Apple iPad Air M4 launches with 30% more grunt for image editing than on the iPad Air M3

The Apple iPad Air is back with a powerful M4 silicon chip, more Unified Memory, a faster Neural Engine, and a boost in memory bandwidth, making it an extremely capable alternative to the iPad Pro M5 in terms of raw power, which will surely make it a more formidable machine for photo and video editing, especially for those more taxing tasks such as AI-powered tools, multi-layer composites, and high-resolution video. And indeed, Apple rates this latest iteration as 30-percent faster than the previous iPad Air M3 and an eye-watering 2.3x faster than the still capable iPad Air M1.

A huge draw for creatives is the iPad ecosystem’s exemplary image quality and color accuracy. As we’ve come to expect, the iPad Air M4 is available in 11- and 13-inch variants, both with an LED Liquid Retina display, complete with Apple’s True Tone, which adjusts the display according to ambient lighting. A P3 wide color gamut, for accurate color reproduction. And full lamination, which reduces glare, improves touch responsiveness, and increases image quality.

Both variants feature anti-reflective coatings and support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), however, the 11-inch iPad Air M4 emits 500 nits of brightness, while the 13-inch model emits 600 nits. Beneath that sleek aluminum exterior, you’ll find an 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU that supports Apple’s second-generation ray tracing mesh shading and ray tracing for a boost in graphical performance, with Apple citing 4x faster 3D pro rendering in comparison to the iPad Air M1.

The aforementioned boost in power also extends to AI performance. Unified memory has been boosted by 50 percent, equalling the 12GB present on standard iPad Pro M5 machines with 12GB of RAM. Memory bandwidth has been increased to 120GB/s. And a 16-core Neural Engine is said to provide 3x faster performance than the M1 chip – good news for photo and video editors who rely on AI tools.

The iPad Air M4 also features Apple’s N1 and C1X connectivity chips – a first for the iPad Air series – for fast wireless and cellular connections, as well as Wi-Fi 7 support. The N1 enhances Personal Hotspot and AirDrop, as well as 5GHz Wi-Fi network connections, while the C1X boasts 30-percent less modem energy consumption than the previous iPad Air iteration.

As you’d expect, the iPad Air M4 runs on iPadOS 26, and beyond the Liquid Glass redesign, it brings with it a new windowing system and menu bar in a bid to provide a more streamlined workflow for more professional uses, as well as tweaks to folder management.

Groundbreaking camera specs are a rarity on tablets, nowadays, given the inherently awkward form factor. The iPad Air M4 has a 12-MP f/1.8 Wide camera with a 5x digital zoom, which can capture up to 4K / 60p video. The Center Stage front camera is 12MP f/2, and can capture full HD / 60p.

The iPad Air M4 is available in four colorways: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey. Both variants are available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage. The iPad Air M4 starts at $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the 11-inch model and $799 / £799 / AU$1,349 for the 13-inch model.

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Check out the iPad Pro M4 review to see how the latest iPad Air shapes up against this last-gen Pro model. Find out how I edit photos with an Apple Pencil and my iPad Pro. And if you're looking for a broad guide on Android, Windows, and Apple tablets, take a look at the best tablet for photo editing.