Apple refreshes the iPad Air with the iPad Pro’s M1 chip, 5G

Fifth-generation tablet still starts at $599, begins shipping on March 18.

The iPad Air got 5G support, faster processor speeds, and an improved front camera in a refresh that was announced during the company's "Peek performance" event on Tuesday.

Until today, the 10.9-inch tablet had been the oldest in Apple's lineup, having released in October 2020. The iPad mini and base iPad were updated last fall, and the iPad Pro got the M1 chip and other improvements last spring. Now Apple's entire iPad lineup has been updated within just the past year.

This iPad Air refresh bumps the previous model’s A14 Bionic chip up to the aforementioned M1. This is the same chip used in the iPad Pro, late 2020 MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 2020 Mac Mini.

While the A14 was never exactly slow for most tablet needs, this upgrade should result in notable performance gains, presumably bringing the Air in line with the higher-end iPad Pro in terms of raw speed. For reference, the A15 Bionic chip found in the most recent iPad mini refresh features a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, while the M1 chip here includes an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU.

The fifth-generation iPad Air also supports 5G connectivity in its cellular models. As with Apple's other 5G products, you'll need good coverage from your local carrier to see improved data speeds or reduced latency.

Another improvement comes to the front-facing camera. There's now a 12MP wide-angle camera that enables support for Apple's "Center Stage" feature for FaceTime and other video-calling apps, which pans and zooms as you move within the camera's field of view to keep you in frame. This feature had previously been available on other recent iPad releases. The prior iPad Air came with a 7MP front camera.

The rest of the new model’s design looks similar to the fourth generation's, which had already had a fairly major hardware refresh, bringing the device closer to the iPad Pro by removing the Home button, shrinking the display’s bezels, and flattening the edges. The same general aesthetic applies here, which should continue to be a mostly good thing. All the same accessories will work with the new model, though Apple says the USB-C port is now up to two times faster and supports data transfers up to 10Gbps. There's still a 10.9-inch display with a 2360×1640 resolution and 500 nits of maximum brightness.

That said, the iPad Pro will continue to separate itself with a higher 120 Hz refresh rate, which allows for smoother motion, plus an overall brighter panel. It'll offer more storage by default, too: while the Pro starts at 128GB and goes up to 2TB, the new Air will still only be available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

The new iPad Air starts at $599, though, which is the same as the previous model. To compare, this is $100 more than the iPad mini and $270 above the basic entry-level iPad, but $200 below the 11-inch iPad Pro. Wi-Fi and cellular versions of the Air, meanwhile, will still start at $749.

The device will be available to order beginning on March 11 and start shipping on March 18. Available colors include gray, pink, blue, purple, and a gold-silver "starlight" finish.

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Listing image by Apple