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Apple's next iPad story, if the latest reports are accurate, is not a dramatic reinvention but rather a familiar model receiving a faster processor. The M4 iPad Air is shaping up as the kind of upgrade Apple prefers: tidy, plausible and just tempting enough to make last year's model feel slightly stale.

For those following without relying on rumours, here is the clear version: Apple is planning a March 4 'Experience' for select media, the iPad Air is among the expected refreshes, and the headline change is the move to the M4 chip, while the rest of the tablet largely remains unchanged.

At a glance, the M4 iPad Air is expected to keep the 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, stick with an LED display (not OLED) at 60Hz, add M4 performance and efficiency gains, and hold pricing at $599 and $799 at least if the chatter is right.​

Why the M4 iPad Air Might Feel Almost Too Familiar

For those hoping the M4 iPad Air would appear as a completely different device, it may come as a surprise. MacRumors reports that no design changes are rumoured, with Apple expected to retain the same 11‑inch and 13‑inch options.

This is not necessarily a sign of laziness; it reflects Apple's long-standing approach of separating 'looks new' from 'is new.' The iPad Air, as described by MacRumors, remains thicker and heavier than the iPad Pro and continues to use a standard LED display rather than OLED — a premium panel technology that, for now, remains reserved for Pro models. The Air also lacks ProMotion, Apple's higher refresh-rate display feature, and MacRumors notes no indication that it will be added in this refresh.

The details that matter to ordinary users — ports, unlocking and cameras — appear stable as well. MacRumors expects USB‑C, the Touch ID top button, and the same front and rear cameras to carry over. Accessories are also expected to remain unchanged, with continued support for the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro, while a new colour is described as merely 'possible' rather than guaranteed. There is an odd honesty to this kind of update: Apple does not fix what is not broken, it simply and quietly rearranges the product ladder.

Apple iPad Pro
The next-generation M5 iPad Pro is rumoured to be an iterative upgrade focused almost entirely on performance and efficiency rather than major design changes. The device is expected to be unveiled in October 2025. Pexels

Where the M4 iPad Air Could Actually Be Worth It

The M4 iPad Air's real pitch is the chip, because Apple has been treating the Air as a 'one generation behind Pro' performance sweet spot. MacRumors notes that since the iPad Pro moved to M5 in October 2025, the iPad Air is set to land on M4.​

On paper, that is not trivial. MacRumors says both M3 (current iPad Air) and M4 are built on a 3‑nanometer process, but M4 uses an updated process aimed at speed and efficiency improvements. It also outlines the headline gains: up to 10 CPU cores instead of 8, a faster Neural Engine, more memory bandwidth, and a GPU designed to be more power efficient useful if Apple wants real-world battery improvements without making grand speeches about it. MacRumors adds a tidy marketing-ready stat: M4 CPU is 'up to 30 percent faster' than M3, while the GPU is 'up to 21 percent faster.'

The AI angle, inevitably, stays in the frame. MacRumors says the iPad Air already supports Apple Intelligence and the next model will continue to do so, with current models featuring 8GB RAM the minimum for Apple Intelligence while any RAM changes remain unknown.​

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Connectivity may be the sleeper upgrade, if it materialises. MacRumors reports the iPad Air is likely to adopt Apple's N1 networking chip (introduced in iPhone 17 models), enabling Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, compared with the current iPad Air's Wi‑Fi 6E. Cellular models are also expected to pick up Apple's C1X modem (used in the M5 iPad Pro), with 5G limited to sub‑6GHz and no mmWave support something MacRumors notes isn't a big loss because the iPad Air doesn't currently support mmWave anyway.​

As for the practical questions of when and how much, MacRumors reports no rumours of a price increase, with the 11‑inch model expected to remain at $599 and the 13‑inch at $799, and a possible launch 'as soon as next week' ahead of the March 4 'Special Experience.'

Apple, meanwhile, has kept the 'Experience' deliberately coy. MacTrast reports that select media were invited to an in-person 'Special Apple Experience' held in New York, London and Shanghai on March 4, with no indication of an online stream.

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