is getting the ball rolling by highlighting the handful of AI features Apple was able to roll out this year (a short list that doesn't include a new-and-improved Siri). Federighi name-dropped Siri, but it doesn't sound like we'll hear much about it today.

With that said, Apple is launching a new Foundation Models framework feature, which will allow third-party app developers to tap into Apple Intelligence's on-device AI capabilities. That means other apps can offer AI features that are processed locally, helping to keep your data private.

Confirmed! Craig Federighi is announcing the major visual redesign we were expecting for Apple's operating systems!

He referenced the overhaul from iOS 7, so hopefully this redesign is just as good.

We're getting our first look at the redesign! It will be a universal design across all of Apple's operating systems, inspired by visionOS as rumors predicted.

Alan Dye, VP of Human Interface, is here to introduce the new look, called "Liquid Glass".

We're seeing a lot of clean, transparent UI elements with a bubbly, glass-like look. It's very clean and a nice refresh without being too different from the existing aesthetic on Apple's platforms.

The glassy UI will respond to what's on screen and in your environment, so the transparency hopefully won't lead to visibility or readability issues. The whole UI looks more responsive and adaptable.

Craig Federighi is back to announce the new OS names. As expected, everything will now be numbered by year, meaning this year we're getting iOS 26, which Federighi is diving into now.

The new Liquid Glass UI will respond to the different dark and tinted modes in iOS 26, which looks better than the tints in the current UI aesthetic. You can also use different fonts on your lockscreen now, which looks pretty cool. The time font on the lockscreen will even adapt and adjust size as your lockscreen fills up with notifications.

Plus, you can have "3D" photos on your lockscreen that will shift as you turn your phone from side to side. Neat!

Next up is updates to the Camera app. It's getting streamlined to mainly display photo and video mode. You now have to swipe to switch to more advanced modes. It still looks nice, though, and will probably be easier to use for many people.

The Photos app is getting tweaked, too. Tabs are back, which were removed in last year's big iOS update.

Emily Schubert is up next to give us some updates to Apple Car Play.

Like the rest of the Apple ecosystem, Car Play is getting the Liquid Glass UI overhaul. It looks really clean. Notifications like calls and texts are minimized now so you can still see your GPS while answering a call. You can also pin live activity in Car Play, like watching a flight status off to the side of your GPS window.

Some compatible cars will also get more customization now with Car Play Ultra.

Now on to Darin Adler, VP of Internet Technologies, to cover updates to a handful of iOS apps.

First, the phone app is getting a slight redesign that will include voice mail summaries generated by Apple Intelligence. Plus, Call Screening will automatically (and silently) answer calls from unknown numbers, a feature that's designed to block spam calls more efficiently. Hopefully it works well because it looks pretty helpful.

Similarly, a new Hold Assist feature will let you automate being on hold by notifying you when you're off hold so you can do other things in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the Messages app is getting a cool new backgrounds feature like the backgrounds you can use on other messaging apps like Telegram. Group messages are also getting a Polls feature, also similar to the polls you can make in Telegram or Discord. Group chats are getting typing indicators, too. Plus, the AI call screening tool will also screen out spam text messages.

Apple is announcing Live Translation!

This is an exciting feature, assuming it can translate accurately. It will use Apple Intelligence to translate in real-time in the Messages app or even generate live translated captions in FaceTime. Live Translation can do translated voice overs in phone calls, too. It sounds like this feature will work regardless of whether the other person has an iPhone.

Translation will even work in Apple Music to translate song lyrics.

The Maps app is getting an update to "remember" your preferred routes to places you frequently visit. It will even adapt if you start using a different preferred route to get to the same place.

Plus, you can now review places you've previously visited in case you want to go back. If your iPhone remembering where you go sounds a little creepy, don't worry. Like the rest of your Apple Intelligence data, even Apple won't be able to access it.

Next up, gaming!

As rumored, Apple is launching a new gaming app called the Games app.

Here you can see updates on games you've been playing, suggestions for new games, access Apple Arcade, and view and manage your game library.

The Games app will also integrate social features allowing you to view and compares your scores to friends' and see what everyone is playing. There will be a leaderboards feature third-party developers can use, too.

Next, we're getting an update to Visual Intelligence. Now when you take a screenshot, you will also have an option to search for the content in the screenshot using Visual Intelligence.

Likewise, you can use Visual Intelligence to add an event your calendar by taking a screenshot. You can also use it to ask questions with ChatGPT.

That's all for iOS 26 for now. Next up, David Clark on watchOS 26.

For starters, watchOS is of course getting the Liquid Glass redesign. watchOS 26 will also utilize Apple Intelligence significantly more now.

For instance, the "workout buddy" feature can analyze your fitness data to track your progress and give you encouragement based on it. So, you can have an customized AI-generated voice give you a pep talk at the start of your workout and announce benchmarks and performance updates during your workout. It could be a cool feature if the AI voices don't sound too uncanny.

Smart stacks in watchOS 26 will use GPS and Apple Intelligence to predict what widgets you need based on your locations and activity. For example, when you enter a gym, your workout widget will pop up in your watch's smart stack.

The new wrist flick gesture will also make it easier to do things like silence notifications.

Plus, Live Translation is coming to watchOS, too, as are backgrounds from the Messages app. The Notes app is coming to watchOS, as well.

tvOS is up next!

Liquid Glass makes it less disruptive to access and tweak playback features while watching something, thanks to the transparent, glassy UI.

We're getting a new slew of AppleTV originals, too! This year's upcoming slate looks to include new seasons of Foundation, Slow Horses, Loot, The Morning Show, Invasion, a slew of new movies, and more.

Looks like there won't be a new season of For All Mankind just yet, though.

tvOS is getting a cute karaoke feature that allows you to use your iPhone as a mic, which will adjust the volume automatically and highlight lyrics on your TV as you go.

Craig Federighi is back to cover macOS 26!

This year's version will be called "Tahoe." The Liquid Glass UI is the highlight, as expected, with many of the same new features as iOS like backgrounds in the Messages app.

The desktop still looks familiar overall, though. The Liquid Glass aesthetic simply adds a subtle, cleaner look, but everything is effectively still laid out the same.

You can now customize the control center on macOS, which is a nice update. Plus, you can customize how your folders look with different colors and emojis. macOS has access to the same dark mode and tinted color modes you can use to customize iOS, as well.

The Phone app is coming to macOS! You can now access your contacts and call history and answer and start calls directly from your Mac. It includes all the same new features coming to the iOS Phone app, as well, which is a nice update.

The Shortcuts app is getting an update in macOS.

Now you can automate your shortcuts and use Apple Intelligence to create "intelligent actions," including a dedicated Apple Intelligence shortcut. For instance, you can create a shortcut to have Apple Intelligence summarize your notes for you.

Spotlight Search will use Apple Intelligence now, too, with help from Quick Keys, a new feature that's essentially keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can type the "sm" command to send a message. You can use these commands throughout macOS apps, too, such as in Pages. Plus, you can view and access your clipboard history from the Spotlight Search bar.

Third-party app developers can use the App Intents API to integrate those new features in their macOS apps, too.

As expected, the new Games app is coming to macOS, too. It will integrate Metal 4 rendering along with social features like calling and chatting with friends during games.

Inzoi is coming to macOS, but it doesn't sound like we're getting many gaming updates this year.

Next up is visionOS 26.

You can now create customizable widgets in visionOS 26, which you can "place" geographically, like placing a clock or photo widget on your wall. The WidgetKit API will allow third-party developers to offer widgets in visionOS, too.

Plus, Spatial Scenes is getting an update to bring more 3D photos to visionOS (and the Photos app on iOS). You can use it to transform 2D photos into 3D and streamline web pages.

Personas, the 3D digital version of you rendered when you're talking to others on FaceTime while wearing the Vision Pro, is getting an update, as well. It will make personas look a bit cleaner, sharper, and more realistic.

The Vision Pro is getting new accessories, like the Logitech Muse pen along with PSVR controllers. Both could go a long way toward expanding precision controls on Apple's mixed reality platform, especially for gaming. Will PlayStation VR controller compatibility bring more VR games to visionOS? We'll have to wait and see.

iPadOS 26 is up next!

As expected, it's getting the big Liquid Glass redesign. We're also getting improvements to Multitasking and file management.

It's finally here: an updated windowing system on iPadOS! It looks a lot more like the windowing system on macOS, which is a huge relief. App windows will still default to full screen like normal, but you can also resize them and stack them on top of each other anywhere you want on your screen. The trackpad pointer in iPadOS looks more like a Mac pointer now, too, and it can even activate Mac-like window controls.

Plus, we have more tiling options for quickly optimizing and resizing windows to fill your screen.

This new windowing system looks like it will work best on larger iPads, but it will also likely make using your iPad like a laptop much more functional and intuitive.

Apple is finally improving the iPadOS Files app.

It still looks effectively the same as before, but with the new file customization options from macOS. You can also pin files to your dock now and you'll have more options for how you open individual files.

The Preview app, previously only on macOS, is coming to iPadOS, too. You can use this to more easily edit and export files and images.

iPadOS is getting improved audio and video capabilities and background tasks. For instance, you can now do things like export a video in the background while working on something else on your iPad. There will be an API for this, as well, so third-party app developers can also use it. This should be a really helpful features for people who use their iPad for creative tasks like video or photo editing.

Plus, the Journal app is coming to iPadOS and it sounds like the iPad is getting a 3D graphing feature in Math Notes, which will be helpful for students.

Apple is announcing some developer updates now. XCode is getting some new AI features and Apple will be offering tools for developers to give their apps and app icons the Liquid Glass look.

Tim Cook is back to wrap things up for the day.

The developer betas of all the new software versions will be available today with a public beta to follow in July and a full release in the fall. If you can't wait to try out these new updates, you can sign up for the public beta through Apple's Beta Software Program (the sign up page for it is currently down for WWDC, but it should be back online soon).

That's all for the WWDC 2025 keynote, but our coverage is just getting started!

We'll be digging into all of today's major announcements shortly, covering everything you need to know and the highlights to look forward to in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and more. So, stay tuned for more info, details, and images from today's presentation.

Looks like that M4 MacBook Air could be right around the corner.

In a post on X, Apple CEO, Tim Cook, just gave us the biggest teaser of Apple's rumored MacBook Air refresh we've seen yet.

Apple's MacBook Air M4: What we think we know

While Cook didn't specify which of its "Air" products would be getting an update this week, all signs point to the MacBook Air, which is expected to get an M4 upgrade.

We don't know exactly what that update will look like, but we've already gotten some clues on the performance side of things.

In February, benchmarks for the MacBook Air M4 showed up online, suggesting Apple's new Air MacBooks may bring impressive performance, while remaining lighter and more affordable than the MacBook Pro.

Leaked benchmarks showed a Geekbench Metal score of 54,806 for the upcoming MacBook. That would put it well ahead of the MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024) and its 41,045 score and only slightly behind the MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) with its score of 57,479. The MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro, 2024) still retains a decisive advantage, with a score of 112,261.

Despite leaks, there are still lots of questions that I'm sure we'll have answers to soon. For one, there's the price.

When the MacBook Air M3 launched last year, it debuted at $1,099 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In October of 2024, Apple moved to a base of 16GB in all of its laptops and desktops. Despite this, we've still seen the M3 MacBook Air sold brand-new for $899 in our tracking of the best MacBook deals. Whether the M4 maintains that price point, however, is anyone's guess — especially with tariffs threatening to raise laptop prices across the board.

There's a chance that Apple could avoid those tariff price hikes, however. TSMC is reportedly producing Apple's A16 chips in Arizona, which might be just enough to get around any proposed tariffs. The semiconductor company also has an eye on buying manufacturing plants currently owned by Intel.

An iPad Air M4 surprise?

That's not the only Air product rumored to be getting an update soon.

The iPad Air is also rumored to be the recipient of a chip upgrade, getting a bump up to the M3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Fueling an imminent iPad rumor, according to Gurman, are stock levels of Apple's 10th-gen iPads, which are currently running low — a usual indicator that a new iPad is about to arrive.

While the iPad Air M4 could be soon, Gurman says this week will be all about the MacBook Air and that an iPad announcement might be in the coming weeks.

Keep a look out

While we don't have a specific date for when Apple's MacBook Air M4 will arrive, we can expect — outside of performance — for the update to be fairly incremental.

That being said, the prospect of a light, reasonably priced laptop that rivals the base MacBook Pro M4 in performance is an enticing one and could make the Air a no-brainer pick for anyone who's looking for a more budget-friendly new laptop that still pulls its weight.

Either way, we'll have answers soon enough, and if you've been waiting for a new Air upgrade that's really worth the price, this may be your time to strike.

The iPad Air 6 offers solid performance with the M2 chip, impressive battery life, and a great speaker and display combo. And fortunately, it's on sale right now.

For a limited time, you can pick up a new 11-inch M2 iPad Air 6 for just $499 in every colorway at Amazon. Regularly $599, that's $100 in savings and a mere $1 shy of the lowest price we've ever seen for this mid-range tablet.

This iPad is a great pick if you're on the hunt for a tablet that'll last more than a full workday on a single charge, offer sharp resolution on a decently-sized screen, and perform well under medium pressure, from answering emails and streaming your favorite show to photo- and video-editing and slightly graphics-intensive games.

Sister site Tom's Guide awarded 4 out of 5 stars and its esteemed Editor's Choice award to the larger 13-inch 2024 iPad Air for its "snappy M2 performance for machine learning tasks and gaming," long battery life of over 11 hours, robust audio quality, and the landscape-oriented front camera for video calls.

Plus, the iPad Air 6 supports the Apple Pencil, Apple Pencil Pro, and Magic Keyboard, so if you want to transform the tablet into a viable portable workstation, you absolutely can. You might not be able to get as many processor-intensive tasks done as you would with the M4 iPad Pro, but you can easily tackle your email inbox, work on a budget in Google Sheets, research topics, and other simple productivity tasks.

If you're not convinced the iPad Air 6 is the right tablet for you, take a look at more of the best iPad deals we've gathered this month to find a suitable alternative.

Today's best 11-inch iPad Air 6 with M2 deal

Apple launched the M2 iPad Air in May 2024, which historically would mean we wouldn't see a new iPad Air until late 2025 or early 2026. However, according to an October report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the next-gen iPad Air will arrive sometime early this year.

"Early" in the year could mean anything from February to May, so the potential announcement date is still a little fuzzy for the next iPad Air. Considering the existing M2 iPad Air launched in May, I'd assume a release date of May 2025 for the new iPad Air, but an announcement could come as early as March, the month Apple typically tends to debut new iPads.

In October, Gurman said, "Apple will probably implement the M3 chip in the next iPad Air." Thanks to a recent leak, we have further confirmation that the iPad Air will achieve M3 performance in its next iteration.

What we know so far about the next iPad Air

Thanks to @evleaks on X (via 9to5Mac), currently a private account belonging to Evan Blass, we have another source claiming the upcoming Air will be equipped with Apple's previous-gen M3 chip.

Blass shared a document that referenced the "apple-ipad-air-13-(m3)" and the "apple-ipad-air-11-(m3)." In the past, leaks from Blass have been fairly reliable, so while we're taking everything with a grain of salt until we hear directly from Apple, it's encouraging to see another source citing proof of the M3 chip in the next iPad Air.

Past a more powerful M3 chipset, rumors also suggest Apple will release a new Magic Keyboard designed specifically for the iPad Air. The new keyboard will supposedly "bring some of the features of the iPad Pro keyboard down-market," according to Gurman. Potential features could include a thinner and/or lighter design, a row of function keys with shortcuts, and a larger glass trackpad.

With an improved keyboard and stronger M3 performance, the iPad Air could become a budget-friendly laptop alternative for simple tasks.

Via 9to5Mac, an anonymous source reached out to a podcast with information on the upcoming iPad's display. Supposedly, the M3 iPad Air will receive "a higher refresh rate LCD display with a new liquid motion panel fixed at around 90Hz." We've seen no other rumors that second this upgrade, but it sure would be nice.

Apple typically hosts an event every spring, so we should hopefully only have to wait a few more months to hear more about the more powerful, next-gen iPad Air.

With 2025 already gathering pace, it's time to turn our attention away from last year's hottest tech and look forward to a coming year of innovation.

While 2024 had plenty to showcase for Apple, including the excellent performance and efficiency of the M4 chip powering iPad Pro and MacBook Pro devices, this year promises to take things up a notch once again, delivering a swathe of upgrades throughout the Apple catalog and introduce the new M5 chip to select hardware.

So, what can we expect to see from Apple in the coming year? Let's find out.

Apple's product roadmap for 2025: The year ahead for MacBook, iPhone, iPad, and more

Between Apple's more "fixed" annual events, historically repeated release windows, and unofficial claims from reputable sources, we can paint a pretty detailed image of what's to come for the Cupertino-based company in 2025.

Of course, there's no guarantee that everything listed here will be released according to our estimates. Last year's iPad mini 7 was a prime example of how even the most in-the-know sources can be left guessing when it comes to the arrival of a new product.

However, as of the time of writing, these are our more informed predictions regarding Apple's itinerary of releases, starting in spring, 2025.

March - May, 2025

Putting aside last year's showcase of the Vision Pro in February, Apple typically waits a few calendar months before dropping any major reveals. If the company follows suit in 2025, then we can probably expect the majority of its next products to arrive in the spring.

• iPhone SE 4: One of the more anticipated iPhone releases in years comes by way of Apple's budget offering, the iPhone SE 4 — or, as rumors suggest, the newly named iPhone 16E.
  
  The new iPhone SE is expected to receive a full redesign, bringing it more in line with the look of post-iPhone 14 handsets, while adopting an OLED display with Face ID, the iPhone 15's Action Button, and an Apple Intelligence-ready processor (likely an A17 Pro or A18 Bionic chip paired with 8GB of RAM).
  
• MacBook Air M4: According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring the M4 chip will launch early this year, closing the gap in performance between its MacBook Pro models, which are also set for a silicon refresh later this year.
  
• iPad 11: Similarly, Gurman reports that the 11th generation of iPad will also be released in the spring, offering several design changes and an Apple Intelligence-compatible chip, potentially the A17 Pro.
  
• iPad Air M4: Similar to its laptop counterpart, the iPad Air is also claimed to be due for an M4 upgrade, bringing more Pro-level performance to the ultra-thin slate in the near future.

June, 2025

Since 2007, Apple's annual WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) has historically fallen in the month of June, giving us a pretty solid expectation of when we'll get our first look at the latest milestone operating system updates for MacBook, iPhone, iPad, and more.

• macOS 16
• iOS 19
• iPadOS 19
• watchOS 12
• visionOS 3
• tvOS 19

September, 2025

Apple's star-studded line-up of mobile tech typically takes center stage in September, meaning it's here we can expect to see the unveiling of the 11th-Gen Apple Watch (including the third-generation Ultra and SE models), new third-generation AirPods Pro, and the iPhone 17 family of smartphones — including the rumored new "Air" model, alongside familiar Pro and Pro Max options.

• iPhone 17: This year's iPhone 17 line-up will reportedly ditch the "Plus" model for a thinner and lighter "Air" alternative featuring a new single-lens 48-megapixel rear camera — a bold design change that according to The Information will extend to the iPhone 17 Pro models also, switching things up to a horizontal camera array and potentially stepping away from the titanium chassis of the iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro.
  
• Apple Watch 11: The Apple Watch Series 11 is expected to include new blood pressure monitoring and blood-glucose tracking features, along with the potential adoption of Apple Intelligence. The next generation of Apple Watch will likely be powered by the S12 chipset, potentially offering better efficiency and a longer-lasting battery life.
  
• Apple Watch Ultra 3: The much anticipated Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to include satellite connectivity and 5G access, but won't be adopting the micro-LED display tech after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the company will be sidelining this adoption for the "foreseeable future."
  
• Apple Watch SE 3: The third-generation Apple Watch SE was expected to arrive sometime in 2024. However, clearly, we've been left wanting.
  
  Apple's smartwatch is expected to pull back on price by offering a plastic chassis and an S9 chip, and it is rumored that it will feature a "new look" redesign by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. While we could see this device appear far earlier in the year, it may make the most sense for it to launch alongside other Apple Watch models in September.
  
• AirPods Pro 3: The third generation of Apple's AirPods Pro are reported to receive a new design (including its charging case) in 2025 alongside an improved H3 chip affording better noise-cancellation and potentially more health-based features.

Beyond hardware releases, September is also the month that Apple's new operating systems leave beta testing and receive public releases. We'd expect further Apple Intelligence integration across the board here, along with the usual supply of handy, platform-specific features.

• macOS 16, iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and more to release

October - November, 2025

• MacBook Pro M5: Apple's crowning achievement in hardware could come by way of a new M5-powered 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro released later this year. Currently tipped for an October 2025 release, the M5 MacBook Pro would pave the way for Pro, Max, and Ultra models to follow.
  
• iPad Pro M5: With the iPad Air expected to receive an M4 upgrade earlier this year, it stands to reason that the Pro model of iPad may face a similar boost in performance, also adopting Apple's latest M5 chip late into 2025. Last year's iPad Pro was the first device to feature the company's M4 chip, and Apple may choose to award its high-performance slate with a similar refresh once again.
  
• HomePod mini: There are several rumors suggesting that work is well underway at Apple in the development of a new smart home hub with a display. However, the jury is still out on whether we can expect this product to arrive in 2025. In the meantime, Apple is expected to refresh the HomePod mini with a faster chip, improved WiFi and Bluetooth, and more colorways.

Outlook

Taking into account everything we've heard or know so far, 2025 is set to be a pretty stacked card for Apple. All of these anticipated announcements have the potential to satisfy a great many macOS, iOS, and even iPadOS users.

That's without mentioning some of the more exciting rumors surrounding a new Apple Vision Pro headset, a foldable iPhone, and a super-sized 17-inch to 20-inch foldable iPad — all rumored wildcards that may or may not feature in some way this year.

More from Laptop Mag

• MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Mac should you buy in 2025?
• MacBook Air M4 vs. MacBook Air M3: Should you wait for the M4 Air?
• Dear Apple, it's 2025, where’s my MacBook SE?

The Apple iPad Air 6 with M2 processor makes a terrific premium holiday gift, and right now, you can still score $100 off the 11-inch Apple iPad Air 6 with M2 processor at Amazon. This sale brings the 11-inch Apple iPad Air 6 with M2 chip back down to just $499, just $1 more than its all-time low price at Amazon, and a cool 17% discount over the regular $599 price.

Holiday shoppers take note: You can choose either Blue or Purple colorways, but the Blue model arrives after Christmas. Sometimes, we've seen products arrive earlier than Amazon's expected date, but that's not something you can count on during the holiday season. If you need a gift physically in hand for Christmas, we recommend buying the Purple colorway.

The iPad Air 6's M2 processor delivers better performance than the Bionic chip in the less expensive 10th-generation 10.2-inch iPad ($279 at Amazon, normally $349). Plus, it supports Apple Intelligence AI, so you can tap those features as they roll out. If you appreciate color accuracy, the iPad Air 6 M2 has a better display, with P3 wide color gamut support and anti-reflective coating.

Tom's Guide reviewed the 13-inch Apple iPad Air 6 M2 and gave it 4 stars, calling it a good value for its performance and long battery life.

This remains one of the best iPad deals we've seen throughout Black Friday and this holiday shopping season. Head to Amazon now to snag one before they disappear.

Today's best 11-inch iPad Air 6 with M2 deal

Apple's new iPad Air 6 is now available for purchase as promised during its launch event last week. Not only am I sharing where to buy Apple's latest tablet, but also the best early iPad Air 6 deals.

The 6th generation Pad Air is offered in two sizes and storage options ranging from 128GB to 1TB. "Some Air users would prefer an even larger display...we created a new 13" model of iPad Air as well," an Apple spokesperson said during the announcement.

The new iPad Air 6 replaces the iPad Air 5 and brings a host of enhancements to Apple's mid-range tablet series. Powered by Apple's M2 Chip, the same one found in the 2022 iPad Pro, the iPad Air 6 is a cheaper alternative to the new iPad Pro M4 which costs $999 to start. 

Buy the iPad Air 6  — Quick links

• 11" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): $599 $569 @ Amazon
• 13" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): $799 $769 @ Amazon
• 11" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $599 @ Apple
• 13" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): $799 @ Apple
• 11" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $599 @ Best Buy
• 13" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): $799 @ Best Buy
• 11" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $599 from $499 @ AT&T w/ new line
• 13" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $799 from $699 @ AT&T w/ new line
• 11" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $599 from $369 @ T-Mobile w/ new line
• 13" Apple iPad Air 6 (2024): from $799 from $560 @ T-Mobile w/ new line

Amazon

Apple

As of May 15, the iPad Air M2 is available for purchase at Apple.com, authorized Apple retailers, and major U.S. wireless carriers. 

Pricing for the 11-inch iPad Air M2 starts at $599 whereas the first-ever 13-inch iPad Air M2 costs $799. Take advantage of Apple's trade-in program and save up to $580 when you swap your old device for the latest release.

Best Buy

You can buy the latest iPad Air 6 at Best Buy starting from $599.

For a limited time, save up to $310 when you trade in a similar device. Best Buy will give you cold hard cash for a qualifying Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Google Pixel, Lenovo Tab, Microsoft Surface device or Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Buy iPad Air 6 at wireless carriers

The iPad Air 6 is available for purchase at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. 

AT&T customers can save up to $100 on the 2024 iPad Air 6 when they open a new line. Not to be beaten, T-Mobile takes $230 off the iPad Air when you add a tablet line to your service plan. Verizon customers can save up to $180 on the new M2-charged iPad Air with an eligible trade-in.

At&T

T-Mobile

Verizon

With downloaded movies, TV shows, games, photos, videos, and music, the storage on your iPad — arguably the best media-experiencing device in human history — can fill up in the blink of an eye.

It was always a wonder, then, that one of the best tablets around, so clearly perfect for media, came with a measly 64GB of storage. That was the case anyway, up until the iPad Air 5 base model, which was released in March 2022. Even modern smartphones, for the most part, come standard with 128GB of storage at minimum.

Apple's new iPad Air 6 is better than the iPad Air 5 for a straightforward reason: The 6 Air has ample storage.

Of course, the new iPad Air 6 improved in other ways as well, but for the first time ever, the base model of Apple's Air line of tablets will have 128GB of storage — a change that should've happened with the iPad Air 5. 

In addition to the iPad Air 6's new storage minimum, the tablet also gained new storage maximums of 512GB and 1 TB and quite a few other notable features — let's dive into what changed.

What else is new with Apple's iPad Air 6?

The classic 11-inch iPad Air is here to stay, but Apple's sixth-generation iPad Air offers a new 13-inch model. 

Both the 11-inch and 13-inch models gain landscape stereo speakers with spatial audio, but Apple says the larger model offers "even better sound quality with double the bass."

Additionally, both models now feature the front-facing camera with Center Stage on the landscape edge rather than the portrait edge, and the new Air comes in four gorgeous colors: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray. 

One of the most exciting, albeit expected, changes to the iPad Air 6 is the M2 chip. This upgraded chip allows the iPad Air to "deliver advanced features pioneered on iPad Pro," but at a much more affordable price. You can explore countless AI features on Apple's new iPad Air and even play games like Assassin's Creed Mirage.

According to Apple, the iPad Air 6 with its M2 chip is "50 percent faster than iPad Air with M1 chip" and "3x faster than iPad Air with A12 Bionic chip." 

Despite its speedy chip upgrade, the 11-inch iPad Air 6 is the same price as the iPad Air 5: $599. 

The larger, 13-inch iPad Air 6 is $200 more expensive at $799, but you get more screen real estate and better sound quality for that price.

Both new iPad Air models also work with the redesigned aluminum Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro — both of which were announced today — making it possible for you to create a budget-friendly, portable workstation.

Welcome to Laptop Mag and our live blog coverage of today's Apple 'Let Loose' event!

Today's event might be over, but we'll be reporting to you throughout the day with expanded coverage on everything we know so far about the new iPad Air, iPad Pro, Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil Pro.

So stick around, bookmark this page, and follow Laptop Mag on X, Facebook, and Flipboard for everything Apple and iPad today!

Apple 'Let Loose' event: Follow-up coverage

• iPad Pro M4 vs. iPad Air 6: Which new iPad will be right for you?
• Is the new iPad Pro M4 good enough to replace your laptop?
• iPad Air 6 vs. Air 5: Should you upgrade?
• The new Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro: Everything you need to know

Apple 'Let Loose' event: Everything announced

• The new iPad Air features an M2 chipset for much improved performance and efficiency. The Air now includes a new model measuring 13-inches in size, and retains the 11-inch option of old.
  
  The iPad Air M2 will be available from May 15 starting at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model. Check out where to pre-order the new iPad Air M2.
   
• Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models with up to 2TB of storage and featuring the latest M4 chipset and a new OLED display, the iPad Pro is the most powerful of Apple's tablets to date.
  
  The iPad Pro M4 will be available from May 15 starting at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model. Check out where to pre-order the new iPad Pro.
   
• The Apple Pencil Pro was unveiled in full, touting a new gyroscope-powered Barrel Roll feature for refined precision and control over the Hover feature found in M2 iPad Pro models. A new Squeeze feature offers a short cut hot bar to access tools rapidly, and a haptic motor delivers accurate feedback to actions performed.
  
  The Apple Pencil Pro is available to pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 for $129.
   
• Apple's Magic Keyboard revamp was revealed, featuring an aluminum wrist rest, larger trackpad and a new function row for the back-lit keyboard giving quick access to screen dimming and media controls.
  
  The Apple Magic Keyboard is available to pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 for $299 for the 11-inch model and $349 for the 13-inch model.

Welcome to Laptop Mag, and our live blog coverage of today's Apple 'Let Loose' event! We're just a few hours away from some major iPad reveals. We've already had some strong reports about what to expect when the tape rolls on today's event, so let's go over what we know so far while we wait for things to kick off!

Will Apple debut the M4 chip today?

It seems strange for Apple to debut its latest chip during an iPad-focused event, especially with the M3-touting 13-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Air having just released earlier this year.

However, according to Bloomberg, the new iPad Pro models could skip the M3 chip entirely and go straight to Apple's next-gen M4 platform.

• Read about it here: iPad Pro might launch with AI-powered M4 — should you wait?

When will the M4 come to MacBook?

If today does mark the debut of the M4 chip, everyone will want to know when they can expect Apple's latest processor to feature in MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. Well, lucky you, that's something we may already know.

Early reports suggest that the first MacBooks to feature the M4 chip will launch between October and November later this year. The first of Apple's laptops to feature this chipset is said to be the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which will launch alongside a 24-inch iMac also featuring the same M4 chip.

It's said that 16-inch MacBook Pro models will follow with M4 Pro and M4 Max configurations, with an M4/M4 Pro Mac mini in tow.

• Read about it here: M4 MacBooks: A timeline of when to expect Apple's next-gen laptops

What else do we know about the M4 chip?

Each new generation of Apple's M-series chips brings sweeping improvements to performance and efficiency. But can we bank on the M4 chipset to do the same?

Much of what we know so far about the M4 is rumor and speculation. However, should these prove accurate, the M4 will be the first of Apple's chips to be developed using a 2-nanometer process.

This indicates the transistor density inside the chip, with the lower the number the better. Apple's current-gen M3 chip are based on a 3-nanometer process, meaning the leap to M4 could see considerable gains across the board for MacBooks — and the latest iPad Pro if word is to be believed.

• Read about it here: Apple M4 chip rumors: Everything you need to know

M4 iPad Pro: Is it likely?

Speculation is all well and good, and often quite fun, but how likely are we to see an iPad Pro featuring an M4 chip be announced today?

That's a tough one! We'd typically expect Apple to debut its chips on MacBook first, giving them the best chance to shine when it comes to uncapped performance. However, this generation of iPad could be Apple's biggest push to date to present the iPad Pro as a viable laptop replacement.

That being said, it was only last month that we caught wind that the M4 chip was "nearing production," making its appearance in the iPad Pro seem unlikely — unless Apple plan to reveal its tablet today, but launch it later in the year to coincide with the M4 MacBook Pro.

• Read about it here: Apple’s M4 chip reportedly ‘nearing production’

What to expect from a new iPad Pro

If Apple's iPad Pro doesn't feature the M4 chip, there's still plenty to look forward to. The new iPad Pro should at the very least feature Apple's current-gen M3 chip, meaning there'll still be considerable upgrades to expect when it comes to overall performance and efficiency, resulting in a longer-lasting and more powerful tablet.

iPad Pro 2024: What's changing?

There's nothing wrong with the iPad Pro's current display, it's literally called liquid retina because it's so good it melts eyeballs. However, that doesn't mean we will say no to the rumored OLED panel heading our way with today's announcement.

A new OLED panel for the iPad Pro would mean better color accuracy and a more vibrant, crisper image. It also makes way for thinner display panels allowing for the potential of trimmer chassis, slimmer bezels, or more internal room to include improved layouts for thermal management or higher storage capacities.

Speaking of, today's iPad Pro announcement could see a configuration available with up to 2TB of storage. A whopping amount of space to make use of and another clear indication of Apple's intent to push the iPad Pro as a more worthy MacBook alternative.

• Read about it here: 2024 iPad line-up rumors

What about the iPad Air 6?

While the iPad Pro has incredible potential, let's not forget about the prospect of a new iPad Air now featuring the mighty M2 chipset.

The sixth-generation iPad Air is expected to arrive in two sizes: the typical 10.9-inch model, and a new iPad Pro-like sizing of 12.9 inches. This expanded panel will be a treat for those envious of the Pro model's larger display, though unable to meet its premium pricing.

The M2 chip has been a solid performer for the iPad Pro previously, and we'd expect a similar level of performance to now feature for the iPad Air. This could also mean that Apple Pencil features like Hover make their way to the smaller tablet, too!

This round of iPad refreshes could do wonders for both Air and Pro lines, but could make choosing between them slightly more interesting.

• Read about it here: iPad Pro M4 vs. iPad Air 6: Which new iPad will be right for you?

The real magic is the accessories we'll gain along the way

One of the major things preventing many iPad users from adopting it as a laptop replacement is its primarily touch interface. Even though the iPad has the Magic Keyboard to fall back on, and the option to use wireless keyboards over Bluetooth, there's been a decided lack of a laptop-like feel to things.

However, that could be set to change with Apple's new Magic Keyboard revamp.

The new Magic Keyboard, or potentially the Magic Keyboard Pro, hopes to breathe new life into the iPad as a laptop debate by bringing with it a deck more closely aligned to the MacBook experience. 

This new deck features a much larger trackpad and a more sturdy and durable aluminum design that will go above and beyond to address the complaints of the current Magic Keyboard's flimsier offerings.

• Read about it here: The new Apple Magic Keyboard: Everything you need to know

Pencil us in

If you'd have told me that I'd be getting excited about a pencil in 2024, I'd have assumed you'd just broken free from your straight jacket and were part way through making a dash to cross state lines.

However, surprisingly enough, the new Apple Pencil, or the Apple Pencil Pro as it might be called, is shaping up to be quite the accessory.

Apple are going all-in on touch controls this generation it seems, with the iPhone 16 rumored to feature capacitive buttons and the new Apple Pencil Pro set to feature a number of touch-sensitive inputs to streamline the writing and art experience.

• Read about it here: iPhone 16 rumors: release date speculation, design leaks, price outlook, and more

The Apple Pencil Pro: What's new?

You'd think it would be quite hard to innovate on the concept of a "pencil" but here we are. The new Apple Pencil Pro as it's being dubbed online is set to include a host of improvements that could dramatically improve its usability and functionality.

While much of what we know is once again rumor, I feel confident in my ability to predict that Apple's stylus will retain much of the same overall design as all pencils have since the mid-1500s. That aside, things are reportedly changing in some very noticeable ways.

Apple's stylus is rumored to feature interchangeable magnetic nibs that can be hot-swapped to suit various tasks. for example, a harder tip for note taking and writing, and a softer tip for digital art project.

• Read about it here: New Apple Pencil to 'shake' things up in a big way

Apple Pencil Pro: It's all about the touch

The biggest change heading to the Apple Pencil will potentially come in the form of new gesture-based touch controls.

A recent report indicated that the Apple Pencil Pro would feature a "squeeze" input that could detect compressive force as a user input.

Digging into things a little further, we uncovered some long filed Apple patents for the Apple Pencil that showcased a similar feature alongside several other touch-based methods that could also make it to the revised stylus.

These gestures include brushing your index finger along the top of the pencil to potentially interact with sliders like brush sizes, opacity settings, etc.

Also there's the returning tap and double tap options that could be used to switch tools or interact with elements while using Hover.

• Read about it here: New Apple Pencil to 'shake' things up in a big way

Squeeze your problems away

One proposed feature of the new "squeeze" gesture could be to enable the eraser, letting you quickly remove any unwanted aspects of your notes or drawings.

Of course, it's also entirely possible that any of these new inputs can be fully customized like the iPhone 15's action button, giving users total control over how their Apple Pencil functions across various apps.

• Read about it here: Apple just left a disappearing hint about the new Apple Pencil

Apple "Let Loose" iPad event: It's almost showtime

We're now less than 20 minutes away from today's showcase kicking off, you can either stick with us for ongoing coverage throughout the event or make sure to give our guide on how to watch the Apple "Let Loose" iPad event and catch the reveals as they happen.

The showcase begins!

"This is the biggest day for iPad since it's introduction"

Tim Cook is hinting at big things for today's announcements during his recap.

Tim Cook hails the iPad as a great tool for productivity and gaming.

"It's this incredible versatility that defines iPad"

iPad Air is up first, with Apple keen to showcase the portability and performance of its tablet.

The iPad Air will be available in two models, the regular 11-inch, and a new 13-inch model, offering 30% more space than the regular model.

Both models feature the M2 chipset, offering three times the performance.

The iPad Air for 2024 is looking to be a great improvement, with a solid performance boost from the power of the M2 chip.

Our first look at Apple's new iPad Pro showcases an impressively thin redesign.

"We're not only going to push the limits of what you can do on iPad, we're going to crush them" - John Ternus, Senior VP Hardware Engineering

Ultra Retina HDR promises the best visuals on an iPad yet with 1K to 1.6K of peak brightness through its tandem OLED process. Coated by nano-texture glass to reduce glare by scattering ambient light.

It's confirmed, the new iPad Pro will feature Apple's M4 chipset!

Apple claim that the M4 offers four times the performance of the M2 chip at half the power.

"The neural engine makes M4 an outrageously powerful chip for AI." - Tim Millet, VP Platform Architecture. Apple claim it can isolate a moving subject from its background in 4K video with ease. Impressive!

Apple are pushing the iPad as a profession and creative tool hard in this presentation, showcasing Final Cut Pro's capabilities on the M4 chip while also subtly pointing out the iPad Pro's Thunderbolt port!

Logic Pro 2 on iPad Pro M4 is showcased, further stressing the device's capabilities and powerful performance.

The iPad Pro's Adaptive True Tone flash, LiDAR scanner, and 12MP camera with Five-element lens, Smart HDR 4 and 4K ProRes video is a treat! It even allows for document scanning in low-lighting conditions. A game changer for those converting to the paperless age.

It's onto accessories now as we're introduced to the new Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil Pro.

"The incredible new Magic Keyboard makes the new iPad Pro more portable and convenient than ever." The deck is bigger, very reminiscent of the MacBook and with a sizable trackpad. 

Barrel Roll is a new Apple Pencil Pro feature made possible by an internal gyroscope to detect rotation and tilt. Allowing users to adjust the tilt and angle of brush strokes with ease. 

What a trio of hardware and accessories! The iPad Pro M4 will be available from next week starting from $999 for the 11-inch model, and from $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

The new Magic Keyboard will be available in 11-inch and 13-inch models for $299 and $349 respectively!

And the new Apple Pencil Pro will be available for $129! Not a bad price considering the wealth of new features heading to Apple's stylus.

The iPad Air will be available from next week starting at $599 for the 11-inch model and from $799 for the new 13-inch model.

To cap things off, the iPad 10th gen will now see a healthy price cut to just $349!

With Tim Cook's sign-off out of the way, he points us in the direction of this year's WWDC event for more news about the software changes heading to the new iPad Air and iPad Pro with iPadOS 18.

You can learn more about iPadOS 18 and everything we expect at WWDC 24 so far at our dedicated rumor hubs! Favorite these pages and check back with us for up to the date information as we get it!

• iPadOS 18 rumors: Siri and AI, rumored features, release date speculation, and more
• WWDC 2024 rumors: Possible dates, major iOS 18 updates, and more

It was a whirlwind experience, and I've no doubt missed a host of details in the mad dash to share what we've seen today. Thankfully we'll be offering follow-up coverage throughout the day to flesh out more of what to expect from Apple's latest iPads and accessories.

Be sure to follow Laptop Mag on X, Facebook, and Flipboard to catch these articles as they arrive!

For now, let's recap on what we've seen...

Apple iPad Air (6th Gen)

The sixth-generation Apple iPad Air offers the power of the M2 chip for three times the performance of previous A12 Bionic iPad Airs. This mighty processor is also 50% faster than the M1 iPad air that came before it, and offers incredible performance across gaming and apps.

This new processor helps power the Liquid Retina display which now comes in both 11-inch and 13-inch formats for the first time. This expanded screen size is great for deeper immersion in movies and games, and also top-notch for productivity, allowing you to fit more vital information on the screen at once.

The iPad Air also features a shifted 12MP front camera, now located on the landscape edge of the device for better FaceTime calls or selfies while holding the device horizontally and with a lone rear 12MP camera for regular photos.

The iPad Air M2 also offers up to 1TB of storage (with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations also available), an impressive trove of space to make use of for all your apps, photos, and files!

The iPad Air M2 is available for pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 from $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Apple iPad Pro M4

Apple came out swinging when it came to its new iPad Pro. We were expecting something big from the way Apple spoke, but I'm still in shock that the M4 rumors turned out to be true!

This makes the iPad Pro of 2024 the most powerful tablet on the market, offering 4x faster pro rendering performance than the M2-equipped iPad Pro of old, and 1.5x the CPU performance to boot.

While some had concerns about the M3 not being enough of a generational increase in performance, the leap from M2 to M4 should not disappoint. The iPad Pro M4 bundles both a powerful NPU for advanced AI capabilities and an impressive GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus was not kidding when he said "We're not only going to push the limits of what you can do on iPad, we're going to crush them!"

This would almost be enough of a refresh for most, but Apple didn't stop there. Not only is the iPad Pro being powered by Apple's latest and greatest chipset, it's also touting an OLED display for the first time. Tandem OLED, in fact.

Two OLED panels combine to offer up to 1600 nits of peak brightness, while retaining all the vivid color and excellent saturation we've come to enjoy about Apple's Liquid Retina screens. This is Apple's Ultra Retina XDR display, with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio with True Tone and ProMotion for an adaptive 10-120Hz ultra-smooth refresh rate.

The iPad Pro M4 is available for pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 from $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.

Apple Magic Keyboard

On to something I was most looking forward to, and possibly most let down by. It's still a considerable upgrade over the current Magic Keyboard, but I was potentially hoping for a little bit more from Apple here.

The all-new Magic Keyboard is thinner and lighter than before, retaining the floating cantilever hinge of the original, and available in white or black. For the first time, the Magic Keyboard includes a function row with easy access to shortcuts for screen brightness and media controls.

It also now features an aluminum palm rest, not quite the entire aluminum MacBook deck emulation I was hoping for, but the new, larger trackpad is a welcome addition.

That's pretty much all Apple had to say on this accessory, and I was certainly hoping for more from it. Aesthetically, I can't complain. The all-new Magic Keyboard does look pretty great, it just doesn't seem quite as all-new as claimed to be.

I was hoping for something that would eventually measure up to Apple's ambitious pricing for the Magic Keyboard, but I'm not entirely sold on this being it.

The Apple Magic Keyboard is available to pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 for $299 for the 11-inch model and $349 for the 13-inch model.

Apple Magic Pencil Pro

While the Magic Keyboard didn't impress me all that much, I can't say the same for the new Apple Pencil Pro, an accessory seemingly designed to give Apple the license to print money at will.

It feels like only hours ago when I was telling you all how difficult it must be to innovate on the pencil (it was only hours ago, after all), and yet somehow Apple has made it look easy with the Pencil Pro.

The staples are all here, a return of Apple Pencil Hover, tilt sensitivity, pressure sensitivity, pixel-perfect precision, and low latency responsiveness. However, the Pencil's newest features steal the show with the Squeeze detection offering a hot bar of sorts for rapid tool selection and haptic feedback giving subtle vibrations to indicate on-device snaps or selections.

Most impressive of all is Barrel roll, a gyroscope-enabled feature that accurately detects rotations for precise control over shaped brushes. This is an excellent feature when paired with Hover and promises to make the new Apple Pencil Pro the premiere stylus of choice for digital artists.

The Apple Pencil Pro is available to pre-order now from the Apple homepage and will be available from May 15 for $129 with free personalization.

Apple 'Let Loose' iPad event: What did we get wrong?

We had a lot of predictions going into this event, and it's easy to spot where you got things right. But where did our predictions go wrong, and are they something we can look forward to in the future?

Apple iPad Air (M2)

When it comes to the iPad Air, we didn't have many expectations. This was more of a simple refresh, and pretty much directly in line with our assumptions. We also caught wind of the 13-inch model early on, which was proven right today. What we didn't see coming was the height of its improved storage options, now offering up to 1TB of storage.

This is something we're more than happy to welcome to the iPad Air line, as there's never any harm to giving users more space to make use of. We'd expect the 2TB option to remain with the Pro line for now, but we'd love to see the iPad Air eventually adopt the new Ultra Retina XDR display. However, given the chance, we'd be more than happy for Apple to dive right in with its Micro-LED panels.

Apple iPad Pro (M4)

While we had heard the rumor that the iPad Pro would receive the M4 chip, I can't tell you that we were 100% convinced, regardless of how trusted the source of that information is.

However, while it seemed like an outside possibility, it remained a possibility, and it's one that's come to fruition. We also expected the iPad Pro to feature an OLED panel for the first time, and that has also been proven true. The same goes for the 2TB storage option and the switch to 11-inch and 13-inch models.

What can we hope for more of in the future? A continued push to keep the iPad Pro at a parallel with MacBook and retain its access to top of the line Apple silicon chips. That would be most welcomed.

Apple Magic Keyboard

The Magic Keyboard is maybe the single disappointment from today's show. While everything Apple had to show lines up with our information, I was personally hoping for a little more.

From early reports, I was hoping for something that was a little bit closer to a modular component for the iPad Pro that resulted in a much more familiar MacBook experience.

It's something I'd love to see from Apple eventually. A full emulation of the MacBook deck for iPad, speakers included. Maybe then I could justify the Magic Keyboard's mighty price tag. That would be the Magic Keyboard Pro I'd want to see anyway.

Apple Pencil Pro

While we went digging through Apple patents to try to get the jump on the Apple Pencil Pro, we weren't successful in predicting the Barrel Roll feature or support for Find My, which promises to ensure you never lose your iPad peripheral again.

Squeeze was a feature we saw coming, but we weren't entirely sure how it would be used. This pop-up menu control seems impressively intuitive and should make digital artists incredibly happy by noticeably speeding up workflows.

Could we see some of our predicted Pencil Pro features like swiping gestures come to future models? Potentially! Apple have the technology to put it into action, and with tap and double tap controls already in place, and a wider push towards capacitive controls, it's not out of the question.

Our coverage continues!

Apple's "Let Loose" event has drawn to a close, but our coverage continues! Check out the following Laptop Mag articles to dive further into today's announcements:

• iPad Pro M4 vs. iPad Air 6: Which new iPad will be right for you?
• Is the new iPad Pro M4 good enough to replace your laptop?
• iPad Air 6 vs. Air 5: Should you upgrade?
• The new Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro: Everything you need to know

It's no secret that Apple makes some of the best tablets, and with the latest iPads equipped with M1 and M2 chips, it's evidently been hard for Apple to one-up the previous models. No new iPads were released in 2023, most likely contributing to Apple's recent declining sales.

However, Apple's luck may soon change with the recent news of a revamped iPad Pro and two iPad Air models. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via Tom's Guide), sources close to the matter say Apple may be launching these new iPad models in March 2024 alongside iPadOS 17.4, and you can expect some pretty big changes.

Potential upgrades to the 2024 iPad Air and Pro models

Reportedly, the 2024 iPad Air will be available in two different sizes. If this is true, it'll be the first time Apple has ever offered an iPad Air model in two different sizes within the same generation. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple plans to add a 12.9-inch iPad Air in addition to the existing 10.9-inch size.

Of course, both the 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch 2024 iPad Air models will receive improvements over the 5th Gen iPad Air released in 2022. With the previous model receiving the M1 chip, it's not crazy to think the 6th Gen iPad Air could feature an M2 chip, but no specs have officially been talked about yet.

With the previous setup of one 10.9-inch iPad Air, consumers would need to pay almost $1,000 more for the iPad Pro if they wanted a larger screen. Offering a 12.9-inch iPad Air lets people splurge on a larger screen but not on extra performance power they don't need.

That said, people might be enticed by the 2024 iPad Pro's major display upgrade and decide it's worth the extra cash. Apple's next-gen iPad Pro will reportedly feature an OLED screen, making it the first iPad with this display technology. With this OLED upgrade, the iPad Pro 2024 will probably cost a pretty penny, which is why Apple is balancing out this costly upgrade by offering a 12.9-inch iPad Air as an alternative.

Once the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models release in (hopefully) March 2024, we might start hearing more about Apple's foldable iPad, rumored to release sometime in 2026.

The iPad Mini 7 is expected to be the next of Apple’s slates for release, but everyone from Apple analysts to industry insiders can’t stop butting heads on just when we can expect this travel-friendly tablet to make its appearance. 

The great iPad mini 7 release day debate 

Word of the iPad mini 7’s impending arrival came early in the year as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported toward the end of January that “There may be no new iPad releases in the next 9-12 months,” further stating in a tweet that “the iPad mini refresh is more likely to begin mass production in 1Q24.”

A quiet year for the iPad was seemingly confirmed fairly early on, and we all went about our business as usual. Until Apple leaker and adorably named ShrimpApplePro unleashed a series of Apple Watch leaks with further word about the iPad Mini 7 tagged on at the end, that is.

According to ShrimpApplePro, 2023 will indeed feature an iPad release – “Probably the iPad mini 7.” Since then, the iPad mini 7 has been on everyone’s radar as a possible surprise release from Apple before the year draws to a close – even Bloomberg’s Apple auteur Mark Gurman didn’t rule out the possibility.

However, Apple’s Wonderlust event came and went without a peep from the Cupertino crew about its small-scale slate, and many lost hope. Including Mark Gurman who seemed to move on entirely, as he predicted that an iPad Air 6 could actually be in the works for a “soonish” release instead.

However, this didn’t last long as Ming-Chi Kuo would once again emerge from the shadows to tell us all in a post on X (neé Twitter) that “New iPad models are unlikely before the year's end.” Party pooper.

A last minute twist?

However, while that should have been the end of it, a new report by DigiTimes Asia seems to have reinvigorated rumors of an iPad mini 7 release in 2023.

The article, obtaining its information from suppliers and manufacturers of other Apple products, highlights a stagnation in tablet demand during the first half of 2023, but goes on to predict a rebound of sorts in the remaining quarters by saying:

“However, the share will gradually pick up during the second half because of Apple's inventory replenishment needs in the third quarter and orders for a new small-size iPad in the fourth quarter…”

This puts production much earlier than Kuo’s early 2024 suggestion, and could, once again, put the iPad mini 7 back on track for a late 2023 release. If that’s the case, we should still only expect a minor refresh when it comes to specifications – most likely an upgrade to an A16 Bionic, with an outside chance of an A17 Bionic processor.

However, most people will be keeping their fingers crossed for a display upgrade above all else, hoping to see the iPad mini 7 cured of its predecessor’s jelly scroll issues.

Outlook

The rigmarole surrounding the release of the iPad mini 7 continues, and it’ll no doubt be a matter of days or even hours before an opposing expert weighs in the dispute the likelihood of a release this year.

However, while insider information could point to an earlier date, there’s no guarantee that Apple isn't simply building up stock to avoid any potential shortages on release.

Though, for now we’ll have to wait and see what Apple have in store during October and if they’ve anything left to reveal for the rest of the year when it comes to the iPad.

The iPad Air 5 is at its lowest price ever ahead of Amazon's October Prime Day sale. If you don't want to wait for the Prime Big Deal Days event, you can get the Wi-Fi/Cellular model iPad Air 5 for $599 at Amazon. That's $150 off its normal price of $749 — its biggest discount yet. 

If you don't want to wait, this is one of the best iPad deals you can get today. 

Today's best iPad Air deal

Released in 2022, Apple's 5th Gen iPad Air is the lightest iPad next to the iPad mini. It improved the iPad Air 4 with faster performance, more storage, and better battery life. 

The iPad Air in this deal has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Touch ID and Apple Pay functionality allow for fast and secure payments. Other notable features include built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera, and 12MP FaceTime camera for video-calls. 

Although we  didn't get to test the iPad Air 5, we gave the iPad Air 4 a solid rating of 4 out 5-stars,  lauding  the tablet's excellent A14 Bionic CPU performance. We were also impressed by the iPad Air 4's sleek, thin-bezel design, loud, clear speakers and 10 and half hour battery life. We expect the iPad Air 5 to be on par if not better given its upgraded M1 8-core chip and 8-core graphics. This ensures snappy responsiveness and smooth gameplay. 

With a weight of 1 pound and 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5 is one of the more portable tablets out there. It's slightly thinner and lighter than competitors like the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

The iPad Air 5 works with Apple Pencil and Apple Magic Keyboard (both sold separately). If you're on the prowl for a lightweight tablet to replace or complement your laptop, the iPad Air 5 is a wise choice. 

UPDATE: Since the publishing of this article, more details have come to light about iPad Air 5 and iPad mini 7 availability. For the latest details, catch our coverage of how new iPads aren't expected until 2024. Boo! Hiss!

With all the talk of the iPhone 15, it’s easy to forget that Apple has a lot of cards left to play before the end of the year. While there’s an outside chance that we will see an upgraded iPad Mini 7 at the Apple September event (dubbed ‘Wonderlust’), it’s now looking increasingly likely that we can expect a new iPad Air release in 2023. 

iPad Air 6 release date could be right around the corner

The last iPad Air release was in March 2022, seeing the device pack the M1 Apple Silicon processor, an improved USB-C port, 5G support, and a 12MP front camera featuring Center Stage — allowing it to track and frame users during video calls.

The new iPad Air refresh could arrive as soon as October 2023 if Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is to be believed. Speaking on a recent episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Gurman revealed that a new generation of iPad Air is in the works and could be “coming soonish.” He would later speculate on the iPad refresh’s likely date being October — though not to expect a large-scale announcement.

Gurman continued, “I’m not sure they have enough to drag people down to Cupertino to watch the video like they do for this launch,” when speaking of the upcoming iPhone 15 reveal. Instead, it looks like the sixth generation of iPad Air could be unveiled with a quick press release and video — similar to Apple’s announcement of the MacBook Pros featuring M2 and M2 Max processors.

Outlook

While we don’t know what the iPad Air 6’s refresh entails, there’s a chance we could see an M2 chip outfitting alongside Thunderbolt support for even faster USB-C data transfer rates and improved charging much similar to what we expect of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.

Apple launching the iPad Air 6 would make it the only iPad set for a release in 2023, with the rumored iPad Mini 7 reportedly being pushed into early 2024. However, never count out a surprise or two as Apple still has a busy few months to go with iPhone and MacBook reveals.

The Apple iPad Air 6th Generation is the unannounced successor to the 5th Gen model of the same name, acting as the mid-tier option within the iPad series line-up. The base iPad acts as the starter, while the iPad Pro is high end, making Air a great pick for those who need something stronger than the iPad but don’t want to spend a fortune on the Pro.

iPad Air only recently stepped back into the eye of the public after years of being discontinued. The iPad Air 2nd Generation released in 2014, while the iPad Air 3rd Generation came out five years later in 2019. Since then, we’ve had two additional models launched, but we’ve still yet to hear a peep from Apple on the iPad Air 6th Generation.

So without further ado, here’s everything we know about the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation thus far, including details on its rumored price, release date, design, display, storage and more.

Apple iPad Air 6th Generation price and release date 

Apple iPad Air’s 6th generation has yet to be revealed, so no release date is confirmed quite yet. We’ll look at the timeline of previous launches to get a better sense of when it could happen, but iPad Air is a bit of a mysterious series. 

iPad Air 5th Generation was revealed and released in March 2022, while the iPad Air 4 was revealed in September 2020 and launched the following month. iPad Air 3 came out in March 2019, so overall, there is little consistency in release dates here.

At most we can assume that iPad Air 6th Generation could be revealed in September or October 2023, or pushed back to 2024 and gets a date in March. Or it could just come at a completely unpredictable time.

The iPad Air 5th and 4th Generation started at $599 for its base 64GB model and $749 for its 256GB model, but the Air 3rd Generation is $499 at its starting price, so we’re unsure what to expect from the Air 6. It’s possible it will remain at $599 or potentially see a price increase, but only time will tell.

Apple iPad Air 6th Generation design 

The iPad Air 6th Generation’s design is likely to be pretty similar to what we expect from modern iPad aesthetics, with a flat aluminum exterior featuring rounded edges in both the body and bezels. 

While the design likely won’t be exciting, iPad Air 5th Generation launched with five fun and distinct colors: Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple and Blue. We expect the iPad Air 6th Generation will do the same, as the previous Air generations similarly weren’t afraid to get colorful. 

Apple iPad Air 6th Generation hardware 

The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation features an Apple M1 processor and 8GB of RAM, making it an absolute powerhouse in productivity performance. It’s possible that the Air 6th Generation will also feature an M1, but the more powerful M2 isn’t off the table.

The only iPad to wield an M2 processor is the Apple iPad Pro 6th Generation, which starts at $799 for its 11-inch model, while its 12.9-inch model starts at $1,099. Due to this massive price difference, it might be a bit of an exaggeration to assume that this lower-end model will feature an M2 chip so soon, but you never know.

Beyond our speculation, Twitter user @Tech_Reve bluntly claimed that the iPad Air 6th Generation would be powered by the M2. This could be false, but more whispers will likely come through.

We also anticipate the iPad Air 6th Generation will feature the same configuration of storage space options, between 64GB and 256GB. Considering that the iPad Pro 6th Generation features options for 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB, it might be time for Apple to upgrade what’s available on the Air.

Apple iPad Air 6th Generation cameras 

The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation features a 12MP wide camera with a ƒ/1.8 aperture, digital zoom up to 5x, five-element lens, panorama up to 63MP, auto-image stabilization, and burst photo mode. Its front camera is also 12MP with a 122-degree field of view and a ƒ/2.4 aperture.

We expect that the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation will receive marginal improvements at most, but since we’re still in the dark, it’s hard to say for sure. It’s possible that the primary camera on the back will be upgraded a bit, but until we get more official information, it’s hard to say.

Apple iPad Air 6th Generation display 

The Apple iPad Air 5th Generation launched with a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina 2,360 x 1,640-pixel display at 264 pixels-per-inch with True Tone display, Apple Pencil support and up to 500 nits of advertised brightness. In this sense, the 5th and 4th Generation iPad are identical, so it might be time for Apple to upgrade its display.

On the other hand, the iPad Pro 6th Generation features a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR Mini-LED 2,732 x 2,048-pixel display at 264 pixels per inch. Its advertised brightness can go as high as 600 nits in SDR, 1,000 nits in XDR and 1,600 nits in HDR. Perhaps some of the Pro’s advantages could find its way to the iPad Air, but we’re unsure as not many rumors have come to light.

Bottom line 

The Apple iPad Air 6th Generation has yet to be revealed and not much has leaked about it, meaning we’re mostly in the dark. But these sorts of iterative series line-ups are often predictable, usually tweaking a few things between models. As a result, we’re expecting it to just do what the previous generation did, but a little better, possibly with a superior processor, camera and more storage space.

Otherwise, we’re hoping to learn more about the Apple iPad Air 6th Generation in the coming months. It’s possible it sees a launch this September/October or maybe in March of next year if previous release dates are anything to go by.

Apple, hot on the heels of unveiling the Vision Pro at this year’s WWDC, has big plans ahead for 2023 if Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is to be believed. The Cupertino company could unveil a horde of hardware over the next year, including revamped iPad Pros and the debut of M3 Apple Silicon chips in MacBook Pro models.

According to the report, Apple looks set to offer a stacked showcase of spruced-up stock as it reveals a comprehensive refresh of its existing products across the next year. Has Apple’s roadmap for 2023 been laid bare, and what exactly are we likely to see revealed? Let’s dive deeper into Gurman’s words and see what could be heading our way this fall.

Apple’s next steps: 2023 - 2024

• iPhone 15 / iPhone 15 Plus / iPhone 15 Pro / iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Apple Watch Series 9 (N207, N208)
• Apple Watch Ultra Gen 2 (N210)

One of Apple’s immediate focuses will be on wrapping up work on the Vision Pro’s operating system VisionOS and accompanying apps. This month’s Vision Pro presentation only showed a fraction of the promised apps because many are still in development, meaning Apple will be full steam ahead on software development to ensure everything is ready for a 2024 release.

We’re reasonably confident that this fall will see Apple roll out the iPhone 15 lineup of devices, likely to be announced at its September event and released shortly thereafter — potentially as early as September 12.

Also expected to make an appearance at the September event are two new Apple Watch Series 9 models and a second-gen Apple Watch Ultra. The latter of which even has an outside chance of being the first Apple product to feature a micro-LED display. 

Apple’s next steps: 2024 and beyond

• M3 13-inch MacBook Pro (J504)
• M3 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro (J514)
• M3 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro (J516)
• 2024 iMac 24-inch models (J433, J434)
• 2024 13-inch MacBook Air (J613)
• 2024 15-inch MacBook Air (J615)
• OLED iPad Pro models (J717, J720)
• 2024 iPad Air to replace M1 model (J717)

Once a busy 2023 has been put to rest, Apple is looking to make big changes to its existing products in 2024 and beyond. According to Gurman, Apple is already turning its attention to the second generation of Vision Pro AR/VR headsets, which will likely feature both high-end and lower-end models.

The new headsets will hopefully strive to include some of the features left on the workshop floor for Apple’s Vision Pro including virtual monitor support for multiple Mac devices, support for multiple Personas in FaceTime calls, and more of a focus on virtual fitness and Fitness+ content.

However, those plans are long-term, think 2025 long-term, and Apple has more immediate goals to meet when it comes to keeping its catalog fresh. In fact, the next year could be one of the biggest yet for Apple as not only will it see the launch of the Vision Pro headset, but any number of the following devices currently being worked on: 

Apple is also reportedly early in the development of the third-generation of AirPods Pro and even home hub-like devices such as smart displays alongside an improved Apple TV set-top box. 

Outlook

If you thought 2023 was a big year for Apple, then 2024 could be the brand’s best yet. The long-awaited M3 Apple Silicon chip could be a game changer for iMac and MacBook Pro devices and really elevate Apple’s offerings ahead of the pack — a pack that is presently closing the gap when it comes to thin, lightweight, efficient, and powerful options. 

Apple's M1 iPad Air is down to its second lowest price ever at Amazon. Right now, the online retailer offers the Apple iPad Air  for $499 at checkout. It normally costs $599, so that's $100 in savings. 

This is the iPad Air's second lowest price ever on Amazon and one of the best iPad deals available right now. 

The 2022 iPad Air brings faster performance, more storage, and longer battery life to Apple's lightweight tablet series. It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

We didn't test the iPad Air 5 however, in our iPad Air 4 review, we praise its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. The iPad Air's battery life was also impressive. It endured 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test of continuous Wi-Fi surfing at 150 nit of brightness. We expect the iPad Air with its new M1 chip to be more on par with the M1 iPad Pro. 

Apple's M1 8-core chip and 8-core graphics combination ensures snappy responsiveness and smooth gameplay. Touch ID and Apple Pay functionality allow for fast and secure payments. And what's more, the 5th generation iPad Air works with Apple Pencil and Apple Magic Keyboard (both sold separately). 

Weighing in a 1 pound and 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5 looks identical to the iPad Air 4 (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and on par with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Now $100 off, the iPad Air 5 is a must if you want to snag Apple's fastest, lightweight tablet for less. 

The iPad Air with Apple M1 succeeds the iPad Air 4 and brings more speed to the brand's lightweight tablet. Currently, the Apple iPad Air is on sale for $499at Amazon. You would usually expect to pay $599 for this tablet, so that's $100 off its normal price. 

This is the cheapest it's ever been and one of the best iPad deals we've tracked so far this year. 

The 2022 iPad Air brings faster performance, more storage, and longer battery life to Apple's lightweight tablet series. It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

We didn't test the iPad Air 5 however, in our iPad Air 4 review, we praise its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. The iPad Air's battery life was also impressive. It endured 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test of continuous Wi-Fi surfing at 150 nit of brightness. We expect the iPad Air with its new M1 chip to be more on par with the M1 iPad Pro. 

Apple's M1 8-core chip and 8-core graphics combination ensures snappy responsiveness and smooth gameplay. Touch ID and Apple Pay functionality allow for fast and secure payments. And what's more, the 5th generation iPad Air works with Apple Pencil and Apple Magic Keyboard (both sold separately). 

Weighing in a 1 pound and 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5 looks identical to the iPad Air 4 (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and on par with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Now $100 off, the iPad Air 5 is a must if you want to snag Apple's fastest, lightweight tablet for less. 

Apple's 2022 iPad Air 5 just hit its lowest price ever just before Black Friday 2022. Run, don't walk to snag the M1 iPad Air for just $499 at Amazon. That's $100 off its normal price of $599 and the cheapest it's ever been. 

This not only sets a new record low price for the iPad Air 5, it's also among the top 7 lowest price Black Friday Apple deals that are now live. 

Apple's 5th generation iPad Air is a worthy iPad Air 4 successor. It brings faster performance, more storage, and longer battery life to Apple's lightweight tablet series. It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

Although we didn't test this model, in our iPad Air 4 review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We expect the new iPad Air to surpass its predecessor and be more on par with the M1 iPad Pro. 

Apple's M1 8-core chip alongside 8-core graphics results in snappy performance and smooth gameplay. Like its siblings, the new iPad Air 5 features Touch ID and Apple Pay for fast and secure payments. The 5th generation iPad Air works with optional Apple accessories like Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing. Pair it with Apple's Magic Keyboard for that familiar laptop feel (both sold separately). 

With a weight of 1 pound and 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches dimensions-wise, the iPad Air 5 is on par with the iPad Air 4 (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Now $100 off, the iPad Air 5 is a solid choice if you want to pick up Apple's fastest, feather-light tablet. 

Black Friday 2022 is officially on Nov. 25 and already, the lowest prices on iPads are here. Be sure to visit our Black Friday iPad deals hub for the best discounts.

Black Friday is a few weeks away, but the deals are already starting to drop fast and furiously. Today at Walmart, you can pick up this Apple iPad Air 4th Gen (2020) with 64GB of storage, Touch ID, a 12MP main camera, and 7mp HD front-facing camera for just $349 at Walmart! 

Save $120 dollars at Walmart right now and enjoy the beautiful bright 10.9-inch liquid Retina display with True Tone and up to 10 hours of battery life. This is one of the best deals we've seen on an iPad Air, and makes it an excellent value over the $449 iPad (2022).

The iPad Air is an excellent choice for those who are constantly on the go and need a combination of portability and performance. Apple's 10.9-inch liquid Retina display offers excellent brightness while reproducing warm saturated colors that make devouring video content on your favorite apps enjoyable. 

With the iPad, you also have access to Apple's ever-expanding and secure app store, allowing you to download all the productivity-enhancing apps you may need as you travel. There are also tons of games and video streaming applications like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Hulu that will allow you to binge-watch your favorite shows while on the road. 

The Apple iPad 4th Gen comes in Rose Gold, Green, Space Grey, Sky Blue, and Silver. This steal of a deal on the A14 Bionic powered, 64GB iPad is available now at Walmart for just $349, a savings of $120 you can take advantage of during this early Black Friday deal. 

If the iPad 4th Gen isn't right for you then keep an eye on our Black Friday tablet deals page for all of the latest discounts on the best tablets.

Apple's new iPad 2022 delivers a much-needed revamped design to the entry-level tablet that's hugely welcome. Now equipped with a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, A14 Bionic, USB-C port, and advanced cameras, the 10th Gen iPad looks quite familiar with another popular Apple tablet: the iPad Air.

Of course, the latest iPad Air 2022 now sports a powerful M1 chip. However, it wasn't long ago that the iPad Air 2020 also sported an impressive A14 Bionic, which now powers the new iPad 10. With an identical design, the same 10.9-inch display, Touch ID side button, and 12MP front- and rear-facing cameras, the refreshed entry-level iPad is closer to the iPad Air than ever.

With its similarities, the iPad 10 appears to be a great, affordable option priced from $449/£499 compared to the $599/£669 iPad Air with M1 (U.K. buyers aren't getting as good of a deal). However, there are a few features the standard iPad lacks when compared to the iPad Air. 

This includes the display. While both iPads offer a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina (2360 x 1640) LED panel, with each delivering 500 nits of brightness, the iPad 10 only supports sRGB color coverage, unlike the iPad Air offering the DCI-P3 wide color industry standard.

What's more, the new iPad's display doesn't have an anti-reflective coating like the iPad Air, which helps reduce glares of light. Plus, the iPad Air's display is fully laminated, whereas the iPad 10's isn't.

Another feature the 10th Gen iPad lacks is support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, as it only supports Apple's first stylus. What's worse, since the first Apple Pencil charges via Lightning port, users will need to get an adapter to connect the stylus to the iPad's updated USB-C port. This is priced at $9 on the Apple Store. 

iPad 2022 still impresses 

While potential buyers may be losing out on a few features, the iPad 10 still brings interesting updates. For one, users are getting the same front-facing 12MP ultra-wide camera as the iPad Air, but this time it's positioned in the top center of the display in landscape mode, meaning users won't look like they're peering off to the side on video calls. Plus, expect the same 12MP wide camera lens at the front. 

What's more, with a Home button nowhere in sight, you'll get the handy side button with Touch ID instead. the iPad 2022 (9.79 x 7.07 x 0.28 inches, 1.05 pounds) also shares a similar slim, lightweight form factor with the iPad Air (9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches, 1.02 pounds).

We're fans of the new iPad's revamp, and even think you'd be better off with the iPad 2022 — not the iPad Pro 2022. The new iPad is now available to pre-order, with shipping dates on October 26. We'll have to get our hands on it to see if it's a worthy iPad 9 successor, so watch this site. 

Just days after Amazon's October Prime Day deals event, the iPad Air 5 returns to its all-time low price. This price drop arrives on the heels of reports surrounding the iPad Pro 2022's potential release date.

Right now, the Apple iPad Air 5 is on sale for $519 at Amazon. That's $80 off its normal retail price of $599 and the lowest price ever for this Apple tablet. This is one of the best iPad deals you can get before Black Friday. 

Apple's iPad Air offers everything you could ever want in a tablet. The base model has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 processer, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built in stereo speakers, 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

The iPad Air 5 works with optional Apple accessories like Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing. Pair it with Apple's Magic Keyboard for that familiar laptop feel (both sold separately). 

While we didn't test this 5th generation iPad Air, in our iPad Air 4 review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. iPad Air 5 reviews on Amazon average 4.8 out of 5-starts on Amazon. Satisfied owners praise its portability, speedy performance and gorgeous design.

Powering the iPad Air is 5 is Apple's M1 8-core chip alongside 8-core graphics. This simply means you can expect snappy performance and smooth gameplay. And for fast and secure payments, the iPad Air 5 is equipped with Touch ID and Apple Pay. 

So how does the iPad Air 5 compare to the iPad Air 4? With a weight of 1 pound and measuring 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5's mass is nearly identical to the 4th generation iPad Air (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Whether you're in the market for a tablet or holiday shopping early, the iPad Air 5 is a solid buy. Especially at this tempting deal price. 

October Prime Day deals are in full swing and we're seeing the lowest prices on Apple iPads. 

Starting today at Amazon, you can get the iPad Air 5 with 256GB of storage for $669. That's $80 off its normal price of $749 and the biggest discounts it's seen yet. It's one of the best iPad deals in Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale. 

For those on the go, the iPad Air balances portability and performance beautifully. The 10.9-inch LCD screen may not be as fancy as an OLED screen, but it’s stunning regardless. 

Sidecar mode is a fun feature that can turn the iPad Air into a second display for a Mac. It also features a single 12MP rear-facing camera, and a 12MP front-facing camera that lets you record in both a regular and super-wide angle. 

And while you may not get the highest res display, the 2022 iPad Air does include the M1 chip, giving it the incredible processing speed of a macBook air. In the Geekbench 5 test, the 2022 iPad Air actually scores higher than the 2020 iPad Pro. 

It comes in several colors, ranging from Blue to Purple, Space Gray to Starlight. With all these options, the 2022 Apple iPad Air 256GB model is a steal for $819 at Amazon. And while we think the deal on the 256GB model with both WiFi and Cellular is killer, the 64GB model is also on a great deal with 5% off for Prime Early Acess. If you don’t need Cellular, the WiFi only model starts at just $519

Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale continues to offer holiday deals from now through Oct. 12. Browse our Prime Early Access Sale deals hub for more savings on today's must-have tech.  

Apple's 2022 iPad Air 5 returns to its lowest price ever during Amazon's Memorial Day sale. So if you want to treat yourself to a shiny new iPad, here's your chance to save. 

Right now, you can get the latest M1-charged iPad Air with 256GB of storage for $679 at Amazon. That's $70 off its normal price of $749 and the biggest discounts it's seen yet. This not only marks the iPad Air 5's lowest price ever, it's also one of the best iPad deals of the season. 

• Shop: Amazon's entire sale

Apple's 5th generation iPad Air is a worthy iPad Air 4 successor. It brings faster performance, more storage, and longer battery life to Apple's lightweight tablet series. 

The tablet in this deal has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built-in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

Although we didn't test this model, in our iPad Air 4 review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We expect the new iPad Air to surpass its predecessor and be more on par with the M1 iPad Pro. 

Apple's M1 8-core chip alongside 8-core graphics results in snappy performance and smooth gameplay. Like its siblings, the new iPad Air 5 features Touch ID and Apple Pay for fast and secure payments. The 5th generation iPad Air works with optional Apple accessories like Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing. Pair it with Apple's Magic Keyboard for that familiar laptop feel (both sold separately). 

With a weight of 1 pound and 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches dimensions-wise, the iPad Air 5 is on par with the iPad Air 4 (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Now $70 off, the iPad Air 5 is a solid choice if you want to pick up Apple's fastest, feather-light tablet. 

The iPad Air 4 is still one of the best tablets out there, despite being replaced by the iPad Air 5. As a direct result, we're now seeing a steep price cut on Apple's 4th generation iPad Air. 

Right now, you can get the Editor's Choice iPad Air 4 (256GB) for $599 at Amazon. When not on sale, it retails for $749, so that's $150 in savings. This is the lowest price ever for this iPad Air 4 configuration and one of the best iPad deals we've tracked this year. 

• Shop: Amazon's entire sale
• More: Best tablet deals 

Apple's 4th generation iPad Air  has all you could ever want in a tablet: portability, speed, power, and long battery life. Check the specs and you'll see it offers the best 11-inch iPad Pro features for less.

The tablet in this deal features a 10.9-inch Retina display, A14 Bionic chip, and 256GB of storage. With Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard support (both sold separately), the iPad Air is a cheaper Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra or Surface Pro 8 alternative.

In our iPad Air (2020) review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award for its excellent performance. 

Design-wise, the iPad Air looks more like an iPad Pro than an entry-level iPad. Its redesigned chassis has slimmer display bezels than its predecessor. Not only does it have a smaller footprint, but it also makes for a more immersive viewing experience. 

At 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pound, the iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds). The 11-inch iPad Pro has almost the same dimensions and weight as the iPad Air, coming in at 8.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound. 

As with all iPad deals, this one won't last too long, so we recommend you grab it while you still can. 

The iPad Air 4 may no longer sit on Apple's flagship tablet throne, however it's still one of the best tablets around. We're weeks past the iPad Air 5's release date and its predecessor is seeing its best discount yet.  

Amazon currently offers the iPad Air 4 (Rose Gold) for $469 at checkout. Normally, it retails for $599, so that puts $130 back into your bank account. This is the lowest price we've seen for Apple's 4th generation iPad Air since its October 2020 release. 

This is one of the best iPad deals we've seen all month. 

• Shop: Amazon's entire sale
• More: Best tablet deals 

The iPad Air 4 has all you could ever want in a tablet: portability, speed, power, and long battery life. Check the specs and you'll see it offers the best 11-inch iPad Pro features for less.

The base model iPad Air has a 10.9-inch Retina display, A14 Bionic chip, and 64GB of storage. With Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard support (both sold separately), the iPad Air is a cheaper Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra or Surface Pro 8 alternative.

In our iPad Air (2020) review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award for its excellent performance. 

Design-wise, the iPad Air looks more like an iPad Pro than an entry-level iPad. Its redesigned chassis has slimmer display bezels than its predecessor. Not only does it have a smaller footprint, but it also makes for a more immersive viewing experience. 

At 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pound, the iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds). The 11-inch iPad Pro has almost the same dimensions and weight as the iPad Air, coming in at 8.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound. 

We suspect this deal won't last too long, so act fast!

Apple's 5th generation iPad Air boasts faster performance, more storage, upgraded cameras and better battery life. Just days after its release, Apple's newest iPad is seeing its first discount. 

Amazon currently offers Apple's 2022 M1 iPad Air for $569. It normally retails for $599, so that's $30 in savings. Of course, it's the lowest price ever for this newly released tablet.

• Shop: Amazon's entire sale
• More: Best iPad deals

Apple's 2022 iPad Air is significantly faster than the 2020 iPad Air and packs double the storage. It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

The 5th generation iPad Air works with optional Apple accessories like Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing. Pair it with Apple's Magic Keyboard for that familiar laptop feel (both sold separately). 

Although we didn't test this model, in our iPad Air 4 review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We expect the new iPad Air to surpass its predecessor and be more on par with the M1 iPad Pro. 

Apple's M1 8-core chip alongside 8-core graphics results in snappy performance and smooth gameplay. Like its siblings, the new iPad Air 5 features Touch ID and Apple Pay for fast and secure payments. 

With a weight of 1 pound and measuring 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, the iPad Air 5 is on par with the 4th generation iPad Air (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pounds). It's slightly lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds).

Apple's iPad Air 5 arrives just in time to challenge Samsung’s refreshed tablet lineup, including the Galaxy Tab S8. The mid-tier tablets from both companies look almost identical to last year’s models, but a couple of changes inside both make a significant difference.

The iPad Air 5 added Apple’s M1 chip and optional 5G, previously exclusive features to the iPad Pro line. The Galaxy Tab S8 moves to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and Samsung includes the new-and-improved, low-latency S Pen in the box.

While iPad may as well be synonymous with the word tablet for many people, don’t overlook the Galaxy Tab S8. These are easily two of the best tablets available today, so let’s look at which one is right for you. 

• Best tablet in 2022
• iPad Buying Guide: iPad vs. iPad Air vs. iPad Pro vs. iPad mini
• iPad Air vs. Galaxy Tab S7: Which tablet is best?

 iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: price and value 

The iPad Air still starts at $599 with 64GB of storage. Upgrading to 256GB of storage raises the price to $749. Adding a 5G cellular radio to either model bumps the price up by $130. 

The Galaxy Tab S8 saw a slight price hike from its predecessor, moving to $699 for the 128GB base model, up from $649. For another $80, you can double your storage to 256GB. A cellular model of the Galaxy Tab S8 is coming soon, according to Samsung, but there’s no sign of it yet. 

Samsung sweetens the deal a bit by including the updated S Pen with the Galaxy Tab S8. Getting the comparable Apple Pencil for your iPad Air 5 would set you back another $129. Granted, this is only relevant if you want to use a stylus with your tablet, but it’s worth noting.

If you can stick to the base model iPad Air 5, it is the better value, but most users are going to want that storage upgrade as 64GB can vanish in a flash. At that point, the base Galaxy Tab S8 with 128GB of storage, and the included S Pen, for $699 wins.

Winner: Draw 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: design

The iPad Air 5 and Galaxy Tab S8 have one thing in common, both are virtually unchanged from the design of their predecessors. This isn’t a criticism in either case as both tablets offer a stylish aluminum finish; they’re also thin, light and comfortable to use.

For the iPad Air 5, the now-familiar squared-off look that permeates Apple’s modern lineup is present. While I like the look of it on the iPhone 13, I think it fits the tablet even better as the larger size makes the hard-edged design more pleasant to hold. The bezels are still a touch larger than is necessary, but it does prevent you from accidentally touching the screen. Around the edges of the tablet, you have a power button, volume up and down, and a USB-C port. 

The Galaxy Tab S8 nearly matches the iPad as a study in minimalism with a slightly more rounded rectangular frame, but it adds a couple of touches to avoid the completely blank slate look. The most notable is the black glossy area on the back of the tablet that is also the magnetic charging dock for the S Pen, which flows directly into the rear cameras. A more subtle touch is an outlined border hugging the left and right sides of the tablet on the back that wraps towards the front. It mirrors iPad Air exactly with its port and buttons around the outside.

Both tablets also rely on a fingerprint sensor in the power button for biometric login, which is too bad because facial recognition is ideal for a tablet. 

At 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds, the Galaxy Tab S8 is slightly larger and heavier than the iPad Air 5 (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, 1 pound), but it’s nothing to sway a purchasing decision.

There’s no clear design winner between these two. The large thin glass and aluminum slate limits the opportunities for getting too wild with design and both of these tablets settled into a very similar look and feel.

Winner: Draw 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: display 

The iPad Air 5 features a 10.9-inch, Liquid Retina IPS display with a resolution of 2,360 x 1,640 pixels. The Tab S8 has a slightly larger 11-inch LED display with a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel resolution and it boasts an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. 

Both tablets miss out on the top-tier tech from their respective companies with the iPad Air 5 missing out on ProMotion and mini-LED, while the Tab S8 lacks the renowned AMOLED of the Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra. With that said, both delivered pretty solid results in our testing.

The iPad Air 5 managed to reproduce 79.2% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, which bests the Tab S8 (71.6%) in its Natural color setting, but the Tab S8 has an ace up its sleeve with the Vivid color setting that boosts it to 111.8%. The Tab S8 also offers more accurate color accuracy in that mode with a 0.25 Delta-E score (lower is better), compared to 0.29 for the iPad Air 5.

Apple wins some points back with its 485 nits of brightness versus 463 nits for the Galaxy Tab S8. This is a negligible difference; both are bright enough to hold up well – even in direct sunlight. 

This is another pretty easy win for the Galaxy Tab S8; the 120Hz refresh rate, richer color spectrum and superior color accuracy are enough to carry it over the finish line first. 

Winner: Galaxy Tab S8 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: Keyboard and stylus

We already mentioned that the Galaxy Tab S8 comes with the new S Pen that features reduced latency. Combined with the display’s 120Hz refresh rate, the stylus makes for a seamless digital writing experience. The Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) offers a similarly lag-free experience, but you have to shell out $129. 

We haven’t had a chance to review the Book Cover Keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S8 yet, but the $139 keyboard and cover gives you some protection and early reviews report a solid typing experience. The iPad Air 5 uses the same Magic Keyboard as its predecessor and the iPad Pro 11-inch. It delivers that remarkable floating stand design for improved ergonomics typing on the keyboard, but it’s thick and heavy. At $299, it’s a tough sell to pair with your $599 tablet.

The Galaxy Tab S8 is the winner here again, in part, due to the value proposition. You get a very similar stylus experience for free and adding the Book Cover Keyboard puts you just $10 over the cost of adding the stylus alone to the iPad Air 5. If you are looking to use the iPad Air 5 as a laptop replacement that will only rarely be used as a true tablet, then the Magic Keyboard is undeniably the better keyboard, but at that point, you should consider a MacBook Air (M1, 2020).

Winner: Galaxy Tab S8 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: performance

If you’ve been paying any attention to phones or tablets in the last few years, you’ll know that Samsung doesn’t have a prayer here, but what the heck, let’s let them duke it out and see how it goes. 

The iPad Air 5 introduces Apple’s M1-chip, basically the same chip found in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch. This includes an 8-core CPU and 8-Core GPU along with Apple’s Neural Engine technology. The iPad Air 5 is blisteringly fast, offering killer performance that far exceeds a tablet's demands, especially a sub-$600 slate.

The Galaxy Tab S8 is no slouch; it features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip with 8GB of RAM. Can it keep up with the iPad Air 5? Absolutely not. Can it keep up with literally any game, app or task that you will throw at it? A resounding yes. However, the win, lose, or draw face-off format doesn’t allow for “Both are quite good; don’t worry about it,” so let’s take a closer look at how each one stacks up in our benchmark testing. 

In the Geekbench 5 overall performance test, the iPad Air 5 scored a resounding win with 7,151, just shy of the iPad Pro 11-inch (7,293). The Galaxy Tab S8 wanted to bust out its go-to karaoke favorite, “Living on a Prayer,” but it didn’t make it halfway there with a score of 3,228. Our Adobe Premiere Rush test that has the tablets convert a 4K video to 1080p went similarly with the iPad Air 5 finishing in 22 seconds compared to 48 seconds for the Galaxy Tab S8.

The Galaxy Tab S8 delivers plenty of performance, but the iPad Air 5 completely blows it out of the water with laptop-level benchmark results befitting its M1 chip.

Winner: iPad Air 5 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: battery life 

While Apple made strides to improve battery life in the iPhone 13, it seems satisfied to stay at right around 10 hours with the iPad. The iPad Air 5 is no exception. It came in at 10 hours and 9 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test, which involves the tablet continuously surfing the web on Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness.

The Galaxy Tab S8 blows this result away. With the display set to the same 60Hz as the iPad, it lasted 12 hours and 59 minutes. Even jumping up to its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, the Tab S8 still wins handily at 12 hours and 53 minutes. 

While 10 hours is enough battery life to get through even a heavy day of usage, you can’t dismiss a battery life advantage of nearly three hours.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S8 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: cameras 

For most tablet users, the front-facing camera is the most important for video calling and both tablets added some significant updates there. However, I won’t skip the rear cameras for those who do choose to snap some photos with the rear cameras on their tablet.

Front cameras first, the iPad Air 5 features a 12MP front-facing camera that gets the Center Stage tech that originated on the iPad Pro, which will track you and keep you centered during a call. The tablet’s camera produces sharp and colorful images, and handles low-light reasonably well. The Galaxy Tab S8 will sound like a carbon copy with a 12MP front-facing camera that adds an auto-framing feature that keeps you centered during a call — hmm, where have I heard that before? Regardless it also produces sharp images that should hold up under reasonable lighting conditions.

Turning to the back of these tablets, the Galaxy Tab S8 gains the edge with a 13MP wide-angle and 6MP ultra-wide lens. Neither will hold a candle to anything you’ll find on a modern flagship (or even mid-tier) phone, but if you are in a pinch and need to use it they will suffice. The same can be said of the iPad Air 5’s 12MP wide-angle camera, but it does lose that ultra-wide that is found on the S8 and the iPad Pro models.

The Galaxy Tab S8 has a slight lead here with its ultra-wide, but ultimately for most people's tablet usage, this is a draw.

Winner: Draw 

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: software 

This is another walk-off home run for the iPad Air 5. The Galaxy Tab S8 has to look forward to next season and hope that management (a.k.a. Android) sets it up with a better lineup.

iPad OS is better adapted to the tablet form factor than Android and that’s just where the disparities start. Android tablets are ignored as a platform by far too many developers, which doesn’t matter if you are looking for a content consumption device, or something just to run a core group of apps and games, but if you want to use your tablet for more, the iPad Air 5 is the easy choice.

There is some reason for hope on the Android side with Android 12 delivering a more tailored experience for tablets and foldables. However, it’s still in early days and we need to see developer uptake before we’ll believe the platform is turning around. 

The iPad also has the edge in software support with roughly six years. However, that’s a far less significant difference than it used to be as the Galaxy Tab S8 will receive four years of major OS and security updates. 

Winner: iPad Air 5

iPad Air 5 vs. Galaxy Tab S8: Which should you buy?

It was a close-fought battle between these two, with the iPad Air 5 coming home with two category wins, but the Galaxy Tab S8 claims victory with three. However, the total wins alone don’t tell the whole story, so let’s take a look at the specific victories for each tablet to help you pick the right one for your use case.

The Galaxy Tab S8 crushed the iPad Air 5 on battery life, offers a superior display and a better overall keyboard and stylus combo. The first two make the Galaxy Tab S8 an easy recommendation for anyone predominantly using the tablet to watch videos. It’s also worth noting if you are a traveler that needs to get by without regularly charging, an extra three hours of battery life is huge. The bundled S Pen may go unused or it could unlock the tablet as your note-taking or sketching device of choice. Samsung’s more affordable keyboard case also gets you a lighter laptop replacement for over $100 less than the iPad Air 5 and Magic Keyboard.

Turning to the iPad Air 5, while it may have only won two categories, they are significant. More than doubling the performance of the Galaxy Tab S8 is an impressive feat and affirms that this tablet is going to be fast enough for anything you need for years to come, but the software component is the most important. If you want to explore what can be done with a tablet or always have access to the latest apps and games, iPad OS is easily the better choice. Apple has proven its commitment to tablets over the years, and Google is just finally showing a glimmer of interest again. 

The new Apple iPad Air 5 is now available for pre-order and set for a release date of March 18 — prices start at $599. 

The new iPad Air improves upon its predecessor in many ways. It delivers faster performance, more storage, upgraded cameras, and enhanced battery life. 

• More: Best iPad deals
• Best tablets of 2022

The iPad Air 5 is significantly faster than the 2020 iPad Air and packs twice as much storage. 

It features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and Apple M1 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Rounding out its specs are built in stereo speakers, a 12MP rear camera and 12MP FaceTime camera.

Apple's M1 8-core chip alongside 8-core graphics translates to faster performance and smoother gaming over its predecessor. Like its siblings, the new iPad Air 5 features Touch ID and Apple Pay for fast and secure payments. 

If you want to be among the first to own Apple's new tablet, pre-order the iPad Air 5 today. 

The new iPad Air 5 with M1 surprised a lot of us at Apple’s Peek Performance event, but once that feeling subsided, I was left with one question: why does it even exist?

Yes, I know that headline was pretty dramatic. In reality, I’m confident the iPad Air is going to be a lovely tablet to use. But I came into Laptop Mag working as a deals writer. I care about getting each and every one of you the best value for money, and the iPad Air ain’t it

• More: Best iPad deals
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch review
• Move over Mac mini, this is the Mac Studio

Right now, in this gap between the M1 iPad Air launching and the eventual announcement of the M2 iPad Pro, the former has no reason for being here. Let me explain.

64GB is just getting silly now

64GB is an incredibly limiting amount of space and Apple knows it. The company made a big stink about upping the base iPhone 13 to 128GB, so the fact that this smaller storage option still exists for the iPad is wholly inconsistent with what Apple itself has said.

And I’ve not even started talking about the impact on the end user. The best Apple Arcade games can take up to 7GB of storage, and all the most used apps on the app store easily fill up a gigabyte. Your photo library, podcasts, downloaded movies, TV shows, any creative work you do — all of this will make a dent on your iPad’s capacity that you’re regularly going into those storage options and tweaking to make room for other things.

That is why even at $599, this lower cost option is just not an acceptable choice. You don’t want to waste your time offloading and re-downloading stuff as you need it. Apple should permanently upgrade the storage to 128GB at this same price point.

2022 iPad Air vs 2021 iPad Pro: What’s the difference?

Laptop Mag’s smartphone expert, Sean Riley, has already done a detailed face-off between the new iPad Air 5 and iPad Pro with M1, and you can check it out for a deeper look

What I will highlight, though, is the improvements you get in the iPad Pro over the iPad Air:

• Better camera system: An additional 10MP ultra-wide, a true tone flash and a LIDAR scanner
• Face ID: A true depth camera on front to make unlocking a whole lot easier
• A better display: Liquid Retina with 600 nit-brightness and a 120Hz variable refresh rate
• Four-speaker audio
• The USB-C connector has Thunderbolt support

With those features, you’d expect this to be a more pricey option, right? Well, while the list price (or RRP in the U.K.) of $799/£749 does suggest this, the reality is different.

After nearly a year out in the wild, the M1 iPad Pro is regularly discounted and you can find the 128GB model for either the same price or either cheaper than the 256GB iPad Air.

Wait… So what’s the point of the M1 iPad Air?

It’s a good question, dear reader. The point of it is not yet clear, but it will be soon. You see, this Apple Event was quite a small announcement in the grand scheme of where Apple Silicon is going. 

We essentially got the M1 equivalent of going Super Saiyan with the M1 Ultra: it’s final form. But there were lots of expectations to see the M2 in stuff like a new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. One thing we can rely on Apple to do is make common sense decisions with their device refreshes, so it should come as no surprise that when the M2 event inevitably happens, it will only be a matter of time before that new chip finds itself in the iPad Pro.

That is when the 2022 iPad Air will make sense, but right now, it exists alongside a far superior and cheaper iPad Pro.

Outlook — just get the iPad Pro

Do you want an M1 iPad? 64GB of storage is just restraining yourself and the cost of a 256GB model is right out there in no man’s land for nonsensical pricing.

At the time of writing this, the 11-inch iPad Pro with 128GB of storage is exactly the same price as the 256GB iPad Air 5 at $749/£699 at Amazon (it has been cheaper before), but it also comes with the additional benefits of a better display, better cameras, Face ID and Thunderbolt support This is a clearly superior tablet that’s worth taking the hit on storage in my opinion.

• Get the 11-inch iPad Pro for $749 at Amazon
• Get the 11-inch iPad Pro for £699 at Amazon

But of course, that’s just one person’s opinion. You’re well within your own right to have your own view on how important that extra 128GB of storage is to your content storing needs. All I’m saying is think about it before blindly picking the new thing, yea?

Apple's new iPad Air 5 may not look that different, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. There are a couple of massive changes underneath its aluminum casing. These upgrades make the iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch) a more challenging decision for premium tablet buyers as there is even less separating the two tablets.

While this is a face-off, I want to be clear that there is no universe in which the iPad Air 5 is the better of the two tablets; the iPad Pro retains several clear advantages as you would expect for a tablet that commands a $200 price premium.

With that said, the scrappy iPad Air 5 is not to be dismissed. With the addition of the Apple M1 chip, optional 5G, and a new front-facing camera, the Air is closer than ever to its Pro counterpart.

So let’s take a close look at two of the best tablets available today and see which one is right for you. 

• iPad Buying Guide: iPad vs. iPad Air vs. iPad Pro vs. iPad mini
• Mac Studio and Studio Display: Our video editor is geeking out over them — here's why
• The best Apple deals of March 2022

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): price and value 

The iPad Air still starts at $599 with 64GB of storage. Upgrading to 256GB of storage raises the price to $749. Adding a 5G cellular radio to either model bumps the price up by $130. 

The storage situation is the biggest frustration with the iPad Air 5 as it lacks a 128GB model, which feels like the sweet spot for many users. You are either going to be faced with managing your content on the base 64GB or overbuying for space many won’t use at 256GB.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 with 128GB of storage. So while that’s $200 more than the base price of the iPad Air, if you are someone who would need to upgrade the storage on the iPad Air 5, you are a mere $50 away. Opting for 256GB of storage on the iPad Pro 11-inch raises the price by $100 while the 512GB model costs $1,099. Apple gave iPad Pro users some outlandish storage options this time around too, so you can even shell out $1,499 or $1,899 for the 1TB and 2TB models, respectively.   

While the iPad Air 5 may be cheaper, the storage situation is extremely frustrating and makes the iPad Pro 11-inch the better value.

Winner: iPad Pro 11-inch 

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): design

The iPad Air 5 retains a virtually identical design to its predecessor, which in turn was modeled after the iPad Pro. Both offer that new squared-off look that dominates virtually the entire Apple lineup of devices now. It suits the tablet well with the thin bezels and minimalist design getting out of the way of the essential purpose of the iPad as a pane of glass that is a gateway to your apps and the web.

Other than the slight size disparity with the 10.9-inch display on the iPad Air versus the 11-inch display on the iPad Pro, the camera modules are the other obvious differentiator. The Pro's dual-lens setup is housed in a squircle camera housing similar to the iPhone 13, while the Air still has a single, circular lens like the iPhone SE (2022).  

Far more impactful are the color options available on both tablets, and here the iPad Air gets to shine. The Pro is available in the familiar and pretty bland silver or Space Gray options. By comparison, the iPad Air gives you a rainbow of fruit flavors with pink, purple, blue, Starlight and Space Gray. 

Although it’s not a visible difference, the biometric security methods are another differentiator. The iPad Pro uses Face ID via the front-facing camera whereas the iPad Air 5 relies on a Touch ID fingerprint scanner embedded in its elongated power button at the top edge of the tablet. Both perform quickly and reliably, but there’s no denying that Face ID is the easier option.

While both tablets feature USB-C ports, only the iPad Pro supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4. Both tablets have a magnetic holder on the top edge for charging and securing the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) accessory. Similarly, both support the Magic Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio. The iPad Pro gets an audio boost from its four speakers versus the two found on the iPad Air.

At 9.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound, the 11-inch iPad Pro matches up almost identically to the 10.9-inch iPad Air (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, 1 pound) with just hundredths of an inch separating them.

Winner: iPad Pro 11-inch 

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): display 

While the 11-inch iPad Pro doesn’t get the fancy Liquid Retina XDR display using mini-LED technology of its 12.9-inch sibling, it does have an amazing IPS panel with the adaptive 120Hz ProMotion technology. The iPad Air 5 loses out on ProMotion, meaning it is limited to 60Hz, but still boasts a beautiful Liquid Retina IPS display.

We haven’t had the chance to test out the iPad Air 5 display just yet, but if it at least manages to match the previous model, it will be quite close in most regards to the iPad Pro 11-inch. In our testing of the iPad Air 4, it produced 103% of the DCI-P3 color gamut compared to 113% for the iPad Pro 11-inch, while brightness was a larger gap at 440 nits for the iPad Air to 571 nits for the Pro. 

By far, the biggest consideration between these two models is ProMotion, that 120Hz performance makes for much smoother animations and allows you to watch or edit high frame rate videos. It should also positively impact battery life as it allows the panel to drop below 60Hz based on the content you are viewing, but again we’ll have to wait until we’ve run our tests on the new Air to find out.

Winner: iPad Pro 11-inch

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): Keyboard and stylus

There are no meaningful differences to speak of here. The iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Air both support the Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Apple Pencil 2. The Magic Keyboard is quite literally the same model for both, which may be relevant if you are upgrading an iPad Pro 2018 to an iPad Air 5.

You can read our Magic Keyboard review if you are considering it for either tablet, but the takeaway here is that both tablets feature identical Apple accessories, which are pretty good, but also quite pricey.

Winner: Draw

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): performance and 5G

This was a decisive slam dunk victory for the iPad Pro in the previous generation, but the iPad Air 5 is ready with the block now matching the Pro’s M1 processor and 5G radio. The 5G radios are identical, and both feature 8GB of RAM (the 1TB and 2TB Pro bumps up to 16GB of RAM), but there is one potential difference to be found in the M1 chips between the two.

Apple indicates that both feature M1 chips with an 8-core CPU and 8-Core GPU, but while the Pro is listed with a 16-core Neural Engine, the Air merely lists a Neural Engine. It’s unlikely this is an accident and suggests the M1 in the Air may be a slight step down in this regard. In our testing, we’ll have to see if this has a meaningful impact on any typical tasks.

Even if there is a slight hit to performance in some apps, the M1 has plenty of room to fall off and still crush every other tablet on the market. 

On the Geekbench 5 overall performance test, the iPad Pro with M1 scored a 7,298, dominating the previous iPad Air (4,262, A14 Bionic). Safe to assume this Air will land at least relatively close to the new Pro. The M1-equipped iPad Pro took 22 seconds to add a color filter and transition to a 4K video before exporting it to 1080p resolution on the Adobe Premiere Rush test. The old iPad Air wasn’t a slouch at that either, coming in at 27 seconds, but again it should drop even closer to the Pro now.

Until we see our benchmark results come in, I’m calling this category a draw as the hardware is virtually identical.

Winner: Draw 

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): battery life 

This is another area where we will have to wait and see how our benchmark and real-world testing come through once we have the iPad Air 5 in hand. The iPad Pro lasted 10 hours and 48 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. By comparison, the iPad Air (2020) lasted for 10 hours and 29 minutes. It wouldn’t be shocking to see it close that gap or slightly surpass the iPad Pro, but either way, it’s unlikely that one will dramatically outperform the other.

Winner: Draw 

iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): cameras 

Double the cameras, double the fun! Well, maybe not quite. There’s certainly an argument to be made for tablets to have cameras, but the reality is that most iPad Air or iPad Pro owners also have an iPhone in their pocket that will obliterate the results from these lenses in a form factor that makes sense for taking photos. But I digress. 

The iPad Pro has a dual-camera setup consisting of a 12-megapixel, f/1.8 wide-angle lens, and a secondary 10MP, f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle camera. The iPad Air still sticks to a single 12MP, f/1.8 wide-angle lens. 

By tablet camera standards, both are remarkable, and that hardware surpasses most of the best budget phones and even stacks up against some low-end flagships. But are you really picking your tablet based on the rear cameras? The biggest differentiator on the back cameras for the iPad Pro is the inclusion of the LiDAR sensor for AR apps, but while the AR push continues, this isn’t something that is driving a tablet buying decision for most users. 

The front-facing cameras are relevant for more users as an iPad is an excellent video conferencing device. The iPad Pro has an exceptional 12MP, f/1.8 front-facing camera with the same TrueDepth hardware found on the iPhone that can yield stellar Portrait mode photos. The iPad Air gets a nice upgrade to a 12MP sensor, up from 7MP, and also now features Apple’s Center Stage feature that tracks you during FaceTime calls.

Winner: iPad Pro 11-inch

 iPad Air 5 vs. iPad Pro (11-inch): Which should you buy?

The iPad Pro 11-inch takes the victory with four category wins to none for the iPad Air 5, but impressively the more affordable tablet battled its sibling to a stalemate in three categories. So let’s take a quick look at who should consider going with the iPad Air over the iPad Pro. 

If you are on a tighter budget and want more than the standard iPad can offer, the base iPad Air 5 is the obvious choice. 64GB is a little tight, but you can make it work if you stick to mostly streaming content and don’t overload it with apps. With the updated iPad Air 5 hardware, you are getting the majority of the premium iPad Pro features except for a ProMotion display, dual-camera with LiDAR scanner, and Face ID. 

If you have $800 to spend, the base 11-inch iPad Pro is the best choice. For a mere $50 premium, you get that ProMotion display, quad speakers (versus dual), better front and rear cameras, Face ID, the LiDAR scanner, and the 128GB of storage is a sweet spot for most users.

We’ll check back in on this face-off once we’ve wrapped up our review of the iPad Air 5 to see if it manages to move the needle on any of these categories. It’s safe to say that if you opt for either of these tablets, you are making a solid choice, as while the Galaxy Tab S8 made some interesting changes this year, Apple remains the tablet manufacturer to beat. 

Apple's "Peek performance" event was quite the show, showing off the new iPhone SE 2022 with 5G, a fresh iPad Air 5 with M1, the exciting introduction of M1 Ultra, and the powerful Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display.

Apple revealed the next-generation iPhone SE (2022) with an A15 processor upgrade (the same as the iPhone 13) and 5G connectivity, along with an updated iPad Air 5 with a speedy M1 chip like the iPad Pro, 5G support, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with the iPad Pro's Centre Stage feature. What's more, we got a look at Apple's M1 Ultra chip, which is basically two M1 Max chips stuck together, along with the Mac Studio that works hand-in-hand with the Mac Studio Display.

You can check out the whole show below, along with everything announced as it happened in our live blog. Plus, find out where to buy the exciting products Apple announced. 

• Where to buy the Mac Studio — pre-order starting today
• Where to pre-order the iPad Air 5 — starting March 11
• Where to pre-order the iPhone SE — starting March 11

Check out the biggest announcements from the Apple March event as it happened below.

And we're kicking off! The Cupertino tech giant's virtual event is rumored to finally give us the low-down on its next-generation iPhone SE (2022) and fifth-gen iPad Air. However, we may also see one new Mac model. The invitation doesn't offer too many clues as to what will be revealed with "Peek performance," but this could suggest bringing an M1 Pro or M1 Max chip to another Mac. Better yet, it could mean the introduction of Apple's M2 chips.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is sure to give us all the deets. 

Apple's first product launch event of the year is expected to bring the debut of its new third-generation iPhone SE model, and there are a few notable updates to look forward to.

Apple's low-budget smartphone is looking to finally make the leap to 5G connectivity, and it may get a significant boost in processing power with an A14 or A15 Bionic. The new model is also set to feature the same 4.7-inch display found in the current model and iPhone 8. We're hoping the new SE model will be identically priced with its predecessor, as it may leave room for a $199 iPhone SE (2020).

There have been plenty of hot takes on how the iPhone SE 3 will turn out, including a model with a similar design to the iPhone X. Recently, MacRumors spotted a rumor on Korean blog Naver, stating that the next-gen iPhone SE model will feature support for MagSafe, a Ceramic Shield, along with better battery life. We'd gladly welcome all these features, but we won't know until it's shown off.

For more, we've got you covered on all the latest iPhone SE 2022 rumors. 

Apple's iPad Air (2020) is deemed the best tablet for most people, and for very good reason. This is why we're excited to see what the fifth-generation iPad Air has in store, even though it's not expected to be a major update.

Taking cues from the revamped Apple iPad mini 6, the iPad Air 5 is expected to be equipped with a speedy A15 Bionic, 5G support, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with the iPad Pro's Centre Stage feature. However, expect it to look very similar to the hugely popular iPad Air (2020).

Apparently, the iPad Air 5 is now tipped to boast an M1 chip with 5G, similar to the significant upgrade the iPad Pro 2021 received. This comes from sources speaking to 9to5Mac, stating that Apple has now opted to bring its popular, powerful chip to one of the most popular tablets on the market. This may bump up the price when compared to the previous generation (priced from $599), but it may lose out on the iPad Pro's ProMotion display with XDR tech.

If Apple does announce the iPad Air 5, we'll be excited to see if it's a game-changer. .

As previously reported, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, we may even see Apple preview a next-generation external display named the Apple Studio Display. He stated, "I'm told Apple completed work on it months ago, and the device was due to launch soon after last year's MacBook Pro." Gurman doesn't elaborate on this so we're left to wonder why it didn't make an appearance alongside or shortly after the MacBook Pro 14.

It's been three years since the Apple Pro Display XDR was launched, so it would be a good time for a refresh for the 32-inch 6K display that focused on high-end content creators who require exact color calibration — and who can afford the $4,999 (standard glass) to $5,999 (Nano-textured glass) price. 9to5Mac recently revealed alleged leaked specs for this monitor, which included a 7K resolution, an A13 Bionic chip, and either a 32-inch or 36-inch panel.  

The event is called "Peek performance" after all, and it may very well be related to this display. 

If you head to the Apple Store, you'll find that it's currently undergoing maintenance of sorts ahead of the Apple event. It's a clear indication we're about to see some new Apple products populate the page once it returns.

Apple often does this before a big launch to make sure no products leak before they are unveiled. Expect the company's official store to go back to normal once the event is over. Oh, and you might expect the new iPhone SE and iPad Air 5 on there, too. 

Is Apple gearing up to announce a brand new Mac Studio? According to sources speaking with 9to5Mac, we may see the new product be revealed at the Apple March event, but it may arrive during the annual WWDC event in June instead.

According to the report, the Mac Studio is expected to be based on the popular Mac mini, except far more powerful. The device could be powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips introduced in last year's MacBook Pro 14, as we've previously heard about. However, the Mac Studio, known by the codename “J375,” will reportedly have two versions. One with the M1 Max chip and the other with an even more powerful chip than the M1 Max. A possible variation of the rumored M2 chips, perhaps?

The new product may not be announced during the event, but it's expected to release this year, along with what Mark Gurman believes will be the "widest array" of devices in 2022. 

With just over four hours to go, the hype is already kicking off for the Apple March event. Try out the #AppleEvent hashflag over on Twitter and you'll find it shows off a neat Apple animation when you like a tweet on the iOS Twitter app. Go on, give it a go. 

More details about the new iPad Air 5 dropped from Korean blog Naver, as a post from account yeux1122 states the next-gen iPad Air will come with an M1 chip and 8GB of RAM, along with a starting storage of 128GB. What's more, it will be priced from $599 — the same starting price as the previous iPad Air (2020).

According to MacRumors, the account previously predicted the launch of the latest iPad mini 6, albeit getting the mini tablet's 8.3-inch display size wrong (the account stated 8.7-inches).

Will the account hit the nail on the head? Just four hours to go. 

We're just over two hours away from all of Apple's surprises, which may not be so surprising if the recent rumors ring true. For those interested in the new iPhone SE 3 (which is apparently 40% of iPhone users, according to a survey by SellCell via MacRumors), you may want to know why the iPhone SE (2020) is still one of the best iPhones.  

Just a few hours before the Apple March event, Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted to celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on Tuesday, March 8 (that's today!). Since it falls on the same day, Apple's event is likely to give a shout-out to "the women who are charting the course for a more equitable future."  

Just under two hours to go. 

With rumors swirling about a new M1 series Mac mini, Mac Studio and Mac Pro, will there be room for the announcement of the hotly anticipated M2 chips? As Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently claimed, Apple has been testing M2 Macs, which means we may not see the M2 chips until later this year. He suggests it would be "odd" for the M2 chips to be announced alongside powerful M1 Pro or M1 Max Mac models.

This also means we may not see a new 13-inch MacBook Pro show up at the event if the spotlight is on other Mac models. However, the MacBook Pro may get an M1 Pro and M1 Max update instead, much like its MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 siblings.

Only Apple knows what's in the pipeline, but we're only just over an hour away. At least many still believe we'll see a new iPhone and iPad Air at the event. 

Just under an hour to go! If you're looking for a spot to watch everything announced, Apple has a livestream set up on its official YouTube (check it out above), and you can catch it on Apple's official website or the Apple TV app.

You can also click on "Set Reminder" to get two alerts about the event: one thirty minutes before the broadcast and another one when the stream begins.

We'll be providing constant updates throughout the event, so stay tuned. 

Just 30 minutes to go. The Apple event is expected to last around 60 to 90 minutes, but the company could throw in a surprise announcement. Apple's WWDC 2021 event lasted around two hours, so get the popcorn out.

Oh, and don't worry about that refresh button, this live blog will do it all for you. 

As we're inching closer to the event, it's time to cast your votes on what you're most excited to see at today's Apple Event! Looking for a new budget iPhone SE? A fresh iPad Air? Would a M2 MacBook suit your fancy? Let us know below!

We're in the 10-minute window!

And the last-minute results are in. An M2 MacBook Pro takes the cake. We're hoping it shows up, but if it doesn't, that doesn't mean it won't arrive sometime in 2022.

Only a minute to go, and we're getting some groovy vibes with a nice Apple animation before it all kicks off. 

Here. We. Go.

Good morning, Tim Cook. 

We're starting with Apple TV+, talking about Apple's original TV shows and movies such as Ted Lasso, Swan Song, The Tragedy of Macbeth, CODA, and more.

We're getting a sneak peek (get it?) at all the upcoming shows and movies coming to the streaming service. We're seeing Spirited with Will Farrell, and animated movie called Lucky, Argyle with Henry Cavil, Cha Cha Real Smooth, along with a list of famous actors starring in each of the movies. 

Now there's an Apple TV+ special announcement. We're getting Friday night baseball, which will show two games that will only show on Apple TV+. 

Now Cook is talking about all things iPhone. We're seeing a recap of the iPhone 13 and all of its features, including its different colors.

We're getting a fancy green iPhone 13! Cook states its a Alpine Green for iPhone Pro and a bold green for the standard iPhone models. 

The A15 Bionic chip is coming to the new iPhone SE model! This has been largely rumored for a while, but now we know it comes with the same chip as the iPhone 13. Happy days for budget smartphone fans. 

It's 1.8 times faster than the iPhone 8, which is great news for anyone looking for a budget upgrade. The iPhone SE will come in the usual three colors.

The new iPhone SE will also come with the same glass as the iPhone 13, which is the toughest glass Apple has at the moment. We're also getting better battery life, along with 5G connectivity. All the rumors have hit the nail on the head. 

We're also seeing the latest camera specs in the iPhone SE, including Smart HDR4 and a boost in video quality. Apple also states it will no longer include a plastic wrap in packaging, all to help the environment.

It states at $429, and will be available on March 18. That's slightly pricier than the previous gen ($399), but not by much.

We're now talking about iPad, with Cook focusing in on the iPad Air. We think a new iPad Air is about to be announced. 

Low and behold, the new iPad Air has been announced. We're seeing a bunch of new color models, too.

The M1 chip is coming to to the iPad Air, with up to 60% faster performance than previous generations. These specs will be exactly the same as the iPad pro with M1, and we're excited to see it come to an even more affordable price. 

Another big update is the 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera, which means it supports Centre Stage. Plus, the new iPad Air will have 5G connectivity, along with an increased performance of the USB-C port. As for accessories, the new iPad Air will be compatible with the Magic Keyboard and the Apple Pencil stylus. 

The new iPad Air has components that are 100% recycled as well. The new iPad Air will come in Pink, Purple, Starlight, Black, and a new Blue color.

It will be priced from $599 from 64GB of storage in both Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity, and you can begin ordering this Friday, and will be available on March 18. 

We're now on to Mac models.

Apple Silicon is getting one more chip to the M1 family, called M1 Ultra! Yeah, it sounds like a monster alright. 

M1 Ultra is based on Apple's other monster chip, the M1 Max. Basically, it's two M1 Max chips combined together thanks to "Ultra fusion." It boasts 2.5TB/s of interprocessor bandwidth, which is wild. It has 114 billion transistors, and has 800GB/s bandwidth memory along with 128GB of unified memory. You can also expect a 20-core CPU and a 64-core GPU, and is nearly eight times faster than the original M1 chip. 

M1 Ultra is clearly a game changing chip for professionals, and macOS will scale with M1 Ultra. You can also expect industry-leading security. iPhone and iPad apps will also work on the M1 Ultra Macs. 

We just heard the Apple Studio, which means those Mac Studio rumors may ring true. 

Hello, Mac Studio.

Sorry, Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display. Both will complement one another. 

It's 7.7 inches in length and 3.7 inches in height, which is designed to fit on most desk setups.

The aluminum base also a high tech cooling system, all so it stay quiet while under pressure. There are four Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10GB Ethernet port, a HDMI port, a audio jack (!), and two USB-A ports.

On the front, there are two USB-C ports, and with M1 Ultra, these ports are Thunderbolt 4 ports. You can link up to a 4K TV and four other display. 

Max Studio is 2.5 faster than the 27-inch iMac, with a GPU performance boost of 3.4 times faster than the iMac. But with M1 Ultra, its 3.8 times faster, and 90% faster than the Mac Pro. As for GPU, its 4.5 times faster than the iMac, and 80% faster than the Mac Pro.

It has a maximum 48GB of video memory, and with M1 Ultra, expect that 128GB of unified memory. Phew. 

Wow, Mac Studio is a beast. But there's also the Mac Studio Display.

It's in a class of its own, apparently. With the design, it has narrow bezels, and a slim profile like the iMac. There's an adjustable arm option along with the standard tilt option, which is incredibly handy.

The Studio Display boasts a 27-inch display with 14.7 million pixels, making it 5K retina display. Also expect True Tone and anti-reflective coating.

12MP ultra-wide camera at the front, including Center Stage. There's also a six-speaker sound system, and is claimed to offer a clear surround sound experience with Spatial Audio. 

In terms of I/O, there's three USB-C ports along with a Thunderbolt port (presumable Thunderbolt 4, but not stated). You can also connect three other displays to the Studio Display, and charge the MacBook Pro 14 with the ports.

There's also two color options available, along with new Magic Keyboard options. 

M1 Max Mac Studio will be priced from $1,999, while the M1 Ultra Mac Studio from $3,999. The Studio Display is $1,599.

You can order both products today, and will be available on March 18. 

And now we're finishing up. What a show, eh? We can't wait to get our hands on Apple's new products, so be sure to stay tuned to Laptop Mag for all the big Apple reviews. 

So, here's a quick summary of what the Apple event delivered:

We didn't see any M2 chips, nor did we see a new MacBook Pro reveal, which many rumors suggested. Still, we're amped about the reveal of a new iPhone SE model, iPad Air with M1, the crazy-powerful M1 Ultra, along with the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display. 

Following on massive overhaul for the iPad Air (2020), there was some question as to how much of an upgrade the iPad Pro Jr. would get this time around and while we'll need to get it in for review for a final answer, it certainly looks promising. 

For fans of a cellular iPad, the addition of 5G is a big step in closing the gap with the current iPad Pro models and along with it the introduction of the M1 chip to iPad Air makes this tablet a true potential laptop replacement for some users.

Here's everything you need to know about the iPad Air 5 announced today at the Apple March event.

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iPad Air 5 price and availability

The iPad Air 5 holds on to the $599 starting price of its predecessor, but unfortunately, it also retains the 64GB base storage. Users can upgrade to 256GB if they need more storage or add 5G for $729. You will be able to pre-order the iPad Air 5 starting on March 11.

iPad Air 5 specs and features

The iPad Air 5 adds two of the biggest advantages of the iPad Pro to the Air lineup with the introduction of the M1 processor and 5G. While the design of the tablet remains the same, the internal upgrades more than make up for the lack of external changes.

On the back, you still have a single 12MP camera and while the USB-C port remains, it now offers double the speed of the previous model for far faster file transfers. 

Developing...

Apple is rumored to be working on a low-cost iPhone SE (2022) with 5G connectivity and a new iPad Air 2022, and both are reportedly set to be unveiled at the next Apple event taking place this March.

Apple's virtual event is set to kick off on Tuesday, March 8, and will set the stage for the next iPhone SE and fifth-gen iPad Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, there may also be room for one new Mac model.

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As detailed in the Power On newsletter (via MacRumors), at least one new Mac model is expected to arrive this spring. This may be a new Mac mini with M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, but this could be left until later in the year. Gurman claims there are several Macs with M2 chips that will be announced in 2022, including a revamped MacBook Air, an iMac and a Mac Pro.

While the list of upcoming Apple devices is exciting, it's a good idea to keep a grain of salt close by. In 2021, the Cupertino tech giant was widely expected to kick off its spring event in March, but the Apple Spring Loaded event didn't happen until April. That said, Gurman quashed rumors of the event happening in March last year, and is known to have a good track record.

Taking cues from the revamped Apple iPad mini 6, the iPad Air 5 is expected to be equipped with a speedy A15 Bionic, 5G support, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with the iPad Pro's Centre Stage feature. However, expect it to look very similar to the hugely popular iPad Air (2020).

The iPhone SE 2022 may get a similar update, with a processor upgrade (A14 or A15 Bionic) and 5G connectivity. The new model is also set to feature the same 4.7-inch display found in the current model and iPhone 8.

Only time will tell if we see these new Apple devices introduced on March 8. As previously reported, Gurman claims fall 2022 will see the "widest array of new hardware products in its history." Products include four variants of the iPhone 14, including a new iPhone 14‌ Max, a low-end MacBook Pro and revamped MacBook Air, new iMac and Mac Pro, a refreshed low-end iPad and a new iPad Pro, along with three Apple Watch models and the long-rumored Apple AirPods Pro 2. 

Apple's iPad Air 4 has everything you could ever want in a tablet. It's lightweight, powerful, and provides good battery life. 

Best Buy continues to offer the iPad Air for $499 . That's $100 off its regular retail price and its lowest price yet. 

In fact, this is the best iPad Air deal we've seen since the holidays. 

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Apple's iPad Air is the brand's fastest tablet yet. It's also a great value since it offers all the best features of the 11-inch iPad Pro for less.

The iPad in this deal features a 10.9-inch Retina display, an A14 Bionic chip, and 64GB of storage. It also supports Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing as well as a Magic Keyboard for a laptop feel (both sold separately). 

As we note in our iPad Air (2020) review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's solid battery life, lasting 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award for its excellent performance. 

In terms of design, the iPad Air looks more like an iPad Pro than an entry-level iPad. Its redesigned chassis has slimmer display bezels than its predecessor. Not only does it have a smaller footprint, but it also makes for a more immersive viewing experience. 

At 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pound, the iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds). The 11-inch iPad Pro has almost the same dimensions and weight as the iPad Air, coming in at 8.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound. 

We suspect this deal won't last too long, so act fast!

Apple's next iPad Air is expected to be unveiled in Spring 2022, and while it may not be the reportedly canceled OLED iPad Air, it is expected to feature the powerful A15 Bionic, 5G connectivity, Quad-LED True Tone flash and more upgrades.

Taking cues from the revamped Apple iPad mini 6, the iPad Air 5 will be equipped with a speedy A15 Bionic, 5G support, and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera with the iPad Pro's Centre Stage feature. However, expect it to look very similar to the hugely popular iPad Air (2020).

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Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports that the 5th-gen iPad Air will launch alongside the rumored iPhone SE 2022 at an Apple Spring event, which is expected to take place in either March or April. This comes from supply chain sources speaking to Mac Otakara, and while it seems likely Apple is ready to refresh one of the most popular tablets on the market, it's best to take this in with a pinch of salt.

The report specifically states that the design of the chassis will be the same as the current-gen iPad Air. We're fans of the sleek design with thin bezels, but we hope to see a slight reduction in bezel size and a variety of new color options to choose from. 

As you'll find in our iPad mini 6 review, we were happy with the performance of the A15 Bionic chip, sporting a six-core CPU and five-core graphics. However, in our Geekbench 5 tests, the iPad mini scored a 4,450, edging out the iPad Air 4 (4,262, A14 Bionic). This proves the A15 to be only a minor upgrade over its predecessor. Still, we're interested to see how the iPad Air 5 will handle the upgraded processor.

Will the fifth-generation iPad Air be a worthy upgrade to grab? Only time will tell, but with the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 set to arrive soon, iPads may see big competition from Android tablets this year. 

Lightweight and powerful, the iPad Air 4 is the best tablet for most people. And what better way to start the new year than with shiny new Apple tablet. 

Currently, Amazon offers the silver model iPad Air for $539. It normally retails for $599, so you're saving $60. This is the lowest price we've seen for this tablet since the holidays. 

In terms of iPad deals, it's one of the best we've seen today. 

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iPad Air deal

Apple's iPad Air is the brand's fastest tablet yet. It's also a great value since it offers all the best features of the 11-inch iPad Pro for less.

The iPad in this deal features a 10.9-inch Retina display, an A14 Bionic chip, and 64GB of storage. It also supports Apple Pencil for note-taking and drawing as well as a Magic Keyboard for a laptop feel (both sold separately). 

As we note in our iPad Air (2020) review, we loved its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. We also liked the tablet's good battery life, which lasted 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. We gave the iPad Air a high rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and the Editor's Choice award for its excellent performance. 

In terms of design, the iPad Air looks more like an iPad Pro than an entry-level iPad. Its redesigned chassis has slimmer display bezels than its predecessor. Not only does it have a smaller footprint, but it also makes for a more immersive viewing experience. 

At 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1 pound, the iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches, 1.2 pounds) and about the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches and 1.1 pounds). The 11-inch iPad Pro has almost the same dimensions and weight as the iPad Air, coming in at 8.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound. 

As with all Apple deals, this one won't last too long, so act fast!

Update on October 4, 2021: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that plans for the OLED iPad Air to release in 2022 have been canceled, further supporting statements from sources speaking with The Elec. According to Kuo (via iMore), Apple will shift its focus to bringing a mini-LED display to the 11-inch iPad Pro in 2022. What follows in the original report.

Rumor has it Apple has been planning to release an OLED iPad in 2022, but developments on the Cupertino giant's sought-after tablet may now be scrapped after a disagreement with OLED display panel manufacturer, Samsung Display.

Apple and Samsung Display were gearing up to launch the 10.86-inch OLED iPad, expected to be an upcoming iPad Air, by 2022, but have now canceled the project due to the structure of the OLED panels, profitability issues, or both. 

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According to sources speaking with The Elec (via iMore), Apple wanted a two-stack structure for its OLED iPad, which would increase the brightness levels and the lifespan of the iPad. However, Samsung Display aimed to use a single-stack structure as it would decrease costs. 

As reported, Samsung needs to be certain of the success of the OLED iPad as "preparing for the back-end module process for the products can be costly for the South Korean company."

As the report states, the OLED iPad is now expected to launch sometime in 2023 at the earliest. Since Apple has yet to officially announced the upcoming tablet, however, take this all in with a pinch of salt. Still, credible analysts have previously contributed to the rumors of Apple going OLED. 

Apple's future is OLED

Previously, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the Cupertino company is planning to release a mini-LED MacBook Air and OLED iPad Air by 2022, which backs up statements in the recent report.

According to ETNews, the OLED displays are rumored to be coming to Apple's line of smaller tablets, ruling out the 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The hugely-favored display panels are cheaper than mini-LED panels, so Apple will stick to using OLED to keep the price down on its more affordable tablets — possibly including the iPad mini, iPad Air and original iPad.

This also isn't the first time we've heard of the OLED iPad Air being delayed until 2023. Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), one of the top supply-chain consulting firms in the world, prophesized that the 10.9-inch AMOLED iPad will be available to consumers by 2023. However, these were for different reasons. 

Fans will have to wait sometime before they get their hands on an OLED iPad, but we recommend checking out the dazzling 12.9-inch display on the iPad Pro (2021) instead. 

With the latest iPadOS, Apple brings a number of customization options so you can personalize your Home Screen with unique widgets and app placement. But one of the most frequently asked questions is "how to enlarge icons on my iPad?"

Fortunately, it only requires a simple trip to settings. Not only does it make finding apps on your iPad's Home Screen easier, but using larger app icons can better suit your iPad's display; especially when compared to a significantly smaller iPhone display. 

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How to enlarge app icons on iPad 

When making apps bigger on iPad, you will still see the same number of apps being displayed on one Home Screen page. This means you won't have to reorganize all your apps or widgets. Read on to find out how to enlarge icons on your iPad.

• On your iPad, open the Settings app. 
• Scroll down to "Home Screen & Dock" and tap on it. 

• Switch on "Use Large App Icons."
• When you head back to the Home Screen, the app icons will appear larger. 

Speaking of apps, you can completely change app icons on your iPhone and iPad that allows users to find an image or take a picture that can replace the default icon image on any app. For plenty more ways to customize your iPhone or iPad, check out these 5 apps and tips to customize your iOS device. 

Right now, you can get $99 off Apple’s latest iPad Air tablets at Amazon. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen!

We know a thing or two about the best iPad deals, but even we were surprised to see such a deep discount on one of Apple’s latest tablets.

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Of course, there’s a lot to love about the new iPad Air, from the sleek design that takes inspiration from Apple’s iPad Pro, to the vivid display, loud speakers and good battery life.

Plus, while usability is already great on iPad OS 14, it’s only going to get better with updates. As announced in iOS 15, you can (finally) put widgets on the home screen! This is a future-proof machine and worth every cent.

Apple introduced Face ID with the launch of its iPhone X in 2017, offering facial recognition technology on all of its latest flagship devices ever since; including the iPhone 12 and iPad Pro. However, many iPhone and iPad models still use Touch ID, with the latest iPad Air (2020) and iPhone SE (2020) still adopting the fingerprint scanner.

Touch ID can be used to quickly unlock your iOS device, make purchases with Apple Pay, and add an extra layer of security when entering private information such as passwords. If your fingerprint isn't being recognized fast enough to access your device, or you used the wrong finger when first setting up Touch ID, you'll want to change that.

For those looking to change their fingerprints, find out how to add, delete, and change your fingerprint on iPhone and iPad.

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How to change your fingerprint on iPhone and iPad

Every iPhone with Touch ID support will have the fingerprint scanner placed in the Home button. This includes iOS devices from the iPhone 5s and later. You'll also find this on iPad models with a Home button, except for the iPad Air 2020 with Touch ID found in the side power button.

You can change your fingerprint on an iPhone and iPad with the same method below: 

• Open the Settings app
• Scroll down to "Touch ID & Passcode
• Enter your passcode 
• Tap on the fingerprint you want to change or delete 
• Tap "Delete Fingerprint" 
• Select "Add a Fingerprint" and follow the on-screen steps to make a new fingerprint 

And that's it. To make deleting a fingerprint even easier, you can also swipe the fingerprint option to delete it. The Touch ID settings also allows users to rename their fingerprint to make it easier to know which finger they have assigned to be used to unlock their device.

What's more, Apple lets users add up to five fingerprints so they can use whatever finger is convenient in their left or right hand. However, let it be known that enrolling new prints might make fingerprint recognition take slightly longer.

Touch ID settings also let you toggle what the fingerprint scanner can be used for, allowing you to turn Touch ID on and off for iPhone Unlock, in the iTunes and App Store, Apple Pay, and Password AutoFill. 

How to unlock your iPhone and iPad without pressing the Touch ID sensor

iPhone and iPad users don't have to press the Home button (or side button on the iPad Air 2020) in order to unlock their device. Instead, they can rest their finger on the Touch ID sensor. 

• Open the Settings app
• Navigate to "Accessibility"
• Scroll down to "Home Button" or "Top Button" on iPad Air 2020
• Turn on "Rest Finger to Open."

While this is switched on automatically on the iPad Air 2020, some iOS devices may have it switched off. It's an easier way to quickly access your device.

While Face ID is being used instead of Touch ID in the latest Apple devices, future iPhone and iPad models could still adopt the fingerprint scanner. 

A refreshed iPad Air, packed with an OLED display, is reportedly in the works. Last month, we reported that the OLED-equipped iPad Air could hit the market as early as next year, but a new report predicts that the Apple tablet may arrive later than expected.

Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), one of the top supply-chain consulting firms in the world, prophesizes that the 10.9-inch AMOLED iPad will be available to consumers by 2023.

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iPad Air with OLED display release date may be two years out

Rumors about an upcoming OLED-equipped iPad Air flooded in this year from esteemed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Korean outlet ETNews, Taiwan-based Digitimes and other tech blabbermouths. All claimed that the refreshed iPad Air with OLED could hit the market in 2022, but DSCC foresees a different timeline.

The supply-chain firm predicts that Apple will make its first entry into the OLED tablet market in 2023, which will reportedly boost the tablet market to over $1 billion in 2014.

OLED technology is pricey, which is why they're currently limited to Apple products with smaller displays, including the iPhone, Apple Watch and the MacBook Pro Touch Bar. Speaking of the latter, according to DSCC's insider sources, Apple is discontinuing the Touch Bar — I don't think anyone will miss it.

Once Apple adopts OLED technology for the iPad Air, it should bring higher contrast, wider viewing angles, richer blacks and better brightness. Don't expect OLED to come to the iPad Pro, though. Leaks reveal that the iPad Pro will continue to use the recently introduced mini-LED display.

Apple is reportedly developing a 10.86-inch iPad with an OLED display that is expected to launch next year, with rumors indicating the tech giant is gearing up to release its next-gen iPad Air.

A report from The Elec claims a 10.86-inch iPad with an OLED panel is due to arrive sometime in 2022, with Samsung Display being the "sole supplier." What's more, Apple is apparently also planning to release an 11-inch and 12.9-inch OLED iPad in 2023, which suggests the iPad Pro will lose its newly introduced mini LED display in a couple of years. 

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As spotted by MacRumors, the upcoming iPad will use new low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) "rigid" OLED displays, while the iPad models in 2023 could use a flexible OLED panel. The 10.86-inch size matches the iPad Air 2020 model, which was originally rumored to be a new, standard iPad model last year.

Korean news outlet ETNews reported that Apple will start using OLED for "some iPad models in 2022" after confirming its new tablets with display suppliers, including Samsung and LG.

What's more, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the Cupertino company is planning to release a mini-LED MacBook Air and OLED iPad Air by 2022. All signs are pointing towards a 5th generation iPad Air. 

Apple and OLED

As previously reported, the hugely-favored display panels are cheaper than mini-LED panels, so it appears Apple will stick to using OLED to keep the price down on its more affordable upcoming tablets — possibly including the iPad mini, iPad Air, and original iPad.

The Korean tech industry new site The Elec has a sketchy track record when it comes to Apple rumors, so it's best to take the report with a pinch of salt. That said, OLED displays being fitted on Apple devices have been widely rumored, so there's reason to believe one of the Cupertino company's most popular tablets will get a display upgrade.

The iPhone 13 is expected to deliver a similar LTPO OLED display found in the Galaxy S21 lineup, with refresh rates ranging up to 120Hz. While we'll have to wait until 2022 to confirm the OLED iPad Air, we may not have to wait much longer to check out the next iPhone's display — expected to launch this September. 

Logitech's alternative to Apple's pricier Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro 2021 models has received a design update, as the Swiss manufacturer has announced an all-new Combo Touch keyboard case.

Logitech revealed a new detachable keyboard and trackpad made specifically for Apple's popular iPad Air 2020, along with two new colors for the Combo Touch for iPad Pro. If you're keen, the keyboard case for the iPad will save you up to $100 compared to Apple's very own Magic Keyboard. 

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Much like the original Combo Touch for the iPad Pro, the updated version connects to the iPad via Smart Connector. The case features a detachable keyboard and kickstand to set up the iPad like a laptop.

As for pricing, Logitech's Combo Touch for the iPad Air 2020 and 11-inch iPad Pro model is priced at $200, while the 12.9-inch model comes in at $230. That's considerably less than Apple's $299 and $349 keyboard options, respectively.

You can nab the updated keyboard case for the iPad Air in Oxford Grey when it launches this July, along with the Sand color model for the iPad Pro. They'll be available at Logitech's official site and Apple's store.

Apple's Magic Keyboard recently received a white color option during the announcement of the M1-equipped iPad Pro. Now, Logitech's new Oxford Grey and Sand color variants give iPad users more choice in style — at a much friendlier price point. That said, there are plenty of other perks you'll want to know about in our Magic Keyboard review.

Apple's new iPad Pro is the most powerful and feature-filled tablet on the market, bar none. If you want the pinnacle of tablets, the iPad Pro is the best choice thanks to its speedy performance, gorgeous mini-LED display and 5G wireless support. 

So that's that, right? Get the iPad Pro and don't think twice about it — if only it were that easy. The iPad Pro may be the best tablet for crafting and consuming content, but Apple's most advanced features don't come cheap. The sticker shock alone is enough to make prospective buyers flee into the arms of a Surface Pro tablet or Chromebook. Don't worry, though; you don't need to abandon Apple's ecosystem just yet.

For other face-offs, check out our HP Envy x360 vs. Spectre x360, MacBook Air vs. Surface Laptop 4, Acer Nitro 5 vs. Asus TUF Dash F15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs MacBook Pro.

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This is where the iPad Air comes in. Sold at a more attainable price, the iPad Air shares many useful features with the iPad Pro while leaving some of the more niche enhancements to the pricier model. At least, it has in the past. This year, the iPad Pro received a few significant upgrades that distance it from the iPad Air. 

Do the iPad Pro's new M1 processor, mini-LED display and 5G support make it worth the extra cash over the iPad Air? Let's take a close look at each tablet to find out.

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air price and configurations 

The iPad Air starts at $599 with 64GB of storage. Upgrading to 256GB of storage raises the price to $749. An extra $130 on top of the Wi-Fi-only price gets you LTE support for mobile connectivity. 

Apple doesn't sell a 128GB model, so you're stuck with limited storage (64GB) or forced to spend $749 on the 256GB model, which is only $50 less than the 128GB iPad Pro (11-inch).

Yes, the 11-inch iPad Pro goes for $799 with 128GB of storage. That's a cool $300 less than its larger 12.9-inch sibling. Opting for 256GB of storage raises the price by $100 while the 512GB model costs $1,099. The price increases drastically from there with the 1TB model at $1,499 and 2TB for $1,899.

The iPad Pro 2021 (12.9-inch) starts at $1,099 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model with 8GB of RAM, making it $100 more expensive than the previous model. Doubling storage to 256GB brings the price to $1,199. From there, you can buy a 512GB model for $1,399, or pay $1,799 for 1TB and 16GB of RAM. If you can't store in the cloud or work with gigantic files, the 2TB model with 16GB of RAM costs $2,199.

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air design 

The iPad Pro and iPad Air are slim metal slabs with thin display bezels and simple, understated designs. Not much separates these two when it comes to appearance. Both have sharply rounded corners, a centered chrome Apple logo and a comfortable flat-edge design.

Apart from their size, the major aesthetic difference between the iPad Pro and iPad Air is their respective camera modules. The Pro's triple-lens setup is housed in a squircle camera housing while the Air has a single, circular lens. 

I doubt many people care about the camera modules; what they might desire is a range of colors to choose from. This is where the iPad Air gets one of its few outright victories against the iPad Pro. Where the Pro is available in bland silver and boring Space Gray, the iPad Air comes in rose gold, green, sky blue and the aforementioned traditional shades.

Biometric security methods are the other differentiator between these tablets. The iPad Pro uses Face ID via the front-facing camera whereas the iPad Air relies on a Touch ID fingerprint scanner embedded inside an oblong power button, which is located on the top edge. They both work reliably, but facial recognition is more effortless.

Both laptops come with USB-C ports though only the iPad Pro supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB4. They also share a similar magnetic holder on the top edge for charging and securing the Apple Pencil accessory. Both tablets produce excellent audio, but the iPad Pro benefits from four speakers versus two on the iPad Air. 

At 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inches and 1 pound, the 11-inch iPad Pro is about the same size as the 10.9-inch iPad Air (9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches, 1 pound). The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is predictably larger and heavier at 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches and 1.5 pounds.

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air: display 

Now it gets interesting. 

New this year to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a Liquid Retina XDR display using mini-LED technology. Instead of a uniformly backlit LED screen, the iPad Pro uses 2,500 local dimming zones that can illuminate during bright scenes or turn off completely during dark ones. The result is deeper blacks, more vivid colors and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. 

In theory, the mini-LED panel sounds like an OLED killer. In practice, it isn't too different from the previous panel nor the standard 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display on the iPad Air or the IPS panel on the 11-inch iPad Pro. That is, until you play high-res HDR content, which lets the XDR display fan its feathers like a peacock in courtship. Colors burst off the panel and the maximum brightness reaches blinding limits. When watching HDR videos, either on YouTube or a streaming service that supports the format, like Netflix or Prime Video, the iPad Pro has an edge.

There is a downside to using mini-LED technology. Blooming, or when bright pixels bleed into darker areas, is noticeable under certain conditions. I spotted the blooming when I intentionally replicated the conditions that could cause the effect. That is, in a completely dark room while viewing a dark background with bright objects or writing. The photo I've included is as close to what I see from the naked eye as possible.

Moving on to the benchmarks, we tested the 12.9-inch iPad Pro screen twice: once with HDR and once playing non-HDR content. Our colorimeter registered 563 nits of brightness when showing non-HDR content, which already put it about equal to the 11-inch iPad Pro (571 nits) and ahead of the iPad Air (440 nits). The iPad Pro's XR screen hit 1,582 nits when we looked at 10% of the screen that was illuminated. We measured a vibrant 1,588 nits after expanding our view to 40% of the panel.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 produces 115% of the DCI-P3 color gamut which is a good if underwhelming result. It did, however, top the iPad Air (103%). The 11-inch iPad Pro, at 113%, is even closer to the iPad Air.

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air: Keyboard and stylus 

There's not much to say here. The iPad Pro and iPad Air both support the Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil 2. In fact, the iPad Air recycles the Magic Keyboard from the 11-inch iPad Pro.

I won't go into too much depth here as we have a separate Magic Keyboard review and my qualms with the Smart Keyboard Folio are well documented. Just know that the iPad Air and iPad Pro share the same accessories — which, in the case of the Magic Keyboard and Pencil (Gen 2), are useful, but expensive. 

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air performance and 5G 

It is the old versus the new in this battle between Apple-built chips. Equipped with an A14 processor, the iPad Air was the fastest tablet on the market until the new iPad Pro arrived with the same M1 chip found in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Nothing can catch the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but the iPad Air isn't too far behind. For most people, the performance gap between the Pro and Air won't matter — both slates can run demanding tasks like CPU-intensive apps or workloads containing multiple browser instances and background processes. 

What the iPad Pro grants is extra juice for prosumer apps made for video and photo editors, 3D graphics designers, architects, AR enthusiasts and the like. Some apps are taking advantage of the extra oomph; Zoom, for example, lets you see 48 people in Gallery View versus 25 on other iPad models. Other apps don't exist at all to harness the horsepower under the iPad Pro's hood. Final Cut Pro and Tableau are absent while Photoshop is a "lite" version of the desktop program. 

On the Geekbench 5 overall performance test, the iPad Pro scored a 7,298, crushing the iPad Air (4,262, A14 Bionic) and the previous iPad Pro (4,720, A12Z). When we ran the Adobe Premiere Rush test, the M1-equipped iPad Pro took 22 seconds to add a color filter and transition to a 4K video before exporting it to 1080p resolution. The previous model needed 22 seconds and the iPad Air clocked in at 27 seconds.

The iPad Pro gained 5G connectivity, giving it the faster wireless speeds available from the major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon). You can buy a cellular version of the iPad Air as well, but it will be limited to 4G LTE. 5G is years away from reaching its full potential, but when you're spending this much money, it's good to know the product is futureproofed.

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air battery life 

This is a close finish. The iPad Pro didn't get the battery life boost the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air enjoyed with their transition to the M1 chip. Instead, it maintained about the same endurance as the previous model, lasting for 10 hours and 48 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test. By comparison, the iPad Air lasted for 10 hours and 29 minutes. 

The iPad Pro has a slight edge, but the 19-minute gulf between these two slates shouldn't factor into your buying decision. 

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air cameras 

Two is better than one! The iPad Pro has a dual-camera setup consisting of a 12-megapixel, f/1.8 wide-angle lens and the secondary 10MP, f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle camera. The iPad Air, on the other hand, relies on a single 12MP, f/1.8 wide-angle lens. 

The cameras on both tablets are better than they have any right to be, but if you take lots of photos on your slate, the iPad Pro gets you the versatility of an ultra-wide lens for landscape photography.

More importantly, the iPad Pro has an exceptional 12MP, f/1.8 front-facing camera that produces sharper images and nicer bokeh than the 7MP, f/2.2 lens on the iPad Air. You also get 2x optical zoom on the iPad Pro as well as Portrait mode for artificial background blur. If you frequently FaceTime or Zoom, the iPad Pro comes with Center Stage, a face-tracking feature that ensures you stay centered within the frame during video calls. 

iPad Pro vs. iPad Air: Which should you buy?

This is when I'd usually name an overall winner, but this face-off is really about which tablet is right for you, not which one is the best. If I were determining the most capable tablet, the iPad Pro would be the obvious choice, but you already knew that because of the price gap between these models.

Instead, I'll help you choose the right tablet based on different budgets. Let's start simple. If you're on a strict budget and need a tablet for content consumption, browsing the web and using popular apps, the 64GB iPad Air for $599 is the best option.

If you have $800 to spend, and onboard storage isn't a high priority, go with the base 11-inch iPad Pro. For $50 more, you get the M1 chip, quad speakers (versus deal), better front and rear cameras, and Face ID. If physical storage space and price are more important to you than those perks, the 256GB iPad Air is the best choice. 

If you need the absolute best tablet on the market or are a professional who needs a touchscreen or stylus for content creation, save up for the iPad Pro. Before you do, make sure the apps you use are available on iPadOS and contain the feature you use on your desktop. If this is the case, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the ultimate platform for work and leisure. 

There is one more thing I should mention. Unless you need a touchscreen or the ultra-portable tablet form factor, consider the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. For about the same price, you get all of the power of the iPad Pro, but with the benefits of a traditional laptop.

Apple is reportedly confirmed to use OLED displays for upcoming iPad models starting in 2022. The tech giant has agreed on the production and delivery of its new tablets with display suppliers, which include Samsung and LG.

According to Korean news outlet ETNews (via 9to5Mac), the tech giant will start using OLED instead of the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) for "some iPad models in 2022." The iPad Pro, however, will continue to use the recently introduced mini-LED (Liquid Retina XDR) display.

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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the Cupertino company is planning to release a mini-LED MacBook Air and OLED iPad Air by 2022, which backs up statements in the recent report.

The OLED displays are rumored to be coming to Apple's line of smaller tablets, ruling out the 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The hugely-favored display panels are cheaper than mini-LED panels, so Apple will stick to using OLED to keep the price down on its more affordable tablets — possibly including the iPad mini, iPad Air and original iPad.

The report also states that Apple and its "display companies" have agreed on the production and delivery of the new tablets. Currently, rumors indicate the iPhone 13 will feature an LTPO AMOLED 120Hz display made by Samsung, meaning the South Korean company could be in charge of equipping the 2022 iPad models with OLED displays.

While mini-LED panels are taking over Apple products this year, OLED is looking to be the next big trend from the tech giant. As the report states, “the small and medium-sized OLED market is expected to enter the second growth phase.”

Apple has yet to officially announce any OLED iPads for next year, but we could see plenty more big announcements at its upcoming WWDC 2021 event this June. 

The 2020 iPad Air is one of the best tablets around — and one of the priciest. Luckily, Apple's lightweight tablet is on sale right now to help ease the strain on your wallet.  

For a limited time, you can get the 256GB model Apple iPad Air for $670 at Amazon. It usually retails for $749, so that's $79 off and the biggest discount we've seen on this tablet. In terms of iPad deals, it's one of the best of the season.

By comparison, it's $9 cheaper than B&H's current price.

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iPad Air deal

The latest iPad Air is the brand's fastest tablet yet. It's also a great value since it offers all the best features of the 11-inch iPad Pro for less.

The iPad in this deal features a 10.9-inch Retina display, an A14 Bionic chip, and 256GB of storage. It also supports Apple Pencil for note taking and drawing as well as a Magic Keyboard for a laptop feel (both sold separately). 

In our iPad Air (2020) review, we were impressed by its sleek, thin-bezel design and loud, clear speakers. The iPad Air also delivers good battery life — enduring 10 hours and 29 minutes in our Laptop Mag battery test. The iPad Air earned a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and the Editor's Choice award for its strong performance. 

Design-wise, the iPad Air resembles the iPad Pro rather than the entry-level iPad it is. Apple engineers overhauled the chassis to give it slimmer display bezels than the previous gen iPad Air. This ensures a more immersive viewing experience whether you're streaming movies or playing your favorite games. 

With a weight of 1 pound and 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches dimensions-wise the iPad Air is lighter and thinner than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 (1.2 pounds, 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches). It's on par with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (1.1 pound, 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches) and 11-inch iPad Pro 1 pound, 8.7 x 7 x 0.23 inches). 

iPad deals usually don't last long, so we recommend you catch it while you still can. 

Apple is launching a selection of new accessibility features designed for people with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities, including a huge iPad update that introduces eye-tracking compatibility.

Set to arrive later this year, users will be able to control their iPad using just their eyes, as Apple will be adding support for third-party eye-tracking devices to iPadOS. An additional perk for those who own any iPad model, from the iPad Pro to the popular iPad Air. 

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As stated in the press release, compatible Made For iPhone (MFi) devices will be able to track where a person is looking, and the pointer will move to follow the person’s gaze. In order to tap, users will just need to keep "extended eye contact" to perform the action. Navigating through an iPad is about to get easier.

That's not all, as Apple revealed a slew of new accessibility features to "bring the fun and function of Apple technology to even more people," senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger states.

Apple Watch AssistiveTouch

Apple's watchOS is also getting an update to support those with limited mobility by introducing AssistiveTouch. With the new feature, users won't have to touch the display or controls of an Apple Watch.

Using the built-in motion sensors like the Apple Watch's gyroscope and accelerometer, users will be able to control a cursor on the display through hand gestures, like a pinch or a clench. That's something that's been rumored for the AirPods Pro 2, as well. 

Apple SignTime

Kicking off today, Apple has a new service called SignTime which lets users talk to AppleCare and Retail Customer Care using sign language. The good news is the tech giant made it available in different languages.

Using a web browser on their iPhone or at Apple Store locations, users will be able to use American Sign Language (ASL) in the United States, British Sign Language (BSL) in the United Kingdom, or French Sign Language (LSF) in France. More countries will be added down the line. 

Background Sounds

Apple is also adding a new background sounds feature help users that need to focus, stay calm, or rest. There will be various sounds users can choose from, including balanced, bright, or dark noise, along with ocean, rain, or stream sounds.

Used to "mask unwanted environmental noise," the background sounds will play continuously when turned on, with users even being able to use it under other audio and system sounds.

There are many new updates set to arrive this year, including new support for bi-directional hearing aids, display and text size settings that can be customized in each app, new Memojis to represent those with oxygen tubes, cochlear implants, and a soft helmet for headwear; and audiogram support and plenty more.

Apple's new accessibility features celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which takes play on May 20. Check out the full list of what's to come right here. 

The Amazon Spring Sale is raging on — offering big price cuts on the latest games and gadgets. In the latest deal drop, it’s good news for those searching for Apple's latest iPad Pro (2020) and iPad Air (2020) tablets.

So good, we had to spotlight them here. It’s rare that we see Apple cut the price of their popular tablets, but that is exactly what we’re seeing, Right now, you can save up to £69 on the iPad Air, 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

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Best iPad deals in the Amazon Spring Sale

If there is one thing a lot of us have learned while in lockdown, it’s how to use tablets not just as a screen to binge watch and play games on, but to actually get stuff done. To do so, you need the best hardware, which you can get for less with these seriously good deals.

Want some more options? Check out the best iPad deals. 

Apple seems to be a big fan of mini-LED displays, as rumours suggest we'll be getting a new iPad Pro with mini-LED tech as soon as next month. While this may be pushed back, seeing as there's no sign of an Apple event in March, we are getting a sneak peek of what's to come next year.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the tech giant is planning to release a mini-LED MacBook Air and OLED iPad Air by 2022, but don't expect too many other OLED displays down the line. 

• Best MacBook in 2021: Which Apple laptop is best?
• Apple event delayed — iPad Pro 2021 might not arrive this month
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According to Kuo (via 9to5Mac), while the upcoming iPad Pro will get a mini-LED display, all other iPads to to be released in the near future will use OLED, starting with the iPad Air 2022 model. OLED displays are cheaper than mini-LED panels, so Apple will stick to using OLED to keep the price down on its more affordable tablets — possibly including the iPad mini, iPad Air and original iPad.

Kuo states upcoming MacBooks won't have OLED displays due to burn-in concerns, and claims a mini-LED MacBook Air will be coming out as soon as 2022. Rumour has it, a 16-inch MacBook Pro is on the horizon, set to release sometime this summer, with reports also suggesting it will use mini-LED panels.

So, mini-LED panels seem to be taking over Apple products, and even though they provide more efficient backlighting, they are pricier, which hints an increase in prices for upcoming MacBooks and 2021 iPad Pro.