Apple iPad Air (2025) review: Pro power at Air price

I swear by the iPad Mini and find it the perfect size for a tablet. That’s why I was skeptical and not keen on shifting to another iPad. But the 13-inch iPad Air changed my mind. After using it for more than a week, I see its appeal now and am glad Apple expanded the Air’s screen size to 13 inches last year.

Despite the diminishing lines between different iPads—given the multiple storage and size configurations throughout the lineup—the 13-inch iPad Air stands its ground. It is less of an Air (not the thinnest anymore) and more of an affordable Pro Apple tablet, at least in terms of performance. Sure, there’s no OLED display or M4 chip… or Face ID, but it’s plenty powerful, supports the Apple Pencil Pro, and costs $400 less.

Compared to last year’s model, the iPad Air (2025) isn’t a whole lot different. It is not trying to reinvent the wheel. You get the same design, same screen, and the same set of speakers, but with an upgraded Apple M3 chipset—at the same price. It’s not an exciting year-on-year upgrade, but there’s plenty to cover.

Apple iPad Air (2025) design

Apple is continuing with its tried-and-tested design for the 13-inch iPad Air (2025). The only difference is its lack of “iPad Air” branding on the back. I like the cleaner aesthetic. Apple’s logo is all the branding it needs.

Unlike previous years, Apple didn’t take away any color options, but it didn’t add any either. The new iPad Air is available in Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey.

At 618 grams (Wi-Fi + Cellular), the 13-inch iPad Air (2025) isn’t the lightest tablet from Apple. It’s almost a millimeter thicker and 34 grams heavier than the iPad Pro (2024). It’s not hefty, and being a big slate, I almost always find myself using it docked on the Magic Keyboard—so the weight doesn’t bother me.

On the front, you get a 13-inch screen. By comparison, bezels on the 11-inch variant look dated and are due for a refresh. You’ll find the ever-reliable 12MP front camera on the top in landscape orientation. It supports Center Stage to keep you in the frame despite minor movements on video calls. The stereo speakers are loud and clear enough to not require an audio accessory.

There’s still no space for Face ID. The new iPad Air relies on Touch ID for authentication, which was recently phased out from iPhones with the launch of the iPhone 16E. It works 10 out of 10 times and is easy to reach when docked into the keyboard (because it lies within my reach on the left side).

However, it’s not as convenient to reach when you hold the iPad in your hand, especially for the 13-inch model. A lighter form factor and Face ID could make it easier to use for artists who primarily want a slate to use with the Apple Pencil Pro.

Apple also refreshed its Magic Keyboard alongside the iPad Air (2025). It’s more affordable ($269 for the 11-inch and $319 for the 13-inch model) and features a 14-key function row to let you adjust quick settings like screen brightness, volume, Do Not Disturb, and more.

I’m typing this review on the last-gen Magic Keyboard, and I miss not having a function key. When typing, I’d rather reach for the keyboard to adjust brightness than swipe on the touchscreen. I’m pleased that the new version lets me do that. It also has a larger trackpad than before, but is slightly heavier. You still get the same satisfying typing experience.

When compared, the 11-inch iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard feels denser than the 13-inch iPad Air.  It’ll be lighter in your backpack, but the overall weight distribution feels better on the 13-inch model.

iPad Air (2025) display

The iPad Air (2025) comes in two display sizes: 11-inch and 13-inch. Both feature an LCD with 264 ppi and a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s a sharp screen for most scenarios. It looks vibrant and offers a good content consumption experience. That is, unless you compare it to an OLED screen. I was hoping for a mini LED upgrade (at least on the bigger model), since the Pro models have moved to more expensive Tandem OLED displays. A higher refresh rate and better vibrancy of mini LED would appeal to a wider audience.

The 13-inch model offers a brighter 600-nit screen compared to the 500 nits brightness found on the 11-inch model. I had no issues with the screen when using it indoors. However, it attracts smudges, and I had to clean it every time I wanted to use it under bright conditions (like in a cab when commuting in daylight). Apple’s oleophobic coating doesn’t help much in this regard.

The 13-inch iPad Air (2025) has a 4:3 aspect ratio display, and I’ve loved working on it. Typing on docs while researching, taking notes, sketching with the Apple Pencil Pro, or using it as a secondary display with a Mac—it’s perfect for creative and productive tasks. However, the 13-inch model adds significant letterboxing to videos.

If you want an iPad Air for consuming content, I strongly recommend opting for the 11-inch model. It offers a slightly wider 16:11 screen, so you get less letterboxing and more video on the screen.

iPad Air (2025) performance and battery

Apple’s new iPad Air is powered by the in-house M3 chipset. It has the same 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU architecture as before but is now built on a 3nm process instead of a 5nm process. In theory, this makes it faster, more efficient, and more capable. Apple claims it is twice as fast as the M1 iPad Air (2022).

A few standout features include ray tracing, mesh shading, and dynamic caching. Game developers can leverage ray tracing and mesh shading to create a more immersive gameplay experience. The former enhances shadows and reflections with greater detail, while the latter helps make gameplay smoother.

Dynamic caching, on the other hand, is responsible for efficiency. It allows the GPU to allocate a specific amount of memory to complex tasks, preventing them from consuming more resources than necessary. Since it is dynamic, it adjusts the memory allocation depending on how you’re using the tablet.

Does all of this sound impressive? Yes. Will you notice it in your day-to-day tasks? Probably not. You’re unlikely to see a difference between the M2 and M3—or even the M1 and M3—when using the iPad Air for basic tasks like writing or video consumption. The real jump in performance will be noticeable to creatives working on graphic-intensive tasks like video editing or design. It will be faster at exporting clips and processing design changes.

During my workday, the iPad Air felt snappy, with only iPadOS quirks holding it back (more on this in the software section). For context, I had at least 12 Chrome tabs open simultaneously, with Google Docs in split-screen and apps like Teams, Asana, Slack, Gmail, and Lightroom running in the background.

It comes with 8GB of RAM and starts at 128GB of storage, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options available for both sizes. Apple doesn’t disclose the battery capacity of its products but claims the new iPad Air can deliver up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi. In my usage, I could get through a full day without any issues, often ending with over 30% battery left for the next day. I’ve used it on long-haul flights for video consumption, and battery anxiety was never a concern.

You get a USB-C to USB-C cable and an adapter (depending on your location) in the box. However, it doesn’t support fast charging like some other high-end tablets, taking nearly two hours to charge from 10% to 100%.

iPad Air (2025) software

Apple’s iPadOS 18 is feature-rich and better than ever but still rigid and buggy. You get customization options—from personalizing your Home Screen to the Control Center, you can make it your own.

However, customizing it isn’t the best experience. On iPadOS 18.3.2, arranging icons and widgets is a chore. Move one icon, and everything else shifts to a random location on your Home Screen. I have folders and icons placed in two rows at the bottom, but if I try to replace an app, I have to rearrange everything manually. I experienced a bug that rearranged my icons after restarting my iPad Air (2025). I was greeted by a completely rearranged layout, with icons moved to the top two rows instead of the designated layout.

For multitasking, you get features like Split Screen and Stage Manager. I’ve resorted to using the former because Stage Manager doesn’t fully utilize the screen space. It’s useful for faster app-switching—say, when you’re on a Zoom call but need to take notes, or when you’re working on something while keeping track of Slack and Teams messages. It excels at single-app-focused tasks while keeping other apps accessible, but it’s not ideal for true multitasking. OnePlus’ Open Canvas and Samsung’s DeX mode handle that better.

That said, iPadOS remains the better tablet operating system compared to Android, thanks to its app stability, better scalability, and superior support for powerful creative apps. Pair it with the Apple Pencil Pro, and you have the go-to slate for creativity.

Apple Intelligence is still a work in progress. It doesn’t transform the user experience, but some AI features are nice to have. For instance, I use Clean Up in Photos to remove distractions in the background, and I’m always looking forward to the goofiness of Message Summaries in iMessage and Gmail. Like other AI tools, it isn’t always factually accurate, so you have to double-check the full message or email.

You also get Writing Tools to adjust the tone of your sentences and proofread your emails, along with Image Playground to generate images—though I haven’t found a real use for it. A smarter Siri is still in the pipeline, but for now, it can leverage ChatGPT to answer queries. Again, if you’re looking for accurate information, it’s always best to verify it.

iPad Air (2025) price

Apple gave the iPad Air (2025) a performance boost without increasing its asking price. The 11-inch model still starts at $599 for 128 GB. However, memory upgrades are expensive—the 256GB variant costs $699, the 512GB model jumps to $899, and if you want 1TB of storage, prepare to pay above $1,000.

Meanwhile, the 13-inch iPad Air (2025) starts at $799 for the 128GB Wi-Fi-only model. Each storage upgrade adds another $200 over its 11-inch counterpart, while the Cellular variant adds an extra $150. Throw in the Magic Keyboard ($319) and Apple Pencil Pro ($129), and you’re looking at a device that costs more than a MacBook Air.

Can I use the 13-inch iPad Air (M3, 2025) as a laptop replacement?

The age-old question: Is an iPad a laptop replacement? No, it’s not. And it’s not trying to be. If you need macOS or Windows-level productivity, you’re better off with a laptop — it’s built for productivity and offers better support for web apps.

By contrast, the iPad Air (2025) is a creative-first device. You can still get work done on it, but there’s a learning curve—just as there would be if you tried to draw on a laptop. It’s for those who want a big screen for photo and video editing that fits seamlessly into their Mac and iPhone workflow, without compromising on performance.

iPad Air (2025) review: verdict

The 13-inch iPad Air (2025) is for those who want a big-screen iPad for creative workflows and productivity without spending over $1,000. The $799 model with 128GB storage should be enough for most, but if you’re sure about your storage needs, the $899 model with 256GB is a safer bet. I don’t recommend the top-end 1TB variant ($1,299)—at that price, you’re better off getting an iPad Pro for creativity or a MacBook Air for productivity.

It’s a reliable, portable device for creatives—expensive, yes, but still $400 cheaper than the equivalent-sized Pro model. It delivers a near-Pro performance without the Pro price. Starting at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch variant, the iPad Air offers a sharp screen, best performance in the segment, reliable battery life, tailor-made apps for the operating system, and solid optional accessories. If you want power and portability for creative workflows without breaking the $1,000 mark, this is the best iPad for you.