Apple’s new iPad Air now comes in a larger 13-inch model with a landscape camera

2023 saw no upgrades to Apple’s iPad line-up, but the tech giant has come out swinging with its newest release. The iPad Air is Apple’s middle-child tablet, offering top performance in a package that’s slimmer and focused on your average user. And the latest model packs plenty of changes, including a performance boost thanks to M2, and a new larger display.

• Read more: Best tablet 2024: top-grade tablets for all budgets

Things are getting bigger with this redesign. You can now pick between an 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air model, both with Liquid Retina displays. The larger display gives you 30% more screen real estate to play with. Inside, it’s powered by the M2 processor from some of the latest MacBooks. It promises top-tier performance and is ready for AI. Expect it to be 50% faster than the previous generation, and up to 3x faster than the A14 Bionic model. This upgraded chip also supports the Apple Pencil hover feature. Plus, it supports Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, for the latest connectivity.

You’ll also find the 12MP front-facing camera on the side now, just like iPad (10th-gen). This can be an issue if you hold the iPad in portrait, but obviously, the huge majority of us would do a video call with the iPad in landscape. It also packs Apple’s Centre Stage, so you’re kept in the frame as you move around.

One of our favourite Apple slates, the 5th-gen iPad Air was launched back in March 2022, packing the M1 chipset and 5G connectivity. Design-wise, it looked pretty similar to the previous model from 2020. But the M1 chipset was a surprise inclusion, and made this one of the most desirable iPad options in Apple’s line-up.

It’s available in a bunch of new colours: blue, purple, starlight, and space grey. Both models start at 128GB, but you can spec them up to 1TB. It still starts at $599/£599, while the 13-inch option starts at $799/£799. You can pre-order from today, and they’ll be available next week.

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Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around seven years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home