Apple’s iPad lineup in 2025 is like a collection of a greatest hits album with too many good options. There are now four iPads on the menu: the entry-level iPad (11th-gen), the iPad mini, the iPad Air with its shiny new M3 chip, and the top-tier iPad Pro with its M4 processor and OLED display. All of them are excellent in their own right, but figuring out which one is “for you” feels oddly like solving a Rubik’s cube.
The base iPad is cheaper, cheerful, and good enough for most people. The iPad mini? Compact and powerful, serves a very niche audience. The Air now flirts with Pro-level performance while keeping the price (relatively) sane. And the iPad Pro? It’s for those who want to replace their laptop, but only if they can justify the splurge.
What’s confusing isn’t the hardware — it’s that every iPad is inching toward being a computer, yet none of them fully are. Apple seems to want you to believe that any iPad can be your next laptop… just not in a way that replaces the Mac. It’s brilliant, frustrating, and undeniably Apple.
So what does the M3 iPad bring to the table? Read on to find out more on Apple’s new iPad and how the iPad line up stacks up now.
The more it changes, the more it looks the same
The iPad Air now runs on Apple’s powerful M3 chip. But unless you knew where to look, you’d never guess it was new. From the outside, it’s business as usual — sleek, minimalist, and indistinguishable from last year’s model. That’s kind of the theme this time: nothing’s really changed, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.
The iPad Air’s Liquid Retina display was perfectly serviceable for bingeing content. But let’s be honest — once you’ve seen the iPad Pro’s OLED panel, there’s no un-seeing it. A bit more brightness wouldn’t go amiss either. More than once I found myself yanking down the Control Center in a sunlit room, hoping to crank the brightness, only to realize I was already at full blast.
The bezels around the screen are a bit chunky by 2025 standards, and the 60Hz refresh rate? Scrolling on the Air feels… fine, but also vaguely like a throwback. I get that Apple needs to leave some sparkle for the iPad Pro — not expecting OLED here — but come on, a smoother display on a tablet that starts at Rs 59,900 doesn’t seem like an outrageous ask.
The 12MP front camera is sufficient — good enough for video calls, and Center Stage does a solid job of keeping my fidgety self in frame. Zoom in too far and yes, things get pixelated, but for FaceTiming family or hopping on a quick call with the team, it’s more than enough. The same goes for the built-in speakers and mics — clear, consistent, and competent.
In short, it works well. But if you’re the kind of person who notices pixel sharpness or color contrast while catching up on The Bear, you might find yourself eyeing the Pro’s screen with more than a little envy.
The Air continues to be the “budget Pro” for most people. But calling it “Air” is a stretch. It’s neither the thinnest nor the lightest. In fact, Apple has quietly removed the “iPad Air” branding from the back. It’s just an Apple logo now. Maybe they know the name doesn’t mean anything anymore either.
Apple should just admit that “Air” moniker for the iPad exists because it evokes a great sense of nostalgia and a certain amount of cool quotient.
Super fast performance with sprinkles of AI
Performance-wise, the M3 is a clear upgrade over last year’s M2. It isn’t revolutionary when compared to the M2 iPad Air but definitely noticeable if you push your tablet with multitasking, creative work, or AI tools. Apple’s own M chips continue to be impressive — just maybe a bit underappreciated on the iPad, unless you’re a power user.
The good news? The new Air supports Apple Intelligence, unlike the entry-level iPad, which means it’s future-proofed for AI features — however half-baked they feel right now. I’ve played with some of them for the last several months on different Apple devices. Summarising messages, generating images, making Genmoji — all these are quite neat… but not life-changing. And Siri’s still Siri, even with ChatGPT integration. We have to wait for the delayed revamped Siri to see if it can become smarter with the AI.
Yes, you will need the accessories
One of the more strategic differences this year is Pencil Pro support. The Air works with it. The basic iPad? Nope. The Pro stylus is a joy — haptics, squeeze gestures, barrel roll… if you sketch, edit, or mark up documents, this is the stylus you want. I can’t shake the feeling that Apple deliberately kept it away from the entry iPad just to push people towards the Air. Annoying, but effective.
Same story with the Magic Keyboard. Apple’s new version for the Air, and while it adds a function row and looks sleek, it’s still heavy. On the 13-inch iPad Air, it turns the whole thing into something chunkier than a MacBook Air. I love the keyboard feel and portability, but yeah — it’s not exactly “Air” once you attach it.
And while the Air’s keyboard gets the job done, it’s clearly a step down from the Pro version. Smaller trackpad. No backlighting. Physical click instead of haptic. It works, but feels like Apple’s saying, “You’re not a Pro, and don’t forget it.”
Should you go for the Pro? Or ditch the Mac?
If you’re wondering how the iPad Pro stacks up — sure, it’s better. OLED display, Face ID, thinner body, faster M4 chip. But it’ll cost you at least Rs 40,000 more. Unless you’re a filmmaker or hardcore digital artist, I don’t see the point. The Air does almost everything the Pro does, for much less.
Of course, Apple being Apple, they’re making people choose between the iPad and the Mac. I wrote this review on the iPad Air — but I had to switch to my MacBook to publish it because the iPad still doesn’t play nice with my CMS. It’s a tablet that can be a laptop… until it isn’t.
And that’s the eternal iPad dilemma, isn’t it? It’s versatile, fast, great with apps, surprisingly good at multitasking, even with external monitors. But it’s not a Mac. And for many of us, that’s the wall we keep hitting. If these M3 iPads could just run macOS when docked — just a button to switch modes — I’d be the first in line. I know it is wishful thinking and Apple will not do that.
Should you buy it?
So, is the iPad Air worth it? For me, yes it is on almost every count. The sweet spot is the 11-inch model with 256GB or 512GB of storage. Add the Pencil Pro if you need it, and the new Magic Keyboard if you want a laptop-like setup. Just don’t spend too much chasing the Pro experience unless you truly need it. Without the accessories also, it is a solid tablet but I won’t recommend it over the 11-th gen entry-level iPad.
The iPad Air M3 is exactly what one expects it to be: faster, slightly smarter, and still stuck between tablet and laptop. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a great iPad.
Money matters
Apple’s new iPad Air with the M3 chip is available in India with multiple storage and connectivity options. The 11-inch iPad Air with Wi-Fi starts at Rs 59,900 for the 128GB model, followed by Rs 69,900 for 256GB, Rs 89,900 for 512GB, and Rs 1,09,900 for 1TB. The same 11-inch model with Wi-Fi + Cellular connectivity is priced at Rs 74,900 for 128GB, Rs 84,900 for 256GB, Rs 1,04,900 for 512GB, and Rs 1,24,900 for 1TB.
Meanwhile, the larger 13-inch iPad Air with Wi-Fi starts at Rs 79,900 for 128GB, Rs 89,900 for 256GB, Rs 1,09,900 for 512GB, and Rs 1,29,900 for 1TB. Its Wi-Fi + Cellular counterpart is priced at Rs 94,900 for 128GB, Rs 1,04,900 for 256GB, Rs 1,24,900 for 512GB, and Rs 1,44,900 for the 1TB variant.
Accessories include the 11-inch Magic Keyboard for Rs 26,900 and the 13-inch version for Rs 29,900. Apple’s new Pencil Pro is priced at Rs 11,900, while the more affordable USB-C Apple Pencil is available for Rs 7,900.
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