2025 seems to be a landmark year for Apple already.

We’ve seen the launch of a phone, several computers and now a new iPad. And it’s still only March.

Some of these have been breakthrough devices; the iPhone 16e effectively creating a whole new product category for Apple.

Other 2025 updates seem less significant. After all, if the only difference is a new chip, is it really that different?

Let’s find out.

Because the 2024 iPad Pro became the first Apple device to ship with Apple's M4 processor, this year’s iPad Air is the first iPad run by the M3. If you think that’s confusing enough, don’t even get me started about the various iterations of the M3 and M4 chips. Rest assured, even if it’s not an Ultra, Pro or Max version of Apple’s in-house CPU, you’ll still be treated to a superbly smooth, efficient and powerful computing experience.

The same can definitely be said for the new iPad Air, which, admittedly, looks pretty much identical to the previous model. And I do mean exactly; both 11-inch and 13-inch models are precisely the same size and shape as their predecessors and are a mere gram or two lighter.

But Apple (quite reasonably) is under no illusion about how often people upgrade their devices. Which is why the default comparison devices on the website tend to be nothing later than the M1 iPad Air from 2022.

A lot has happened since then, not least of which, Apple Intelligence. The M1-powered iPad Air was future-proofed enough to be able to juggle the neural processing required to use Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Writing Tools and Clean Up for your photos. However, it goes without saying, the new iPad Air chews through this kind of work even more smoothly.

The camera setup on this year’s iPad Air seems to be the same on paper; a 12MP Wide sensor on the back, paired with a 12MP CentreStage selfie-cam. And yet, the photos and videos are just better. They’re certainly better than what you get from just about any other built-in laptop or tablet camera out there - check out the video at the bottom of this review if you need further convincing.

But it’s the little things I’ve noticed and appreciated even more.

For example, I’m writing this review using the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (backwards compatible with several previous generations). This is the Air version of the Magic Keyboard that has been available for iPad Pro for a while now. I consider the Magic Keyboard to be one of the the best-designed accessories ever produced and I’ve said as much in previous reviews. Not only do you get a surprising amount of travel from what is essentially a flat keyboard but also a wonderfully responsive touchpad and a full row of dedicated function keys, including brightness and media controls.

But perhaps the best thing about the Magic Keyboard is it literally adds another USB-C port to your iPad, with a pass-through charging option built into its spine. This means you can keep the iPad Air charging while you work (or play) simultaneously using the USB-C for something else; perhaps transferring files at up to 10Gbps or even connecting to an external display.

The Magic Keyboard is damn expensive though; starting from NZ$549.00 - but I’ve used it quite a bit and it really is that good. Especially when paired with the power of M3 in this latest iPad Air. As I type, I’m literally using the new 11-inch iPad Air as a mini laptop and it’s a sublime pleasure.

This is always a temptation for those of us who aren’t regular tablet users and are more likely to tap out their work on a laptop or desktop machine. Every time I swear I’m not going to get sucked into the “laptop comparison” and yet, when the Magic Keyboard is so full-featured and the power of M3 means a task like filling in the appropriate fields on the back-end of a website works exactly as it should, I start to wonder if I even need a laptop. Especially since no MacBook yet features a touch display. Meanwhile, iPads were born to be touched.

Certainly there aren’t too many laptops out there that can compete with the iPad Air’s legendary ten hours of battery life. This hasn’t changed since the last model but remember, the M3 iPad Air is now doing a lot more. If anything, I’ve found Apple’s ten-hour claim somewhat undersells what this device actually delivers - and that NEVER happens in tech.

But seriously… why would you choose the iPad Air over a laptop or even the iPad Pro? For a start, it’s smaller and lighter than a laptop. Even with the addition of the 355gram Magic Keyboard, the 460gram 11-inch iPad Air still weighs substantially less than a MacBook Air at 1.24kg.

Of course, price is a major consideration too. iPad Pro starts at NZ$1,999 while the new iPad Air kicks off at NZ$1,199. I’ve used (and reviewed) the M4 iPad Pro and yes, it’s a genuine powerhouse of a machine but given I’m not trying to render 3D movie projects on a regular basis, for a user like me, there’s not a lot the M3 iPad Air can’t do.

Take the app Morpholio Board, for example. This is a tool that lets you visualise interior design options by combining real images of your space taken with the iPad Air cameras with images of products, furniture, appliances and art you’ve yet to purchase. You can literally create a 3D walk-through to give you a solid idea of what will work and what won’t.

Gaming is another area where I think a lot of users would be surprised by how well the new iPad Air performs. You can pair pretty much any controller and jump into a game like Horizon Chase 2 to waste a few hours racing, upgrading and crashing your car. The laminated Liquid Retina display is nice and bright and also sports an anti-reflective coating, meaning you’ll get all the details, even outside.

Meanwhile, the sound provided by the stereo speakers built into the short edges of the device is surprisingly full and powerful. That doesn’t just add to an immersive gaming experience but also makes the iPad Air a fairly passable mobile music machine. Somehow these speakers, although small and hidden, create a genuine illusion of space - the music seems to surround the iPad Air rather than emanate from it.

Is it weird they didn’t go straight to a variant of the M4 chip with this device? Presumably that’ll happen next year or soon thereafter. I mean, the M4 exists. I have an M4-powered Mac Mini. And as good as the M3 iPad Air is, I can tell you when it comes to high-demand actions like rendering video, the M4 absolutely creams the M3. (I’m talking about the standard variants of the chips here of course - not Pros, Ultras or Maxes).

If the answer is to keep the price down, that’s a pretty good answer.

Although I tried not to, because I was sent the Magic Keyboard with my review device, I found it impossible not to compare this iPad with the laptops I’ve used lately. When I’ve done this with other tablets in the past, they generally do an okay job but start to fall down when it comes to browser-based interfaces and editing apps.

Not this time.

There’s something about the maturity of iPadOS and the streamlined performance of the M3 chip that has ironed out most (if not all) of those compatibility bugs. You’ll have to take my word for it but I really did create this entire review on the iPad Air, not using my Mac Mini as I normally would. That includes all the formatting, adding photos from my cloud storage, then transferring and reformatting it all for the Newstalk ZB website. The M3 iPad Air never even blinked. What a pleasure.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPad Air (M3).