Macworld
It’s not quite a year since Apple updated the iPad Air with an M2 processor back in May 2024, more than two years after the launch of the M1 model. Apple didn’t change the design much, though it did introduce a larger 13-inch model. It looks like the wait won’t be so long for the next model—less than a year later, rumors of a new iPad Air are already flying, and we’ve collected everything we know here.
UPDATE: We could still see a new iPad Air really soon. Tim Cook has tweeted that “This week”: “There’s something in the Air” which of course could mean the MacBook Air, but it could equally mean both the MacBook Air and iPad Air.
2025 iPad Air release date: When will the new iPad Air launch?
- March release; we predict it will go on sale after March 13, 2025
On March 3 Tim Cook tweeted a message that “this week” something is “in the Air”, suggesting a new product will launch soon.
Tim Cook’s tweet
Foundry
While that tweet could refer to the long overdue MacBook Air, there is an update to the iPad Air also rumored. Mark Gurman has claimed that an update to the iPad Air will come this spring.
Alongside the iPad Air, another iPad is expected to be updated. The standard iPad, which doesn’t even support Apple Intelligence, is expected to get an update to become the 11th gen iPad.
One reason why Apple may have held back the launch and not revealed the new iPad Air alongside the iPhone 16e in February is that it is running a Higher Education Offer 2025 in Australia until March 13. For that student targeted deal they are offering an Apple Pencil with iPad Air and iPad Pro. Apple is unlikely to change the specs of a device currently in a promotion.
On this basis, we anticipate that the new iPad Air won’t go on sale until March 13 at the earliest. This could point to a product launch a week before, pre-orders on Friday March 7, and on sale on March 14. A March 4 or 5 launch is conceivable. This would allow Apple to get it on sale in time for the end of its second quarter on March 28.
The current M2 iPad Air was released in May 2024, so a spring 2025 release for a new iPad Air would be short of a year later. Here’s when the past five iPad Air models launched:
- iPad Air (M2): May 2024
- iPad Air (5th generation): March 2022
- iPad Air (4th generation): October 2020
- iPad Air (3rd generation): March 2019
- iPad Air 2: October 2014
2025 iPad Air price: How much will the new iPad Air cost?
- The iPad has remained at $599 since its 2020 redesign.
- The price may also be affected by component prices, plus unfavorable exchange rates may mean the iPad costs more where you are.
The current 11-inch M2 iPad Air starts at $599/£599 while the 13-inch model starts at $799/£799. 2024 was the first year Apple offers the iPad Air in two sizes.
It’s not unprecedented for Apple to raise prices. When Apple released the M4 iPad Pro in May 2024, it raised the prices by $100/£100. That price hike was accompanied by a new tandem OLED display, which the iPad Air is unlikely to receive. However, Apple may increase the price of the 2025 iPad Air in places where the local currency has fallen against the dollar. This is something it has done in the past, although it didn’t adjust prices with the arrival of the iPhone 16E (other than raising the price of that handset compared to its predecessor) so hopefully there will be no price hikes coming.
2025 iPad Air features: What specs will we see in the new iPad Air?
- A new chip is the main upgrade
- Other major upgrades are unlikely
With the 2024 iPad Air release, Apple revamped the iPad Air lineup. In addition to creating two sizes (11- and 13-inches), Apple upgraded the chip from an M1 to an M2 and moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge. Apple made a few smaller changes, such as upgrading Bluetooth to 5.3, Wi-Fi to 6E, and the Smart HDR implementation in the camera to HDR 4.
The 2025 iPad Air is expected to be a chip upgrade without much else. What that new chip will be, however, is in question. When Apple upgraded the iPad Air in 2024 it used the older M2 chip while the iPad Pro jumped to the M4 due to numerous issues with the M3. In mid-January 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that he “wouldn’t be terribly surprised” if the 2024 iPad Air jumped to the M4. The M5 iPad Pro update isn’t expected until later in 2025.
Tthe 2025 iPad Air will feature an M3 or M4 chip.
Petter Ahrnstedt
A private post by leaker Evan Blass in January claims to show what is supposedly an official Apple document that identifies the new iPad Air as with an M3 chip, not an M4. However, that document also contained an image of the iPhone SE 4 with a Dynamic Island, which has been largely debunked.
We’ll update this article as more information becomes available. Until then, you should check out our best iPad Air deals, our best 10th-gen iPad deals and best iPad deals roundups to see if you can find a bargain on the current range.
Source : Macworld
