The new iPad Air is updated with an M4 chip and Wi-Fi 7. See details.

Following the wave of new developments during the first week of March, the Apple announced a new iPad Air for 2026, with the M4 chip present in the more expensive model presented last year. The change is focused on delivering more performance, so the new iPad It arrives with the same look as the 2024 model. Get a closer look at it:

Design

Since the change was more about performance than aesthetics, the iPad Air 2026 It comes in the same colors as the 2024 model: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Stellar (a shade of brown)Both generations come with a thickness of 6,1 mm and a weight of 464 grams, featuring a reinforced aluminum back and edges for greater durability.

Despite this, the models do not have an IP rating for potential contact with water or dust particles, so the Apple It continues to recommend avoiding this.

Fabric

In terms of display, the Apple It also retained the same 11- and 13-inch sizes as... iPad Air From 2024, with the Liquid Retina display. This type of panel offers not only an anti-reflective coating for distraction-free viewing, but also technology. true Tone, providing a truly immersive visual experience.

With exceptional brightness and a wide P3 color gamut, every detail comes to life, ensuring that displayed content is rich in depth and vibrant in any environment, while text remains sharp and legible regardless of surrounding lighting conditions.

A IPS technology (In-Plane Switching) included in the screen provides wide viewing angles and vibrant colors, ensuring that no matter what angle you are looking at the screen from, colors and details remain sharp and accurate. Additionally, backlighting LED  provides consistent, energy-efficient luminosity.

Performance

The new iPad Air is driven by M4 chipFeaturing an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, this device offers up to 30% faster performance than the previous model with the M3 chip and up to 2,3 times faster than the version with the M1. This increased power ensures smooth performance in demanding tasks, such as video editing in Final Cut Pro and image compositing in Pixelmator Pro, making the device a robust tool for creative professionals and users seeking productivity anywhere.

O iPad Air also has the iPadOS 26 Factory installed with Liquid Glass support and support for Apple Intelligence features such as notification summaries, ChatGPT support for text and email, and more.

The 9-core GPU of M4 (It's worth remembering that the iPad Pro's GPU has 10 cores) introduces cutting-edge graphics technologies to iPad Air, including mesh shading ray tracing Second-generation hardware-accelerated. This results in professional 3D rendering that is more than four times faster than in previous versions. iPad Air with M1, delivering extremely realistic gaming experiences with more accurate lighting, reflections and shadows, as well as accelerating graphics-intensive workflows.

O M4 It also increases the capacity of iPad Air For Artificial Intelligence tasks, it features a 16-core Neural Engine that is three times faster than the M1's. To support this performance, Apple increased the unified memory by 50%, totaling 12 GB, with a bandwidth of 120 GB/s. These improvements allow AI models to run locally much more quickly, benefiting everything from everyday features like visual search to advanced functionalities in applications like Goodnotes and Apple Creator Studio tools.

Connectivity

In addition to the main processor, network performance has been improved with the introduction of the new N1 and C1X chips. The N1 chip supports... Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, ensuring faster and more stable wireless connections.

The C1X modem, present in Cellular models, provides up to 50% better mobile data performance and greater energy efficiency compared to previous generations, keeping the user connected at high speed wherever they are.

Back camera

Another factor that remained the same was the rear camera. iPad Air on M4 The same 12MP wide-angle rear camera arrives with support for 4K resolution recording. This lens is capable of capturing high-resolution photos and detailed video in 4K, with support for 240 fps slow motion. Dual microphones are precisely designed to work in conjunction with the cameras, capturing clear audio from the environment in use while minimizing unwanted background noise.

It is also equipped with landscaped stereo speakers that offer an immersive audio experience, complemented by technology Spatial audio. The 13-inch model increases sound quality even further, with double bass, ideal for enjoying music and videos with above-average sound depth.

Frontal camera

No novo iPad Air, the Ultra Wide front camera of 12 SM it is now positioned along the long edge in landscape orientation. Equipped with technology Center StageThis camera uses machine learning to automatically keep all participants within the field of view during video calls.

This camera placement was strategically chosen because it aligns with the most common orientation of users of iPadwhether for interactions in FaceTime with friends and family or to join video meetings while using iPad Air with a keyboard.

Internal storage and memory

Unified memory (RAM) has grown 50% less compared to the previous generation, now totaling 12 GB.In addition to greater capacity, memory bandwidth reaches... 120 GB / sThis combination allows the iPad Air to run Artificial Intelligence models faster and maintain smooth performance when multitasking and running demanding applications.

Regarding file storage capacity, the new iPad Air offers several options for different needs. The model is available in the following configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TBOne important point mentioned is that initial storage now begins in 128 GBThis represents double the input capacity compared to previous models (such as the iPad Air with M1), benefiting those looking to upgrade.

price and availability

The new ones iPad Air 2026 They can be ordered on the official website of Apple from March 04Deliveries began on March 11th in the US, but the date for Brazil had not yet been announced at the time of writing. See all prices:

Córdoba	11″ iPad Air 2026	iPad Air 2026 13"
Wi-Fi only:	128 GB: BRL 7.499 256 GB: BRL 8.699 512 GB: BRL 11.099 1 TB: R$ 13.499	128 GB: BRL 9.999 256 GB: BRL 11.199 512 GB: BRL 13.599 1 TB: R$ 15.999
Wi-Fi + Cellular	128 GB: BRL 9.499 256 GB: BRL 10.699 512 GB: BRL 13.099 1 TB: R$ 15.499	128 GB: BRL 11.999 256 GB: BRL 13.199 512 GB: BRL 15.599 1 TB: R$ 17.999

The new ones 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air They are compatible with accessories: A Apple Pencil Pro can be bought 1.499 BRL, while the Standard Apple Pencil can be bought by 899,00 BRL. O Magic Keyboard It can also be added to the cart at checkout, costing... 2.999 BRL for the model of 11" e 3.299 BRL for the model of 13"The purchase of tablets and accessories can be made directly at Apple website When the pre-sale begins.

Technical specifications

Categories	iPad Air (11-inch model)	iPad Air (13-inch model)
Fabric	11-inch (Liquid Retina display)	13-inch (Liquid Retina display)
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB
Available Colors	Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Stellar
Connectivity	Wi-Fi + Cellular (eSIM and mobile data support)
Screen Features	Wide P3 color gamut, True Tone, and anti-reflective coating.
Cameras	Rear camera: 12 MP wide-angle (4K video) Front: 12 MP with Center Stage (horizontal)
Processor	Apple M4 8 cores (for up to 30% faster performance than the M3)
GPU	9 cores (with mesh shading e ray tracing (hardware accelerated)
NPU	16 cores (3x faster AI processing power than the M1)
Compatibility (Pens)	Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C)
Compatibility (Keyboards)	Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (11″ version) Magic Keyboard for iPad Air (13″ version)
System / AI	iPadOS 26 with support for Apple Intelligence features.

What did you think of the models? Which one would you buy for your everyday life? Tell us in the comments! Comment!

See also other features

The iPhone 17e is launched with MagSafe starting at R$ 5.799.

The design of the iPhone 18 Pro has leaked. Find out everything about it.

Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 02 / 03 / 2026.

With information: Apple Newsroom