Apple Unveils New iPad Air With M1 Chip, Optional 5G, and Faster USB-C, Starting at $599

Apple announced a new iPad Air today at its "Peek Performance" event, featuring Apple's powerful M1 chip previously found in the iPad Pro, as well as optional 5G connectivity, a new front camera with Center Stage, and even faster USB-C connectivity.
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Available in a new array of colors, ‌iPad Air‌ features Apple's Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage for a more natural video conferencing experience, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and 5G on the cellular models.

In terms of the ‌M1‌'s pure performance, the 8-core CPU delivers up to 60% faster performance, and the 8-core GPU delivers up to 2x faster graphics performance compared to the previous ‌iPad Air‌. That makes it faster than the fastest competitive tablet, and 2x as fast as the best-selling Windows laptop in its price range, according to Apple.

The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps, enabling it to support a range of USB-C accessories, including cameras, external storage, and displays with up to 6K resolution. Lastly, the new ‌iPad Air‌ supports the second-generation Apple Pencil.

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"Whether it's a college student taking elaborate notes, a content creator working on their latest project, or a gamer playing graphics-intensive titles, users love iPad Air for its amazing performance and versatility in such a portable design," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever."

The new ‌iPad Air‌ is priced from $599. It is available in 64GB and 256GB configurations, and comes in space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue colors. The new ‌iPad Air‌ will be available to pre-order on Friday, March 11, and will be available from March 18.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

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Top Rated Comments

BugeyeSTI Avatar
47 months ago
I'm thinking I'd rather have the 128gb 11 M1 iPad Pro over the 256gb M1 Air..
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaioshade Avatar
47 months ago
Still 64GB for the base. I was really hoping they would move up to 128GB for the base model. Still looks like a nice refresh though.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
metalsiren Avatar
47 months ago
and base is still 64?????? GTFO, base should be 128 give me a break lol
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nepalisherpa Avatar
47 months ago

Its a big Effu to all us iPad Pro customers.
But M1 is an old chip now.

What shocks me is that Apple chose to stab those iPad Mini consumers who just bought a much slower device for such a relatively high price.
Not really! Base storage is still 64GB, no ProMotion, no Face ID, no Thunderbolt, and when compared to 12.9" iPad Pro, no mini-LED.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
metalsiren Avatar
47 months ago

Apple isnt interested in gimmicky future proofing that predicts the future, it is about building the very best products for today. The future comes later.
wifi 6E is here, and major companies are starting to roll it out so its NOT a gimmicky feature. 6E is the start of a game changer.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
47 months ago

Apparently must wait until they take orders to find out if it has 8GB ram. ?‍♂️
She's a full 8GB. That was totally unexpected.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)