Apple iPad Air 13″: specs, size and price

Apple’s cheapest 13-inch iPad: M4 chip and 12 GB of RAM, but still a 60 Hz LCD

• Screen12.9″ IPS LCD, 60 Hz
• Aspect ratio4:3 (1.33)squarer, like the iPad: good for reading and drawing
• Resolution2732 × 2048 pixelsvery sharp (265 ppi)
• Brightness600 nitsbright: fine in the shade outdoors
• Screen area515 cm² · 85 % of a Letter sheet
• SystemiPadOS 27
• ProcessorApple M4
• Weight616 g
• Penoptional
• Keyboardoptional
• Statuscurrent model

The 13-inch iPad Air with the M4 chip, sold since March 11, 2026, is Apple’s cheaper large iPad for note-taking, sheet music, drawing and office work. Reviewers see it as the sensible alternative to the iPad Pro: Notebookcheck gave it 87 %, Tech Advisor called it the best iPad Air so far, and Engadget (11-inch model) still calls the Air Apple’s best overall tablet. Most of them criticize the unchanged 60 Hz screen.

The screen measures 12.9 inches (Apple says “13-inch”), about 1.5 % smaller in area than the 13-inch iPad Pro. Its 4:3 format is tall, good for documents and sheet music. The IPS LCD has 2732 × 2048 pixels (264 ppi); Notebookcheck measured 625 nits, accurate colors and no PWM flicker. The glossy glass has an anti-reflective coating, with no matte option. Scrolling at 60 Hz is less smooth than on 120 Hz tablets (futurezone).

A slightly cut-down M4 (8-core CPU, 9-core GPU) and 12 GB of memory make it very fast for drawing, photo and video editing, and games, but it loses almost 40 % of its speed under long heavy load (Notebookcheck). Apple gives no update period, yet iPadOS 27 still supports the 2020 iPad Air. Netflix and other streaming apps play in HD.

The Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard with trackpad cost extra ($129 and $319 at launch); Parkablogs found drawing precise. Notebookcheck measured 13 hours 23 minutes of Wi-Fi browsing, but charging at 20 W takes over two hours. The tablet weighs 616 g and is 6.1 mm thin; its stereo speakers sound balanced (Notebookcheck). It has one USB-C port (10 Gb/s, display output) and Touch ID, but no Face ID, headphone jack or microSD slot.

At launch it cost $799 in the US and €849 in Germany (128 GB, Wi-Fi). By October 2026, Apple had raised this to $949 and €999 (Apple).

The Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4) is powered by the Apple M4 (8-core CPU) processor, released in 2026 and built on a 3 nm process. It is one of the fastest chips in any tablet: it handles everything, including heavy video editing, 3D work and the most demanding games. Compared with other large tablets:

• The Apple M5 in the Apple iPad Pro 13″ (M5) is about 20 % faster.
• The Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4) is about 50 % faster than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and its MediaTek Dimensity 9400+.
• The Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4) is about 6.5 times faster than the Meswao MES-B3 (Pro) and its MediaTek Helio G99.

The screen of the Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4) reaches 600 nits according to Apple, which is bright: enough for bright rooms and for outdoor use in the shade, even in the summer. Notebookcheck measured 625 nits.

• Apple iPad Air 13″ (M4)
  10.3 × 7.7 in
• iPad Pro 13″
  10.4 × 7.8 in
• Letter sheet
  11.0 × 8.5 in

The Apple iPad Air 13″ drawn to scale with the 13-inch iPad Pro and a Letter sheet.

Specifications checked on October 2, 2026. Prices are the manufacturers’ list prices (not Amazon prices) and change often.

• Teclast ArtPad Pro 12.7″
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• Apple (specs)
• Apple Newsroom (Mar 2, 2026)
• Apple Newsroom FR
• Apple Store US
• Apple Store DE
• Apple (iPadOS 27 compatibility)
• Wikipedia (M3)
• Wikipedia (M2)
• Notebookcheck (review)
• Engadget (review)
• Tech Advisor (review)
• Cult of Mac (review)
• futurezone (review)
• Parkablogs (review)
• Gizmodo (review)
• Pocket-lint (review)
• Tablet Blog (review)
• Wikipedia (M4)