iPad Air M4 Real User Verdict: Great Chip, Same Old Screen

Apple are lazy enough that they even used the same wallpapers for 3 years now

The could've at least put new colors

Still 60hz.

They edit the text from M2 to M3 to M4 and call it a day lol.

The iPad Air used to mean something compared to the base iPad and the pro. For years now I'd call this iteration of the iPad Air Apple's laziest product. Now the Air is basically just an 11" pro with a worse display and last year's processor. Feels strange with little to no differentiation other than that.

The base 128GB version is an odd one… even the 17e got 256. Apple probably had a stock of 128 memory sticks to throw out.

Once again, the Air is still the worst value tablet out there. Amazing how Apple does it year after year.

Crazy that apple gave the base m4 ipad pros 8gb ram and then the air M4s suddenly get 12gb

It's the non-laminated screen in the base model which pushes people to move up to the air. Other than that yeah, it's not great value.

why are they gatekeeping promotion still thats so stupid

I just pulled the trigger on a M3 256gb for $549 - Apple refurbished. Extra storage is more important than the M4 in my opinion.

Still no 120hz. It's not even a pro feature anymore. Such a shame.

if it had 120 no one would buy the pros, this is the only 'real' downside of air

The only good thing I see from it is it is a cheaper option for people who want the larger screen but don't need the pro features. At least for me that's where the value is. I have an M2 air and it's been great for my use case.

No 120Hz Promotion is a deal breaker. With the iPhones they showed us that it doesn't have to be a Pro feature

A $600 tablet in 2026 with a 60 hz display. No thanks.

One difference is the 12gb RAM

I think that cost goes to the larger RAM, the M4 now have a 12GB RAM vs M3 8GB RAM. i think it's worth the trade off, you can multitask more apps now

The 11inch Pro M5 256gb was $799 while this is $699 for the 256 version. Not worth it to get this iPad Air when you consider that. Costco had/has deals that trump this new Air.

Face ID Face ID Face ID. Enuf said.

A lot of things have changed since 2020. But iPad Air has the exact same ancient flickering 60hz screen from the model that used the A14 chip. Unbelievable.

For me the display itself is the biggest diff. I can't use a 60hz panel anymore. Would go with m5 pro frankly unless you need storage, I don't.

I recommend you get the device with the most storage possible based on your budget, then decide the rest. With an iPad, storage is king.

Consider if you need the screen of the Pro, Face ID, LIDAR etc. If your budget is tight the Air is a very solid middle ground that is very capable and probably the more realistic option for most users that need more performance.

That they refuse to bring FaceID to the Air so that the Pro has differentiating features is just silly at this point. I'm still on the M1 Air, and wont be upgrading any time soon.

Another year, no ProMotion is diabolical.

I would wait. If regular iPad gets a laminated screen that would be a huge upgrade. Screen otherwise unchanged since 2019. iPad Air everyone is waiting for 120hz pro motion, otherwise it's also unchanged from 2019. Processor isn't important. But Apple hasn't upgraded the screen in 7 years.

at this rate we will get m5 ipad air next year with the same colors and same stock wallpaper with 60hz lcd screen. atleast there is no incentive to upgrade from my m2 air for a very long time i guess

Leakers on youtube were screaming 120Hz and Oled for almost 7-8 months, and this is what we get.

If you want to future proof your iPad, scratch and consider 512GB minimum. With the new iOS, that should be the newer base model.

8GB ram is plenty. M4 can last a decade or more, limited only by battery health

I wish Apple source their display from wherever Xiaomi got theirs as from someone who have both Xiaomi Pad 8 and Ipad Air, Xiaomi got better, sharper display

Same with air m3 man should check out the m4 in some store i felt like it's an overkill for my note taking and shit but I'm happy either way but the software used to suck until 26.3.1 now it's better but still has some bugs that should be fixed.

Just bought the air M3 (13") the other week, I can sit in the living room and game on the thing (I use it for couch gaming via steam) for a good 3-4 hours and the battery still has a good amount of life left for whatever after. For what it is... It's a solid device imo.

I think the bump to 12GB RAM on the Air, which Apple considers a non-professional device, is a sign of things to come. I faced a similar decision and took a bet on 12GB RAM being important in the future.

As long as you are not a digital artist, civil engineer etc. you won't notice the performance difference. But you will notice the lower refreshrate, lower brightness, less vibrant colors as well as FaceID.

I had the same decision to make. Upgraded from m3 ipad air 13" to m4 ipad air 13" rather than picking an ipad pro almost solely because of the ram increase. The only other consideration that helped my decision was I already had the magic keyboard for the air (pro is not compatible).

The battery life is the reason why I'm exchanging it for a M5 iPad Pro. The screen I can deal with, but 20w-30w charging and the only 'fine' battery is going to annoy me longterm.

The battery has been good for me so far. It charges pretty fast, and it usually lasts me about a full day. I'm not a heavy user though, I mostly watch movies and use social media. Sometimes it even lasts more than a day depending on how much I use it.

The major difference is the screen. LCD 60 Hz for the Air, much brighter Tandem OLED 120 Hz for the pro (the state-of-the-art currently). But if the 11" size isn't an issue, if you don't require a bigger screen, then I'd 100% recommend you the iPad Pro 11" M5 at 1049€, because it has a better chip and more RAM for about the same price.

The pro is honestly overkill for like 99% of users. The only reason it sells is because the promotion screen/oled. I dont expect them to add oled to the other models, but i fully expect 120 hz on the ipad air at this point.

The leakers on YouTube have been way wrong lately. It's mostly just people guessing and wishing at this point. Apple seems to have leaks locked down tight lately.