Performance meets connectivity: iPad Air M4 vs M3 breakdown

New Delhi: Apple has recently unveiled its latest version of iPad Air, which is powered by the M4 chip, replacing the last-generation model with the M3 processor. As we all know, iPad Air M4 is available in two variants: 11-inch and 13-inch. At the same time, both models have the same displays and an overall similar look.

The newer M4 model will bring improved processing power, memory capacity, and Apple’s in-house modem and networking chip for connectivity. Now, here we are going to see the comparison between the previous iPad Air M3 and the latest iPad Air M4.

Performance

iPad Air runs on Apple’s M4 chip, while the last generation model uses the M3 processor. The M4 chip is faster in CPU and GPU performance compared to its previous model. This results in the M4 iPad Air being up to 30% faster than the last generation. The M4 chip upgrade also brings major changes in chip configuration.

Both the M4 and M3 chips are powering the iPad Air, featuring an eight-core CPU. M4 model gets three performance cores and five efficiency cores, while the M3 models get four performance cores and four efficiency cores. Both the chips support the hardware-accelerated ray tracing for improved lighting and reflections in supported games and applications.

M4 also supports the mesh shading, which can further has been enhance graphics performance in compatible titles. This latest iPad Air with M4 chip comes with 12GB unified memory, which is 50% more than the previous generation. M4 model supports memory bandwidth of up to 120GB/s compared to the 100GB/s which seen on the last generation M3 model.

Connectivity 

It also improved in the M4 iPad Air, the latest model comes with Apple’s N1 networking chip and the latest in-house modem, C1X, designed to improve wireless and mobile network performance. This allows the iPad Air with M4 to support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, while the M3-powered model is limited to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Display

M3 and M4 models are available in 11-inch and 13-inch Liquid Retina display options. The build quality and accessory compatibility remain largely the same across both generations.

Software and Battery

The latest M4 iPad Air is getting support for iPadOS 26 out of the box. The last-generation iPad Air is eligible for the iPadOS 26 software update. Both iPad Air M4 and iPad Air M3 offer the same battery life, with Apple rating them for up to 10 hours of web browsing or video playback on Wi-Fi and up to nine hours of web browsing using the cellular data network.